Polishing my motor

[jola]

I started working on my bike now that it is nice out. I'd like to give my little 450 some luster and I have some plans to refurbish the appearance a little. Nothing big. I noticed a lot of people here polish their engines so I figured I would give it a try. I didn't want to take the covers off so I sanded the clear coat off then worked my way up with finer and finer grit wet sand. Then I used rubbing compound and topped it off with metal polish. I really like the results, though I don't know how some of you get the shine you do. I stopped at 1500 grit, maybe that has something to do with it (the store didn't have 2000 grit). I also did it all by hand, so maybe that played a role.

Anyways, let me see if I can get you some pictures. Clutch side that has not been touched yet:





Brake side that has been touched:

[jola]

I forgot to mention that I didn't touch the Suzuki badge because I was afraid I would screw up the black paint. I'll go back to it when I can figure out a way.

[hampshirehog]

Makes a world of difference - coming along very nicely. Now you'll have to see if you join the polishing addicts club - you can get those covers to mirror finish with effort. Personally, I think you've hit the right level of 'shiney' - it looks clean and fresh without being too bright.

[willie]

NICE job! I see a similar polishing project in my future. Outa curiosity, how long did it take you to do the one side?
Willie in TN

[BentRod]

not to jack your thread

looking for advise. how far should one take sanding before one could start using polishing compounds?

[jola]

Makes a world of difference - coming along very nicely. Now you'll have to see if you join the polishing addicts club - you can get those covers to mirror finish with effort. Personally, I think you've hit the right level of 'shiney' - it looks clean and fresh without being too bright.

Thank you! I agree 100% right now about it looking clean without being to bright.

NICE job! I see a similar polishing project in my future. Outa curiosity, how long did it take you to do the one side?
Willie in TN

Thank you Willie! It took me a while, haha. I worked on it for the better part of the day, but I also was taking care of other stuff. If I worked straight through, which I will probably do on the other side, maybe 2.5 to 3.5 hours. What took long was sanding off the clear coat. After that, going over it with the finer grit sandpapers was pretty quick. When I do the other side I'll time myself. I'm thinking that will be Tuesday.

[jola]

not to jack your thread

looking for advise. how far should one take sanding before one could start using polishing compounds?

I think if you take it up to 2000, a polishing compound would be more effective.

[TheCafeKid]

Looks good bro I did VERY little sanding to mine before taking it to the buffing wheel. Mainly just in the tight spots to get the clearcoat off of it. Tho the sanding will get out all the lil scratches and stuff. I am not a perfectionist as far as shine goes tho...lol Heres a couple snaps of mine. They were HEAVILY patinaed before i took to them. They look kinda cloudy but i think its from the flash, looks much better in person.

[jola]

TCK, you were able to get a good amount of clear coat off just with your buffer? What did you use, rubbing compound?

[TheCafeKid]

ACtually i didnt have any polishing rouges. I just used a can of Mothers. And yeah it did take a bunch of the clear off.

[jola]

Good to know. Yours came out nice looking.

[Steve]

I got a little carried away when I did my wife's bike. Also did the tops and bottoms of the carbs, the forks and the rear passenger peg mounts.
No sandpapers involved, just polishing compound on the felt wheel mounted to the grinder:

[jola]

That is one sparkley ride! :-D

[Nessism]

Stopped at 600 grit for this diff, followed with Mothers aluminum polish (critical step if you want shine). For the OE look, you want to stop at 600 grit with OUT the polish since it adds too much brightness to match the factory look.

[renobruce]

Nice job, jola. If you want it to shine even more and with minimum effort, get a polishing pad that you can put on your hand drill. Harbor Freight has them cheap. Get some Mothers or some other aluminum polish and have a go at it. It won't take much to add alot more shine. Heat and friction from the polishing action will add alot to your results. All my polishing was done this way, and I'm quite pleased with the results. The only thing I did different from you is I went to 2000 grit and polished with a drill. I also had the parts off the bike which made it easier.