I noted too that on 08 the paint finish is not as good as 05. I believe it's the eco friendly water based paints they use nowadays!.
tank does dull very easily, I got tank pad on and stomp, leathers still find a gap to rub and dull paint. the black gloss wheel paint, I noticed a chip or 2 already. fork bottoms a couple small chips.
I had my 05 for 3 years and was still mint, this has more marks (small though) than old one had total in that time.
just use hose, then turtle wax shampoo and sponge. use ACF50 it's just the greatest, use for cleaning chain, removing tar/grease and spray engine manifold, engine and electrics , like a fancy wd40 with extra corrosion inhibitors, also removes these white salt tarnishes you sometimes get if you forget to dry properly the fasteners in winter.
usually use microfibre cloth from halfords and autoglym polish, but I dont know if it's actually any better than mer or meguirs.
black is a total nightmare to keep nice looking, the 08 has all black engine casings now and calipers. Black shows up the slightest marks and swirls in the paint from polishing also.
JP
