1200GSA Panniers Now look Like Crap

[cookie]

Good luck with the laquor, it does the trick. I used to use it on a very old CB125 I had, the only thing I dont like about it is that when it gets old it can start to lift and flake. Better than pitted panniers, but it would look a bit of a mess. It was probably just the way I applied it, but it might be worth checking out.

lacquer will not stick to metal properly, it needs a primer which means it is no longer transparent.

check out harley engine cases, they used to laquer straight to base metal with hideous & predictable results.

powder coat is probably the way to go. the stippled effect that metal mule use looks really nice.


...or just leave it & call it character

 

[birdseye]

Hi Guys

To give you an update, not to sure why I should after your, well less then positive responses and somewhat abusive remarks.

Took it to BMW dealers today, one guy took a look and said absolutely no way should the panniers look like that after 4 months, I'll just get someone else to take a look; the second guy said the same thing he also wanted someone else to take a look and the third guy said maybe after 2 years they should look like that. They even tried to polish the pit marks out with Autosol but to no avail.

Without hesitation or discussion they have ordered new panniers and booked my bike in to have them fitted.

WOW what service


All the best


Ty

I'm pleased that you are pleased - and I dont want to p*ss on your parade. But the panniers were not made of faulty aluminium, and what happened to them will occurr again in the same circumstances. Its just the natural oxidation of aluminium - if you dont believe me just have a look at the inside of a pan used to boil water.

I doubt that ACR50 will protect long term against that sort of staining but I dont know that. The best protection would be anodising - painting will work as well as it does on the engine front cover.

I guess its all a matter of taste - I always reckoned that the bikes looked a lot more "RUFTY TUFTY" when dirty and battle scarred. Shiny and clean is for Harleys. But if BMW are so daft as to let their dealers continue to replace water stained panniers then you can continue to have a shiny as new bike. Good luck to you.

 

[EasySushi]

FFS you asked a question on an internet forum, you must realise not everybody will agree with you, i've scanned the posts again and have failed to see where you were given duff information, there were people that didn't see things they way you wanted, but thats life.

You've got the result from BMW which I expected, well done

Shep

Hi Shep,

I asked a question, but there ways of answering a question, and then there's plain rudeness.


All the best


ty

 

[Tobers]

Well done - quite right that they should replace them.

For all you lot who were bemoaning lack of common sense etc, look at it this way:

You buy a new 5-series BMW with alloy wheels. Would you be happy if the wheels corroded on first sight of salt. Of course not. You'd be in there like a shot demanding them to be replaced. Of course, the wheels are still round and the tyres are still on, so they are fit for purpose, but no way would you accept it.

Luckily, BMW put a protective coat on their car alloy wheels (and the bike ones too!). They obviously know that bare alloy could corrode. They should therefore do the same with their panniers. If you pay top-dollar, you expect a quality product.

BMW should clear-anodise their panniers.

 

[EasySushi]

I'm pleased that you are pleased - and I dont want to p*ss on your parade. But the panniers were not made of faulty aluminium, and what happened to them will occurr again in the same circumstances. Its just the natural oxidation of aluminium - if you dont believe me just have a look at the inside of a pan used to boil water.

I doubt that ACR50 will protect long term against that sort of staining but I dont know that. The best protection would be anodising - painting will work as well as it does on the engine front cover.

I guess its all a matter of taste - I always reckoned that the bikes looked a lot more "RUFTY TUFTY" when dirty and battle scarred. Shiny and clean is for Harleys. But if BMW are so daft as to let their dealers continue to replace water stained panniers then you can continue to have a shiny as new bike. Good luck to you.

Hi Birdseye,

I have used these panniers for 7000 miles and had been perfectly happy with them. I have ridden through days of rain, left the bike out all night and been through S**T and mud. It took just one day of winter riding on the M3 to look the way they do now, these pit marks are deep into the metal you can not polish them out. I was quite happy with the way my panniers looked before I went out on the M3. The dealer seemed to agree with me, the new set will be painted or such like.



Cheers

ty

 

[cookie]

anodising skinned ally will likely produce horrible results.

 

[Shep]

Hi Shep,

I asked a question, but there ways of answering a question, and then there's plain rudeness.


All the best


ty

If it was anything that I said that caused offence, please accept my apologies as no offence was intended

Shep

 

[Shep]

Oh yeh!

Laquering
Plastic coating

Shep

 

[EasySushi]

If it was anything that I said that caused offence, please accept my apologies as no offence was intended

Shep

Thanks Shep, but no apology necessary.

Perhaps I'm to sensitive............. na




Cheers



Ty

 

[Denis]

Plastic coating

Shep,
Can you give some detail on the plastic coating i.e. how its done, difficulty, costs, etc. Cheers

 

[Shep]

Shep,
Can you give some detail on the plastic coating i.e. how its done, difficulty, costs, etc. Cheers

Its been a while since I had any done, powder coating and plastic coating are similar, the item to be finished gets cleaned thouroughly/shotblasted then its dried in an oven, then an electrical charge is applied to the item to be coated and the item is then sprayed with the powder of choice, the electrical charge helps the powder stick to the surface to be coated, then the item is then baked in a oven to cure

The finish is very tough and looks smart.

Best ask Vern or Civil if you want pannier specific information

Shep

 

[jonothan]

Was this not my point ?

Erm, yes, but I was under the impression that you supported that view. Was I wrong? I reread your post but drew the same conclusion, mate.

J

 

[Davy F]

Well then I give up.

 

[dronning]

I doubt that ACR50 will protect long term against that sort of staining but I dont know that. The best protection would be anodising - painting will work as well as it does on the engine front cover.

ACF-50 will actually reduce some stains and it stops any existing corrosion. Protection lasts 12-18 months, I coat my bike just before winter hits each year. If you power wash I'd guess you would also remove the protection.

My GSA panniers are anodized Metal Mules but I still hit them with the ACF-50 along with all other metal parts painted or not.

My center stand & engine bash plates take some real abuse so it will be interesting to see how they fair over the winter.

One solution I have seen since this thread started was using spray on pickup bed liner on the front of the panniers. I wish I had a camera with me that day, because it looked pretty cool. The owner said he does over 10,000 miles a year on gravel roads and if he didn't protect them the gravel spray would wear holes through them.


Dave

 

[Tobers]

ACF-50 is all very well, but how do you get the slimy stuff off?

 

[MikeP]

Congratulations.

Now that you have a set of unmarked panniers your problems begin all over again.

If you go out on salt-treated roads, the problem will re-occur. I'm genuinely interested to know how you will avoid a repeat.

Powder coating? Owing to the heat involved, you will have to strip the panniers down and that includes the plastic sealing rim around the top of the pannier and the base of the lids. Plus removal of the locking latches and corner plastics. If you don't remove the latch sections on the lids, any powder coat applied to the bar over which the latch hooks, will split and peel off.

Painting? You have all the same problems plus those associated with painting aluminium. Throw in a few stone chips and knocks and they will soon look as crap as you once thought they did (except of course BMW will not be interested in replacing them again).

Anodising. Again as per powder-coating. Heat in the process means all the plastic needs to be removed first.

ACF-50 or some other goo. Apply it, watch the crud adhere and bingo: panniers that look like crap again.

Leave the panniers off from October to April.

Get your money back, spend it on Vern's, Metal Mule, Civil's or Al Jesse panniers all of which come painted/coated in some way or another when supplied.

 

[birdseye]

Hi Birdseye,

I have used these panniers for 7000 miles and had been perfectly happy with them. I have ridden through days of rain, left the bike out all night and been through S**T and mud. It took just one day of winter riding on the M3 to look the way they do now, these pit marks are deep into the metal you can not polish them out. I was quite happy with the way my panniers looked before I went out on the M3. The dealer seemed to agree with me, the new set will be painted or such like.



Cheers

ty

Fine. To paint ally you ideally need to use a 2 component etching primer though I got away with a single componet one from Epiphanes when I painted my boat mast. Then you need 2 pack epoxy primer finishing off with poly top coat. The problem )just like the front cover on the engine) will be the edges / hinges etc where the paint ends and bare metal appears. You will likely get some bubbling - though as you point out on the uncoated panniers, this will happen much faster when the water is salty than when it isnt.

If you really wanted, then anodising seems to work for a fair few years on boat kit and if it works at sea its likely to work on the roads. I once investigated using a firm called Southampton Anodising for my mast and their processing cost was then very reasonable. I had to paint because the cost of transporting a 50 ft mast was way more than the cost of treatment.

Good luck.

 

[MikeP]

If you really wanted, then anodising seems to work for a fair few years on boat kit and if it works at sea its likely to work on the roads.

I've had quite a few small untreated ali parts anodised locally and I've been happy with both the price and the protection.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

When I enquired with the same company about anodising my panniers it was explained to me that the process involves suspending the item in an acidic bath. A current is passed through the item and by some magic or other, the particles suspended in the solution adhere to or alter, ( ) the surface of the item.

I was informed that the anodising process cannot be applied to the steel parts and the plastics and rubber would be destroyed in the process, so these all have to be removed first.

 

[birdseye]

I've had quite a few small untreated ali parts anodised locally and I've been happy with both the price and the protection.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

When I enquired with the same company about anodising my panniers it was explained to me that the process involves suspending the item in an acidic bath. A current is passed through the item and by some magic or other, the particles suspended in the solution adhere to or alter, ( ) the surface of the item.

I was informed that the anodising process cannot be applied to the steel parts and the plastics and rubber would be destroyed in the process, so these all have to be removed first.

Yes thats excatly the same as I was told. The anodising can be coloured by the addition of a dye which becomes permanent - so you can have black, gold, yellow, blue etc panniers if you want.

 

[andyclift]

My GSA panniers looked really awful after daily use through a salt laden winter plus the lids looked awful when I took the Touratech bags off. They needed a good clean and I think I have found a reasonable balance between time and an acceptable result.

Firstly it is impossible to repeat the original finish. That comes from the rolling mill that produced the ali.

Second I did not want a high polish, my GSA is not some wannabe Harley, it goes out in the rain and gets damaged by salt so the finish needs to be clean and reasonably smart and durable. That means Autosol, wet & dry etc. are out. I tried those on my old Zegas and the rotten job needs repeating every couple of weeks and it tends to emphasises any scratches.

Finally, after some experimentation on the bases I have come up with a reasonable solution which uses slightly abrasive cookware cleaner. I used a pot of Astonish cleaner (from a pound shop), a common or garden nail brush and and old toothbrush (or you could use your wife's). First I got rid of a couple of bad scratches with wet and dry. Then I used the toothbrush and Astonish to clean around the catches and bungee points, as far as practical cleaning "along the grain" of the original finish. Finally I change to the nail brush and Astonish to clean the big flat surfaces. It's important to run along the grain and the full length of the surfaces with each stroke. Also use the brush to go over the areas cleaned with the toothbrush. It won't get into the nooks and crannies but it does produce an even finish that follows the grain.

After washing over the resulting grey mess the panniers have a nice even sheen with a fine grain. It's not like new but its close and pretty good and does not involved hours of polishing.