Probably obvious to most but not to me. I have stains where a previous petrol leak left brownish marks. As the grey cases are coated in some kind of film what is the best method of cleaning please? Thanks in advance.
Cleaning engine casings
- Thread starter Captain jack
- Start date
Which bike is it Cap’n?
I discovered when I we rebuilding my 1150 SE that those petrol leak stains are deep into the powder coating, and can’t be polished out.
The only options I had were to strip everything back and start again - which I did on the heads and barrels,
or repaint - which I did on the engine and gearbox.
I used acid etch prime and tech cote silver rattle cans and it came up looking almost like new but not quite.
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I discovered when I we rebuilding my 1150 SE that those petrol leak stains are deep into the powder coating, and can’t be polished out.
The only options I had were to strip everything back and start again - which I did on the heads and barrels,
or repaint - which I did on the engine and gearbox.
I used acid etch prime and tech cote silver rattle cans and it came up looking almost like new but not quite.
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Hmmm, thats a worry. The bike is 02 1150 gsa.
Stains on the rhs engine and gearbox?
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Yes exactly, but not quite as bad.
Mine was caused by a poor O ring seal in the quick detach fuel connectors, just a slight drop for a while.
The staining is a chemical change to the powder coating so can’t be polished out. I managed to get mine looking like this:
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Leak from same place. You are more patient than I. Great job
Feisty
Registered user
I've recently bought an airbrush kit and found it super easy to make the ugly damaged and chipped painted parts of my bike disappear. The beauty of an airbrush is that the paint output is super fine and very localised. Consider a normal rattle can a blunberbuss and an airbrush a sniper's rifle. This eliminates 90% of the masking required and allows you to lay 20 subtle coats that dry instantly as opposed to several thick coats from a can. The fine coats let you blend in the new paint with the old colour easily even if you have little idea of what you are doing.
I reckon your staining is the perfect candidate for an airbrush repair. The best part is if you are not happy with it or you get the colour wrong you just wipe off the fine coat of paint with some thinners and start again.
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I reckon your staining is the perfect candidate for an airbrush repair. The best part is if you are not happy with it or you get the colour wrong you just wipe off the fine coat of paint with some thinners and start again.
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Feisty
Registered user
Hello Dub 24.
I have a paasche H series. The gun and compressor were given to me by an elderly neighbour going into a nursing home.
My research tells me this is the workhorse of the airbrush world favoured by modellers as opposed to artists. It is a single action brush where the trigger controls only air flow. Paint flow is controlled near the tip. It is a super simple design that is super easy to clean. There are lots of cheaper knock offs on ebay. I'd give any of those a go as I can't see them being inappropriate for what we are trying to achieve unless of course you are wanting to put a grim reaper on your tank......
Any compressor you have will work as long as you can control the airflow to about 20 psi. Adapters are readily available. Or you can buy a specific airbrush compressor. Anything with a tank will work.
Another advantage of an airbrush is that they are super economical with paint. There is not a lot of paint wasted as all the paint sprayed ends up on the item. I regularly decant paint from spray cans, mix it with 1 part thinners and then do a repair. A teaspoon full of the right silver paint diluted with the same amount of thinners is enough to easily eliminate the wear marks on your frame from boots rubbing and any other chips or rub marks with minimal masking.
I've got 11 bikes. Most of which I have restored. Having an airbrush years ago would have saved me weeks of work. And before someone asks if this is a paid promotion and if I do daytime TV advertisements I do not. I'm just really happy to have discovered it.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/332587158986
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That there is really good advice, thanks Feisty.
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Feisty
Registered user
I'm glad to have helped. I found these pics of g650gs plastics that I did some localised repairs on. I visited the local body shop paint supplier who colour matched 20ml of the paint for me. The cost was approx 10 quid.
The colour is slightly out but a way better match than it appears in the sidecover pic and is not noticeable on the bike.
The triple clamp got silver with 2k semi gloss clear over the top.
I use it more for frames, engines and bars etc because the colours are a little more standard plus usually I am not trying to achieve a brand new look but something that will blend in with the overall patina of the bike
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The colour is slightly out but a way better match than it appears in the sidecover pic and is not noticeable on the bike.
The triple clamp got silver with 2k semi gloss clear over the top.
I use it more for frames, engines and bars etc because the colours are a little more standard plus usually I am not trying to achieve a brand new look but something that will blend in with the overall patina of the bike
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Good thread. I might have to give this technique a go as I've been plowing through the rattle cans a bit recently. 
I really need to get a bigger paint reservoir for my airbrush because it’s a tiny little thing designed for detail work only but the brush is a decent enough double action one and I’ve got a very quiet mini compressor to run it rather than use the big one in my workshop.
The difficult part will be remembering who the manufacturer was
The difficult part will be remembering who the manufacturer was
I'm glad to have helped. I found these pics of g650gs plastics that I did some localised repairs on. I visited the local body shop paint supplier who colour matched 20ml of the paint for me. The cost was approx 10 quid.
The colour is slightly out but a way better match than it appears in the sidecover pic and is not noticeable on the bike.
The triple clamp got silver with 2k semi gloss clear over the top.
I use it more for frames, engines and bars etc because the colours are a little more standard plus usually I am not trying to achieve a brand new look but something that will blend in with the overall patina of the bike
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The finish on the yoke looks just like the engine casings. Does it have lacquer added?
Did you spill some paint on your socks?
Feisty
Registered user
I find it so economical with paint I haven't needed to use to bigger 30ml paint pots that came with it. I use the easy to clean 7 ml paint cup.I really need to get a bigger paint reservoir for my airbrush because it’s a tiny little thing designed for detail work only but the brush is a decent enough double action one and I’ve got a very quiet mini compressor to run it rather than use the big one in my workshop.
The difficult part will be remembering who the manufacturer was
I was lucky enough to get given a nice compressor with regulator and water trap. Super handy to have but not really required if you are setting out and seeing if an airbrush does what you want.
This is the compressor I have.
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Feisty
Registered user
Yes. I has a 2k semi gloss clear coat over the paint. I find most paints seem to dull off after a while. Unless it needs to be have that flat look I usually put a clear coat over the top to aid cleaning and to keep the job looking good for longer.
The benefit of using 2k paint (paint and hardener mixed at painting time) is that it is a lot harder than acrylic and is impervious to fuel, brake cleaner and other harsh solvents.
It also goes a lot harder more quickly even when only air dried.
I painted a beak on one of my 1100gs bikes last year in acrylic with a clear coat. I left it a month and then put it in the bike. Even after a month on a hot day the flock lined bike cover would leave fibres in the paint softened by the heat.
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