Veiliance Posted December 31, 2013 Posted December 31, 2013 Hey guys So cleaning my bike is really what i Dred doing and while i love seeing a epically clean bike im a very lazy guy. Anyways my bike seems to have an unlimited supply of gunk around the problem areas ( around the carbs and chains etc. ) I was wondering what you guys use or if you know any tricks? I used a Petrol based engine degreaser and got most of it off but still it is not as shiny as i want it to be.... I also used a Chemical based cleaner which got alot off but still im lacking that shine that i want ( talking metals here as plastics are faded from the sun and this weekend i am restoring them with abit of effort, sand paper ( 3 different types ) and petrolem jelly and a good buffer tool . also my Side covers are very faded ( from years of neglection of the previous owner ) what can i use to clean these?
slice Posted December 31, 2013 Posted December 31, 2013 If you want to get your carbs clean then you could use Autosolvol paste, you can put some in a container then add water & mix till it's runny then use a tooth brush to apply to the fiddly bits that are hard to clean, the only thing is that carbs are not meant to be shiny they are matt finish aluminium so getting them to shine is near impossible. As for the other engine parts like the casing there is no other way than elbow grease and time I'm afraid, even with an electric drill or polisher it takes time and patience, for those greasy bits use GUNK both tin and spray and just wash off the crud but it will never be factory fresh unless you strip it and start again. For cleaning and restoring plastics you could use T-CUT and polish when you get the worst of the fade out of it, someone else may know of other products that do a similar job but really it's down to hard work and time.
blackhat250 Posted January 1, 2014 Posted January 1, 2014 Hey guys im a very lazy guy. I"d be ashamed to admit that,, its state of mind, give yourself a shake , and get out there, thers plenty time to sleep in the coffin ,,
Veiliance Posted January 2, 2014 Author Posted January 2, 2014 Ha ha ok so like i put four hours of cleaning onto the bike..... just normal engine cleaner ( tekronil or something like that ) and its better.... not perfect but it is better. and then i decided to whip off my back fender which was faded beyond your wildest dreams... just running your finger accross it would rub off the plastic.... thats how porous it was! so here is a picture after abit of elbow grease and waterpaper ( p100 ) still need to use the finer stuff and then buff it out with some polishing wax according to the noobtube ( you tube ) its suppose to come out really great with turtle wax and vaseline. Before And After: Anyways give me your feedback Cheers Ian
dt502001 Posted January 2, 2014 Posted January 2, 2014 always inspiring how much time someone will put into a old part,, why it will shatter the first rock that hit's it hard.
welshwan Posted January 2, 2014 Posted January 2, 2014 ahh well, it'll look good until then though Good job by the way, are the slightly darker bits under brackets?
Veiliance Posted January 2, 2014 Author Posted January 2, 2014 well these parts are actually really tuff! they have taken plenty of knocks! and still fully of life! besides new palstics will cost me close to 1300 ZAR which is like 130 USD roughly... im not all that wealthy so yeah lol
Veiliance Posted January 2, 2014 Author Posted January 2, 2014 Yes but im going to try get them all even with polishing going to buff it up with some nice p1200 water paper then petroleum jelly then turtle wax then more petroleum jelly then i will cover it with a final layer of clear laquer. not a easy / quick job and i guess im really contradicting my statement of being lazy haha
blackhat250 Posted January 6, 2014 Posted January 6, 2014 Good to see you"ve got motivated " thers a product for plastic restoration , on ebay. not shure how good tho...
Moderator drewpy Posted January 7, 2014 Moderator Posted January 7, 2014 whats that PVC restorer like. the one you use on window frames?
Moderator DirtyDT Posted January 7, 2014 Moderator Posted January 7, 2014 I would rub the parts down, spray with a plastic primer, spray with a colour and then finish with a lacquer.
Veiliance Posted January 7, 2014 Author Posted January 7, 2014 hey guys well you see the thing is with a small bit of silicone spray my sanded down plastics look so damn good paint isnt even needed... i will post a pic later tonight to show you but like it really is amazing how well they came out... i might spray my side panel cos i couldnt get the sticker residue off as it was baked in very deep in the plastic one side i got very close the other was OK but im not so happy with it. anyways so on a completely unrelated topic... do you think i can fit a plastic tank? i asked my father but he says maybe i shouldnt because of how close the exhuast is to the tank? any thoughts on this?
Moderator drewpy Posted January 7, 2014 Moderator Posted January 7, 2014 i asked my father but he says maybe i shouldnt because of how close the exhuast is to the tank? any thoughts on this? do as father says
Veiliance Posted January 8, 2014 Author Posted January 8, 2014 haha but its flipping annoying!!! the petrol tank cap rattles LIKE a BEAST makes the bike sound like it is actually falling apart so i often find myself riding one handed like a boss xD cos im holding the petrol cap down so it doesnt rattle :\
Tommy xs Posted January 8, 2014 Posted January 8, 2014 must be a reason for it to rattle try fitting a new cap a lot easier & cheaper than the whole tank!
Noise Posted January 9, 2014 Posted January 9, 2014 Two ways the cap is loose, either the tabs on the cap have worn down so a new cap needs to be bought or the little lugs on the fuel tank theat the tabs of the cap lock onto have worn doen a bit so you maybe able to adjust/bent the tabs to grip better or sadly a new metal tank needs to be bought.
Veiliance Posted January 9, 2014 Author Posted January 9, 2014 yea the thing is finding a petrol cap this bike is 22 years old.... where would i even go? dealers? i hate going to to my local bike shop they have epically bad service lol you stand there waiting for ages! and yes i am impatient lol. oh yes and just to let you know i took apart my fuel cap and all the insides are perfect even the little rubber underneath is fine so the pnly thing i can think of is that this isnt the original fuel cap
feliks Posted January 10, 2014 Posted January 10, 2014 My dealer has 28 year old bike parts, wouldn't hurt to ask! If eBay is an option..you can try that too. Can't be lazy when it comes to bikes...they're just too much fun to work on!
Veiliance Posted January 13, 2014 Author Posted January 13, 2014 yea thing is even with my VIN number the Yamaha dealer cant find my exact bike which sucks so it means i need to match it up with a dt175 parts when it is a dt 180 anyways some positive news speedo drive fixed! and front wheel i polished abit . but now for more bad news while cleaning my rear wheel i see that there is a spoke that has snapped off :'( do you think i can just put one in and tighten it up? \\edit i am really not in the mood for taking the whole thing apart.... respoking it etc.... because if i do ima wanna clean everything and respray it >.<
Veiliance Posted January 13, 2014 Author Posted January 13, 2014 Hey Guys Here is a Video of my repaired and cleaned out Speedo drive.... it was so mucked up from the grease that the greease actually like baked in there and cause it to lock up maybe from standing too long i dont know but its working now http://youtu.be/c3AO5JwDklM Cheers and have fun oh yea this was with my cellphone so frogive me
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