Buffing Aluminum

[shibby_cbs]

is it absolutely necessary to re-clear these parts or no?...what are the conciquences?

[Agemax]

is it absolutely necessary to re-clear these parts or no?...what are the conciquences?

personally i would say no,although others may argue otherwise.
if you clear coat them it WILL yellow and crack over time and then you have to remove it all again.a quick buff regularly on the bare shiny parts will keep them looking mint for ages, but if they do dull a bit then its easy to polish them back up again

[Planecrazy]

is it absolutely necessary to re-clear these parts or no?...what are the conciquences?

personally i would say no,although others may argue otherwise.
if you clear coat them it WILL yellow and crack over time and then you have to remove it all again.a quick buff regularly on the bare shiny parts will keep them looking mint for ages, but if they do dull a bit then its easy to polish them back up again

I would say it depends on how often you wish to go through the polishing process. I personally tend to "ride" more than "clean," so for me the clear coat path probably makes more sense. If, however, you don't mind the occasional "touch up" time I'd agree with Agemax. Keep in mind that if you use a good quality UV resistant clear coat you shouldn't see any yellowing for years...

Oh ... one other thought. I remember recently seeing a product on Stacy David's "Gearz" that was like a polish but claimed to keep oxidation away for at least a year - wish I could remember what it was called. The obvious advantage is that you don't have to "remove" it to polish again in the future ... just reapply when you're done polishing...

Regards,

[chuck hahn]

a couple good coats of turtle wax or another reputable tough lasting wax will also seal the metal from the air and moisture.

[Agemax]

belgom alu is a good protective coating, or just use a good quality spray on furniture polish,(pledge, mr sheene, etc)

[Nessism]

I used Por-15 Glisten clear coat on my polished parts and they look good, although I'm not sure what engine heat will do to the engine cover finish long term.

Most all commercially produced aluminum parts will have either paint or anodizing to protect the metal against corrosion. Wax or similar is better than nothing though.

[Octain]

Sears sell compound sticks for cheap, only a few dollars each. The sisal wheels I use come from Caswell's Plating.

Thanks.. I know where to buy compound(northern) but I wanna know which one you use to get the OE looking finish.

[pwrdbyoreos]

been wanting to clean up my side covers since i bought the bike, but just havent gotten enough good info on it. This definitly cleared up alot of questions I had. My only concern is living in new england, some of the words and elements around make me wonder how long my hard work would last. Who has done this and how has it reacted to northen conditions? What can I expect after waxing them? Would this work on pitting and minor rust on my front (chrome) fender?

[shibby_cbs]

been wanting to clean up my side covers since i bought the bike, but just havent gotten enough good info on it. This definitly cleared up alot of questions I had. My only concern is living in new england, some of the words and elements around make me wonder how long my hard work would last. Who has done this and how has it reacted to northen conditions? What can I expect after waxing them? Would this work on pitting and minor rust on my front (chrome) fender?

as far as how long it will last in the elements i dont really know but im sure any good car wax or protectant would do the job...as far as the pitting and rust goes i guess it depends on how bad it is...i would suggest doing a good ammount of progressive sanding to get rid of the bulk of the rust and smooth out some of the pitting...after that start with an agressive compound...i started with black which was the most agressive i had access too...then do about 2 to 3 more buffs with progressively lighter compound...if it dosnt complety refurb the metal it will make the pitting alot less visable/noticeable...thats just my .02 cents from what i have learnd so far...im sure someone with alot more experience will chime in here soon