[rustyusar]

How do you guys keep your Sarachus looking good? I tired a chrome polish on a samll area, but it was too harsh and dulled the finish. I think it is brushed aluminum, so what will shine it up? Thanks.

 

[maverick9611]

I USE WD 40.

 

[Nick D]

I usually use Mother's polish on anything aluminum. I really like the type with the tear off wool type material, it's what I use on my KZ wheels and other bits. Honda Polish (spray can) is pretty amazing on just about anything on a bike, usually about any Honda dealership carries the stuff.

 

[rustyusar]

Thanks for the posts guys. I've got some WD40, if that doesn't do the trick I'll see if I can locate the Honda stuff.

 

[knightslugger]

just use soap and water dude... if you need to polish them up, just use some mothers...

 

[Nick D]

Just as an off the wall "so you know" - my mom used Honda polish and a little elbow grease to get road oil off her truck (the rockers were covered). You can use WD for that too, but the Honda polish took a little of the work out of it somehow.

 

[luke]

I saw on mythbusters once they polished a chrome bumper with some expensive chrome polish on one half and the other half with cola and tin foil. They determined that the cola and foil did a better job and I thought it looked better as well. it seems kind of crazy, and I haven't tried it, so take with the requisite grain of salt...

 

[knightslugger]

well, this is aluminum and that was chrome...

 

[maverick9611]

double o steel wool works good too if ya have alot of build up. i saw the mythbusters also. soda will work

 

[Nick D]

Raise your hand if you have an aluminum bumper on your car.

Nobody, huh? I've heard soda works to knock off rust and buildup, and I've used quadruple-0 steel wool to knock surface rust off chromed steel, but I don't know if either is the best for aluminum. I'm not sure about the soda because aluminum doesn't rust, it just fogs up. I'm not sure about steel wool because it could leave surface swirls. I'd do a test spot before going nuts with either.

Did they do a test with the soda and aluminum, or was it just steel?

 

[maverick9611]

they did it on the bumper. (chrome/steel) they also tried to use it as a engine degreaser it worked so/so

 

[redrider]

I emailed Edgar their sales manager, about rust and polishing and this is what he said:

I live near the ocean too.
You should spray some anti-corrode inside the pipes. and when you install the pipes to the heads, it is a good idea to put some anti-seizing. Any auto-parts will have that. The anti-seizing helps to keep the two metals (the pipe and the headers) to stick to each other after a long time due to heat. It is much easier to remove the pipes later.

To keep the Aluminum shining, you could polish it with aluminum polisher every two or three months. Aluminum is a light weight metal, but gets more scratches than steel.
Just get the correct polisher - Specifically for Aluminum - If you use other metal polisher small scratches might occur.
But the pipes should last a long time. I have in my racebike a set that I installed 3 years ago. they still look okay and I abuse of the bike as I race them hard...

enjoy your EX500.. a fun bike!

Edgar

PS; Anything you need, do not hesitate to contact us.
Speedbike Racing Inc.
Edgar

 

[Stuka87]

Hand raised...I have a chrome bumper on my car.........and all I use is mothers...but the car is 32 years old and it has scratches in it....I'm really hesitant to try the soda......I have replace so many aircraft structural parts that were 'eaten' away by coke.......yes eaten......it's a corrosive to aluminum.....so I'm not sure how it will react to chrome plating on a steel bumper....

-Stuka

 

[ERAU944]

Raise your hand if you have an aluminum bumper on your car.

Nobody, huh?

*raises hand*

both my 944 and my 951S have aluminum front and rear bumpers. the front and rear of the 944 and the rear of the 951 are painted, and the front of the 951 is covered by the bumper cover. i thought about polishing a set, but it's so time consuming, and hard work.

to polish my kerker cans i used the mothers paste. worked out great. they're about due again though *groan*

 

[dragknee]

eagle one nevr dull

 

[Duncan]

I trust the OEM Kawasaki owners manual and use WD-40 on my stock exhaust cansiters.

 

[ERAU944]

stock exhaust cannisters have nothing to do with polished aluminum... but thats interesting to know that the manual recommends WD-40 on the stock cans. i'll definitely be using that.