First of all, never, ever take your bike to a car wash and use high pressure spray on it. A Harley is designed to stand up to wet roads and rain, but it is not designed for high pressure spray. Here is a list of some of the damage that high pressure washing can cause:
Don't even go there!!!!
Paper towels are a wood product, it actually has very small wood chips in it and it will scratch your bike. The same goes for Kleenex tissues and toilet paper.
For washing your bike, use only a solution made for washing cars and bikes, never use household products to clean your bike.
Dishwashing detergents are too aggressive and will take off your existing wax and dull the finish on black engines or plastic housings. Some dish lotions can actually corrode aluminum. Also, dish lotions tend to dry paint out, which will cause it to oxidize before it's time. Surprisingly enough, paint actually needs oil.
Use only a thick 100% cotton terry cloth rag or mitt, or a lambs wool mitt. The loops in the terry cloth or lambs wool helps trap the dirt and helps keep it from scratching your bike. If your bike is extremely greasy and oily, use a degreaser before washing (such as PJ1 Degreaser Contact Cleaner or PJ1 Spray and Wash).
This might sound really petty, but I suggest that you buy thick 100% cotton terry cloth towels for drying your bike. Do not use these towels for anything else, keep them in a sealed container when not in use, and DO NOT EVER put them on the ground. The reason is, if you just grab some old towels from the house, you never know what they have been used for and they might have something trapped in the loops that can scratch your bike, this is the same reasoning behind not ever laying them on the ground before, during or after drying your bike, you might get pine needles, metal shavings, saw dust or anything else trapped in it and it can do damage. After you have used these specific towels, if you just throw them up in a cabinet or just lay them on a shelf in the garage, God only knows what will end up on them or who else in the household will use them for something that will render them useless due to contamination. This is why we suggest you buy a sealed container to keep them in. Just make sure you wash all new cloths and towels before using them, because they have what is called "sizing" in them and this needs to be removed.
If you do not own a micro-fiber cloth, go down to the store right now and get one, it will end up being your new best friend. These cloths are great for drying the bike, because they absorb a lot of water and do not scratch. Plus, they are especially great for doing the final wipe down after waxing, it will remove any lint and wax reside, plus it will buff the wax to a glossier shine.
Should you use WAX or POLISH? Let me describe the difference, and then you might have a better idea of what to buy.
Think of polish as an exfoliant for your bike. Polishes contain a mild abrasive, so therefore they are actually taking off a very, very small portion of clear coat in order to get rid of oxidation caused by UV rays that dull the paint. They also are used for removing bug guts, "swirl marks" and "spider webbing" caused from previous washings and waxing. If your "swirl marks and "spider webbing" are just a little to deep for a polish to handle, then try a swirl remover, such as Mequir's Swirl Remover. This is the same as polish, however, it has a little bit more grit to it to go a little deeper, but not as deep as a compound.
Waxes, have no abrasives to them, they are for providing the necessary oils that your paint needs and for providing a protective barrier against the elements and UV rays. If your wax is labeled as a "cleaner wax", such as Mother's Carnauba Cleaner Wax, this means that it has a mild chemical cleaning agent in it, not grit, therefore it does not remove any clear coat, but it can help with removing pollutants, bug guts and other things like that.
Just about all the wax manufacturers now produce a instant detailing spray. This product is great for the times you want your bike to look great, but it has a layer of dust on it from just sitting in the garage or from driving on some of our over abundant dirt and gravel roads, and you just don't have time to wash it. Just spray this product on and wipe it off with a clean detailing rag. You can also spray this product on your wax applicator before your apply the wax. It will make the wax easier to apply and to wipe off.
My suggestion for buying special towels and keeping them sealed in a container also applies to the applicators, towels and detailing rags used for applying and removing your wax or polish.
A special note for those with black or any very dark paint job. According to Meguiar's and Mother's Wax representatives, for a really deep shine, first apply a coat of glaze, (sometimes called a sealer & glaze) wipe it off, then apply a second coat of glaze, and then apply your wax of choice. The glaze will help fill in small imperfections like "swirl marks" and "spiderwebbing", so that after to apply your wax it will look mirror smooth and extremely deep.
To help protect all the work you just went thru, I would wait a day or two and apply another coat of wax. If you apply the second coat of wax in the same day, it will only make one thick coat of wax, not two coats, and it will not give you as much protection and depth as it would if you waited for it to completely dry.
This is all a lot more work, but worth it.
If you have a windshield on your bike, you need to periodically renew the windshield for appearance sake and for safety's sake. While you are traveling down the road at 60-70 mph, dust, bugs, stones, etc. are having a mild sandblasting effect on your windshield and dulling it. To renew its deep, clear appearance, use a windshield cleaner designed for motorcycles (not for the glass on your vehicle). Follow it with a coat of wax or instant detailing spray.
An easy way to clean your spokes is with a wide shoelace. Wrap the shoelace a couple of times around the spoke and pull it back and forth over the length of the spoke. Personal note: I hate cleaning spokes!!!!!
Here's a tip from the big boys that enter their bikes in the big bike shows, such as Easyrider's Bike Show.
You can clean and clean and clean those black cases, you can even use a toothbrush, but when it is all dry, it still looks dull due to water deposits and even worse, misapplied wax. Try Pam cooking spray. After your bike is washed and waxed, spray a small amount of Pam on a soft rag and polish the wrinkle black areas. It will shine better than new, and because it is made heat it will not smoke.
It's amazing how many people don't think about doing this, but it is only common sense. Your rings, watches, bracelets, necklaces, etc. could rub or hit up against your paint and scratch it while you are washing or waxing your bike. So just to be on the safe side, take all your jewelry off before you start detailing your bike.