2000 Yamaha V-Star 650 - Quick and Dirty

[thewaxmania]

This is my first time cataloging a detailing project so I`m just going to give a brief discussion of what I`ve done and what methodologies I`ve used. The bike is a 2000 Yamaha V-Star 650 Custom in standard black with no metal flake or pearl. The paint is base/clear and all panels were ABS plastic except for the tank. The bike has just over 12,000 miles, however, it isn`t terribly well maintained and is suffering from weather damage and general poor upkeep. The paint on the engine is pealing, the bare aluminum surfaces are highly oxidized, the wheels are pitted and damaged, and the clear coat on the fork tubes is beginning to fail. These bikes don`t survive well in the weather and they don`t wear as well as other bikes. I used to own a "classic" version of the same bike and it was garaged and detailed frequently and still suffered the same problems. Its more to do with build quality than anything else.

Here are the products and tools I used. The bike was pretty grime-tastic so I went with brute strength on most of the products I chose.

Wash
Tough-Stuff All Purpose Cleaner
Ultra-Solv Heavy Duty Solvent Degreaser (for engine and underside of bike)
Various Brushes to Agitate Dirt, Grease, Oil and Road Film (I use some automotive/motorcycle specific brushes and a lot of dish-cleaning brushes of various shapes, especially bottle brushes!)
Meguiar`s Deep Crystal Car Wash
S100 Wheel Cleaner Gel
Small Microfiber Chenille Mitt
Small Microfiber Drying Cloth

Paint
All Paint Buffed with Makita 9227 Polisher
Transtar Tri-Cut Compound - 4" Buff & Shine Orange Cutting Pad
Transtar Tri-Cut Compound - 4" Buff & Shine Blue Polishing Pad
Transtar Final Finish Glaze - 4" Black Final Finish Pad
Meguiar`s #7 Show Car Glaze - By Hand
Mothers California Gold Carnuba Paste Wax - By Hand
Dupont Teflon Spray Wax Touch-Up - By Hand

Chrome Etc.
Checkered Flag Chrome Polish on all Chrome
Meguiar`s Deep Crystal Polish on Stained/Hazed Chrome
Meguiar`s Deep Crystal Polish on Black Plastics
Meguiar`s PlastX on Windscreen then Polished with Honda-Polish to remove residue
Glass Mirrors Cleaned with SprayWay Glass Cleaner
Engine Dressed with S100 Engine Brightener
Chassis Dressed with S100 Corrosion Protectant

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Feel free to PM or respond to ask any specific questions. Thanks very much for your interest.

[GearHead_1]

Now that`s a turn around, great job!

[atkinsonair]

Nice!!!!!!

[DannyB]

man that`s a turnaround and a half! nice!

[Stephan]

Great work...

[CBlakeNS]

Great work, looks brand new.

[C. Charles Hahn]

That`s quite the transformation, nicely done!