| Author | Message | ||
     Greg_e |
So I have my white XB9R still sitting while I wait for an issue with the title to be resolved, and the guy that had it before me hauled it in the back of a truck with a gray plastic tarp over it, this left gray plastic attached to the plastic in some areas. The rear seat cover was entirely gray and it didn't want to come off so I had to use a Scotchbrite pad to remove the gray. I just finished with some 320 grit sand paper to remove the deep scratches ready for the Novus polishes and found that I kind of like the matte finish left behind. Is it considered sacrilegious to sand down all the plastic to get this look?  I'm still thinking I want this bike to be black, but part of me wants to keep it stock white since it is the end of production. | ||
| Fahren |
Yer bike. Dare to be different. Like all the rest of us LOL. | ||
| Zatco81 |
Nah, if you like it go for it. The good thing about sanding the plastics is it will have a matte look but you can always polish it back out later. | ||
| Ourdee |
Oh, lets save it for the grandbabies.not. I tire of the save it people. I hope when I die the last piece of china is broken the furniture scratched beyond saving, all my vehicles broke, all the tires bald, no fuel in the tanks, etc. LIVE! It's your bike, have it the way you want it. Not living is sacriligeous. You like it matte, have it matte. | ||
| Froggy |
Go for it! Worst comes to worst, you can order brand new plastics. | ||
| Iamarchangel |
Ourdee: my mother says, "If I die penniless, that's pretty good timing." Do what you want to do, be who you want to be, do, be, do, be, do. | ||
| Not_purple_s2 |
Flat white looks sweet, do it! | ||
| Greg_e |
Well if worse comes to worst, I can always polish it back to a shine. I'm getting really good with the Novus products so all it would be is time to bring it back to life. That is just one of the good things about the idea of putting the color all the way through the plastic instead of just paint. The other advantage to a matte bike is that when you scratch it, all you need to do to fix it is sand the thing again. I'm going to let the idea sit for a while, but I'm seriously thinking that I need to get a set of black plastics and a few new sanding sponges. I was planning on Airtech fiberglass and paint, but the black plastic and sanding would be so much more durable (and probably cheaper too). | ||
| Nik |
You won't get 320 grit scratches out with polish. You'll need to step up to 2000 grit for that. I've always liked matte white. I would suggest sealing the surface somehow, either with flat clear paint or regular applications of a wax/sealent product, as by roughening up the surface you're providing a nice grippy surface for dirt and road grime to stick to. | ||
| Swordsman |
320 grit huh? I'll keep that in mind... I have a used R fairing I picked up cheap that's scuffed all to hell. Might give that matte look a try. ~SM | ||
| Greg_e |
I absolutely will get 320 grit scratches out with Novus #3, done it plenty of times before this on clear acrylic. I've been told too many times in the past that I can't do it, and every single time I have accomplished the task back to a nice shiny surface (by hand). Maybe it is the 3M sanding sponges that I use, maybe it is the technique that I use, but it works every time. The sponge has 320 stamped on it and with the acrylic it is almost back to clear after using that sponge. Would probably be almost done if I wet sanded the thing. 500 would probably be better, but I have 320 in my hand. You absolutely need to follow up the #3 with the #2. #3 is the rough compound, #2 will bring back the shine after the #3. And no I really don't feel like doing a left side right side comparison prove it to back up my claim. I know I can do it because I have done it with other plastics. I have also done this with stubborn audio disks, but normally I don't need the sanding sponge on those. (Message edited by Greg_E on October 23, 2009) | ||
| Fast1075 |
I saw a Blast finished in black splatter paint...he called it the granite blast.. Buell...different in every sense  Somebody needs to do one in flocking...wooly buelly.... Think I'll keep Jezebel in shiny racing red though. | ||
| Brumbear |
ya never know till ya try | ||
| Slaughter |
The only problem with the sanded surface is every dirty fingerprint is going to become semi-permanent. Same with bug guts and fuel residue. Just gotta be a little careful is all. Heck, give it a try - like you say it aint hurtin nuttin. Easy to polish out if you have to. | ||
| Pogue_mahone |
if you need other than white throw some trackwraps on it | ||
| Swordsman |
Well, I buffed out some nasty scrapes on my black R fairing. 320 seems a little rough for texturizing. The direction of the rub marks is very visible, but that could be because it's black... white may hide it better. I tried the Novus, and it didn't come anywhere close to getting the shine back. However, I don't know which Novus I have. I'm gonna try that 1000 grit to see I can work it back a little, then try the Novus again. ~SM | ||
| Greg_e |
Red or Green label on the Novus? Also you must use a cloth that doesn't not scratch or you will do more harm than good, I've been using Photex Scanner Wipes which work very well. And I think the 320 on the sanding sponge may not be accurate, the 80 sponge that I also have is nothing like 80 paper. So the 320 sponge may be closer to 600 paper. Use lots of the Novus stuff, you do not want it to dry out or it is just like using sandpaper again. Move to clean spots on the cloth often and toss the cloth if you even think it has picked up some real dirt since again it will be grinding that into the surface. Novus has some decent information on their website. http://www.novuspolish.com/ | ||
| Swordsman |
My Novus is in a black and blue can....? I was also using a sponge. I really think it's just the color that makes it stand out so much... you know how bad black is. ~SM | ||
| Greg_e |
Black and blue can? Never seen that before, all the stuff I have worked with is in a white squeeze bottle or gallon jug. | ||
| 1324 |
I really dig the matte look. I did this on both of my XB's and that is how they will stay. I finish up with a 1200 grit wet sand and then seal with a wax. Very easy to clean and doesn't show fingerprints, bugs, etc. Doesn't scratch nearly as easy. | ||
| Swordsman |
I picked this up from a Kawasaki dealer... black and blue aerosol can. Maybe it's just for windshields? Doesn't specify. ~SM | ||
| Greg_e |
I bet that is just the cleaner/wax polish. Pick up some #3 and #2 and I bet you can return your plastic to the bright shiny look from the factory. Both of these are also sold as a Harley product, but I forget the actual wording (I bet the Novus costs less even after shipping). I normally order from US Plastics but you can google for other places. I didn't see any sign of haze on the white "tank" sections that I cleaned up, the knee contact points looked pretty bad so I ran the #3 and then #2 to shine it right up. The "scratchless" clothes are very important, I can not stress enough that you need to use a throw away cloth that will not scratch like the mentioned Photex Scanner wipes. And throw them away early and often. Doing all the plastic you would probably go through 20 of these clothes before you were done, maybe 20 per compound to be safe. (Message edited by Greg_E on October 27, 2009) | ||
| California69gs |
If you like it.......doesn't matter if others do or don't...... | ||
| Swordsman |
FYI, for anyone else that runs across this thread: DO NOT use a 320 grit sanding sponge on the darker colored plastics. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET THE SCRATCHES OUT with Novus 3 and 2. I've scrubbed and scrubbed, and no luck. The plastic will get shiny again, but the directional grooves left from the sponge will still be plainly visible. From the looks of it, this probably wouldn't be an issue with the lighter colors such as white and yellow. Black is a lost cause. ~SM |
