03-14-2019, 05:26 AM
Stripping it down? not exactly what i thought from "out of the showroom" but yeah.
Yes, a clear aerosol spray, a long time ago i have used " clear tectyl " which was fine, this time i used acrylic, which is similar and it does remove with some petrol and then re-apply.
When i got my bike it was in very good condition but i think it had spent a few days in the rain in transit from Japan ( it wasn't new but it looked like it ) so it had some light rusty spots here and there which polished out fine but these are the area's that needed extra attention, also the 4 E12 bolts in the front calipers were discoloring and i painted them silver, looks good now.
Probably worth taking out the headlight frame and a few coats of gloss black would be a good idea.
Where i ride has sometimes a bit of "sea spray" and when that settles on these surfaces it does have an effect.
There is an easy check for sea spray, just wipe my finger over the chrome front of the mirror and lick it to check for a salty taste, if so i wash the bike to remove it straight away, this is not the type of bike that survives well outside in the weather.
And i was a little disappointed to find a little rust on the rear forks so some pvc tape makes an invisible protection there.
Nowadays i use grease on all bolts i put back on the bike, it is a little messy to apply but protects the bike for a very long time, i also apply some grease on the shaft seals lip where they contact the bushes to greatly prolong their life and prevent water entry into the area where the bearings are, the air inside the bearing spaces moves in and out with temperature and it stops moisture building up inside these places if the seals are in good shape.
If the exhaust is made of non stainless steel and you have them off the bike it may pay to fill them with old oil and slosh it around, i have done this with my 4 in 1 40 years ago and it worked for me, and that acf 50 sounds promising, especially where the spokes meet alloy.
That should help you find some "trouble" spots, interesting question and best of luck with the project, sounds like a lot of fun.
Yes, a clear aerosol spray, a long time ago i have used " clear tectyl " which was fine, this time i used acrylic, which is similar and it does remove with some petrol and then re-apply.
When i got my bike it was in very good condition but i think it had spent a few days in the rain in transit from Japan ( it wasn't new but it looked like it ) so it had some light rusty spots here and there which polished out fine but these are the area's that needed extra attention, also the 4 E12 bolts in the front calipers were discoloring and i painted them silver, looks good now.
Probably worth taking out the headlight frame and a few coats of gloss black would be a good idea.
Where i ride has sometimes a bit of "sea spray" and when that settles on these surfaces it does have an effect.
There is an easy check for sea spray, just wipe my finger over the chrome front of the mirror and lick it to check for a salty taste, if so i wash the bike to remove it straight away, this is not the type of bike that survives well outside in the weather.
And i was a little disappointed to find a little rust on the rear forks so some pvc tape makes an invisible protection there.
Nowadays i use grease on all bolts i put back on the bike, it is a little messy to apply but protects the bike for a very long time, i also apply some grease on the shaft seals lip where they contact the bushes to greatly prolong their life and prevent water entry into the area where the bearings are, the air inside the bearing spaces moves in and out with temperature and it stops moisture building up inside these places if the seals are in good shape.
If the exhaust is made of non stainless steel and you have them off the bike it may pay to fill them with old oil and slosh it around, i have done this with my 4 in 1 40 years ago and it worked for me, and that acf 50 sounds promising, especially where the spokes meet alloy.
That should help you find some "trouble" spots, interesting question and best of luck with the project, sounds like a lot of fun.