Paint maintenance

Cormanus

Cormanus

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The black paint is the worse to maintain scratch free. IMHO the best and permanent solution is to install a clear, thin protective film/vinyl. If done properly, you won’t even see its application. We do this on cars to protect paint from stone chips, abrasive sand plus more. Hope some others will chime in.
 
peterbaron_imp said:
The black paint is the worse to maintain scratch free. IMHO the best and permanent solution is to install a clear, thin protective film/vinyl. If done properly, you won’t even see its application. We do this on cars to protect paint from stone chips, abrasive sand plus more. Hope some others will chime in.
Click to expand...

I had my black tank covered with clear vinyl just as PB stated. You can’t even tell it’s on there. The guy that did mine installs window tint. Had the front and and 1/3 of the hood covered on both cars to head off paint chips.


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Begging your audience, Lord Popgun. I am a shiner and a rider, and do what I can to keep my paint perfect. I had always used Snider's Paint Guard film on my tanks. That's a non-adhesive clear film that sticks by static cling. I love it because you can remove it and replace it as you like.

Since Snider's has gone out of business, the only similar product I can find is Tankslapper. They offer several film types, but one is static cling. I haven't tried it, but by any chance are you using their cling film, or one of the adhesive films?

I usually take paper, tape it to the tank where I want protection, draw out a template, and transfer it to the film. Then, cut out the film and apply it. I like to apply to the front side of the tank for rock chip protection, and the area just near the tank to protect from scratches from jacket buttons and zippers. I ran out of my last sheet of Snider's doing this on my CB, and didn't have enough left over for knee protectors on the sides of the tank.

I remove scratches on my tanks with a variety of products. My favorites are Meguires 105 to compound the scratch out, then 205 to bring the shine back to perfect. I fell like Lady Macbeth every time I see any kind of imperfection on my tanks..."Out Damned Spot!"
 
Gone,

I guess it is static and can be removed and reused. You install it with a spray of soapy water and squeegee (how do you spell that?) it out. Goof while installing, just remove it, spray some more and give it another go.

Some of the pieces in the ST1300 kit are crystal clear (3M IIRC) that uses a spray of water and alcohol. I think they are one time use only, and have a short work time. The headlights (at least those) get that and you can't even see it on there.

I didn't buy the film and cut my own though, I bought the pre-cut kits for both my bikes. I didn't like the knee pads that came with the ST1300 and gave them to another ST owner who wanted them and I used the tankslapper stuff.

I like 'Cry havoc! And let slip the dogs of war!" Now if only I had a Legion, or a starship...
 
Thank you, My Lord! I had been searching in vain for a replacement for Snider's! Very glad to hear that Tankslapper is indeed the cling material. And, they are located in the next town over from my Mom, so I might drop in to pick some up.

For a while, Aerostitch was carrying Snider's film, but have changed to a regular adhesive type, which I don't prefer for motorcycle use.

Speaking of black tanks, my local multi-brand dealership recently had a '14 Standard on display in their showroom. It only had 1200 miles, and they were asking $8000 for it. The top of the tank was hazed with the obvious use of a tank bag. I thought "If they just polish out that tank, it would look 100 times better. Out damned spot!"
 
Gone in 60_imp said:
Begging your audience, Lord Popgun. I am a shiner and a rider, and do what I can to keep my paint perfect. I had always used Snider's Paint Guard film on my tanks. That's a non-adhesive clear film that sticks by static cling. I love it because you can remove it and replace it as you like.

Since Snider's has gone out of business, the only similar product I can find is Tankslapper. They offer several film types, but one is static cling. I haven't tried it, but by any chance are you using their cling film, or one of the adhesive films?

I usually take paper, tape it to the tank where I want protection, draw out a template, and transfer it to the film. Then, cut out the film and apply it. I like to apply to the front side of the tank for rock chip protection, and the area just near the tank to protect from scratches from jacket buttons and zippers. I ran out of my last sheet of Snider's doing this on my CB, and didn't have enough left over for knee protectors on the sides of the tank.

I remove scratches on my tanks with a variety of products. My favorites are Meguires 105 to compound the scratch out, then 205 to bring the shine back to perfect. I fell like Lady Macbeth every time I see any kind of imperfection on my tanks..."Out Damned Spot!"
Click to expand...
Was not expecting a Shakespeare reference so early in the morning! (for me)...been so long (English major in the 80s) that I had to look it up:

"A sentence from the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, spoken by Lady Macbeth, the wife of the title character. Her husband has killed the king of Scotland at her urging, but her guilt over the murder gradually drives her insane."

So her spot was imaginary while ours on the tanks are all too real! The question is who is bothered more by the "spot", Lady McB...or me?
 
I had a Lexus with the factory applied film on about 1/3 of the hood. Looked great. Until it was about 5 years old then looked all scratched up. The dealer said just peel it off and it will look new again. That stuff had adhesive from H***! Even in direct Summer sun it took me a couple hours to get it off and my fingers didn't work right for a couple days :) I don't want anything like that on my bike tank that's for sure! For someone else, YMMV.

Pd, are you going insane? ;)
 
Yup, the main reason I like the cling film on my bikes. I had Xpel clear bras installed on both my wife's car and mine when they were new. They do great work, and will last a long time if they are cared for well. Our cars are garaged and get frequent waxing. But, I had a piece of metal shred the hood cover on my car. I tried to help my clear bra installer by peeling it off so he'd have an easier time installing a replacement piece. Instead, he yelled at me for "peeling it off wrong", in a way that left a good deal of the adhesive on the hood. He said it took him twice as long to replace, because if he had "peeled it off right" in his shop, it would have pulled the adhesive up with it. As it was, I had to listen to him grumble for an hour while he scrubbed the adhesive bits off the hood.
 
Lord Popgun_imp said:
I had a Lexus with the factory applied film on about 1/3 of the hood. Looked great. Until it was about 5 years old then looked all scratched up. The dealer said just peel it off and it will look new again. That stuff had adhesive from H***! Even in direct Summer sun it took me a couple hours to get it off and my fingers didn't work right for a couple days :) I don't want anything like that on my bike tank that's for sure! For someone else, YMMV.

Pd, are you going insane? ;)
Click to expand...
I'm not quite sure that I'm past that point. :rolleyes:
 
So what if one doesn’t want to go the film route? Or you want to get the tank perfect before applying film. Will a good wax/polish remove those knee marks?
 
KiowaEagle_imp said:
So what if one doesn’t want to go the film route? Or you want to get the tank perfect before applying film. Will a good wax/polish remove those knee marks?
Click to expand...
Wax/polish composition... it really depends how "deep" these scratches are, plus black paint is very sensitive, vs white.
Water mist spray, then I use very gentle/fine paint polishing compound mixed with wax and final wax only.
Very slow rotary/circulus combined speed/movement., or by hand if no buffer.
 
Thread starter
Thanks mtneers. I’ve got some on order and looking forward to getting them.
 
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