Scoops Vietnam Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Take a look at the picture. I'm about to get this area re-sprayed. How do I prevent this from happening again in the future, especially considering the resprau will never be as good as the original. Your tips please Untitled by Scoopsdk, on Flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirriePete Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Wrap the bike in cotton wool, then lock it away in a climate-controlled glass cabinet and just fondle it from time to time (wearing white cotton gloves of course). Or just ride the bloody thing and accept that the very act of riding it will cause normal wear'n'tear. Strap some sheepskin to your boots, maybe? A good lacquer coat may protect it a bit longer, but the onset of patination can only ever be delayed, not stopped. (Yeah, I'm kinda grumpy today, but I much prefer bikes with character to shiny showroom perfect machines) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoops Vietnam Posted September 5, 2011 Author Share Posted September 5, 2011 Wrap the bike in cotton wool, then lock it away in a climate-controlled glass cabinet and just fondle it from time to time (wearing white cotton gloves of course). Or just ride the bloody thing and accept that the very act of riding it will cause normal wear'n'tear. Strap some sheepskin to your boots, maybe? A good lacquer coat may protect it a bit longer, but the onset of patination can only ever be delayed, not stopped. (Yeah, I'm kinda grumpy today, but I much prefer bikes with character to shiny showroom perfect machines) Wow! Thanks for the tips. I might just go with the advice from another forum and make a simple stainless cage to bolt onto the crankcase, and cover the other panel and foot rest plate with clear plastic after re-spray. Your input was most valuable though :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Campaman Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 As said, if you are going to ride your bike you will struggle to keep it perfect, I have recently got a 1998 XVS650 and its obviously been molycoddled for most of its life, only 6,000 on it and very shiney, I will try my best to keep it in decent condition but its also going to get ridden when ever I can. All you can do is touch up or re-spray as you feel you need to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirriePete Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Have a read of this: Bruce Pollard - a real character on a bike with real character Now look at your bike, look back at Bruce's, look at your bike ...... PS - The stainless cage idea may well protect the cover, but what will it do to your boots/ankles? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator DirtyDT Posted September 5, 2011 Moderator Share Posted September 5, 2011 ...............All you can do is touch up or re-spray as you feel you need to. Good advice. Bikes are for riding. Things scuff - boots, trousers, locks, luggage - all take their toll so when it gets tired, just re-coat it and enjoy riding it. Too many cotton wool wrappers around for my liking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoops Vietnam Posted September 5, 2011 Author Share Posted September 5, 2011 Have a read of this: Bruce Pollard - a real character on a bike with real character Now look at your bike, look back at Bruce's, look at your bike ...... PS - The stainless cage idea may well protect the cover, but what will it do to your boots/ankles? You are of course absolutely right. My mass produced Yamaha can in no way compare to the late Mr Pollards bike. It was indeed a 'real' bike. You could probably drop those things off of a cliff and ride them off afterwards. Bikes need looking after cosmetically as well as mechanically I don't care if my girlfriend doesn't smoke and doesn't drink. If she's covered in acne and has black jam between her toes, it doesn't reflect well on me when I'm out with her. I've had bikes before, and ive tried just riding them. They invariably go to shit in a very short space of time as my previous Honda in Denmark driven through 2 winters is testament to. I didn't take care of it and it deteriorated very quickly. I now have a bike I actually quite like. Its gtreat in the mad traffic here and durprisungly nimble to control I've been up into the mountains of Dalat and down into the Mekong Delta. It's been semi-off road and all of this 2 up it in fact handles far better than my XR 250 in Cambodia. As I mentioned in my newby introduction, it cost me a fortune, and I have spent a lot of money repairing previous accident damage, so you can appreciate if I want to protect my investment as much as possible. I don't intend to pimp it up, I don't intend to keep it clean all the time, or wrap it in cotton wool, but I want to keep that bike that I've grown to be a little proud of. When you guys take on these classic restoration projects, don't you paint them too? ( Sorry I'm a bit grumpy today too. I have man flu, can't get out on my bike and don't like it when other bikers try to pwn me with unhelpful comments) I'll post pictures once I get the guard made and fitted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 sorry scoops but whilst it is nice seeing a perfect example of any bike at the end of the day they were built to ride and enjoy not to polish and clean then stand back and admire,so have to agree with kirri and dirty dt,scrapes and scuffs are bound to happen. it always makes me laugh when i see bikes advertisted stating never been out in the rain,mint condition what! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoops Vietnam Posted September 5, 2011 Author Share Posted September 5, 2011 I take that all on board Oldtimer. I appreciate it, I really do, but let's all try to be a little more polite, as you are. I've done my introductions, assisted a fellow poster etc. I'm here to learn, and help if I can. I'm not here to engage in sarcastic rhetoric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NEV Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 I can understand where scoops is coming from in his thread, I've found out first hand by doing my own rebuild project, of how if you don't look after your bike, how costly it can be, due to the previous owners incompetance in doing something as basic as greasing swing arm bearings, wheel bearings etc, has cost me a small fortune, doing the greasing maybe once a month or two, should be done when the bike has a damn good cleaning, and theres no better an ego massage, when somebody, usually another biker compliments you on how good a condition you've kept your bike. But I 100% agree that it should be ridden, and not just got out of storage, whenever theres a bike rally, or local big bike turnout, you can spot them a mile away. Yes it's a nice story about old Bruce and his bike, but scroll right down to the bottom of the page, and look at the same bikes, all pristine and nice, and I dare say most don't get ridden often either, but if you were like me and are in the position of having two daughters who will be hopefully wanting a helping hand with getting married one day, and I know which type of bike I'd rather have to reluctantly sell, Bruces old bike, or one of those beauties at the bottom of the page selling for thousands, but hey, that's the way I roll, the worst type in my opinion, are those who have the pristine bikes, and whenever anything needs doing, chucking a chequebook after it, to some garage, instead of getting a manual out, and getting their hands dirty, finding and sorting the problem out, standing back looking at the bike, and giving themselves a pat on the back for acomplishing something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator DirtyDT Posted September 5, 2011 Moderator Share Posted September 5, 2011 Road salt in winter just kills any bike that is ridden in the winter. Restorations will get tired and then re-painted but rather on the road than in a paint shop for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirriePete Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Scoops, not trying to pwn you in any way, but the idea of keeping a bike in pristine condition is totally alien to me. Keeping it mechanically sound, now that's another thing entirely - this year (so far) I've spent almost half of what my NTV cost me in keeping it in good running order (Fuel exhaust, tyres, bearings, fork seals, brake pipes ..... there's a long list), but only a little time washing it (bucket, sponge, hose - 10 minutes max). Here's a pic of the same area on my bike as in your original post: .. spot the rear engine mount cover? The silver paint is now all worn off (I have a corresponding silver patch on my left ankle), but I ain't about to respray it, it's not structural or in any way mechanically critical and the plastic doesn't care about weather protection - but see how clean the centre stand is? Freshly Hammerited as that is a component that benefits from weather protection - if you can appreciate the difference, then you're doing OK. PS - yes, that is a rubber door-stop screwed under the footrest hanger - the Fuel exhaust doesn't have a centrestand stop so I improvised..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoops Vietnam Posted September 5, 2011 Author Share Posted September 5, 2011 Thanks for you replies (and yours Pete) a bike has many functions. To some it's a riding experience, to others it's a head turner, and to some it's both. Motorbike manufacturers design their bikes with both in mind. I live on a world of Nouvos, Dreams and Waves, so my bike does draw attention despite it's small engine size. It's a big bike in a small bike world here. I don't feel ashamed in wanting to keep my bike looking good. It is after all a small expression of who I am. My in laws are round, so must again attempt to sit cross-legged on the floor to eat dinner ( believe me, 6,4.......ít not easy!!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Preload Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Once you have sorted out the paint you can buy some clear protective sheet which would stick on top and stop those scuffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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