I just got the tank panels back from the polishers, I had started doing them myself but it was far too labour intensive!, Eddie at EJN has done a great job for £40, anybody needing polishing done should give him a try, he’s based near Mickleover & also has a base in Nottingham, I’m waiting for some alloy tank badges to arrive from India and will post pictures of the bike when it’s done. https://www.ejnengineersltd.com/
Obviously I couldn’t wait for the alloy badges to arrive so I’ve used some Ducati Meccanica stickers temporarily, anyway I like it (I’ll get the panels lacquered though I think as the alloy scratches easily and it would probably irritate me to have to keep polishing micro scratches out), thanks to Chizel btw for selling me his spare panels at a great price.
you are most welcome dude.. they came up well didn't they!!! im not sure if you can get em cleared.. I've enquired in the past and been told there isn't a clear lacquer suitable for bare alloy.. that's said, I do vaguely recall them saying that was because it was polished cast alloy so you might be in luck.. It certainly would be the way forward as polished alloy looks the nuts but is a bitch to maintain...
I know you can lacquer anodised alloy Chizel , 80’s car door trims etc were done like that, but I’m not sure about polished, nothing for the lacquer to key to I’m thinking, I’ll see how they go, if they start scratching too much or I can’t be bothered to keep polishing I’ll enquire at a sprayers.
not meaning to be rude at all but I prefer the look of the stickers that you have on at the min... wonder if proper badges (in the same look) are available somewhere?
Wish they were Chizel, I’ve looked in the past, even thought of seeing if I could get some 3D printed?, I’ll be trying the “wings” using twin stick to see how they look, if I don’t like it I’ve got some good quality Meccanica stickers to go on.
Actually I might stay with these, it looks better in the metal than on the photo, and I’ve managed to match the curvature of the panel by placing the ends of the badge on wooden blocks and thumping it with the side of my fist (thought it might snap cos it’s cast), just twin sticked at mo til I decide on final position, think I’ll Sikaflex it on and glue screw heads in so that I don’t have to drill the panel in case I change the design later on, yeah I’m happy with these!
I had a mate in the 70s whose Bonneville engine casings seemed to stay polished much longer than anyone else’s. I asked him about it and his secret was to use car wax on them
I’ve waxed them OR, using Poorboys wheel sealant wax, hopefully it’ll be of some use in this application cos it’s bloody useless as a wheel sealant
Fingers crossed for you You can’t expect it to work like lacquer but it will hopefully give you longer before needing to re-polish.
Badges on, decided to tap and screw them on, if I decide to go for a different look (ie paint them) I can always fill the screw holes, anyway here it is, looks better “in the metal” as the camera doesn’t pick up all the reflections.
