Ok, here's my dilemma. I am the proud owner of an '82 XJ750 Maxim, and the alloy parts definitely looked 23 years old when I got it. I'm the 4th owner, and it doesn't appear that any of the owners before me took any care of the aesthetics of the bike. Now, in trying to remove all of the pitting on the alloy, with the help of Mother's Billet Creme and a 4" buffing wheel, and a lot of terry towels and elbow grease, I have managed to put a brilliant polished finish on all of the alloy engine covers, peg brackets, side covers, seat frame, handlebars, rims, and fork legs. It really looks incredible. However, the engine itself still looks old and dull. Since we are in the prime of riding season, I am not about to tear the engine apart to polish it (if that's even possible - are the crankcase, tranny, and cylinder sleeves made of polishable alloy?). Is there any sort of chemical solution that I can apply that will "eat" the top layer of oxidation off the metal, leaving something resembling a shine?

After doing some research on this bike, it has occurred to me that the alloy parts of this bike are supposed to have a brushed, not a polished, finish. (The polishing just happened because of the amount of work required to get rid of all the pitting) My personal preference is to keep the polished finish, but if there is no way to get the engine to match, what is the best way to put back the brushed finish?

My other option is to paint the engine black, and only have the polished covers and chrome carbs as accents, and possibly polishing just the edges of the cooling fins for contrast. If I go this route, I want to do it right, and not be repainting it in 6 months. What is the best engine enamel to use on a bike engine? (I assume an air-cooled engine can get a lot hotter than a watercooled or car/truck engine)

Thanks in advance for your help,
Matt

my experience with my xj, the aluminum parts are coated with automotive clear, I'm pretty sure it's a lacquer of some sort. Most of what every one thinks is heavy oxidation is actually this stuff, which as it gets old becomes yellow, hazy, and it chips and gets full of scratches and really ugly. The elbow grease is spent scubbing this crap off.

I used paint stripper on my parts..let it sit for awhile and you'll see the coating bubble up, wipe it off with 4/0 steel wool, polish with Mothers, viola!

Worked for me.

To regain the brushed look, You will need to remove the claer coat first. You can then rebrush the parts with a simple green 3m scouring pad.You need to go in the same direction with the pad across the entire surface, not in a circular motion or cross hatch. Recoat with clear again. Don't touch the part you scrub back after rebrushing as finger print show nicely.

Eventhough its ugly it just wasnt worth messing with to me.

I thought long and hard about powdercoating the entire engine. I got concerned over heat dissipation and decided not to.

Short of scrubbing I would say bead blast it. Be prepared to buy some beads though if your doing it in the open :lol:

Mmm.. Beadblasting... Didn't think of that... Would sandblasting work?

(I didn't care much about the looks last year when I first got it, but now the prettier it looks, the prouder I am to ride it.. I managed to get all the alloy all nice and shiny, and all the rust off of the exhaust and fenders. After the metal is all done I'm going to have my tank custom painted.. It's gonna be sweet!)

I wouldnt advise sandblasting.

Do bead with glass media.

The sand is to abrasive and will eat at your gaskets. The beads are gentler. But like I said get a nice bucket under it or you will shoot them all over and have to buy a nice quantity of them.