hi, i am very close to buying my first harley night rod special. i am very concerned and cannot make up my mind between the gloss black or denim. does the denim fade and when scratched cannot be restored?
Think about this. Every time some one touches the denim finish, it leaves a spot on the paint from the oil on your skin. Can be cleaned off, but if you are vein about the way your bike looks like I am, you will grow tired of it very quickly. It is to the point that most dealers have signs on the bikes with these finishes that say "do not touch". The gloss finish will be easier to keep clean and sell when the time comes.
I don't know what the fuss is all about. I have a Night Rod Special in Denin and find it very easy to clean. It also hides the dust and bugs very well and yes I am very fussy with it. It takes me about an hour and a half to clean it, I can live with that. I would imagine it would take a lot longer if there was a heap of chrome involved.
I have a Night Train with the black denim finish and it's very easy to clean. In my experiences, gloss black shows everything especially fingerprints. Regardless, they all wipe off without issue.
I have a 08 FatBob in Black Denim. Love it. I'm very anal about people touching my bike. It also takes me about 1 hour to clean the tank and both fenders. I just use a wet diaper and wipe it. I love the look. The denim with the chrome is exactly what I wanted. Just have to be careful not to bang your helmet on it or scratch it in anyway. But heck, if you bang or scratch you gloss paint job, same applies, you'll be upset and try to rub it out. No rubbing out on the denim. What you see is what you get. You just have to be anal about it and post a sign, "DON'T TOUCH".
i have the vsrcdx in denim and my gym bag is always strapped on so it left some shiny scuffs on there..... but you gotta look at it closely to notice get the demin.... looks good
The denim paints are by far the easiest to keep clean-bugs don't stick, does not water spot and any grease gets a quick swipe of a rag with a little brake clean-It's amazing! Unless your a polisher that would rather wax and stare at it rather than ride it!
I have an 08 Street Glide with Blue Denim paint, am anal about keeping it clean and feel that the denim finish paint is very easy to keep clean.
Also have the Dark Blue Denim 08 FLHX, the color must be seen in person to really enjoy it. Especially in the sun, photos don't do it justice. A major clean only required dish washing soap and in between cleans only windex is needed. As far as touch ups it can not be just like most regular painted bikes. When is the last time you saw a good touch up on any paint? The denim seems to be a little more industrial over regular paints, but I'm not a painter. You can see my 08 Dark Blue Denim SG for in the for sale section and no I'm not selling it because of the color...........
The finish on the bike is no more than a flating agent in the clear. I pulled this color up on the PPG color web site and this is how they produce this finish. It is the same finish as lower cladding colors on some cars and trucks. But I believe the best way to clean this finish is with a spray foam glass cleaner(spray away).