Sorry...How the hell is everyone cleaning/polishing these old bikes. This 78' CB 750 needs some serious polishing on all the aluminum...what are u guys using? I take it there isnt a chemical that is going to work, so what are u using for air tools or on a drill? I want to get this this shinning.. THANKs!!
get your drill, and dremel, pick up several different types of polish, semichrome, mothers, neverdull, noxon, etc..lots of old tee-shirts, towels ...0000 steel wool
Somehow I just new polishing would lead to meth addiciton.....
Mothers makes a powerball that you put on the end of a drill. If you aren't looking for the show chrome shine but just a nice clean metal look this thing is awsome. My buddy did his covers on the bike and they came out really nice.
for the best look, remove parts and use a bench buffer and rouge.
for an ok finish without removing the parts, very carefully spray airplane paint striper on the covers without overspraying onto painted items like the frame. maybe i should say, mask off areas with paint that don't wish the stripper to ruin. all the aluminum has a clear coat or something sprayed on them at the factory. it turns gross and yellowish. this paint stripper will remove it.
next, get some running compound and applicator pads and cloth towels to buff the compound off with. the powerball does work well, but its pricey and can't get all the tight spots.
Aluminum? No, but the finish dulls more quickly than cleared aluminum. Thats why the manufacturers clear it in the first place. They wanted the bikes to look good for as long as possible.
you can also go the way i go about doing it. means lot of wetsanding.
I start off with a heavy 180 grit then work my way to 1500 grit. witch is like regular paper. then i get out the rubbing compound and the small metal buffer wheel. have at it for abit then switch to polishing compound. I can get alum to shine like chrome. every see a sport bike with a nice shiney frame, wheels swingarm. ect. thats what polishing should look like. chrome with out the wt of chrome. the down fall is you have to keep up with it or it will dull on you and look like crap.
I made a little tool for my drill, consisted of 6 scotch brite pads. Spent a couple hours with that, then a little 3M rubbing compound from the old mustang restoration. Its going slow, but im not going to go too crazy....bike needs some work. I figured i would clean things up a bit while i wait for parts. Here are some quick shots i took.
not bad. i seen them worst. my little cb125 had no shine to it at all.
its coming around. just need some more buffing. if you really want a pro polish look. check out eastwoodco.com thats were i get all my polishing stuff. loads of compounds buffing wheels and kits. I have over a grand just in poliching stuff to do sportbike frames, and anything that can be polished.
Hello all............recently put a new battery in my 69 cb175. Battery died after a week or so. I only rode it for a total of an hour within that time. It usually takes 6 cranks with starter to get her going so i imagine that's draining the battery significantly. I also have an H4 type bulb...
Is anyone running an older DR650 as a stripped down trail bike or desert sled?
I am currently working on one, and trying to find a good exhaust, tire and seat setup. Open to input and suggestions.
Thanks,
Steve
Hey all, new here. Just got myself a 72’ Honda CB100 with a CL100 engine swap. Im replacing the lighting and fenders, but I’m running into an issue with finding compatible lights. Everything that I’ve found that is low profile runs on 12v, but the bikes battery is only 6v. Haven’t done a TON of...
In general, will mounting tires sized (110/90 -18F) and (120/90 – 18R) make a difference one way or another if a bike has tire/rim sizes to accept (100/90 -18 F) and (110/90 – 18 R) stock by the manufacturer? No clearance issues being a prerequisite.
Working on a bike that has a sorted history. Don't know any more about the motor other than it is a '83 or '84 CB or CM 450. Trying to figure out if we need a CDI when rewiring with a Motogadget M Unit?
Would appreciate help as we try to determine a wiring diagram.
Cheers,
Eric
A forum community dedicated to Cafe Racer style race bikes owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about restoration, performance, racing, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!
Fenix · updated 
Eric Silveira · updated 
