MAINTENANCE, DRY WASH: I have come a long way on this topic. For me bike cleaning used to be a little bit of water and a quick wipe. Later on I discovered quick cleaners such as Honda Pro and Plexus, however they are inferior, specially compared to this method. It wasn't until my buddy Ken Freiberg turned me on to proper cleaning and maintenance that I learned how to do this right. The process is called dry wash, which means you do not need to use water on your bike. (Unless the vehicle is severely muddy and is in a bad shape.) They are many brands out there that offer these products. I prefer the Meguiars. They have a very effective 3 step process, a Quick Cleaner and Scratch X remover.

Here is the secret to a dry wash. After using this method, you'll never need to wash your bike with water again. And you'll be amazed as how good your paint and metal pieces will look. The depth of shine created by this method, puts products like Plexus to shame.

1- First wash your bike thoroughly with water and soap, wait for it to dry completely. You only need to do this once, so all previous residue of road grime and nonsense on the bike is removed.
2- Use Meguiars Step 1, Paint Cleaner with a dedicated polishing pad and wiping towel.
3- Use Meguiars Step 2, Polish with a dedicated polishing pad and wiping towel.
4- Use Meguiars Step 3, Wax with a dedicated polishing pad and wiping towel.
5- Use wax on pretty much everything including your rims. It will help keep them cleaner and will make for an easier maintenance.
6- Marvel at the depth of the shine. Enjoy it!
7- Later on, when the bike needs to be clean again, all you need to do is apply Meguiars' Quick Cleaner, they way you'd use household cleaners such as Windex. Simply spray and wipe. Never use water again as you maintain the shine and depth of luster on your bike.
8- Every once in a while, as needed, you may want to repeat the Wax, or Polish/Wax steps, otherwise the Quick Cleaner will be able to maintain the depth of shine for a quite a while.
8- Enjoy this free advise, courtesy of Ken Freiberg.
For more info visit: meguiars.com

MAINTENANCE, TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING: A very useful product. An electric air pump called CyclePump, that will run on your existing BMW accessory plug. Also available from this company is the EZ-Air Tire Gauge. Both small enough to be carry-ons and work together to give you a smooth tire inflation and measurement system. Keep them in your garage, at home or on the bike. The best tire inflation system I have yet to come across that doesn't require to be plugged into the wall. For more info visit: bestrestproducts.com

MAINTENANCE, DETAILING: Nandi has recently been repainted with a BMW Sapphire Black paint. The bike needed a professional detailing job after it was painted. I was interested to learn how the process is done and with the help of Trainer, decided to do it myself. I learned that the difference between a great paint job and a good paint job is what goes into the paint after the panels have been painted. We used all 4 products pictured below: a rubbing compound, a polishing compound, 3M swirl remover for dark colors and Z-Best wax. It takes expertise and I don't recommend anyone try this on new paint without supervision. Trainer first worked on a small area, after I learned how to do this, I worked on the rest of the bike. I am extremely happy with the final product. We took care of most less-than-perfect spots.



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