Scratch Repair Tips / Tricks?

Well, I've gone and beefed up charging cables from the R/R to the battery, along with the monitor line.

In the process, I took the side body panels off. The bike was in decent shape when I bought it this winter, but there are some scratches / chips (some light, some deeper) on the side panels. I figured I'd touch those up while I have them off.

Any tips / tricks / suggestions for scratch repair on these panels? Any recommended products?

 

Black shows everything. Sometimes it is just as well to leave things alone. You could try one of those paint touch up pens you get from Canajun Tire. if the scratch goes right through to the plastics. Mine is scratched all to hell too, but being white, it does not show too bad. Last trip south, I got some gritt stuck under my tank bag and it really did a number. ANother paint job is in the wind if I ever find work.

 

To get an idea of how many hues of black paint there are, look up artists blacks. Same deal with whites.

For a close match in color, use your paint code and buy the right hue in the smallest amount possible. Dump any of the applicator supplied they are usually junk. Usually touch
up paints in smaller amounts are lacquer based. Get 1-2 bristle artists brushes in sizes from 0000-00. Also get a small can of laqquer thinner. Lacquer based paints dry quickly and the lacquer thinner promotes cohesion between coats. ie you can use the paint to fill chips. Time consuming? Oh Yeah!

If you are planning a total repaint down the road , a quickie scratch and chip fix using good brushes and thinner can be done with nail polish.

Don't look for "perfect", it ain't gonna happen. Real good is possible.

 

Thanks guys.

I might just leave it alone until next winter and take them in to get painted during down time. For the time being, I might just try to buff them out a little and wax it just to remove the "white" scuffs on it.

 

Lots of curves in fairing parts that can react badly with pressure from the wrong angle. Think aboot doing the buffing with the panels in place.

 

I was actually thinking of placing the panels on some insulation batts for support for exactly that same concern ...

 

You can do your nails at the same time..

 

Hahah... nice.

 

Black magic marker helps to hid some scratches. You may want to try that temporarily for a 10-10 look. 10 feet away going 10mph

 

Jeff, there is a wax that is made for black and dark colors. The wax is actually black, so when you are waxing your vehicle and get to the "wax off" process the wax gets left in the scratches to help minimize their appearance. Could be worth a try.
John

 

I'll check it out ... you're talking about color matched wax?

Like this I'm assuming? http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/meguiars-black-wax-0392755p.html#.VQ2Gc_nF98E

 

Maybe this used by shiney shod Girl Scouts throughoot Canada.

http://www.britishcornershop.co.uk/...PqpSs-K_MnwuOXidIMtnlFjzT3AeFuJiSIhoCBDfw_wcB

Let us not forget black Crayola crayons used by Brownnies and artistically inclined harleydoods.

 

Sooooo .... I picked up some of this stuff: http://en.meguiarscanada.ca/product/419

I didn't expect that it would remove the larger scuffs / scratches, and it didn't. That said, what it did do is turn the white in those scuffs / scratches into a dark grey / black and hid them significantly. Couldn't be more pleased with the result.

It also made the black really shiny and gave it a lot of depth ... I'll be doing my whole bike with it when the weather turns nice again.

Good enough for the season - I'll get some new paint in the next off season.

 

Polymers in general take some time to do their thing, Another coat of the Meguirs in a day or two will really work wonders. Same goes for any of the polymer "waxes"

 

I'll definitely be giving it a few more rounds with that stuff ... it did make a noticeable difference, and I hadn't put a lot of elbow grease into it. I was too excited to get everything put back together after doing the charging system upgrade and getting a new battery.