V motor clean up

[glennw]

Does anybody have a easy method for make the old V  enging look good again? Even though the bike was garaged most of it's life the salt air around here (and the antifreeze near the hose outlets) have dulled it out. ???

[Rick G]

Hi Glenn
You can remove the laquer coating with paint stripper, repeat applications may be nessessary,
use a nylon pot scrubber to remove the dead coating. Then I went at it with a wool buffing pad , mounted in a electric drill. I used Mothers polish, from the auto parts store or you could use Simichrome polish , which most bike shops carry . Warning this process can be messy, so wear old clothes and cover the rest of the bike. I buffed the fork legs , the outer engine cases , the oil filter cover, and the rear peg/muffler brackets, I didn't do the heads or cylinders as thy wern't bad.Iit came out looking like a million bucks, amd I repolish it once a year . I have not replace the clear coat as I dislike it. As good as I think mine looked Mr Bill( lubansky) ( who hasen't shown up on this list in a while) made his look like chrome plate , it hurt to look at it in bright sunlight 9 I dubed him the " Polish polish King " His bike was the cleanest 20 yearold bike I seen, it looked brand new! Rick G

[yamy]

 ;) Glenn - Just as you and I had discussed off line, go with the stripping of the clearcoat. That stuff only turns yellow, and flakes off in random pieces. You are better off as bare aluminum, and keep after it. You can even use a spray on mag cleaner to maintain it, and scotch brite with soapy water works wonders. You remember those pics I sent? Those were stripped covers, and they look primo. Stay well - Dave S.

[sdinino]

I wish I had seen this thread before I started this job - I did it the hard way using a felt wheel on my Dremel tool and a can of polishing compound. It takes off the laquer but man is it slow going...

I had a spare set of covers, so I did this off the bike. You say you've been running bare aluminum? I've hesitated putting on the polished ones without clearcoating them again - I don't want them to corrode.

[Rick G]

They won't corrode, just get dull, British and Itilian  bikes of the 60's and 70's were not coated (that sillyness  was started by the Japanese after they learned we thought their silver painted cases sucked.  I polish mine every spring and they look fine.