Washing /detailing matte paint

7644 Views 16 Replies 12 Participants Last post by Deano968, Jul 1, 2019

Saucehfd

Discussion Starter · Apr 22, 2016

So gf got a full throttle, went thru some rain.
As i was washing with just soap and water. It has alot of plastic and paint really has NO gloss. Very matte and flat black. As stupid as this sounds... Whats the best for detailing the plastic.. And can u wax the tank due to it not being your typical gloss tank

1 - 17 of 17 Posts

Joooooooosh

· #2 · Apr 23, 2016

I just use a soap/wax wash. I've had a couple of matte black bikes now and no, you can't use proper wax or polish without shining up that matte surface.

I have to clean my bike more to keep it looking perfect because I can't enjoy the protection polish provides. Anything rubbing the matte paint will shine it too. My side panels have a sheen where my knees grip the tank.

Reactions: 1

Saucehfd

Discussion Starter · #3 · Apr 23, 2016

Cool . Good to know.
As far as the plastic on the bike ive seen alot of plastic restore kinda stuff. Or just use soap water and a rag as well

Joooooooosh

· #4 · Apr 23, 2016

Saucehfd said:
Cool . Good to know.
As far as the plastic on the bike ive seen alot of plastic restore kinda stuff. Or just use soap water and a rag as well

A good car shampoo and a microfibre mitt are all you should need for the bodywork.
I can't imagine why you'd need any restorers for the plastics yet. Usually you'd look at that on older bikes that have seen a lot of abuse/sun.

I use a separate mitt on the tank that I keep very clean because any dirt you wipe across the paint will scratch and we can't use polish or T-cut to reduce those scratches.

Basically, matte paint is a pain as it's much harder to restore or freshen up. So needs more care.

The Bakeanator

· #5 · Apr 23, 2016

THIS STUFF: Maxima SC1 Clear Coat | ATV | Rocky Mountain ATV/MC
(Amazon has it too)

It's the greatest thing ever. Simply clean the entire bike really well with soap/water, let it dry, spray the entire bike (except the tires and seat), let it sit for a minute, and wipe it all off. It makes your bike look brand new, and it last for weeks. Now whenever my bike starts to look dirty I just take a clean rag and wipe it and the dirt comes right off and looks super clean. I did mine three weeks ago and it's still working great. Everyone needs this stuff.

Reactions: 1

Saucehfd

Discussion Starter · #6 · Apr 23, 2016

Awesome! Yeh it doesnt need a plstic restoring agent i was just curious if it was safe to clean the stubborn water spots off. Clear coat thing sounds awsome. Not so thrilled that matte paint is a bitch lol. All of my car wash an detailing things i bought for nothin haha

The Bakeanator

· #7 · Apr 24, 2016

Saucehfd said:
Awesome! Yeh it doesnt need a plstic restoring agent i was just curious if it was safe to clean the stubborn water spots off. Clear coat thing sounds awsome. Not so thrilled that matte paint is a bitch lol. All of my car wash an detailing things i bought for nothin haha

Yeah this stuff didn't really affect the matte look on my UE. It looks super glossy when you spray it on but once it's wiped away the gloss goes with it.

nunya

· #8 · May 3, 2016

Google

Best for everything!

Reactions: 1

Chgraham

· #9 · May 7, 2016

Just collected my Full Throttle today, got some dashboard cleaner in the garage, gonna try that. But I used a green jelly dashboard cleaner on a Matt grey harley I had ten years ago and it worked great, can't remember what it was called, bought it from halfords

Airsafari87

· #10 · May 7, 2016

I pick up my Full Throttle this coming Tuesday (10th May) and it will be brought straight home so I can apply its protection before it gets too dirty.

For those that have seen my introduction thread, you may have seen that I have a few different waxes and sealants in my garage that I have built up over the years.

I plan to test these over the coming months to see which works best with matte paintwork as this will be my first bike or car with matte paint.

From memory I have :-
Dodo Juice Diamond White (Wax)
Dodo Juice Purple Crush (Wax)
Dodo Juice Blue Velvet (Wax)
Poorboys Nattys Paste (Wax)
Poorboys EXP (Sealant)
Zymol Concours (Wax)
Zymol Field Glaze (Spray Wax ... Sort of)
Zymol Glasur (Wax)
Gtechniq C2 V3 (Sealant)
Some Kind of Autosmart PDI type prep stuff which I guess could be classed as a sort of wax.

On top of that I also have Poorboys wheel sealant, which is a high temperature sealant which I will be using on the wheels, brake callipers and exhaust cans.

My gut feeling is that the Gtechniq sealant will be the most suitable product in my collection, it's extremely simple to apply and should not make the pain work shine.

The suggestion of 303 Aerospace Protectant is a really good shout too, I've always used it on dashboards and it has great UV inhibitors in it. I need to stock back up on that and give it a try, it will be good for the seat too.

Once I've tried out a few things, I'll report back here with my findings, which may be of some help to others??

See less See more

ScramblerCoupe

· #11 · May 8, 2016

I have had my Ft for a few months now, just clicked over 1000 miles last weekend. I have found clean warm water in a bucket and a micro fiber soft towel keeps everything looking like new. I have been in the dirt and mud, just hose it down first, use the bucket of water and towel making sure you rinse the towel out each couple of passes over the paint then finish the rest of the bike the same way. Then dry it with a clean micro fiber and your done.
I am not sure you would want to use any waxes as that will destroy the mat sheen and leave it splotchy. I have owned many flat paint cars and I have always cleaned them the same way. A small amount of car wash in the water helps with the stuck on bugs but thats all I have used with great results.
I have tried other products but water seems to have worked for years for me. I hope this info may help and save money on product purchases and put gas in the tank instead.

See less See more

thedoc46

· #12 · May 11, 2016

Google Meguiars D114. Dilute it down to 128:1 and that's the last wash you'll ever need for your bike. Here's the thing, you should never take products that contain wax, be it carnunba or synthetic, to matte finishes. It will try and achieve the exact opposite that the matte paintwork is trying to achieve. So just do a waterless spritz of D114, couple of microfibers, and you'll keep your bike looking like new.

for the chain, just clean it with a rag, then use a wax based lubricant. but for the rest of the bike, some D114 and a wipe down... Job done !

Here's an actual thread about matte finishes.

Matte Paint

Airsafari87 said:
I pick up my Full Throttle this coming Tuesday (10th May) and it will be brought straight home so I can apply its protection before it gets too dirty.

For those that have seen my introduction thread, you may have seen that I have a few different waxes and sealants in my garage that I have built up over the years.

I plan to test these over the coming months to see which works best with matte paintwork as this will be my first bike or car with matte paint.

From memory I have :-
Dodo Juice Diamond White (Wax)
Dodo Juice Purple Crush (Wax)
Dodo Juice Blue Velvet (Wax)
Poorboys Nattys Paste (Wax)
Poorboys EXP (Sealant)
Zymol Concours (Wax)
Zymol Field Glaze (Spray Wax ... Sort of)
Zymol Glasur (Wax)
Gtechniq C2 V3 (Sealant)
Some Kind of Autosmart PDI type prep stuff which I guess could be classed as a sort of wax.

On top of that I also have Poorboys wheel sealant, which is a high temperature sealant which I will be using on the wheels, brake callipers and exhaust cans.

My gut feeling is that the Gtechniq sealant will be the most suitable product in my collection, it's extremely simple to apply and should not make the pain work shine.

The suggestion of 303 Aerospace Protectant is a really good shout too, I've always used it on dashboards and it has great UV inhibitors in it. I need to stock back up on that and give it a try, it will be good for the seat too.

Once I've tried out a few things, I'll report back here with my findings, which may be of some help to others??

JaFlo

· #13 · May 11, 2016

I use Jax Wax Hawaiian Shine spray. It's a good cleaner and protectant. It contains wax, but does not affect the matte finish. Wax will not "hurt" matte paint, as it is just a surface treatment (it can always be removed). Compounds and polishes will hurt, as they are designed to cut into the surface ever so slightly. To me, the FT has more of a satin finish than a true matte which is probably why wax seems to have no affect on it. I've also had no problems using other "quick detailer" sprays that contain wax.

Reactions: 1

Scoobydo

· #14 · Jan 7, 2019

I use Motul E11 matte surface cleaner and its very good a maintaining the matte sheen finish. You can also use Autoglym fast glass cleaner this cleans and is alcohol based so evaporates to leave the original finish. Do not use wax or polish as you will end up creating a semi shiny surface.

cdadv123

· #15 · Jul 1, 2019

So I accidentally waxed my matte UE finish. What can I do to remedy this mistake?

Reactions: 1

Joooooooosh

· #16 · Jul 1, 2019

cdadv123 said:
So I accidentally waxed my matte UE finish. What can I do to remedy this mistake?

Just gloss automotive wax?
Strong car shampoo, wash mitt and some elbow grease should take it off. All purpose cleaner if that doesn't do it.

Reactions: 1

Deano968

· #17 · Jul 1, 2019

Clay bar?

1 - 17 of 17 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.