Author Topic: Refreshing motorcycle plastics  (Read 1159 times)

Offline Canuck750

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Refreshing motorcycle plastics
« on: August 02, 2021, 07:25:55 PM »
I was servicing a good friends KLR650 this week taking care of routine maintenance, tires etc but the plastic on his 2005 green machine was very faded and stained.
I recently bought an air powered mini polishing kit from NAPA with two different sponge mops and a polishing mop. I picked up a medium and super fine bottle of compound. I didn’t take pictures but the solid green plastic was very tired and dirt and greases stained it in many places.
The use of the rougher sponge mop and mid course compound followed by the finer sponge mop and fine compound, used with plenty of water to wet the plastic transformed the pieces. I finished with a paste wax and the polishing mop.
The fairing piece was very rough, I started with 400 grit on an air operated random orbital sander with constant water applied to cut the worst of the plastic down then used the the three steps of polishing to finish.
If you have solid colour modes plastic pieces in need of a refresh give this a try, the results are quite impressive.
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Online Ncdan

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Re: Refreshing motorcycle plastics
« Reply #1 on: August 02, 2021, 08:00:51 PM »
Thanks for sharing 👍

Offline evank

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Re: Refreshing motorcycle plastics
« Reply #2 on: August 02, 2021, 08:23:11 PM »
That is good info.  Restoring unpainted plastic is very difficult.

Offline twowheeladdict

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Re: Refreshing motorcycle plastics
« Reply #3 on: August 02, 2021, 08:58:06 PM »
  :thumb: I wonder if all those guys riding around on pink KLRs know about this.   :thumb:  I didn't know they had the lime green KLR in '05.  It was an '06 bike here in the states.  The only color of the Gen 1 bikes I would care to own. 

I have to refresh the headlights on my wife's '08 truck periodically.  It takes time to do it right but the end result is better visibility so it is worth it. 
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Re: Refreshing motorcycle plastics
« Reply #3 on: August 02, 2021, 08:58:06 PM »

Offline 80CX100

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Re: Refreshing motorcycle plastics
« Reply #4 on: August 02, 2021, 10:59:38 PM »
    Tks for that timely info.

     I have 2 sheets of 40 yr old plexiglass from the bottom of 2 skylight chases that I want to rejuvenate. The plexiglass hasn't yellowed, but it is dull and cloudy, I've heard it can be buffed out clear again, I'm wondering if your product and procedure would work on it?
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Offline Canuck750

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Re: Refreshing motorcycle plastics
« Reply #5 on: August 03, 2021, 10:09:50 AM »
    Tks for that timely info.

     I have 2 sheets of 40 yr old plexiglass from the bottom of 2 skylight chases that I want to rejuvenate. The plexiglass hasn't yellowed, but it is dull and cloudy, I've heard it can be buffed out clear again, I'm wondering if your product and procedure would work on it?

Probably, I think with clouded plastic it’s best to wet sand the worst of it out, plexiglass scratches easily and I would start with a  1500 or 2000 wet paper first in a small area to try it out.

I hope it works for you!

Jim
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Offline 80CX100

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Re: Refreshing motorcycle plastics
« Reply #6 on: August 03, 2021, 10:15:53 AM »
Probably, I think with clouded plastic it’s best to wet sand the worst of it out, plexiglass scratches easily and I would start with a  1500 or 2000 wet paper first in a small area to try it out.

I hope it works for you!

Jim

Tks Jim  :thumb:
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Re: Refreshing motorcycle plastics
« Reply #7 on: August 03, 2021, 10:40:07 AM »
I had a vintage Malcolm Smith tank on my '77 XT500. When I bought it it was a chalky off-white, so I used a single-edge razor blade to carefully scrape away the chalkiness, then my heat gun set on low to "melt" it back to it's original yellow color. I did the same with the Acerbis front fender I later installed.




Charlie

Offline Perazzimx14

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Re: Refreshing motorcycle plastics
« Reply #8 on: August 03, 2021, 11:26:58 AM »
The old heat gun or torch truck works great. Also that’s white marks out of fenders that have been bent too far.
« Last Edit: August 03, 2021, 01:25:38 PM by Perazzimx14 »
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Offline nc43bsa

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Re: Refreshing motorcycle plastics
« Reply #9 on: August 03, 2021, 11:54:15 AM »
Also that’s white marks out of genders that have been bent too far.

 :shocked:   :grin:
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Offline bettythebear

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Re: Refreshing motorcycle plastics
« Reply #10 on: August 03, 2021, 12:52:39 PM »
those tupperware pieces on the klr's are notorious for fading. My red one turned pick within months, so I took all the pieces of and rhino lined them.
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Offline Perazzimx14

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Re: Refreshing motorcycle plastics
« Reply #11 on: August 03, 2021, 01:27:11 PM »
those tupperware pieces on the klr's are notorious for fading. My red one turned pick within months, so I took all the pieces of and rhino lined them.

Wait, what? I thought being a KLR owner you'd have just brushed them with some leftover latex wall/ceiling paint in the garage.
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Offline Wayne Orwig

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Re: Refreshing motorcycle plastics
« Reply #12 on: August 04, 2021, 08:05:27 AM »
Wait, what? I thought being a KLR owner you'd have just brushed them with some leftover latex wall/ceiling paint in the garage.

 :boozing:
That is what I was thinking reading this. Geez, it is a KLR.  :boozing:
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Offline bettythebear

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Re: Refreshing motorcycle plastics
« Reply #13 on: August 04, 2021, 08:53:06 AM »
hahaha. I did the budget brand bedliner in a can because every time it got a chip in it, I would just touch it up, and nobody could ever tell.

I think I had this bike back from '06-'11. It was bulletproof.




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Online RinkRat II

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Re: Refreshing motorcycle plastics
« Reply #14 on: August 04, 2021, 09:22:55 AM »




      Youse guy's  are crackin' me up! I've always used Pledge once a month and still looking good.  Old sprint car trick to keep the clay and mud from sticking.

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Offline SIR REAL ED

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Re: Refreshing motorcycle plastics
« Reply #15 on: August 04, 2021, 04:06:33 PM »
I had a vintage Malcolm Smith tank on my '77 XT500. When I bought it it was a chalky off-white, so I used a single-edge razor blade to carefully scrape away the chalkiness, then my heat gun set on low to "melt" it back to it's original yellow color. I did the same with the Acerbis front fender I later installed.





Good advice Charlie, for those of us who with less hand-eye coordiation, wet sanding works well to remove the chalky coating, or existing paint/glue.

Recently learned that the silver front fender on my 76 KE 175 is really a translucent (I think you can still use that word these days and not insult anyone's gender), white-ish (oops, that's definitely insulting someone) fender that was painted silver.

After learning this, I thought, yeah, not a good application, but probably not much of a market for fender that are silver impregnated (not assuming the fender's gender at all, just a technical term).
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Offline Canuck750

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Re: Refreshing motorcycle plastics
« Reply #16 on: August 04, 2021, 08:26:11 PM »
Wait, what? I thought being a KLR owner you'd have just brushed them with some leftover latex wall/ceiling paint in the garage.

Man that is so true! I wanted to spray my buddies KLR plastic with black bed liner but he balked at that so I went for the polishing just to see how it would turn out.
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Offline Groover

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Re: Refreshing motorcycle plastics
« Reply #17 on: August 05, 2021, 08:22:49 PM »
Just saw a video of someone restoring faded black jeep 4x4 fenders with a propane torch. He went over them like a spray paint can. Worked great. Lost the video, can't find it, but guessing there are other videos out there like it. Probably a bad idea anyway  :grin:
« Last Edit: August 06, 2021, 09:35:57 AM by Groover »
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Offline jbell

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Re: Refreshing motorcycle plastics
« Reply #18 on: August 05, 2021, 08:59:54 PM »
  :thumb: I wonder if all those guys riding around on pink KLRs know about this.   :thumb:  I didn't know they had the lime green KLR in '05.  It was an '06 bike here in the states.  The only color of the Gen 1 bikes I would care to own. 

I have to refresh the headlights on my wife's '08 truck periodically.  It takes time to do it right but the end result is better visibility so it is worth it. 
'

Twowheel, Meguaires (at WalMart)  will greatly lengthen the time between polishings.  I've also used RustOLeum clear UV resistant spray for plastic that worked but did have some application problems with it (alligatoring).
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