Is this a good idea or what... anyone got any knowledge to offer on this subject ? I wont do the rims, maybe send them out for chrome, but I have heard that the R1 wheels become to brittle after the dipping process... whats the scoop on this ?
throttle-cntrl
Pics.
Here's the link to the pics of Twisted's wheels. I pulled the thread up so you could see.
http://www.r1-forum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=143&highlight=stripped+wheels
Here's the link to the pics of Twisted's wheels. I pulled the thread up so you could see.
http://www.r1-forum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=143&highlight=stripped+wheels
polishing
polishing the frame looks great but keeping it polished is a pain,, so if u do decide to polish it,, don't do to much that it hard to keep clean
polishing the frame looks great but keeping it polished is a pain,, so if u do decide to polish it,, don't do to much that it hard to keep clean
twisted
Twisted,
Yeah thats my pride and joy,,,, i don't have much money at this time so any aftermarkets are gettign put on hold(may be next month) but i can't stand not making it look better so i decided to polish the upper half of the frame just to be a little different, and i did the front end up with a white number plate and light covers
(i'm gonna get some pics of it next week to show):boobies
Twisted,
Yeah thats my pride and joy,,,, i don't have much money at this time so any aftermarkets are gettign put on hold(may be next month) but i can't stand not making it look better so i decided to polish the upper half of the frame just to be a little different, and i did the front end up with a white number plate and light covers
(i'm gonna get some pics of it next week to show):boobies
Info on polishing
Found this info here: http://www.extremepolish.com
Also I found a cool polishing kit you can buy here:
http://store.yahoo.com/azmotorsports/frampolkit.html
Remove all the bodywork from your bike including the tank. This will save expensive plastic from any accidental slips of the sand paper. Before you remove the bodywork take note of what parts of the frame are actually visible. No reason to polish something that will not be seen. Then start with 220 grit sand paper to remove the anodizing from every where that you want to shine. What is important is to go always in the same direction with the sand paper strokes. Try to go with the existing "grain" of the metal. Removing the anodizing is a long pain in the ass process. You will have no finger prints left after polishing. From 220 comes 320 to remove the scratches left from 220. The grit sequences I use are as follows: 220, 320, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1500 and if needed 2000. Doing the whole bike by yourself with a good part of everyday dedicated to it will take just over a week. If you don't mind investing some money into this project buy an orbital sander. This will greatly reduce the polishing time and wear on your fingers. The only "trick" involved is not to get into a rush to complete it. I really can not stress this enough. If you do not completely remove the scratches left behind from the previous grit you will always have scratches visible. When ever I think I am finished with one grit I always go over that same area again one more time with a fresh piece of paper to ensure I have all the scratches out. I recommend to keep using the same piece of paper until it is smooth so you are using it to gradually remove the scratches left from a fresh piece of paper. Up keep of a polished frame is not. I use a metal polish called "Mother's" but I have used a product from Europe called "Wenol" that was also good. When I get caught in the rain I just dry the frame and swing-arm to prevent any drops leaving rings when they dry. And when I clean the bike I just go over the bike with the metal polish to bring back the mirror shine.
Found this info here: http://www.extremepolish.com
Also I found a cool polishing kit you can buy here:
http://store.yahoo.com/azmotorsports/frampolkit.html
Remove all the bodywork from your bike including the tank. This will save expensive plastic from any accidental slips of the sand paper. Before you remove the bodywork take note of what parts of the frame are actually visible. No reason to polish something that will not be seen. Then start with 220 grit sand paper to remove the anodizing from every where that you want to shine. What is important is to go always in the same direction with the sand paper strokes. Try to go with the existing "grain" of the metal. Removing the anodizing is a long pain in the ass process. You will have no finger prints left after polishing. From 220 comes 320 to remove the scratches left from 220. The grit sequences I use are as follows: 220, 320, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1500 and if needed 2000. Doing the whole bike by yourself with a good part of everyday dedicated to it will take just over a week. If you don't mind investing some money into this project buy an orbital sander. This will greatly reduce the polishing time and wear on your fingers. The only "trick" involved is not to get into a rush to complete it. I really can not stress this enough. If you do not completely remove the scratches left behind from the previous grit you will always have scratches visible. When ever I think I am finished with one grit I always go over that same area again one more time with a fresh piece of paper to ensure I have all the scratches out. I recommend to keep using the same piece of paper until it is smooth so you are using it to gradually remove the scratches left from a fresh piece of paper. Up keep of a polished frame is not. I use a metal polish called "Mother's" but I have used a product from Europe called "Wenol" that was also good. When I get caught in the rain I just dry the frame and swing-arm to prevent any drops leaving rings when they dry. And when I clean the bike I just go over the bike with the metal polish to bring back the mirror shine.
R1_CR, that Wenol polish is the BEST. I get the auto glazes for my car and they are top notch. I can't find them in stores so I have ordered them off this site:
http://www.wenolit.com/
They have buffing supplies, metal polishing stuff, waxes, glazes and all kinds of polishes and polishing kits.
http://www.wenolit.com/
They have buffing supplies, metal polishing stuff, waxes, glazes and all kinds of polishes and polishing kits.
I have used both mothers and wenol to maintain the shine on my frame,, but i have found a polish that is way better than both,,,its called X-TREEM metal polish.
its a big wad of cotton soaked with cleaners. you tear off a little pieces of the pink cotton and use for polishing. i got it a local tire and rim dealer,,,, it works ten times better than mothers and wenol.
its kinda hard to find anymore so heres the address thats on the back of the package
HULCHER ENTERPRISES, INC.
611 KIMBERLY DR.
DENTON , TX 76201 its part #02001
its a big wad of cotton soaked with cleaners. you tear off a little pieces of the pink cotton and use for polishing. i got it a local tire and rim dealer,,,, it works ten times better than mothers and wenol.
its kinda hard to find anymore so heres the address thats on the back of the package
HULCHER ENTERPRISES, INC.
611 KIMBERLY DR.
DENTON , TX 76201 its part #02001
R-won, yours is the the extremepolish site?? This one:
http://www.usmcpress.com/extremepolish/extremepolish.htm ?
What a COOL site!!! :rock :rock
http://www.usmcpress.com/extremepolish/extremepolish.htm ?
What a COOL site!!! :rock :rock
*lol*
Yeah = www.extremepolish.com is my site . . .
If you ever make it to South Carolina we would love to go riding with ya. But if you have any questions about polishing I will try my best to answer them. I polish bikes kinda like a second job to help pay for them expensive tires. By no means an expert on polishing. Thanks for the kind words on our work though.
Yeah = www.extremepolish.com is my site . . .
If you ever make it to South Carolina we would love to go riding with ya. But if you have any questions about polishing I will try my best to answer them. I polish bikes kinda like a second job to help pay for them expensive tires. By no means an expert on polishing. Thanks for the kind words on our work though.
That would be :rock !!! If you guys don't mind the fact I am a beginner. And I would need a pair of 's from the shine off your bikes.
I was checking out the pictures of Deal's Gap that you have up on your site. There are some members on here that were posting about it a little while ago.
http://www.r1-forum.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=171
One of the guys was so hooked on it he was going every weekend to slay the dragon!
You guys looked like you had a great time in Daytona!!
I was LMAO at some of those pics!!
Thanks so much for the offer of help on questions about polishing. As you can tell, alot of the members have asked about it and I don't know very much about it at all.
I can see from all the smileys and burnouts why you need so many tires. What do you do with the old tires? Make tennis balls or something?
And I would need a pair of 's from the shine off your bikes. I was checking out the pictures of Deal's Gap that you have up on your site. There are some members on here that were posting about it a little while ago.
http://www.r1-forum.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=171
One of the guys was so hooked on it he was going every weekend to slay the dragon!
You guys looked like you had a great time in Daytona!!
I was LMAO at some of those pics!!
Thanks so much for the offer of help on questions about polishing. As you can tell, alot of the members have asked about it and I don't know very much about it at all.
I can see from all the smileys and burnouts why you need so many tires. What do you do with the old tires? Make tennis balls or something?
You might consider getting the frame clearcoated after you polish it. That will keep it looking nice without having to polish it all the time. That white powder that comes off each time is essentially rust. Unprotected aluminium does oxidize.
Hey SmokeEater -
I have heard of some people trying to clearcoat a polished frame with little success. I am not a painter, but I am told the problem is that a polished frame is very smooth. Trying to get the clear to 'stick' to the frame is a difficult task. I have seem some attempts and the frame looks hazy. The next problem comes with the inevitable rock chip. Once moisture gets under the clear you get the oxidation that you were referring too. Aluminum will tend to 'pit' if not kept up but this takes a good amount of time. I left a bike with a polished frame sit for a year with no problems. (Uncle Sam sent me on a one year all expense paid trip to Korea. ) Polished frames can be a pain for those who truly hate cleaning their bikes. I normally don't touch the frame but once a month with some Mother's unless I get caught in some rain or poorly placed sprinklers. Rawk . . .
I have heard of some people trying to clearcoat a polished frame with little success. I am not a painter, but I am told the problem is that a polished frame is very smooth. Trying to get the clear to 'stick' to the frame is a difficult task. I have seem some attempts and the frame looks hazy. The next problem comes with the inevitable rock chip. Once moisture gets under the clear you get the oxidation that you were referring too. Aluminum will tend to 'pit' if not kept up but this takes a good amount of time. I left a bike with a polished frame sit for a year with no problems. (Uncle Sam sent me on a one year all expense paid trip to Korea.
) Polished frames can be a pain for those who truly hate cleaning their bikes. I normally don't touch the frame but once a month with some Mother's unless I get caught in some rain or poorly placed sprinklers. Rawk . . .-
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