The final piece of bodywork for Project 30 was to bring the fairing infill panels to the level of the rest of the bike. The ghostly white stains, shown here, are common on these panels. I don't know the source, but I've discovered that a thorough sanding with 5000-grit wet/dry will gently remove them, along with many other imperfections.
As expected, that will leave us with a dull, dark gray surface finish. Note that these particular panels are from an "F" model, which are black — in the case of the F2 models, the color is a smoky blue.
To bring the panels back toward their original darker shade, I use Mother's Back-to-Black Trim & Plastic Restorer. Despite its name, this product is clear colored and can be used on other than black surfaces.
This will usually give an acceptable final finish. The original finish on these panels was a raw plastic look, somewhere between a gloss and satin. In this photo, the panel on the right has been treated with Back-to-Black.
If the panel finish is damaged beyond this simple fix, then I go to a black dye, like Griot's Garage Bumper & Trim Reconditioner. Beyond that, a repaint would be called for. Repainting is a problem with the blue panels, as a color match would be unlikely.
If the panel finish is damaged beyond this simple fix, then I go to a black dye, like Griot's Garage Bumper & Trim Reconditioner. Beyond that, a repaint would be called for. Repainting is a problem with the blue panels, as a color match would be unlikely.
However, I wanted to take these panels one step further, so I gave them a machine buffing with a rough grit compound. This produced a higher gloss but, I think, a higher quality look. Note that the handlebar switchgear housing and turn signals share a similar gloss finish.
Finally, the rubber edge gasket is adhered with a rubber cement product called, fittingly, Goop.
Job done!
Finally, the rubber edge gasket is adhered with a rubber cement product called, fittingly, Goop.
Job done!
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