SuzukiSavage.com - Pitted Aluminum

VOLKY

YaBB Newbies

Offline

2006 S-40 Boulevard

Posts: 49
Florida
Gender: male

Pitted Aluminum
09/17/11 at 11:25:08

I went ahead started polishing the aluminum parts of the engine. I started with the smallest piece that covers the belt pulley. After removing the clearcoat with aircraft paint stripper, i sanded the metal starting with 600 grit, then 1,000, and finally with 1,200 grit. Then polished by hand with aluminum polisher.

Looks a lot better when you compare the old and the new.

Back to top

« Last Edit: 09/18/11 at 18:16:00 by VOLKY »

IP Logged

Starlifter Serious Thumper Offline It only snows seven months of the year here. Posts: 3746 Eastern Michigan Gender:	Re: Pitted Aluminum Reply #1 - 09/17/11 at 11:35:38 Nice, how long will it stay that way? Do you reapply the clearcoat?
Back to top	Proud to be everything the right-wing hates. IP Logged

VOLKY YaBB Newbies Offline 2006 S-40 Boulevard Posts: 49 Florida Gender:	Re: Pitted Aluminum Reply #2 - 09/17/11 at 12:35:27 Starlifter: I did not apply clear coat. I tried that before and it turns yellowish in color. I don't know how long it will last between polishes. I guess I have to polish very often. Eventually I might powder coat these parts in black.
Back to top	IP Logged

drums1 Serious Thumper Offline '87 Savage Bashed--Down for the count Posts: 664 Racine, Wisconsin Gender:	Re: Pitted Aluminum Reply #3 - 09/17/11 at 15:43:10 Good lawd, that looked almost like my side covers. Nice polish job. So, the clear coat can't just be sanded off? You need to use stripper 1st?
Back to top	IP Logged

MotoBuddha Serious Thumper Offline Let's roll! Posts: 1416 Charlotte, NC	Re: Pitted Aluminum Reply #4 - 09/17/11 at 17:15:47 Mine were so bad that I started with 220 grit. My covers probably weigh a lot less now.
Back to top	Travel kills ignorance. IP Logged

MotoBuddha

Serious Thumper

Offline

Let's roll!

Posts: 1416
Charlotte, NC

Re: Pitted Aluminum
Reply #5 - 09/17/11 at 17:20:06

drums1 wrote on 09/17/11 at 15:43:10:

Good lawd, that looked almost like my side covers. Nice polish job. So, the clear coat can't just be sanded off? You need to use stripper 1st?

You can sand the clear coat, but it's a lot faster to use stripper. Besides, in some instances, it's mostly the clear that's damaged. Once it's stripped you might find that most of the aluminum is fine. If you sand the clear off, then you scratch all the aluminum, even if it was fine before.

Back to top

Travel kills ignorance.

IP Logged

verslagen1 YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline Where there's a will, I want to be in it. Posts: 28886 L.A. California Gender:	Re: Pitted Aluminum Reply #6 - 09/17/11 at 17:29:47 look up zoop
Back to top	Versey's Place Tech Section Index IP Logged

MotoBuddha Serious Thumper Offline Let's roll! Posts: 1416 Charlotte, NC	Re: Pitted Aluminum Reply #7 - 09/17/11 at 17:56:23 verslagen1 wrote on 09/17/11 at 17:29:47: look up zoop Last report, Zoop is out of business.
Back to top	Travel kills ignorance. IP Logged

mmosel Senior Member 2005 No Login Offline My bike is officially THUMPING now. Posts: 415 NW Oregon Gender:	Re: Pitted Aluminum Reply #8 - 09/18/11 at 02:49:47 It's a real shame this clear coat starts to look so bad. Mine has been getting worse. Having my bike outside through the rains didn't help much. I'm garaged now, but still, I wish they didn't get like this.
Back to top	IP Logged

justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: Pitted Aluminum Reply #9 - 09/18/11 at 09:41:23 Mine has been under cover nearly its whole life & the clear looks raspy.
Back to top	The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion.- Edmund Burke. IP Logged

VOLKY YaBB Newbies Offline 2006 S-40 Boulevard Posts: 49 Florida Gender:	Re: Pitted Aluminum Reply #10 - 09/18/11 at 18:17:19 After I stripped the clear coat, it was not as bad as it looks. Must be a cheap clearcoat they spray on this parts.
Back to top	IP Logged

stinger

Serious Thumper

Offline

I love YaBB 1G -
SP1!

Posts: 848

Re: Pitted Aluminum
Reply #11 - 09/19/11 at 00:49:05

First off, forget the clear coat. I polished my casings using a stripper first then used one of those foam sanding pads. Works great for getting in all the curvy places. They come in fine, medium and coarse. Then I use a polishing wheel on it and it's hard to tell its not chrome. I can read a newspaper on the reflection from the casings. Takes maybe 2 or 3 hours from start to finish. The clear coating makes it dull and it will flake. I did mine 2 or 3 years ago and all I do is hit it with some metal polish and it shines like new. As soon as I can figure out how to post pics( you would think after 8 years I would have tried by now) I'll post some.

Back to top

IP Logged

justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: Pitted Aluminum Reply #12 - 09/19/11 at 10:03:43 I am no metallurgist, but I would think that the shinier ( smoother) you get the aluminum, the easier it would be to keep up. I would think the tiny scratches that make the difference between "shiny" & "mirror finish" would give oxidation an invitation.
Back to top	The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion.- Edmund Burke. IP Logged