Front Forks and case finish.

[Guest]

On my recently purchased gS1100 the front forks look like there is a coating of clear or something that is weathering off, but it shiny under it. I can scratch it with my finger nail. Is this a factory protective coating or what. Best way to remove ? Also when guys do their restore on engine covers how do they get their case sides all looking brand new shiny. Mine has a few spots of disclororation, mothers polish did not remove it.

[chuck hahn]

Yes they are clearcoated. I just use regualer spray can paint remover. But what youll find is dark spots where the other stuff is missing.

As for the shiney parts...I got a industrial parts buffer and I use the right rouges..I can do an enter bike from scratch in about 7 to 8 hrs.

[Agemax]

look at this thread to see how to sort your forks out,
Mr Londonboards fine resto blog.

http://suzukigs1100.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/lower-fork-tubes-polish-and-brushed.html

the cases are pretty much the same to do except they take a lot longer to do, depending on how bad they are to start with and what degree of finish you are looking for.
a quality show finish on the cases takes an awful long time, but a nice "clean" finish takes up much less time.

do NOT clear coat them after polishing, you will regret it...........

[alhntr]

look at this thread to see how to sort your forks out,
Mr Londonboards fine resto blog.

http://suzukigs1100.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/lower-fork-tubes-polish-and-brushed.html

the cases are pretty much the same to do except they take a lot longer to do, depending on how bad they are to start with and what degree of finish you are looking for.
a quality show finish on the cases takes an awful long time, but a nice "clean" finish takes up much less time.

do NOT clear coat them after polishing, you will regret it...........

Thanks for the tip. Do you mean do not clear coat the cases. That guy in the link about fork polishing was going to clear them after his polish. Maybe ok to clear coat the forks but not the cases?

[Agemax]

Thanks for the tip. Do you mean do not clear coat the cases. That guy in the link about fork polishing was going to clear them after his polish. Maybe ok to clear coat the forks but not the cases?

that is up to him if you want to. trouble is you will not replicate factory clear coat and in a short space of time it will yellow, crack and flake off. then you will end up with the same state they were in before.

once cleaned and polished it is far easier to just give them a good polish by hand every now and again to keep the shine looking nice.

[alhntr]

Got it thanks for the tip. Hope I don't sound silly, I have been posting lots of questions during my bike check over on all subjects and am going thru a learning curve. Every one has been great.

[Agemax]

Got it thanks for the tip. Hope I don't sound silly, I have been posting lots of questions during my bike check over on all subjects and am going thru a learning curve. Every one has been great.

its better to ask and do it right, rather than guess and get it wrong. could save you a whole heap of trouble by not asking..........

[mustangflyr]

Clearcoat

A couple of decades ago I stripped my fork legs and engine cases, made note of the factory sanding marks, cleaned up the corrosion using aluminum jelly, sandpaper and steel wool. Then after making sure they were CLEAN they were clear coated using Glasrit, the paint still looks wet and is just about bullet proof and replicates the original finish.

[sedelen]

I just used steel wool, didn't seem to matter whether it was coarse or fine. This clutch cover was done, takes awhile to work off that old dried out powdery clear coat. Once done though, it takes "frequent" going over to keep them sparkly.


Now this clutch cover needs to be done badly, it's all discolored, powdery, dried out, etc. But I don't want to do it................. yet.
Someday, "maybe"
What I do know is once I do get that old clear coat off of it, it will be so shiny and bright!

[Badooka]

When you think you have them shiny, hit them with a Mr Clean magic eraser with a touch of MAAS polish and have your sunglasses close by!!!!!

[alhntr]

That is one nice looking shiny red 1100, you can eat off it. Great bike.

[posplayr]

Nice pic; the ED black doesn't need polishing but it has it's downsides. Black is hard to keep clean.

[londonboards]

To clear cote or not

There are pros and cons I guess.

The finish that I like is a brushed metal or satin finish to the alloy. No original part ever left the factory with a mirror finish. I achieved this:



in about 1.5 hours of not too strenuous labour.

The problem you end up with is that in that raw state you only have to look at it and it becomes scratched or stained. Greasy oily finger marks will not come off and handling the item becomes problematic.

This weekend I have experimented with a clear cote lacquer and I can now handle the items again without getting finger marks all over them and risking scratching them:



I look at the clear as a primary protection which enables me to work with the item more confidently. It is quite possible that the lacquer will fail and that I will have to do it again sometime. But it is quite good fun (no really!). And I think I prefer it to polishing.

Greetings

[posplayr]

There are pros and cons I guess.

The finish that I like is a brushed metal or satin finish to the alloy. No original part ever left the factory with a mirror finish. I achieved this:



in about 1.5 hours of not too strenuous labour.

The problem you end up with is that in that raw state you only have to look at it and it becomes scratched or stained. Greasy oily finger marks will not come off and handling the item becomes problematic.

This weekend I have experimented with a clear cote lacquer and I can now handle the items again without getting finger marks all over them and risking scratching them:



I look at the clear as a primary protection which enables me to work with the item more confidently. It is quite possible that the lacquer will fail and that I will have to do it again sometime. But it is quite good fun (no really!). And I think I prefer it to polishing.

Greetings

Nice work but why experiment with clears? The odds are not great based on the consensus here at GSR. I'm lazy and don't mind doing the work once but don't want the recurring maintenance given the ocean climate I live in. Por-15 has some excellent products including a clear with specific treatments for prepping the metal. I have also used the same prep with automotive grade clears (I.e. PPG) coats for paint topcoats. I have generally done a satin finish but, I also did a polished brass gas cap with the PPG.