Polishing my Motorcycle frame

J

jus4fishin

New member
Hey guys/gals,



Im about to polish my motorcycle frame and was just wondering if anyone out there has any tips on how to do this. I know of 3 ways to do this:

1) Use oven cleaner to remove the anadized part of the frame. Then start with 200 grit sandpaper, and work up to 1500 grit, then use a metal polish to finish



2) Buy compound bars and a couple of buffing wheels and just use them to polish the frame.



3) A combination of both 1 and 2.





Any help would be appreaciated.



Ryan
 
I've never done it myself but have had a few friends that have, they all said the same thing, that it was all in sanding it down the right way...
 
Ryan,



I have never polished any of my motorcycle frames (yet) but my initial reaction is to steer clear of the oven cleaner due to its caustic nature (not earth friendly, either). I would use good old elbow grease and sand, using finer and finer grit, then move on to use either polishing compounds and wheels or other metal polishes of your choice. Have you checked out this site for an excellent guide to metal polishing?



http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/buffman.htm[/URL]



Madonna
 
The oven cleaner can make the seals on your motor go bad. Like the case cover and others that are visible. So i know be careful if your sparying that stuff.



cya
 
ive done it before 97 zx7r black. and we did it with oven cleaner, sandpaper and plenty of mothers polish. came out great. but realize that one its polished you will be polishing every other week to keep the apperance
 
I have not done a bike frame but i have seen it done enough times to know what I am doing. I have polished aluminum wheels and prepared a set to be chromed.



Skip the oven cleaner and start with 400 paper. It may be too difficult to remove 200 scratches later on.



Work your way up to 1500 and use WD-40 as lube.



Get a buffing wheel for your drill and use the compound bars.



Use duct tape to mask off any areas you do not want to come in contact with the sandpaper.



Take your time because you will be at it for a loooooong time. Be sure to completely check that you do not leave any deep sanding scratches before you go to a finer grit.



You will have to polish the frame regularly with some kind of metal polish to keep it from looking like crap. Any contact with moisture and you are polishing again.
 
I've never polished a whole frame, but have done it to forks and swingarms. First, it really helps if you can remove the parts so nothing else is in the way. I realize that for a frame, that would mean a complete disassembly of the bike, but if you want to get all the little crevices done and make it reall look good, it is required.



To get rid of the clear coat, either just start lightly sanding with at most 400 grit (don't go any coarser), or strip it with an aircraft paint stripper. The key is not to sand with too much pressure or you will get deep scratches that will be very hard to remove (Al is soft). Move to finer grits, ending with 1000 or 1200 wet/dry. Then move to a buffing wheel and metal polishing compunds. and then a metal polish or rouge.



As others have said, you'll have to polish it regulary to keep it looking good. If you have the frame dissasembled, I recommend spraying it with a clear coat to keep it maintenance free.



Do not use oven cleaner on aluminum!! It says so right on the can, it will eat into the aluminum. Do a test and spray some on aluminum foil and crumple it into a ball. It will begin to eat at the foil and start smoking within 10 seconds. Nasty stuff.



Mike
 
OK thanks guys. I figured as much not to use the oven cleaner.. IM going to be starting this project within the week so Ill post plenty of pics of the process for you all. I'm going to use the sandpaper, then the compunds and polish. I realize that Ill have to use metal polish on it every week, but its well worth it to me. Once again, thanks.



Ryan
 
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