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Glare Professional Polish
by Rick K. for webBikeWorld More: wBW Reviews Home | Owner Comments (Below) See Also: Glare Spider Swirl and Spider Remover Let's face it -- most photographs of a freshly polished motorcycle are going to make the finish look pretty good. So reviewing motorcycle polishes isn't
easy; other than issues like ease of application, there's not much to
say. Until, that is, some time has passed, and you get a better
idea of how well the polish holds up and keeps the bike protected. "What about protection against brake fluid or gas?" he wrote. "I have found a true one step polish called Glare Professional Polish that will protect against even gas. It will last for more than a year on the complete bike, including the exhaust. So far I have found this GLARE to be the
most superior polish I have ever seen....and 3 times I overfilled my
tank and it did not damage the paint. I polished my bike last
March and the shine was still there even through the rain and heat of
the summer". Pretty powerful statements from Dan, don't you
think? No matter how careful I try to be, I end up dripping gas somewhere on the bike. So if there was a polish that could both make the bike shine and protect the paint, I had to check it out. Glare Professional Polish has a proprietary ingredient called "Glassplexin". Ultra 2000 Manufacturing International, Inc. actually offers a written guarantee that when applied as directed, Glare Professional Polish will "retain its brilliant luster and protect the treated surface from oxidizing, fading or corrosion caused by the sun, weather, salt air, road salt, road tar, bugs, bird drippings, tree sap, and detergents for five years". The polish is also claimed to protect against
"brake fluid, salt water, Coca Cola, eggs, paint strippers, mercuric
acid and acid rain"! Also, the product is claimed to be the only
polish available that protects against ultraviolet rays, which can
cause both the breakdown of any protective coat, which can lead to paint
fade. Pretty impressive claims! Ultra
2000 Manufacturing claims that the Glare Professional Polish forms a
"covalent bond on and within the painted surface", and that
it can actually be classified as a "paint sealant", rather
than just a polish.
I had last polished the
TBird a couple of months ago, but the bike got pretty grimy from
riding it all winter. I never had a chance to really give it a
good washing, so I first washed the bike using Glare Ultra Wash
(which also works very nicely). The photo on the left shows
the tank after washing but before the application of the Glare
Professional Polish. Notice the "spider web"
scratches that show up as a halo around the sun's reflection. The
bike's black paint now has that "deep" show finish to it,
and the entire bike really does look like it's coated with
glass. This was backed up by a friend who wandered into my
garage, and before I said anything about polishing the bikes,
immediately noticed how shiny they were and wanted to know what I
had done to get such a nice finish. It's not that hard to do, and it doesn't take a lot of effort; in fact, I found that gentle pressure works best. The paint seems to readily absorb the product, and the polish disappears relatively quickly. After the surface has been treated (i.e., fuel tank, fenders, bodywork, etc.), the directions call for a second thin coat of Glare, but the second coat doesn't have to be rubbed in to the paint. Apply a light coat, let it dry to a haze, then buff it off, and you're done. The manufacturer claims that the Glare Polish will last up to 5 years with occasional touch-up treatments.
The manufacturer also recommends
that Glare can be used on painted surfaces, chrome, polished
aluminum, stainless steel and fiberglass. They even say you
can use it on eyeglasses (not anti-reflective coated), bathroom
tile, mirrors, wooden furniture, silver, brass, copper and
marble! I talked to Kenneth Friedl, the President of the
company, and he said the product will also bond to chrome exhaust
systems, and that it's good from -250 to +650 degrees F. After all, how can a relatively unknown lab come up with a product
that will beat all the big boys? But I think the Glare
Professional Polish may have done it. UPDATE: It's been about 8 months since this review first appeared. My Thunderbird Sport looks as good as ever! I washed the bike once or twice and the Glare Polish is still doing its job. The bike looks great! Other Glare Products Glare Spider - a spider and swirl remover that is used prior to the Glare Professional Polish treatment. See the wBW Review of Glare Spider.
Can't argue with
results! Check out the glass-like reflections on the top of
the TBird's tank and the level of detail in the reflection of the
parked car.
Note: For informational use only. All material and photographs are Copyright © webWorld International, LLC - 2000-2009. All rights reserved. See the webBikeWorld® Site Info page. NOTE: Product specifications, features and details may change or differ from our descriptions. Always check before purchasing. Read the Terms and Conditions! ►Reader Comments and Owner Feedback Please
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comments to
Comments are ordered from most recent to oldest. Not all comments will be posted. Posted comments may be edited. From "R.B." (9/09): "I discovered that Honda carries (or carried) this same polish under its name for a lot cheaper. I tried it on my 2006 Triumph Speed Triple and it worked great. I clean my bike with regular spray cleaner after every ride and use this stuff as a touch up. The bike looks like new, with a showroom enamel-like shine and a super slick feel. Conversely, I tried it on my Piaggio scooter and the result was less impressive. It wasn't any better than Ice Wax (review) (quality of shine or duration) and, although gas may not penetrate it, the residue of a black walnut (dropped by a rotten little squirrel) went right through to the paint. So results do vary." From "G.M." (2/09): "After reading WBW’s review and the company’s own glowing testimonials, I purchased this product in the fall of 2007, and applied it very meticulously, per the company’s instructions, to my 2006 Ducati ST3s. I have thus had nearly 1 ½ years to judge its performance now. While the finish looks good, I can’t say that it looks any glossier than what I observe using a good quality Carnauba wax. Also, the “slickness” of the finish (judged by running a hand or microfiber cloth across it) went away after one wash, just as it does with a regular wax. Of course that doesn’t mean there is no protection left, but the feel of the surface was the same as before the Glare was applied, after just one wash. I don’t spill a lot of fuel or brake fluid on my bikes, so I can’t say whether the Glare will actually protect paint from these evils. However, I do collide with a lot of bugs in my warm weather riding, and I was disappointed with the continued difficulty of removing insects after a ride, even after applying the Glare. I am a stickler for the appearance of my bikes, and I was hoping I’d found the “magic bullet” to ease surface maintenance in this Glare Polish. Well, not really. I don’t find its performance or shine to be any better than a quality Carnauba was finish, and it is much more expensive than a good wax. “Your results may vary,” of course." From "GP": "Hi Rick: Got a chance to use the Glare polish. It really does work great. My bike and sidecar (I used it on that too) look great, even when they are dusty. I had a slight headset rubber cable mar (dull) on my tank (black). Other waxes/polishes wouldn't affect it...It's gone now!... My brother used Glare on his 1999 Gold Wing. What a difference, in appearance and feel. He used some on his car. He is ordering more to finish the job. My dealer is not carrying the product at this time, but I haven't talked to the boss yet. :-D... ... Thanks for adding MADCO to your links. I have never met the guy, but with such a good product and with such great customer service he sure deserves a mention. Thanks for your time, and trusted evaluations..." From "J.C.": "I thought I'd let you know what I think of this Glare polish, which I learned of from your web site. I first used it on my 2003 Virago 250. I was not overly impressed, not that it did a poor job or anything but being a new bike it just kept it looking new. However when I used it on our ten year old vehicles I was impressed! It gave them a like new gloss and a slipperiness to the finish (I understand from other testimonials that it gets better with repeated use). I would definitely recommend this product to anyone. If you are able to buy it from a Canadian distributor it is really quite a reasonable price (about $23 Canadian + shipping /bottle)." From "D.S." : "I have a 1994 Kawasaki Vulcan 750 and a 2002 Mazda Tribute and we put the Glare on both the bike and the SUV. After finding out that multiple coats just deepen the shine we decided to test the shine and see. Not only does the shine get deeper, but it seems to get easier to put on. I don't think I have ever seen a deeper shine on a vehicle. I have 3 coats on my bike and it is amazing. We go thru the rain and there are no acid rain stains or bugs left on the vehicle. I wipe the bike off with a dry 80/20 microfibre towel and there is just a bit of dust even on the pipes. The bugs just wipe off the next day. The SUV even looks better than the day we bought it. It is nice to know that neither gas nor brake fluid with affect the finish with this polish on it. My bike looks brand new." From "R.": "I wrote before to tell you that I bought some of this polish. It took a while before I got the chance to use it. Well, after back surgery, I finally got to try it out. YEOWWWWWWWWW! I have a Bonneville America In cardinal red. Now it's REALLY CARDINAL RED. This stuff goes on and off really easy. All those spider web scratches disappeared. Even the one's in some of the chrome. Just like in your pictures. I'm impressed! I'm always looking for that perfect wax/polish for my bike. I think I found it. The only thing left is the lasting time trial. If it doesn't last as long as advertised who cares cause it so easy to use. Thanks for the info." From "D.M.": "I used it last night. I have to say this was easier than polishing and then waxing my bike. The second coat comes off so easy, no buffing is really required. My bike is a 1981 KZ and this worked really nicely on shining it up. I used it on all the painted, chromed and plastic parts. It seemed to clean up everything very nice. I made everything I polished look brand new again. That's more than I can say for any wax I've ever used. It is pretty slick so I think it will repel water well and make it easy to clean bugs off my bike. Just don't use it on the pedals, grips, pegs, or seat! I'm going to apply it to my car next since it easier than applying wax like I normally do twice a year. Thanks for the tip on the product!"
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