Q-Tips, compressed air with a long nozzle, very fine needle nose pliers, a paint brush, triple 0 steel wool and many small long rags are some of the most common detailing tools and supplies needed in addition to polishes and waxes. 

Start With the Prep

Begin with a thorough prep job. Prepping is the most important step in detailing a motorcycle, just as it is in auto detailing. Wash the entire bike with a soap solution and follow this with a complete degreasing of the motor, rear sprocket under the fender, under the seat as well as the underside of the frame. An all-purpose cleaner and wax and tar remover work great for degreasing motorcycles.

On bikes with complete plastic body panels and windscreens, remove all these parts using car and store them in a safe place with the screws until you are ready to replace them. Removing these plastic parts allows you to get at the motor and other moving parts which also need cleaning.

Once the entire bike is prepped, dry it using compressed air. This is a must to blow all the water out of the bolts, grooves, wires, etc.

Note: When placing the plastic body panels back on the cycle, use caution while screwing the fasteners back into place. If you overtighten the screws, you can easily crack the plastic.

Triple 0 steel wool combined with a liquid cleaner wax works well on steel spokes and most other chrome on a motorcycle. As with car chrome, always test an area which cannot be seen to make sure the chrome will not scratch.

Combined with a white rubbing compound, triple 0 also works on most alloy casings. On Harley Davidson, BMW and older Japanese motorcycles, I use orange compound and triple 0 to clean the metal engine case. The orange compound has greater cutting power and can save a lot of time and elbow grease.

After bringing the cases to a perfect shine, polish and wax them for added protection. Note: the cases will have to be done periodically because they will eventually dull after hours of use.

All painted surfaces including fenders, gas tanks, plastic body panels and frames should be treated no differently than when compounding, polishing or waxing a car. Use professional judgment when using products based on the type of paint on the cycle and the cycle's condition.

Black painted engine fins, for example, tend to show signs of wear. Once you can see the silver metal under the black air fins, paint them with flat black engine paint or use a black marker if the wear is minimal.

Don't forget to silicone all rubber hoses, pegs and sidewalls of tires on the motorcycle. Do not silicone the entire tire, or the outer edge, since the bike could easily fall if tilted low while driving before the silicone wears off. Also, do not silicone the seat.

For chrome areas that are impossible to get behind with any cleaners or tools, string out your pad of steel wool. pull the steel wool apart to about 10 inches, twist the end, and feed it behind the chrome part. Then, pull the other out with fine needle nose pliers. Using the old back drying method, pull each end of the steel wool until your part is perfectly clean.

It is very important to lubricate the chain on the cycle once your detailing job is complete. If the motorcycle was covered with grease, it is possible that all the chain grease and oil were removed during the prepping stage. 

Don't Use a Buffer

I recommend that you never use a buffing wheel on a motorcycle due to the fact that the brake and clutch cables can easily be sucked in and be ripped out of the levers by the circular motion of the buffer. After all, the easiest part of detailing a motorcycle is the polishing and waxing of the painted surfaces, so use some elbow grease.

The most important concept to remember while detailing a motorcycle is to work only on one specific part of the cycle until it is perfect. If you're working on the front wheel, clean the chrome rim or alloy, clean each spoke and hub, clean and silicone the tire and then move on.

Only a detailer can make a motorcycle perfect because they are not easy to restore.