Before we do that, we need to tell you what the difference is between cleaning and detailing a
bike.
We believe that ‘cleaning’ is a process that ‘removes dirt’
from the bike. Usually involving a hose pipe, a bucket of soapy water and some
kind of drying towel.
Detailing however, is what AutoFinesse (AF) like to refer to as an ‘art’.
An ‘ART’?! Yes, trust us on this one.
After some extensive research on the web, and many visits to un-named high-street aftermarket automotive superstores, we have discovered that you, the motorcycle rider, are suffering from a lack of choice of quality motorcycle cleaning and detailing products.
After some extensive research on the web, and many visits to un-named high-street aftermarket automotive superstores, we have discovered that you, the motorcycle rider, are suffering from a lack of choice of quality motorcycle cleaning and detailing products.
You have to hunt specialist websites
to find products that are adequate for cleaning a motorcycle, which most of the time are not motorcycle specific. You could use car detailing
products, but the results of our testing suggest that many products are not
quite up to the job.
Just so you know, we’re not here to discriminate agaisnt any
brands but we can tell you now, that you will notice an immediate and long term difference in the
results between using an supermarket car shampoo, and specialist cleaning and
detailing products.
If you’re quite happy using fairy liquid to clean your bike,
we’re not going point and laugh. But if you’ve been on the hunt for a range of
products to clean, and protect your bike from the cr*p that sits our lovely
British roads, then you should watch this video.
Like what you see?
Well, here is what we used:
AF Avalanche – snowfoam
£12.95
Step 1: Snow foam is a great product which will is used as a pre-shampoo contactless wash. To put into simple terms, it’s like letting your bike soak in a nice bubble bath before giving it a scrub making it easier to remove tough and stubborn dirt. Using snowfoam before washing your bike will aid in reducing swirl makes too. To use snowfoam you will need a foam lance and a pressure washer.
AF Citrus Power – safe & powerful pre-wash spray £9.95
Step 2: Being a motorcyclist, you will all know the trouble of bugs littering the front of your bike from the top of the screen to the bottom of the forks. Autofinesse claim their citrus spray will make light work of bugs and road grime on any area of your vehicle without stripping away layers of wax or sealant. It certainly did make light work of the bugs and grime all over the bike except the rear wheel, we found the product wasn't strong enough to remove the grease and grime that often comes off the chain, in fact we found simply spraying some WD40 on a cloth and wiping the rear wheel to give amazing results. Another point to note and a common theme across the Autofinesse products we tried was the very pleasant smell of them all.
AF Lather – PH neutral shampoo
£11.95
Step 3: A lot of people will just shampoo their bike and there is nothing wrong with that, what AutoFinesse bring to the table is a scented pH neutral shampoo with highly concentrated lubricants which will help to prevent swirl marks on your paintwork. We found Lather to do just that, giving nice suds in the wash bucket and over the bike, and once rinsed off it leaves no residue either – great! The added benefit of this product is it’s wax and sealant safe so you can be sure once you’ve spent all that time waxing your bike, it won't be stripped wash after wash.
AF Triple – polish £7.95
Step 1: Snow foam is a great product which will is used as a pre-shampoo contactless wash. To put into simple terms, it’s like letting your bike soak in a nice bubble bath before giving it a scrub making it easier to remove tough and stubborn dirt. Using snowfoam before washing your bike will aid in reducing swirl makes too. To use snowfoam you will need a foam lance and a pressure washer.
AF Citrus Power – safe & powerful pre-wash spray £9.95
Step 2: Being a motorcyclist, you will all know the trouble of bugs littering the front of your bike from the top of the screen to the bottom of the forks. Autofinesse claim their citrus spray will make light work of bugs and road grime on any area of your vehicle without stripping away layers of wax or sealant. It certainly did make light work of the bugs and grime all over the bike except the rear wheel, we found the product wasn't strong enough to remove the grease and grime that often comes off the chain, in fact we found simply spraying some WD40 on a cloth and wiping the rear wheel to give amazing results. Another point to note and a common theme across the Autofinesse products we tried was the very pleasant smell of them all.
Step 3: A lot of people will just shampoo their bike and there is nothing wrong with that, what AutoFinesse bring to the table is a scented pH neutral shampoo with highly concentrated lubricants which will help to prevent swirl marks on your paintwork. We found Lather to do just that, giving nice suds in the wash bucket and over the bike, and once rinsed off it leaves no residue either – great! The added benefit of this product is it’s wax and sealant safe so you can be sure once you’ve spent all that time waxing your bike, it won't be stripped wash after wash.
AF Triple – polish £7.95
Step 4: Tripple is a great multi functional product, not only will it polish all surfaces on your bike but it will deep clean and add a layer of wax. Tripple is easy to apply as finishing product for after you've washed your bike adding a deep glossy shine. AutoFinesse claim Tripple can give a months worth a protection which makes it ideal as a "top up" product for after those quick washes.
AF Temptation – wax £24.95
Step 5: Temptation wax is described by AutoFinesse as an entry level wax that gives a glowing finish. The instructions on the bottom of the pot are easy to follow, the product is effortless to apply and very easy to buff off leaving as promised; a glowing finish which makes you take a step back from you bike and admire the finish (the sweet pineapple smell does wonders too). They say the durability of the product is around two months, we are happy using this product through summer months but would look for something more durable as we approach the Autumn and Winter months.
AF Dressle – plastic/rubber treatment £11.95
Step 6: Dressle is a water based, dry touch spray that contains UV inhibitors. We found this product to really enhance the shine on plastic fairings. all we had to do was spray some onto a cloth and wipe across the fairings. Because dressle contains UV inhibitors we are told this will reduce paint fade over time, always good for maintaining that factory fresh look.
AF Mint Rims – wheel wax £19.95
Step 7: Being the first wheel wax we've used from AutoFinesse, it was a pleasure to open the container to find Mint Rims genuinely does smell like mint! It was easy to apply using a foam applicator pad with equal ease to buff off, revealing an awesome shine. AutoFinesse claim 2-3 month durability even in extreme uses, and one month in, we can see no reason not to believe this. What we really like about this wax is that it makes it very easy to wipe off chain grease from the rear wheel!
AF Hog Hair brushes – £24.95
The market is flooded with alloy wheel brushes which don't really aid us motorcyclists. AutoFinesse have created these impressive hog hair brushes which don't only look great but really work in all those hard to reach areas around the engine and in between fairings. The soft natural brushes won't scratch paintwork and with this in mind it was great to attack the bugs stuck on the front of the bike and those harder to reach dirty areas. We've been told these brushes are durable and certainly after a few uses we haven't lost any bristles and the brushes haven't deformed or frayed.
Apart from the clever names for the products, AF have also
created a genuinely brilliant range of products, which have exceeded our
expectations. It’s also worth knowing that you can get cloths,
mitts, towels and applicator pads all from the same place.
What we really like about AF though, is the strength of their brand and their associated media engagement and event presence. If you haven't already, make sure you check them out!
Please share this if you enjoyed reading it!
All the best
BirotarUK
What we really like about AF though, is the strength of their brand and their associated media engagement and event presence. If you haven't already, make sure you check them out!
Please share this if you enjoyed reading it!
All the best
BirotarUK
