polishing the engine?

my bike has developed some type of dull film/corrsion? On the side covers.Anyone have a way of polishing or some type of method to bring it back to a shiny polished look.Thanks in advance. :wink:

 

Of the engine that is

 

I recently bought some Noxon at a local auto parts store and some Simichrome polish at a bike meet locally. I use the Noxon 7 to clean the film off (it's a strong but less harmful cleaner because it cleans with ammonia) and the Simichrome to polish and protect. I just used it to clean and polish my headlight bucket.... works great!

 

Are your parts chrome or aluminum? I think mine are aluminum since they are stock,I could be wrong thou.

 

Both items will work on any metal....

 

Cool.I wil give this Noxon a try then.Thanks

 

Easiest way I've found is get the bike out in the driveway and get ready to wash it. Get some paint stripper (aerosol can) and spray it on the engine covers to get the clear coat off (it helps to have a wet rag handy to "mask" off the other parts of the engine as you're spraying).

Leave it sit for about 5 minutes, and just spray the bike down LIBERALLY with water, the clear coat will come off in a wrinkly mess, you want to make sure you rinse that stuff off your exhuast pipes and lower frame really well.

Wash the bike. Take it for a spin. Now you got a clean bike that's all prepped for polishing.

Get yourself a buffing wheel (I use one that attaches to my drill). Get some Mother's aluminum polish, rub it into the aluminum with a rag, buff it out with the buffing wheel........ your engine covers will look like mirrors.

Chad
1981 XJ750R

 

I might also point out that the removed laquer and chemical stripper are Hazardous Waste. You should try to capture and properly dispose of them rather than rinse it down the gutter. In most locations, this operation could net you a fine if they catch you (I've a buddy or two who have been caught, not cool). I would suggest as an alternative, try some of the biodegradable furniture stripper and, using a toothbrush, scrub the leftovers into a plastic basin. Rinse with a squirt bottle to minimize the quantity of contaminated water and dispose of it through your local HazWaste center (most communities have household hazardous waste events monthly, at least in California). You should be able to locate one in your county white pages under waste control. Best of luck to you on this one.

 

Thanks for the tip on that CRC. The chrome-esque look of my engine has started to flake off, revealing the drab metal beneath.

I'll try this out in a few small spots over the weekend and see how it works out.

And properly disposing of the waste drippings ...as close as I live to the Mississippi I'd rather not have gunk draining out into the street.

 

Robert - very good tip. I'm very good about properly disposing oil, gas, etc. in large quantities, but I admit I sometimes "overlook" the small stuff. Next bike I do this to I'll be sure to catch those drippings in a bucket and not let them get into the sewer drains. I don't want the new-borns in the neighborhood coming out looking like something from the set of "The Hills Have Eyes" 8O

Chad
1981 XJ750R