Aluminum Engine Polishing DIY

54000 Miles and repolish after 20 years of age.

2024-08-05T13:16:00.000-05:00

54000 Miles and repolish after 20 years of age. Years ago you can see where I had polished these covers out by hand and now 54K miles later I just did a retouch with a pneumatic 3inch polisher and some Mother's Aluminum and Mag polish. Brought right back to mirror finish. I figured this was a good time to clean chain thoroughly and re polish up the bike along with thoroughly inspecting everything. Years ago I made the decision to strip the clear coat and hand sand and polish these covers. Best decision ever. No oxidization under clear coat issues I've seen others have. All you need is to keep up the polishing routine. When I bought this years ago to survive the Obama Biden first attempt at destroying the middle class it was the best decision of my life. This got me through the outrageous gas prices and allowed me to have a life while going to college. Now unemployed twice in the last 3 years due to Biden's assault on what is left of the middle class I have again a profound appreciation for this motorcycle as during the summer it has once again become my primary mode of transportation.

The only way to do a selfie is through the reflection of your case cover. LOL

If you found your way here. You may be interested in this.

2024-07-29T01:21:00.003-05:00

2005 Triumph Thruxton 900 Seat Cover Replacement Tutorial Video

After 53,000 miles I installed a new seat cover on my 2005 Thruxton 900.

This video goes over the process. UV damage and years of wear and tear will have you needing a new seat cover in time. The Seat cover installed in this video is from Luimoto. I scored this seat cover as an open box item being sold on Ebay at a discount.

Do IT Yourself Polishing

2013-11-28T22:58:00.000-06:00

For all that are interested I am going to start posting the steps and process that took place in the removing of scratches and polishing of my 2005 Triumph Thruxton 900. This will help those whom have more time than money.

What I started with after going down on Pete Gravel

CLICK ON PICS TO ENLARGE

Equipment needed for this project

-Patience

-Brown Buffing Compound

-White Aluminum Buffing Compound

-A good Stripper ( I used Zip-Strip Premium Paint & Finish Remover )

-Various Stages of Wet/Dry Sandpaper 400, 600, 800 than 1000 grit wet sandpaper.

-Bucket of water

-Bench Buffer/Grinder ( I picked mine up from Harbor Freight)

-You will Need a Cutting Pad and a finishing pad for the buffer

-A set of Wrenches or hand tools to take everything apart with.

-New Gaskets from your dealer to reassemble after project is completed

-Service manual for the Motorcycle.(Torque Specs and proper assembly and dis-assembly instructions)

-A good polish and sealer for maintaining (I use Wizards Metal Polish and Shine Master)

First step is to take everything apart and properly cover internal components for protection.

Next is to Strip the Clear Coat from factory off of the parts. I didn't feel the least bit bad about doing this because I was noticing some Oxidation starting in a couple of small spots.

Once all is stripped then the Wet sanding process can begin

Start with heavy grit and work your way up to the finer grit paper

After Scratches are smoothed out and have worked your way up to the finest (1000) grit paper you need to have your bench buffer on h

There are two buffing wheels you should have on hand one is called a cutting wheel (More tightly sewn), which you use with more aggressive buffing compound.

and. I bought mine at Harbor Freight.

The Second Wheel is a finishing wheel (Loosely put together) which is used with a finishing compound.

This is when you really get to see results of your labor. I advise to put cardboard down on the ground in the area that you are working and wear gloves. I had a piece pulled from my hands to end up flying into the ground, so to protect your project take some precautions and wear safety glasses through this process or face shield.

Of course start with the cutting wheel installed on the buffer then work your way to finishing wheel.

Yeah, I like my Bling, Bling...

After everything is polished then you can start to put the Project back together again with new gaskets and torque everything to factory specifications.

I also bought a skid plate that was never offered in a chromed or polished state. They also officially are for a Triumph Scrambler, but that shares the Same frame as my Triumph Thruxton 900. Looks great and offers a little extra reassurance from road debris.

Thank you for visiting!!!