| Author | Message | ||
     Littlebuggles |
So while I'm pulling the cam cover off (to cut down) I might as well touch up the header, I had it looking like a mirror five years ago.    | ||
| Littlebuggles |
 some discoloration that looks suspiciously like rust   | ||
| Littlebuggles |
...and while I'm at it; and my little girl wants a project to help me with...   ...we baked the enamel on to speed the drying process by heating the part before spraying it, then by pointing a shop light up and resting the brace across the frame inside the light's heat shield - 15 min and then cool, then 20 and cool again before we start the polishing on this little gem. I'll leave the "Buell" logo as it is and we'll polish the visible edges to a mirror finish like my triple clamps. A few more pics to follow but I'm gonna call a metal finishing shop or two tomorrow for pricing on stainless electroplating since that discoloration on the headers is really bugging me. and the machining on the muffler is being such a pain to get out. Hate to wimp out and not do it myself but I've only got so much time and my polishing habit gets out of hand if not moderated. Read about getting a micro-plate or something of the sort done on the S2 forum. | ||
| Loki |
One thing always leads to another...... My S1 is still on the table. Should have been finished before now. cut down and polish on the cam case. lead to polishing the oil pump. which led to redoing the oil lines in braid. that's just the beginning...... | ||
| Littlebuggles |
Yeah, I've already cut myself off there, not going to touch the pump, least not right now. | ||
| Tdman77 |
I had the same problem with my X1. I was getting so carried away with polishing that my girlfriend had to step in and knock some sense back in to me. It is an addiction, once you start you can't stop. | ||
| Easy_rider |
This is scary.... Bought myself a collection of buffing wheels and pastes this weekend. Planning on starting the process soon. It's somewhat out of necessity, but I've always preferred the polish look and done it by hand. Look at the "Hell to the Yes!" thread to see what I'm starting with, and why I need to up it a notch. Hadn't got far enough to know you could polish the oil pump! | ||
| Dragonwing |
Geez....I must be in the "I'd rather ride it" minority, here. A cruiser, you polish. A sport rider, you clean and ride, in my book. DW | ||
| Littlebuggles |
Yeah, I let my winter projects get pushed into the spring... but since I work nights I wait until the overnight temps are +39 degrees, +43 is more comfortable, so I've got a week or so longer before I will be riding much anyway. Hopefully I'll have it fully reassembled by then. I agree Dragon, I'd rather ride, but it's been five years since the last polish and I want the bike I ride to look nice too. Polishing is kind of addictive though, hard to stop once you get started. (Message edited by littlebuggles on April 21, 2009) | ||
| Texastechx1 |
i like what you did to that brace in you second post... gets me thinkin! | ||
| Easy_rider |
Take a look at the bottom of the "Hell to the yes" post and you may see what drives me.... and while I've got it apart I may as well polish a little more... | ||
| Littlebuggles |
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| F_skinner |
WOW!!!! | ||
| Phelan |
Dang, now I gotta wipe the drool off my iPhone.&,7$;'uddkxjdurkxpxkxgrjdhf toe (that's all the buttons I pressed when wiping it  ) | ||
| Littlebuggles |
Well it won't go any faster but it will look slick going as fast as I go... now I've gotta buff up some aluminum bits again, ohhhhh - shiney! Too bad I'm gonna have to get it dyno tuned now, I don't want it turning ugly shades of purple because my fuel mixture is too lean... I want to put a new intake on before it goes on the dyno though, got a nice one from the classifieds just waiting for payday, yehaw! Here's the truth though, I got fed up with it and made a bunch of calls trying to find someone who electro-polished locally (no luck) and turned up a metal finisher who did a regular polish job, actually just buffed out the header since I'd already polished it previously. The Trapp must be a diff grade stainless, he polished it to a mirror finish too but it's got a little different color. Now how to keep the exhaust clamp retaining rings from rusting and bunging up the headers again? I don't know why no one has made a stainless version of those things, maybe I can get the stock parts electro-plated or something... (Message edited by littlebuggles on May 01, 2009) | ||
| Littlebuggles |
Little bit of weight loss, cutting the cam cover is what started this project.  and rough cut  | ||
| Littlebuggles |
Some different angles and areas I'll clean up and remove more material   That webbing on the back was difficult, too much for files or dremmel, tried the roto zip with the guard removed and it did the trick, like a big dremmel really. Down to the detail work with some files right now (trying to keep the filing off the living room carpet). Then the cover will go black, it's raining so I'll prolly wait for a less humid day to spray some HD texture black paint. | ||
| Eshardball |
Why stop now? Polish it. You've already admitted the addiction so anyone that knows you will understand. | ||
| Littlebuggles |
Funny  Here's the long term plan - engine will someday be black and polished metal only, cases swingarm and mounting block are all going to be black with shiny who-haws here and there. Primary cover is switched to black already, maybe next winter I'll have money for motor work and paint while it's torn down. | ||
| Littlebuggles |
Has anyone got special methods for packing the Supertrapp pipe? Since the core comes out with the disks I decided to just use some junk mail paper to help me keep all the packing in and tight. The tip of the core is flared so you can't just stuff away and hope for the best jamming the core in. I decided since the paper was right up against the metal it would be okay to leave it there...   | ||
| Littlebuggles |
Close up  and finished product, hardware buffed to match the rest  | ||
| Littlebuggles |
If I post new pics in the archives, what happens to the thread?   As the thread was titled, I'm a perfectionist and I wanted the cover to look factory going back on in it's abridged form. |
