Keeping it clean

By David Cohen

Stage 2. All that glitters is mostly gold and chrome and paint and ....
 This photo took me longer to take than just about any other. The bike drew a small crowd and I told the 'Indian reborn' story 5 times to enquiring passers-by

When you have invested in unique paint, like the QMPP job on the Running Bull project, it makes sense to want to maintain and protect it. (Not to mention that I want it to look ‘showroom’ when I eventually do have to hand it over to the Publisher.)

The first person I asked for some tips was the painter himself.

The bloke who had stressed his carpal tunnel whilst creating the artwork would have sound counsel I reasoned.

So it proved. Back down the wire came Mark Walker’s nine-point paint maintenance plan - and several other pieces of sage advice.

1. Don’t wash your bike in the sun.
2. Hose thoroughly to remove any dirt/material.
3. Soak bugs off. Don’t ever scratch them off. “You’d be amazed at how many people stand there, scratching at their paint with a fingernail.”
4. Use dedicated automotive products. ”Not dish washing liquid. Don’t laugh, this does happen!”
5. A bike that is well polished is far easier to clean then one that sees polish once a year.
6. Spend some coin and get a proper ‘kit’ together.  “It will cost about $80 to $100. It’s an investment in your bike.”
7. Use a proper polish applicator sponge.
8. When polishing, use two towels to clean up. One to wipe the bulk of the polish off, then follow up with a clean one,
9. Use microfibre towels for polish removal.

The other serious bit of advice he imparted was to "drop in to Rollies Speed Shop and pick up some ‘Surf City Garage’ stuff”.

Coincidentally (read fortunately) I’d just used the last of my stock of spray-on detailer getting the splattered bugs of the Bull’s headlight. So I jumped on the beast and headed in the direction of Rollies Speed Shop in Newstead at the next available.

First call was the Indian Brisbane dealership though. Just up the road in Fortitude Valley, or as the locals say “The Valley”.

Which reminds me of this:



Incidentally, that opening lyric “went down on the Montevideo” refers to the POW ship sunk during WWII. The ‘Fortitude’ in the suburb name was after another vessel - the SS Fortitude, which brought many of the original Scottish immigrants to area.

You won’t see much tartan in the Valley these days though. According to a Brisbane web site it’s become the nightlife hub. Chinatown, pubs and entertainment malls – and there are an increasing number of Indians. The demo fleet is parked down in the yard across the laneway from the shop in Wickham Street.

(How’s that for a convoluted segue?)

I went in to talk to Robertino about the Sports Air Cleaner Brum wants installed - and to quiz him about the aftermarket camshafts we (Brum) has heard about.

He had a result (sort-of) on the air filter – it has been ordered ex-USA – but didn’t shine any light on the cam situation. He gave the bike the once over and we had a chat about tyre and suspension pre-load settings - and I was on my way.

It’s always a pleasant visit to that shop. They are a friendly, happy crew. Because they are kicking a few goals, I guess.

Indian upstairs

Victory ground floor

Not that they are alone in that regard either. There are a number of upbeat Brisbane bike shops currently.

To that end, the team I met at Rollies shortly after are really switched-on too.

I went in and introduced myself and the project bike to Hamish and explained the nature of my visit. “Heavy Duty Magazine and Mark Walker sent me”, and then asked for some tips on keeping the bike mint.

Like just about everyone else I’ve met in the motorcycle industry up here, ‘Ah, how is Brum?’ He enquired. The man's a Queensland legend - or everyone here is from Melbourne.

Anyway, he then set about putting together a sample kit of their Surf City Garage, Enthusiast Grade detailing products. A pannier full; give or take some foam packaging I already had in the boxes. (Forward planning or what!)

The Bull’s bags (lol) are quite serviceable. Capacity is quite good and access is a breeze. Even more so with the racks fitted to the lids. They act like big handles. No, definitely no farnarkling required with these lids. But, even so, I came away with quite a haul. Products marked as 'tester' and some straight out of the shipping container being unpacked as we spoke. (I love this gig.)

This selection is designed to maintain a bike and is for paint that is already in good condition. There is a range of restorative products available too, but this booty (in the Piratical sense, thank you) is all about protection and presentation.

I'll be shaking the bottles of this pile of promotional booty shortly. It's raining here now.

Click on the following product names to go to their page on the Surf City Garage Site (in a new window). There are videos, application tips and heaps of data on the various products.

Barrier Reef Carnauba Wax.
How about this for great copy too:

"A gloss so deep it’ll make you feel like you can dive right into the paint. A wax so easy to use, you may feel guilty at how little effort is needed…until friends rave about how great your ride looks. These are just two reasons why Barrier Reef has become the best selling wax in the Enthusiast Market. It’s blended with the world’s best pure #1 Brazilian Carnauba for the longest-lasting paint protection and the deepest, most mesmerizing gloss you’ll find under the sun. Use it and get lost in the gloss."

Which prompted me to wonder, okay, what is a Carne...Caranuba...Carnubia...CARNAUBA. I've read about it on automotive products since I rode a CB450, but never got much further contemplating it other than 'shiny wax'. Well using my Ph.D. in Google I found it's one of these:

School for very hard wax - The Brazilian Carnauba Palm. Surfers use it too.

The Barrier Reef kit comes with applicator pad and a microfibre cloth. I'll give it an application after the rain stops.

After it's thoroughly washed with the Pacific Blue Wash and wax of course. Referring to points one through nine above.

Clean up will be with as some of the Speed Demon Wax Detailer.

The Beyond Steel Wheel Cleaner will be handy, not much wheel shows at either end - but cleaning what is visible is a down-on-the-ground affair. Even if it's on a jack. Any assistance will be a big plus.

Killer Chrome All Metal Polish sounds like it's just the ticket for all the metallic bling too. There is a lot of chrome.

Hamish also said that the Dash Away Interior Detailer is good not only for the dashboard, but all the other surfaces of the bike, including the saddle.

"Everyone is allowed to make the Armour-all-on-the-seat mistake once." I replied. "But only once."

To which Hamish assured me it will provide a great non-slip finish. Even on the saddle.

After a quick stroll around Rollies showroom I headed back towards base on the lookout for photo locations to show off the new Stage II bling. By the time I got back to the Bayside I still hadn't' found one so I used an old favourite spot in Manly.

Arvo marina.

We vill do ze talking. Park this anywhere and prepare to engage.

That's when the talk fest began. Before I had my helmet off I was being quizzed by a Vincent Lightning aficionado who was out walking his dog. Then the two Jehovah's Witness ladies arrived. Their opening gambit was a genuine compliment on the presentation of the vehicle, followed by the  "Some reading for your journey" ambush. It's the second time I've fallen for it. (The other was at remote Yalata Roadhouse in WA.) They didn't stand a chance once they had started me on motorcycles though. They ... okay ... I was finally interrupted by two blokes with a very keen interest in bikes and a heap of "how does it go" questions.

The JW ladies had long wandered up the Esplanade when two more "I'm a non-motorcyclist and I don't know anything about bikes but tell me ..." types made contact.

This motorcycle sure likes meeting people. Eventually the crowd thinned and I got some shots. Took a while though.

Today there's rain and a show bike to get dirty simply because cleaning it will be interesting. And that detailer wax smells great. Full reports to follow.

The day's collection of reading material. From it I have deduced that the answers to life's big questions are in hard wax.
The Surf City blurb is great fun too.

Up and down Moreton Bay

by David and Janet Cohen.

Co-pilot taking it all in on the east coast of Bribie Island.

I've lived in Brisbane for almost 3 years now and had never been to Bribie Island.
Ridden past the turn-off on the M1 plenty of times as we headed to destinations further north or north-west, but have never taken Exit 152 ... until today.
Some of the first rides I did on the bike were detours around the southern ends of Moreton and Raby Bays. But that was just taking the long way home on workday gigs and errands.

Wellington Point isn't too far from home.

Modifications after Stage 1 of the project.

The gentleman in the flat cap about to walk into frame had an Indian story to tell. So many do.

Today was a ride, just for the ride's sake. I didn't even take the big camera. It wasn't even a big ride, just a very pleasant cruise on the Bull.
We got away just before lunchtime.
Bribie lies at the northern end Moreton Bay, between the city and the Sunshine Coast and is one of the chain of large sand islands and coastal flats that start 100km south at the Gold Coast and run all the way to Fraser Island and Hervey Bay further North.

Above North Stardbroke Island and nada surf.

Looking South into Moreton Bay

The sand strip goes a long way.

Inland is where the good riding is. In the hinterland hills.
Not to say it wasn't a very enjoyable ride, but today was all about 8 lanes of super-slab or crossing those 'flats'.

The Bribie Island bridge

Glasshouse mountains in the distance

It was enjoyable because the Chieftain eats it up like the way I ate the Chicken Ceasar Salad at the Surf Club for lunch.

Cruise control central. Rocking a fur collar.

The on-board thermometer was showing 23c on the way home.

Damn it goes nice. Brum said 'get the high flow air filter installed' and is contemplating camshafts.
Hot diggity!
As you can see here, stage 2 of custom bling has already been added. I'll write it all up when I have RRP's confirmed. It looks great.

Stage 2: Lots of new ironwork and chrome. It's all added more presence to the machine.

Running Bull Visuals

Stage II additions

Customising and accessories on the bike so far:

Paint: by Queensland Motorcycle Panel and Paint.
Custom Gold Leaf paint.
Cost: $4,000
Good value for the unique quality of the job.
For more info on the paint - click here

Indian Stage 1 Exhaust system with six-shooter ends.
Cost: Approx $1,500 plus fitment.
These are an outstanding addition. They Purr or Growl equally pleasingly and won’t piss the neighbours off (too much). They look great too. ‘Tres’ meaty.
Just put them on the list when you order the bike.

Passenger Back Rest.
Cost: Frame - $440. Pad - $250
Co-pilot says that because the passenger seat doesn’t slope towards the rear like some slammed bikes the rear backrest is more of a luxury than a necessity, but it’s a nice luxury. The frame is available in two heights though we both thought the lower one was more than adequate. Nice looking, as far as backrests go and it compliments the look of the bike by being well integrated. Like the rear seat pad and the hard bags, the backrest is also reasonably easily removed for a solo look too.

Infinite Highway Pegs.
$375.
Indian calls them ‘Infinite’, referring to the amount of adjustment available. They pivot on the bar and at both elbows. Adjustment only needs a few Allen Keys. Here in Brisbane, where it’s super-slab in most directions, I like ‘em. A lot.
Anywhere there is a lot of motorway they will work. The footboards offer heel or toe rest options and the highway pegs offer the same again. On a long trip it’s great to be able to move around and change positions without upsetting the bike.

Running Bull Paint

Mark Walker’s paint job on the Running Bull project has been overwhelmingly well received.

Some of the Indian ‘traditionalists’ find it too far from their norm, but most observers see the beauty in the art of it.

“It’s like all custom paint jobs. Some people won’t like it – other’s will really love it” Mark began when I asked him to sum up the completed job.

“This was a big job and very fiddly in parts.”

To hit Brum’s ultimate target, the paint had to nod to the traditional Indian two-tone colour schemes of old, while still clearly declaring itself as a full custom paint job.

Brum says, in a real ‘man bites dog’ twist, “Indian somehow got hold of the our plans and released their own two-tone plans while our job was well under way!”

Fortunately Mark’s result is actually a three-tone colour scheme. The base is black, completely re-laid after rubbing back the original paint, then comes a band of Purple metalflake with Ivory infill panels that are a pearl finish. Both the Pearl and Metalflake subtly change shades in different light. The metalflake at some angles has quite perceptible depth.

The panels are separated by numerous 12mm wide stripes of Gold Leaf: twenty-three carat gold leaf.

"You buy what is called a book, it has 25 pages of leaf in it, it is wafer thin, thinner than paper.” Said Mark.

“You carefully brush size (a sort of glue) on to your job, wait until it becomes tacky and then press the leaf onto that, it sticks to the part that has been sized up, after about an hour or two it is then polished up with some cotton wool, followed by doing the ‘engine turns’ by hand with a soft piece of velvet, its real carpal tunnel type of stuff after a while. Gold leafing is really about getting your timing right with the materials. Too late and it sets up too much, too early and you can turn straight through the leaf. When done properly you can almost see a type of checker pattern in it, you can get it in different sorts as well, 12 karat white gold, variegated leaf and copper as well.”

It’s very classy looking. The stripes are then highlighted at the edge with a hand-applied pinstripe in red.

The red ties in with the Authentic 1920’s logo, it’s called the ‘red faced Indian’ and was sourced locally.

The paints are Glasurit and PPG 2-pac and they give a truly outstanding effect.

“This type of metalflake needed more clear coats than normal” Mark also noted. “From start to finish there are about 15 coats of paint on this job, the extra clear, used mainly to smooth the metalflake”.

Smooth it is. And that’s just one of many appreciative words people have used to describe the finish so far.

We had a great chance to gauge opinion at the Laverda Concours event in Cleveland, southeast of Brisbane. The biggest bike show in Queensland draws thousands of visitors who spend hours wandering around a stunning array of historic bikes and a large variety of club and trade displays.

The boys form Indian Brisbane directed me to park ‘the Bull’ at the front of their big display and I hung around and talked to many people about the project. A lot of Heavy Duty readers too. You know who you are!

I asked Mark how much you would expect to pay for a job like this. A job that the show goers described variously as “Gorgeous, amazing, beautiful, superb, stunning” and more.

“Well this is a pretty unique job. There are the guards. The bodywork … and” …  “a mother of a big fairing!” I completed the sentence for him.

I have to admit to being way over when trying to estimate what the job would cost. I was actually quite surprised when Mark went on to explain “because there it’s such a big area – on this bike – around $4000. On a bike like a Heritage Softail for example, around $2500.”

To give any custom motorcycle this sort of unique style and finish, I think that is simply great value.

To find out more, visit qmpp.com.au