Hello, my headlight is pitted from getting showered with stones at a trackday and I have also had to buy a new nosecone! It was totally blasted. I have gone Chinese eBay 1098R copy part in case it happens again... My question is with a dremel can I polish out the pits (they aren’t that deep) and if so with what polish/compound and in what order do I use them please? Am I better off with a polishing wheel or wheels of different grades on a drill instead? I am ok with mechanics but terrible with bodywork so this is why I need some advice before I ruin it. Thank you!
If the pits can be felt with a fingernail, my advice.would be to patch with small dabs of epoxy resin, carefully sand down, then polish and wax.
never tried above/can't rule it out. I think it's down to elbow grease and stepping through the compound grades until no dullness left but I wouldn't use any machinery with a wheel myself due to risk of overheating the surface. Thinking even deeper, I wouldn't even do it at all now, just think of it as the trackday headlight. I have suffered exactly the same/same bike but from a previous owner. I would be more concerned about similar damage to fork legs myself. Have you got Motografix/Chipguard film fitted to these and fairings?
I would be more concerned about similar damage to fork legs myself. Have you got Motografix/Chipguard film fitted to these and fairings?[/QUOTE] Yes, unfortunately the fork legs have tiny chips in them as well... I can’t actually look at the them without wanting to cry. However this is cosmetic damage above the seals on the thicker upper part of the forks. Forks and shock have just been serviced by an Ohlins specialist, they would have told me if there was anything worse. I had to buy a new front hugger too... I will put the film on for the next time I go on track, thanks for the advice!
Plastic car headlights can be sanded back through the grades of sanding discs, ending up using 2000 grit. Using a flat circular da ( dual action) sander with a 10mm thick squashy interface pad. Then coating with a hard ceramic clearcoat. No idea of longevity on a track day though.
Thank you all I will have a play around with it... but last night I realised that the bike is approaching the stage where it could really use a restoration soon anyway. Me and a friend are planning to ride to the Valencia MotoGP in November, after that amount of kilometers it may be time to restore it and then never take it on track again!
I recently had a go at refurbing the lights on my 1098. The kit i used was perfect for the rear light as it was a softer plastic. The front lights not so much. I found the front to be a much tougher plastic which required a lot more effort, care and attention to get right. I ended up overheating a small part using a drill while trying to get the surface even, despite being very vigilant. I would suggest hand prepping the front light with emery cloth from about 400 grit to get the chips out, no lower, then gradually increase grit to refine it. When it gets to about 800 i would use a drill for finishing/polishing as the high speed motion is needed for the shine. Hand prepping will prevent overheating and by the time you use a drill with medium pressure at 800 grit, there will be a much lesser chance of this happening. There are kits usually designed for removing scuffs, light scratching and yellowing, however, not necessarily deep chips. If your light is in a bad way it is maybe worth while considering the epoxy resin method suggested before. Check page 2 of my build for the pics. https://www.ducatiforum.co.uk/threads/rebuild-after-previous-owner-had-an-off.67830/page-2
