[TennesseeSmith]

When I picked up my bike they also had a red Deluxe and a black Deluxe in the showroom.

Under the showroom lights the red was fantastic. The bright red contrasting with the black lower parts was really nice.

The blue bike looked very different under the bright sun than it did in the showroom. The color is very similar to the UniBall Vision Elite pens with the Blue Black ink.

Based on my experience with my red CTX700 that I traded, I think the red CTX1300 will look the best on cloudy days and in the garage. The blue will look the best on the sunny days.

For me, the black would just always look dirty. I'm not very good at washing a bike.

 

[ShadowRider]

For me, the black would just always look dirty. I'm not very good at washing a bike.

Yeah, that is a drawback. But I AM pretty good at washing my bike, and I keep a supply of the Honda spray cleaner on hand all the time. In fact, the last time my dealer had a sale on it I bought six cans! It came in handy last night when I got the bike home after being caught in the rain. Wiping it down with microfiber towels and touching up some spots with a shot of the spray worked pretty well. I just have to go back and clean up the chrome pipes because they were still hot when I got home.

A note of caution: do NOT try to wipe off a hot pipe with a microfiber cloth! Those fibers are made of PLASTIC and will melt. Trust me on this.

One thing I have noticed about the CTX compared to my Shadow is that the finish on the CTX seems to scuff rather easily and show swirl marks, much more than the Shadow did. I don't know if the metallic paint just makes the scuffs appear more visible. I'm kind of a fanatic about keeping my bike looking as new as possible and this is pretty distressing. I think I might have to stock up on plastic polish and hope it will take care of the problem...

 

[gadgetman]

Try Zaino products on their web site. I am quite (ok overly ) Anal about my toys and have used their products for ~ 30 yrs now on my cars and bikes. I have won several car shows with some of my cars and have to give Zaino credit for the paint's appearance. They keep upgrading them to improve vs rest on history. I' suggest Z2 show car polish and touch up with Z6. If paint isn't as smooth as glass , before polishing I would clay bar first and then polish. Not only is Zaino a great finish, it is one of the easiest on and off products, it really lasts. Plus it works great on plastic be it light lenses and elves black trim with no white residue left behind!

 

[TennesseeSmith]

The best looking vehicles I've ever owned were black. They looked awesome when they were clean. But 99 days out of 100 my vehicles are dirty. Basically, I only clean them when I need to remove salt. So they get clean in the Winter and early Spring and then accumulate dirt and bugs for months on end.

My white bike was very dirty looking also. I think silver seems to be the color that shows the least dirt. I don't normally like to drive silver because it blends in with the asphalt at a distance.

I used to make a big deal about the color of a new vehicle. Once I realized they all ended up dirt-colored, I began looking at the color as a minor piece of the package.

If I ever get to retire, I'll probably start washing my vehicles. Right now I work 60 hour weeks and I would rather ride than clean when I get some time off.

 

[sleepngbear]

My car is black (and dirty as he11). That's enough for one garage.

Although this gray/blue is dark enough that I have to wonder if I'll have the same problem with dirt.

 

[rosy thorn]

I would reco a clay bar straight after you get home from the dealer. These things gat filthy in shipping and there is often some deep seated dirt or rail dust that seeps into the paint, if you dont clay it out it swirls and grinds scratches into the paint even as you wash...

Bear the blue should be ok, theres enough greyish hue in there to keep it looking relatively neutral I'd say.

 

[SoCalRyder]

Black is the toughest to take care of but im willing to put in the work to keep it clean, when its clean it looks amazing!

 

[sleepngbear]

I would reco a clay bar straight after you get home from the dealer. These things gat filthy in shipping and there is often some deep seated dirt or rail dust that seeps into the paint, if you dont clay it out it swirls and grinds scratches into the paint even as you wash...

Bear the blue should be ok, theres enough greyish hue in there to keep it looking relatively neutral I'd say.

I did not know that. I've never clay barred anything in my life. But seeing as I'm hoping to keep this machine a good long time, like hopefully for the rest of my riding days, this might be a good time to start.