Resto Help, best paint & precious metal treatments.

[Power Stand]

I thought I would mention precious metals because the feeling you get when restoring your bike and the whole lord of the ring thing “its my precious” huddled in the shed quietly preparing the bike.

Anyway, Restoration of a 1986 CR500 help and advise needed for the fancy bits.
What’s the best engine paint, VHT engine gloss, satin or other?
VHT have a case and barrel paint so is this better over exhaust paint.

I would have thought the engine was a semi gloss from factory so what do the VMX hardliners do. Semi gloss not available in heat proof paint.

With ally stuff, what’s the best way to clean up stained metal? Albright and strip back the factory coating clean and reapply a new coating on the ally. E.g. swing arm and fork legs etc. What products are used for coating the ally and how?

What coating products do you guys use for that new look?

Anodized metals, same as the ally questions, best way to clean up like new?

My bike was in the North West of WA so its iron ore stained red in some places bugger of stuff to clean up. Don’t get me wrong I don’t mind elbow grease but want a good result.

I hope you guys can help and I am not imposing on anyone’s trade secrets.

P.S. I read the VMX mag so I may have disillusions from the examples shown in the mag. Yes I intend to ride, race and enjoy.

Cheers

[LWC82PE]

engines - VHT satin barrel paint
forks - strip factory clear, polish to original finish, then 2 pack clear
swing arms - strip old annodizing, polish and then send back for re-annodizing

cleaning alloy parts - first degrease/wash with detergent, then  beadblast (glass bead) any corrosion and or use alibrite, depending on the type of part or desired finish. Then if required polish with different grade wheels or wet and dry paper and green scotch brite pads. It varies so much as to the techniques and processes you use for the desired finish/look required.

annodized parts - the only way to make look new is to get the parts stripped and then you polish the part up and get re-annodixed. the stripping and annodizing is cheap, but if you pay for polishing it can be hundreds of $ if you cant do it your self.

I just got some terrible looking TT500 rims stripped for a customer, told him how to polish them up for re- annodizing and then he went and did an amazing job on them and got every little pit and mark out and they looked like new, you would never have thought they were the same rims. He spent days on them but was happy he did it him self and wasnt paying me to do it. They are at the annodizers now and we are aiming for a matt silver finish like the original DID's.


best way to polish old rims is all by hand. Trying to speed it up with power tools and buffing machines etc really stuffs them up. i consider my self pretty experienced in this as its my job and ive tryed it many times and even had professional polishers (who do just polishing as a job) have a go but even they just stuff them up and make things worse by dragging out the pits. you cant cut corners. Polishing brand new rims is different though as the metals are new and they have really big polishing wheels and it doesnt take much to polish them. if you use things like small flap wheels etc in a air tool or electric drill, i have found they bounce around too much and you get a horrible ripply wavey job. they also dont remove pitting, they just drag out the pits deeper. Best way to do it is with 120 grit sand paper. You have to get the polishing done to perfection otherwise after annodizing the parts can end up looking worser. So if the idea of hours rubbing away at your rims or swingarms and loosing your finger prints is not your idea of fun then look for new ones.

[Power Stand]

Thanks for the advice. What’s the best for stripping back the clear coatings. Paint stripper or buff off?

I going to replace the rims, flat spots front and rear and cracks in previous welds.

[LWC82PE]

just paint stripper from the hardware store is all i use or soak in paint thinners works aswell.

[Hoony]

G'day Powerstand are you restoring (all 3 ?) 500RG's to original Factory condition?

[LWC82PE]

yeah i forgot to mention if the rims are cracked then bin them. welding cracks and re-annodizing never seems to work.

[Power Stand]

Thanks again LWC8PE the rims are wall hangers for the shed, don’t think I will ever do that again to a nice set of rims again. “Proud moment”

Hoony, bike #1 will get the love to start since I have had it since 1986 but it wont be pampered but used. I am torn on stock. I have a brand new 86 barrel and enough new parts to make a perfect stock bike. I do want to have the original bike as my primary ride so easily reversible mods might be the go.

 Bike #2 will be a good runner, clean a tidy. Not sure if Bike #3 will become a parts bike or not.

Bike #2 more than likely become a friends ride on the day. My brother & two mates are people I trust. Every time I have foolishly let some one ride my bike they have stuffed it. You need the right mindset to push the 500, the first ride opportunists tend to get caught up in the rush to their & the bikes detriment.

I have a feeling I should make a desert bike with a set of mad man gears, gearbox gears from the US long range tank  and 15/35 sprockets but I don’t think I what that option available to me again.

Feel free to comment on what you think I should do with the bikes.

Here is the bike #1 now so I have a good base.
Hope you like the rims.

[Hoony]

looks like rims have seen some better days ! i love that model CR i have a 250RG and a 500RF (that looks like a Rg as i fitted gold Excel rims to it)

keep us posted with progress pics PowerStand.

[Marc.com]

nice bike and easy reno, dealing with messed up plastics is the worst.

have the wheels professionally resurrected...... new spokes and rims.

2 pack or powder coat the frame. Replace all worn suspension bearings, service shock and forks.

Motor will do OK with VHT satin though there are some other satin casings paints that will give you closer to the factory finish paints. Score an HRC ignition cover off ebay for that finishing touch