Took my 899 for some detailing run down since I had some marks on the exhaust I could not get out and also for some over all waxing and polishing. I spoke with the owner about the clear coat and he states that it does get affected but the reduction is so little that It does not affect the paint. What do you guys say about this? Never take it for polishing? Do it once a year or never do it?
Technical term in the vehicle body shop is mopping and yes they use a very fine abrasive to remove the oxidised surface to bring the shine back. I wouldn't do it more than once but having done it I would use a good quality sealing polish. Depends how OCD you are. Andy
For me - Nice soapy wash and then a Good Quality Wax like Zymol. I use Zymol Red as its for Red paint works a treat and also helps dirt and water run off
To remove minor marks the detailer may offer to machine polish, or as Andy says "mop" in paint shop terms, though the detailer may reel away in horror if you called his service mopping this removes microns of top coat and will cause you no issue if done correctly, and if you are dealing with a professional this will be the service he supplies. Once he has corrected the paint its up to you, if you look after it and don't re scratch it you shouldn't need to have the machining done again , waxing will obviously not remove any top coat. I had my 1198s machined to a glass like finish, I could do it myself as I have the equipment but trusted it to a pro, he did advise that the Ducati paint was incredibly soft (unlike german cars). I would have it done once to remove the defects that you have (he may not be able to correct them all) and then look after it. Maccaa
it depends on who does it, how good they are and what they use. look on www.detailingworld.co.uk forum, you'll see some truly amazing people and work. I have a mate who own a tub of polish the size of a small mug, that costs as much as most of our bikes ! A 'proper' polish would take 3 days solid on a motorbike... but within a few hours you can make a decent job of most bikes. The problem is the paint and the marks usually, you can get to a 99% finish without too much effort... getting the extra 1% is the magical part.
That's exactly what this person told me. That they remove some microns with the polish. He even showed me a device he used to measure the paint thickness. The truth is that the bike never had a perfect paint coat. You could see some circular like scratches. Very small but you could see it under the sun light. I just hope that everything comes out perfect.
Thanks for the comments and info. I will look in the detailing forum provided and see if I can find a solution I can do at home. I think all I need is a paint protector and clean/wax regularly.
I think they had a bike being detailed on detailing world Detailing World - View Single Post - Wookey: Ducati 998R Testastretta Gtechniq TSP
899 doesnt have a clear coat as standard,just paint. Ducati paint is pretty poor imo. You can improve it no end by proper polishes and detailing products. If you get a good polish/seal on it 4-5 times a year, all the crap and bugs tend to clean off very easily.
4-5 times a year? i polish/wax my bike weekly (often even though ive not ridden it!) am i over doing it?
