Over the last 3 years, I have pretty much bought a ton of different waxes... they have come along way from the birth of "nu finish". A few different products, Turtle wax, Meguires, some other walmart stuff... etc. I pretty much have settled on Ice. I have a vivid black bike and it works great.
Here is my process.
1) Dish soap to clean the the bike.
2) Ice Synthetic Spray Wax.
3) Ice Synthetic Spray Wax for a second time.
4) Rinse with cold water.
5) Ice Spray Detailer.
What is your favorite wax and how do you put it on?
Cut out the dish soap on the painted parts of your bike. It will damage the paint in the long term. I run a bodyshop for a living and have seen the result of dishsoap. use turtle wax car wash soap or something similar.