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  • #16
    sounds like fun
    United States Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, NY
    If I can do it at 18 yrs old, anyone can
    "You know something, You can't polish a turd"
    "What are you rebelling against", "Well, what do you got?"
    Acta Non Verba

    Comment


    • #17
      Yeah, it is, come to think of it!
      Papa Gino

      79 and something XS 1100 Special "Battle Cruiser"
      78 XT 500 "Old Shaky"
      02 Kawasaki Concours "Connie"

      Comment


      • #18
        I Polish or detail clean my bike about once a month or anytime I get caught using wet roads. I have a car as well so I am in deed a fair weather rider.

        I must say that I really did not know what I was getting into when I bought this bike and refurbed it. It gets more attention then any crotch rocket I might be parked beside. Drives them nuts LOL LOL. There's almost always someone hanging around my bike when I come out of wherever I might happen to be. They have lots of questions and an appreciation for the machine. People give me **** if I let it get dirty and tell me I should take better care of it.
        Rob
        KEEP THE RUBBER SIDE DOWN

        1978 XS1100E Modified
        1978 XS500E
        1979 XS1100F Restored
        1980 XS1100 SG
        1981 Suzuki GS1100
        1983 Suzuki GS750S Katana
        1983 Honda CB900 Custom

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        • #19
          I find myself out there cleaning and putting dry-wash on that bike about every 2 or 3 days.

          the girlfriend would probably tell you it's more than that.. but when you have checked&scratched paint and pitted chrome from PO, it takes more attention to make it look presentable.

          Got to ride a poker run in the rain yesterday, so it looks like I get to do a semi-tear down to clean and regrease everything before Talihina in 2 weeks. Damn the good luck.
          Yamaniac
          '79 xs11 sf - WidowMaker, 750 final drive
          '80 xs1100 sg- ENEMY#1 parts bike no title(free)
          '79 f- frame and swingarm (and title)
          '82 yz 490- needs a cylinder, head, & new piston, etc. Got one for sale?
          '88 Honda cbr600- Running, finally! Training bike for swmbo, maybe a stunt bike for me eventually.

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          • #20
            It seems, for me at least, that everyone else who observes you cleaning, thinks that you are always over doing it. My neighbor/ friend commented on how I only spend time cleaning and not riding. Little does he know that I ride at night. Anyway, I try to clean to my content, not every one elses.
            United States Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, NY
            If I can do it at 18 yrs old, anyone can
            "You know something, You can't polish a turd"
            "What are you rebelling against", "Well, what do you got?"
            Acta Non Verba

            Comment


            • #21
              i clean mine all the time, i wax it about onece a month and fully detail once a month and after every ride i use spray wax on the bike
              79 yamaha xs1100f standard
              best 1/4 mile 13.282@99.40

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              • #22
                I never really have cleaned on it until now. It's just now gotten to where I can quit turning a wrench on it all the time. It's sad because it took all evening, but I did get this accomplished...




                To this....






                Not perfect, but it looks alot better. Just goes to show.... you CAN polish a turd! BTW, anybody know if you can use model paint to paint the letters in these caps back up? If that won't work very well... any suggestions?

                Tod
                Try your hardest to be the kind of person your dog thinks you are.

                You can live to be 100, as long as you give up everything that would make you want to live to be 100!

                Current bikes:
                '06 Suzuki DR650
                *'82 XJ1100 with the 1179 kit. "Mad Maxim"
                '82 XJ1100 Completely stock fixer-upper
                '82 XJ1100 Bagger fixer-upper
                '82 XJ1100 Motor/frame and lots of boxes of parts
                '82 XJ1100 Parts bike
                '81 XS1100 Special
                '81 YZ250
                '80 XS850 Special
                '80 XR100
                *Crashed/Totalled, still own

                Comment


                • #23
                  First, clean the letters out with soapy water and a tooth brush. Rinse and wipe. Air dry. If you're lucky, you can stop now because all the accrued gunk is now gone and you have clean distinct lettering.

                  If not, you can take High Heat Engine paint, spray it into the cap or some other receptacle, use gloves and stand away from the bike, SWMBO's car, dogs and small children, the overspray is killer.

                  From the sprayed out paint in the receptacle of choice, you can now touch up your indented case letters and emblems.
                  Papa Gino

                  79 and something XS 1100 Special "Battle Cruiser"
                  78 XT 500 "Old Shaky"
                  02 Kawasaki Concours "Connie"

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    I bought a little finger-nail-polish-sized bottle of the black automotive touch-up paint at Schmuck's. I found that the easiest way to make it look REALLY clean and tidy is to slather it in there with the little paint brush that comes with it (not to the point of running, of courst) and then using a laquer thinner dampened cloth wrapped tightly around my finger to wipe it of the outer surface. It give nice clean edges that are hard to produce by just brush painting. The auto touch-up paint has held up well on all the parts, even the heated parts like the timing and alternator covers. Here are some pics of it on my grab bar...




                    '81 XS1100 SH

                    Melted to the ground during The Valley Fire

                    Sep. 12th 2015

                    RIP

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                    • #25
                      Man until reposting these pics, I forgot how good that grab bar looked after all that polishing. Definately time for a serious polishing of my bike.
                      '81 XS1100 SH

                      Melted to the ground during The Valley Fire

                      Sep. 12th 2015

                      RIP

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        How does SWMBO feel about the use of the dryer as a workbench?
                        Papa Gino

                        79 and something XS 1100 Special "Battle Cruiser"
                        78 XT 500 "Old Shaky"
                        02 Kawasaki Concours "Connie"

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          If you think the dryer is bad, you should see the inside of my house.
                          trbig: WHat did you use to polish your aluminum. I can wet sand it to that result, but it takes forever.
                          United States Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, NY
                          If I can do it at 18 yrs old, anyone can
                          "You know something, You can't polish a turd"
                          "What are you rebelling against", "Well, what do you got?"
                          Acta Non Verba

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Cleaning tools:

                            Novus #2 plasic cleaner / polish / scratch remover*
                            Mother's chrome polish
                            Maas chrome polish
                            Purple degreaser in spray bottle from NAPA
                            Turtle wax, also have some higher end (Excaliber?) stuff
                            set of small brass brushes

                            Don't clean the XJ on a regular basis, although I do wipe down the pipes and windshield after most rides. Everything else is on a when-I-feel-like-it schedule.

                            *Have also used the Honda windshield cleaner for cleaning windshield and painted surfaces.
                            Jerry Fields
                            '82 XJ 'Sojourn'
                            '06 Concours
                            My Galleries Page.
                            My Blog Page.
                            "... life is just a honky-tonk show." Cherry Poppin' Daddy Strut

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                            • #29
                              SWMBO was pretty cool about the dryer when we lived there. Of course every once in a while, I got the old "get that crap off the dryer." At our new place they didn't have a 220 plug in the laundry room so we had to find a used gas dryer and store that one. This promoted it to full time work bench. I also used an old dresser that SWMBO bought at a yard sale and SWORE she would restore as the main bench base. Lemons into lemonade...
                              '81 XS1100 SH

                              Melted to the ground during The Valley Fire

                              Sep. 12th 2015

                              RIP

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Hobby, I wet sanded with 400 grit first to get all the oxidation and old varnish off, then 1500 grit wet sand until the scratches are finer.. then ran some turtle wax fine polishing compound (Not wax) around on it... finer than even 1500 grit sandpaper. Then a nice rubbing with Mothers. It took me all evening, but it does look alot better. Nothin like a nice shiny spot on a turd!.. lol

                                Tod
                                Try your hardest to be the kind of person your dog thinks you are.

                                You can live to be 100, as long as you give up everything that would make you want to live to be 100!

                                Current bikes:
                                '06 Suzuki DR650
                                *'82 XJ1100 with the 1179 kit. "Mad Maxim"
                                '82 XJ1100 Completely stock fixer-upper
                                '82 XJ1100 Bagger fixer-upper
                                '82 XJ1100 Motor/frame and lots of boxes of parts
                                '82 XJ1100 Parts bike
                                '81 XS1100 Special
                                '81 YZ250
                                '80 XS850 Special
                                '80 XR100
                                *Crashed/Totalled, still own

                                Comment

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