polishing?

[DreKat]

I was thinking of polishing the swingarm and engine covers and also the rims. what grit sandpaper should I use or should I not bother doing it at all. Has anyone done this before, how hard is it to do, and does it make cleaning the bike a pain in the a$$. do I have to take the bike apart to do it or can I be done together?

If anyone had pics that would be great.

Thanks

[brooder]

I've read somewhere on here that you don't have to take the wheels of to get the rims. Just make sure you tape off the wheels and use paint stripper on the rims (if they are still painted). Then work your way up the sandpaper trail. Also, to prevent having to repolish overy other day (figuratively), you can put a clear coat on the polished pieces to keep it clean and bright. Then you just wash them like normal. I would assume the other parts would be the same, just minus the paint striper. To clear coat, your can tape of the areas around what you're sparying, but to get a good, even coverage, I'd suggest taking the parts off and spraying them that way.

[KatDan]

i think the swingarm is steel, so you don't want to try polishing that. for all you want done, you should seriously consider chrome plating. it will be much easier to maintain, and after polishing 1 wheel, you'll never want to do another one again!

[Jax]

Another suggestion on the swingarm is to have it powder coated. It's more durable than paint and you could also get some extreme colors or even the chromax powder coating.

http://www.aerocoat.net/chromaxtestresults.htm

[Micki]

I've polished my frame, swingarm, kickstand, peg brackets, & outer portion of rims. looks awesome. Not hard, just time consuming. I start w/ 220 grit to strip down to bare metal. then, 320, 400, 600, 800, 1000, & 1500. Only trick is making sure you get ALL scratches out before starting w/ next grit. DON'T BE IN A HURRY. I would suggest that you start in an area that you wouldn't see w/ your fairing on. Go through the grits and practice. GOOD LUCK. hey if I can do it anyone can.

[Waltari]

I've polished my frame, swingarm, kickstand, peg brackets, & outer portion of rims. looks awesome. Not hard, just time consuming. I start w/ 220 grit to strip down to bare metal. then, 320, 400, 600, 800, 1000, & 1500. Only trick is making sure you get ALL scratches out before starting w/ next grit. DON'T BE IN A HURRY. I would suggest that you start in an area that you wouldn't see w/ your fairing on. Go through the grits and practice. GOOD LUCK. hey if I can do it anyone can.

Hope you've clear coated all the parts of your bike you polished as most of the things you listed are steel and will rust. Also going to 1500 is wayyyy over kill. We polsih thing to a mirror polish at our shop daily by going with 180 grit flap wheel, 400 flap, 400 soft pad, and then take it to the buffing wheel with black or green compound. Mirror finish, zero scratches

[Micki]

I've polished my frame, swingarm, kickstand, peg brackets, & outer portion of rims. looks awesome. Not hard, just time consuming. I start w/ 220 grit to strip down to bare metal. then, 320, 400, 600, 800, 1000, & 1500. Only trick is making sure you get ALL scratches out before starting w/ next grit. DON'T BE IN A HURRY. I would suggest that you start in an area that you wouldn't see w/ your fairing on. Go through the grits and practice. GOOD LUCK. hey if I can do it anyone can.

Hope you've clear coated all the parts of your bike you polished as most of the things you listed are steel and will rust. Also going to 1500 is wayyyy over kill. We polsih thing to a mirror polish at our shop daily by going with 180 grit flap wheel, 400 flap, 400 soft pad, and then take it to the buffing wheel with black or green compound. Mirror finish, zero scratches

Never said I was a professional. But hey, when I get some pics posted you can let me know what you think as far as my technique. I'm justa a chic with an imagination and alota free time.

[RedKat05]

Definitely clear coat all the parts, it is no fun to see the all the freshly polished parts getting oxidized

[00powderspecial]

I did my rim lips and all I did was use a paint stripper and let it sit. i had taped off all the rims except where I want the stripper and then washed the stripper off with a SOS pad and then used some aluminum polish to bring it to a finish. They look pretty good, but there can always be more finish polishing.

[00powderspecial]

Forgot to say that on another set of rims I did I started with the paint stripper, then went to a 400 grit dry sanding, then a 800 grit wet sanding, then a medium cut rubbing compunds and finished with a aluminum polish and they look great.

[texas_mad_man]

ive polished quite a few frame...i use steel wool in various grits...it dont leave the scratch marks as much as sand paper...little bit longer but a deeper shine i think...dont put clear on after...once youve got it to where you think it is done...go buy some rouge and start buffing...then ad a coat of mothers aluminum polish and buff again...