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flash
4th January 2006, 16:50
any way how to restore the scratched up plastic fairing on my dirtbike?, i want them shiney looking though, but dont wana spend money on new ones seem it will just happen again

i know you can sand them but them loose their shinnyist and get dirtyer easier.

anyone know any tricks of the trade?

Sniper
4th January 2006, 17:25
You might have to start looking at new ones mate. If they have scratches they are pretty much buggered

flash
4th January 2006, 17:33
what about puting that stickey clear plastic over them?, would it get them looking beter?, mabye even hiding some stickers under it to give it the cool factor

WildBoarMouse
4th January 2006, 17:47
Any chance you could post a photo of the panels so we could see just how bad it is?

flash
4th January 2006, 18:08
please excuse the dirt, we just got back from a trail ride a couple of days ago...

well heres the damage, want to use this bike as a race/track day motard and want looking a little tidyer.

dont worry about the bark busters ive got some orange ones that are on my kdx that are in way better condition

ill post a full pic of the bike in my future motard thread

flash
4th January 2006, 21:44
is there anything thats clear that fills gaps? eg/scratches

sugilite
4th January 2006, 22:13
The same people that make Autosol metal polish, also make a plastic polish/restorer thats sposed to be pretty good. I cannot remember the name of it sorry....

flash
4th January 2006, 22:22
would it be at somewhere like repco or supercheap? or even kmart?

imdying
5th January 2006, 08:58
The same people that make Autosol metal polish, also make a plastic polish/restorer thats sposed to be pretty good. I cannot remember the name of it sorry....It's also called Autosol, comes in a blue tube instead of silver or gold. It's really just a cleaner though, calling it a polish is a bit of a misnomer.

F5 Dave
5th January 2006, 09:00
All three would be a good place to start looking. Dirt in scratches remove with toothbrush & paste. Maybe follow with cut & polish car stuff & finally (best option) just Armoural it. But once it’s turfed it will never be new again.

riffer
5th January 2006, 14:24
Interesting thread. I have some cosmetic damage on my bike where the clutch fluid has leaked out of the master cylinder onto the glovebox cover (yes, the RF900 has a glovebox).

Nw I've fixed the leak properly, does anyone have any ideas how to fix the damage to the plastic? (it's kind of lightened the plastic where it dribbled onto it).

flash
5th January 2006, 14:36
well i went to supercheap and repco and there was no blue autosol. actually there was nothing for plastics, only paint and mags

Coyote
5th January 2006, 14:50
what about puting that stickey clear plastic over them?, would it get them looking beter?, mabye even hiding some stickers under it to give it the cool factor
You would be referring to 'Skuff Stop'. Dad used it on our old KX80 and CRF150. If you cut it out properly it can look good from a distance but with our 80 it wasn't cut right and had bit of it not sticking on the plastic catching dirt underneath making it look shittier. And also there were air bubbles and it was starting to peel off. If I had done it I would've got some prepsol on it first and took a bit of care to get the air bubbles out and make sure there was none of it able to catch dirt. It was good for the resale value of the bike and we managed to sell our CRF for a good price as it looked pretty much new

Sniper
5th January 2006, 14:54
Nw I've fixed the leak properly, does anyone have any ideas how to fix the damage to the plastic? (it's kind of lightened the plastic where it dribbled onto it).

To my knowledge, once brake fluid has been on anything, it tends to strip or stain it. I think you can get some vinyl/plastic polish colourer thingie that restores the colour to it. You may need to do the whole glovebox to get an even colour. I'll do a search to find out what the stuff is called.

riffer
5th January 2006, 15:00
Cheers Stu.

FWIW, the plastic is black coloured, and yes, the hydraulic fluid has faded in a few streaks...

Sniper
5th January 2006, 15:29
Cheers Stu.

FWIW, the plastic is black coloured, and yes, the hydraulic fluid has faded in a few streaks...

No worries, I have a couple of guys in the workshop checking it out for you as well. :shifty:

Coyote
5th January 2006, 15:47
I had a bit of an accident with brake fluid, didn't wreck anything fortunately. Got onto some paint but didn't seem to affect it in anyway

flash
5th January 2006, 15:53
i use that clear plastic on slected parts on the kdx.do you think that the ktm would look better if i completely covered it? (so much that it went behind the plastic fairings so you dont get shrining marks and dirt showing)

Buddha#81
5th January 2006, 17:15
autosol is avaliable from TWL (Transport Wholesale Ltd) sould be a branch near you somewhere, Truckies use it to polish their shit and glitter. I have used a heat gun to restore the luster on faded plastic's on an old trail bike, a word of warning as we all know is plastic can only take so much heat, either way you end up with new looking plastic (one ways a bit cheaper). Realy munted plastic can bee cleaned with a mild abrasive eg: jiff but as a last resort.

Pixie
6th January 2006, 10:35
Meguires do a plastic polish that is good enough to polish scratches out of clear PVC tent windows.
It is a 2 stage process (2 bottles of different abrasive).
I don't see it at Car parts stores, so you'll need to contact Meguires direct.
In spite of what my signature says I looked up for you
http://www.meguiars.com/estore/product_list.cfm?sectionname=Professional%20(Mirro r%20Glaze%20Brand)%3EClear%20Plastic%20Care&sectionID=34101
Mirror glaze

MacD
6th January 2006, 17:28
Interesting thread. I have some cosmetic damage on my bike where the clutch fluid has leaked out of the master cylinder onto the glovebox cover (yes, the RF900 has a glovebox).

Nw I've fixed the leak properly, does anyone have any ideas how to fix the damage to the plastic? (it's kind of lightened the plastic where it dribbled onto it).

I have the same problem. I've found that Pledge darkens the plastic up quite well. I imagine any silicone-based polish would do the same thing (eg: Armourall).

The glovebox is actually rather useful! ;)

Sniper
7th January 2006, 23:14
Just heard Pledge will do a good job as well Riffer. PM sent earlier

Posh Tourer :P
8th January 2006, 03:19
I would use something like scratch and swirl remover to get rid of sun damage, etc, perhaps a *light* sand to get big scratches out, or just clean them. After you use the scratch and swirl remover, protect it somehow - armourall/ScottoilerFS365/wax etc etc

R1madness
11th January 2006, 08:53
Here is an OLD trick. (its almost as old as me hahaha)
First clean the panel with warm soapy water then VERY GENTLY heat up the plastic (this only works on unpainted plastic) using a hot air paint stripper (or hair dryer but it is a bit slow and the misses will kill ya if ya burn it out haha). This allows the plastic to reobsorbe the waxes/oils that have blead to the surface. Be gentle and patient. you will see the guard begin to gloss up as it warms. When it cools give it a quick rub with a rag and presto... a nice shiney plastic panel.

Bonez
16th January 2006, 14:54
"Neapol" from the supermarket should siny things up a bit.

Jackrat
16th January 2006, 15:13
any way how to restore the scratched up plastic fairing on my dirtbike?, i want them shiney looking though, but dont wana spend money on new ones seem it will just happen again

i know you can sand them but them loose their shinnyist and get dirtyer easier.

anyone know any tricks of the trade?

The people I work for make plastic water tanks and plastic boats(MAC boats).
When we get scratches on them while their in the yard or during delivery,we hit them with a canister type blow torch.The scratch just melts back into the tank/boat,you'd never know it was there in the first place.There is also a polish available that brings em' up a treat.If the type of plastic your talking about can be welded then the gas can trick will work.I've even used a ciggy lighter when I've had a close encounter with a bridge an the scatches were a bit much to put over the customer. But we don't talk about that right!!