Samuel Koza 4/22/19 Samuel Koza 4/22/19

DIY Motorcycle Restoration Tips

A general misconception among many people that have automobiles, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, medical furniture, home furniture and more that is need of repair is that, “It is less expensive to replace rather than to restore.” This is a fallacy.

Motorcycle Restoration: Restore vs. Replace

So, you want to make your motorcycle (or auto) look like new and restore the paint, plastic, chrome, aluminum, or stainless steel to its original finish…

A general misconception among many people that have automobiles, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, medical furniture, home furniture and more that are in need of repair is that, “It is less expensive to replace rather than to restore.” This is a fallacy.

This is the reason why so many people want to recondition cars, boats, trucks, tractors, RV’s, furniture, headlights, vinyl and leather surfaces and more. Why throw something out that could be restored to new for a fraction of the price.

Safety Tip: Though we believe in restoration vs replacement, when examining your motorcycle if a plastic or fiberglass part appears to be damaged severely and has a structural value to it - you may want to consider replacing this part for the rider’s safety.

DIY Motorcycle Restoration Tips

Most of every motorcycle’s outer covering or fairings are made from high-strength plastic or fiberglass reinforced resin. These plastics are designed to to repel the sun’s ultraviolet rays, but the sun can still cause fading over time. Depending on how you neglect your bike, you may also experience cracking on the surface of your painted areas.

Replacement parts can be very expensive and sometimes hard to find depending on the age of your motorcycle. Follow this guide below if you’d like to save money and restore what you have. You’ll feel great about your savings and your micro-impact on your carbon footprint in reducing one more plastic purchase.

The Tips

Some things you’ll need.

Concentrated liquid laundry detergent

100 percent cotton rags (terry cloth)
Painter's masking tape
Plastic conditioner
Plastic polish
Plastic buffing compound
UV sun blocker for plastics

Wash thoroughly

Wash the damaged plastic thoroughly, using a concentrated liquid laundry detergent. A good guide is 3 teaspoons detergent to about 16oz of hot water. Remember detergent in concentrated so you don’t need to overdo it. More is not better. Plastic buffing compounds, conditioners and polishes require a grease-free surface to work properly. Plastic motorcycle parts are exposed to grease from the engine, as well as dirt and debris from the road, therefore, a complete cleaning is absolutely necessary. Wipe everything down with cotton terry cloth and allow the surface to dry before going forward with your job. You may need to plan this into your schedule.

“As usual, you should follow any special manufacturer’s instructions regarding the conditioner.”

Examine the area

Examine the plastic surfaces to determine what type of damage has occurred. Most sun damaged areas will be faded, fogged or yellowed. Fogged plastic will have a hazy look that leaves the plastic's finish cloudy and unclear. Use painter's masking tape to create a 2-inch border around the damaged areas.

Apply plastic conditioner

Many plastic conditioners are designed to neutralize yellowing or fading, thus restoring the plastic to its original color. Work the conditioner into the surface of the plastic, moving the cotton rag in a circular motion. Allow your work to dry for at least two hours. You can reexamine the damaged surfaces for fogging and micro cracks and redo areas if necessary.

As usual, you should follow any special manufacturer's instructions regarding the conditioner.

Apply a plastic polish

Apply a plastic polish to the reconditioned surface (we’re talking about the area you just conditioned). Apply the polish with a 100 percent cotton terry cloth. If there are any noticeable scratches visible after polishing, proceed to the next step. If there are no scratches, remove the masking tape - you’ve come to completion!

Apply buffing compound

Plastic buffing compounds come in two strengths:

One for deep scratches.
One for light scratches.

Micro cracks from sun damage are repaired with a light scratch remover. Buff the scratches out, using a circular motion rather than moving the rag back and forth parallel with the scratch. This avoids creating a depression or indentation on the surface being buffed. Once the scratches are removed, wipe the area down with a your clean cotton terry cloth or rag.

The buffed area does not have to be reconditioned before proceeding.

Apply a plastic polish

Apply a plastic polish by lightly spraying the surface with enough polish to leave a thin coating across the the damaged areas. Most plastic polishes come in some sort of spray bottle. If the polish doesn't have a spray top, use a couple teaspoons of polish per square foot of damaged area. You can rub the polish in until a glossy and uniform finish is achieved across the entire area. Wipe the damaged area down one last time to complete the project.

Product Tip: Many plastic conditioners offer products that contain a sun blocker formulated for plastics. This sun blocker is similar in concept to what you may apply to your own human canvas when relaxing on the beach.. Apply a coating onto all the motorcycle's plastic parts to extend their life.

You can restore your headlight to! Don’t buy replacement parts when you can restore to new. Check out our article on “How To Restore Your Car Headlights to New”

Need Professional Help?

Color Glo professional restoration specialists are trained to see beyond the misconceptions. Our specialists know that prioritizing mitigation and restoration efforts will stop further damage, reduce loss and expense and you get up and running again very quickly - motorcycles, vehicles, office furniture… you name it.

Samuel Koza 4/22/19 Samuel Koza 4/22/19

How To Restore Your Car Headlights To New

If your headlights are looking dingy, you can restore them with household supplies. Auto shops can be fairly expensive and provide lackluster results in some cases. We recommend contacting your local Color Glo headlight restoration, specialist for a professionally done, long-lasting job that cost less than the auto shop and saves you frustration.

Restore your headlights

Are you car headlights looking a bit foggy? It's an inevitable part of owning an automobile for a period of time; the plastic picks up residue, endures weather and fades. This fogginess is due to oxidation on the lens (polycarbonate is a porous material). Once oxidation begins to take place, it can quickly degrade the headlight lens. It's important to have clear headlights for many reasons. The obvious one is for your safety during night driving, but it can also be a major factor in the resell value of your car.

Headlight restoration by Color Glo — Headlight Restoration

by Color Glo International

What you'll need to restore headlights

To start, you'll need to get a few things organized:

You will need a 1/4 inch or 3/8 inch drill, insulated and preferably not battery powered unless it turns at least 1300 RPM no load. (The ideal speed is 1300 RPM, a battery powered drill that turns 1300 RPM no load will turn about 1000 RPM with a load. Lesser speeds will work they will simply lengthen the process a bit. Do not worry about exact speeds.)
A spray bottle full of water with the nozzle set on spray vs. stream.
A clean soft rag plus a lint-free cloth.
2-inch blue painters tape.

The Process

Tape off your headlights with the painter's tape to protect the paint around the headlight enclosure. Again, we suggest 2-inch painters tape. This will keep the sanding disc from damaging the hood in the event you get too close.

Put your back into it

The next step involves sanding the surface. Some like to use sandpaper; Color Glo specialists use sanding discs on a drill for an evener surface cover. When working with Color Glo, our specialists will place an 180 disc onto the backup pad, then onto the drill. You'll wet the headlight with your spray bottle full of water. You should also wet the sanding surface or paper. Next, sand the headlight until there is an even haze. Rinse with water.

Color Glo specialists will repeat this process five more times until ending with a 4000-grit pad on the drill. You can totally go through this process on your own. You will invest money into the initial products if you don't already have them. You'll also spend a good chunk of your Saturday afternoon, perfecting your process. If you're ambitious, we say go for it. If you'd like to restore your headlights or do automotive restoration on-site and affordably, then simply give us a call. We help thousands of customers at their homes, garages, and businesses with industry-leading, efficient time frames, and costs.