Everyone has something that works for them. My bike is an 08 and I do not have swirl marks or fine scratches and the bike has 32000 miles on it. Use what works for you, just watch how you use it. I only wash my bike on the average of a couple of times a riding season, if you have a good base coat of wax not polish you should be able to get the dirt and bugs off without scrubbing or scratching the paint. Swirl marks are a result of putting polish on in a circular motion. Try putting your polish on in a straight line, that should eliminate the swirl marks. When WAXING do not let the wax dry or harden. Wipe it off as soon as it starts to haze. Then when you are done WAXING take a spray bottle of water and mist small areas at a time, take your micro fiber towel to wipe the mist off you will find that the mist of water will raise any WAX that you might have missed and it also helps set the WAX. You will be very happy with the end results. Just my 2 cents worth and 30 years of experience in detailing professionally