Thank you very much for this how to! I was wondering how to make my year 2000 Suzuki DRZ 400 look better, the plastics had gone all porous from the uv damage and this worked a treat! looks great already and I still havnt buffed them up with the polishing wheel. cant wait to see the final product. thanks again !
Great video. This is exactly what I have discovered as well. Just wish I had seen this video a couple months ago when I had tackled an ATV plastic project for my son.
Good Job! I tried the sanding and didn't get good results! So after sanding I tried 000 extra fine STEEL WOOL with Johnsons past wax and rubbed off, then added more wax and buffed with the buffing wheel and got FANTASTIC results on my Honda XR200R!
If you have a look at my dirtbike on my channel you will see I have pretty bad plastics... I have some steel wool. I've heard this works pretty good. Any suggestions?
Thanks for sharing this technique! I also worked out, if you are moving along the plastic from left to right to have the drill spin in reverse or vice versa. You don't need to hold the buffing wheel at an angle either. Keep it 90 degree's. Just let the buffing cloth "kiss" the plastic whilst moving slowly down the piece giving it enough time to do it's job. Best to be in full sunlight to see better results! If you feel the buffing wheel grab slightly you're pushing too hard! Just lightly brush over it in one direction ONLY!! Not back and forth motion. If it grabs and leaves a mark hold the buffing wheel over the mark with very light pressure checking it until it's gone. To really make it shine, spray on Mequiars Ultimate Quik Wax - with hydrophobic polymer technology and let it soak in. Maybe a couple of coats. Then use a microfiber cloth ONLY to finish polishing! The end result will amaze you!! :)
I did this to my 98 DS80. I had deep horizontal scratches across front fender. the razor blade leveled every scratch out to a level service. I polished it up after and the Fender looks brand new. Great Job....
Dood! I wish you would've posted this before I went and bought new plastics! Haha. Definitely going to be trying that on the 86er's tank tonight. Might post up a video if I find a tripod.
I sanded the fenders on a IT 175 and they came out smooth, but i cant get a shine on them. I think ill try with a dry buffer like you did. Thanks for the idea and I cant wait to see your yz fully restored!
+I vote for truth democrats tab Thanks for watching, I have found not all plastic responds as well as this fender, also sanding is better than the blade to keep from damaging the plastic, thanks again
Ive used just a medium grit emmory cloth and gradually going to a smaller grit untill the plastic turns into a clean smooth matte finish. then i took a propane torch and went across the sanded parts.It melts the face of the plastic very quickly and dries to a perfect gloss, a good wax after it cools makes it better even.Have to be very quick and even about it though, so you dont over do it, works well on black and coloured plastic. I found the heat gun takes too long. Your idea seams to work pretty nice.
haha thanks ,My step brother blew it up , but once I get her running again it sure will be a blast haha ,Been thinking about putting the 500 engine on my 250 frame kinda like you did with your Cr haha :D
hey groutaone I just picked up a 1989 kx125.. the plastics are in good shape but could use a little shine . do you think a buffing wheel would work by its self... ill try to post a vid of it today,... I only paid $100 for it it sat for the last 13 years only needs a topend....... thanks for the vid
Great video. Have any tips starting a kick start 93 dr350 other that brute force? The carberautor fills up with gas and I believe it is flooding it if you kick like a mule it will start but im small....thanks
Damn, wish i would have seen this when i was rebuilding my 89 FL400 Pilot. I used the plastic renew clear and it wasnt all that great. and like you said it easly wears off. Going to try this on an old plastic roof panel i have. it was white when i got it lol. supposed to be red. May post this video on a forum if you dont mind!
Its got to be real smooth, 120 is going to be too rough to start with I think, also it seems not all plastic will respond well to polish, my gas tank doesnt work as well as my fender
Hey I have a couple of ATV"S I did that looked like that. What I did was 220 320 and 400. But after I did it in that step I took 1000 grit to it and it made it super smooth. you can find 1000 grit at any automotive place. ( all wet sand don't use to ruff of sand paper)
when i heat gun it leaves some traces that i don't like like white stains, like from dirty water and they don't clean up, what should i do then? Am i heating them bad? I need to polish my plastics..
Hey I have a 1989 yz 125 I will post an befor and after video on my old account. I have everything new but the. Frame and and forks but painted the frame what year is this bike
Where you see this discoloration is likely around the edge of the area that got heated, try heating from one end of your fender and work your way to the other end without stopping, it will be a lot of heat on the entire piece in a short time so it may distort, maybe test on a junk one first
nice work man! im trying to hide a huge crack in a tecate 4 front fender. there is one only one on ebay and its 899! i work at a custom paint/ motorcycle repair shop and sand ALL day it seems on harley tanks fenders but i couldnt figure out a way to clean up a shitty repair job an this tecate i have. your video was golden! now i need to figure out how to get the soldering iron marks off it where he kinda welded it together. nice work tho!!!
Does this work on any type of plastic? I got an 2003 YZ 125 and it has pretty scratched up plastic, I might try it out in a place where it doesn't show, just to be sure it works on my type of plastic. Awesome video btw :)
I can't get this to work, I tried 120 grit and it scratched it really bad, and I tried 300 and 400 grit wet sanding and it didn't seem to fix it up. I tried using the blade and it really messed it up. Then I tried using one of those 3m head light kits and it seemed to fix it up but now I can't get the shine into it
Not that I got some immediate need for fixing plastic, but this is clearly something to keep in mind for when needed :) b.t.w. I mostly like tricks and "how x works" videos.
Im trying to clean up a engine on a crf250 and was wondering if you have any tips or degreasers you prefer to get it to a almost bead blasted look on the cases
I use autohaus degreaser and it works great. Just spray it on and let it penetrate for a couple of minutes then agitate the surface with a brush and for some hard to reach places, use an old toothbrush.
Thank you, i just used your methods to restore the tank on my It 250k and it worked very well, shiny as new again.
By far the best video on how to restore old dirt bike plastics!
Being the asshole that i am online. I have to like this dude videos. He is helpful to us all.
Brandon Quenneville Thanks for being a nice guy here, I appreciate you watching
Very nice. New plastics for my LT500R are almost $800. $15 in sandpaper and a buffer sound much better.
junkyardhemi rite!!!
Good video, the razor blade is what I've been missing! I spent 2-3 beers sanding on my Tri-moto plastic last night fighting with that chalky layer.
This is great, i wanted to restore my old MTX to it's former glory but the scratched plastics were holding me back. Thanks so much for sharing :)
You can actually hear in the shaving when you start to hit healthy, polish-able plastic. Thanks for the tips. Liked and Subbed
Thank you very much for this how to! I was wondering how to make my year 2000 Suzuki DRZ 400 look better, the plastics had gone all porous from the uv damage and this worked a treat! looks great already and I still havnt buffed them up with the polishing wheel. cant wait to see the final product. thanks again !
Extremely useful information on scratched plastics in general! Thanks
Great video. This is exactly what I have discovered as well. Just wish I had seen this video a couple months ago when I had tackled an ATV plastic project for my son.
Thanks, I have quit a few wear and tear on my KLR 2009 and now I know exactly how to fix it over the winter. Thanks man.
Very nice DIY, plastic can be a real difficult thing to work with and proper time and prep has amazing results!
Love youtube for stuff like this. All things considered, things like this help me to save a bunch on my rebuild.
Best demo video, on youtube, of this subject. I'm cleaning up my YZ125 fenders using this method. Nice work!
Good Job! I tried the sanding and didn't get good results! So after sanding I tried 000 extra fine STEEL WOOL with Johnsons past wax and rubbed off, then added more wax and buffed with the buffing wheel and got FANTASTIC results on my Honda XR200R!
I have a xr80r
If you have a look at my dirtbike on my channel you will see I have pretty bad plastics... I have some steel wool. I've heard this works pretty good. Any suggestions?
Thanks for sharing this technique! I also worked out, if you are moving along the plastic from left to right to have the drill spin in reverse or vice versa. You don't need to hold the buffing wheel at an angle either. Keep it 90 degree's. Just let the buffing cloth "kiss" the plastic whilst moving slowly down the piece giving it enough time to do it's job. Best to be in full sunlight to see better results! If you feel the buffing wheel grab slightly you're pushing too hard! Just lightly brush over it in one direction ONLY!! Not back and forth motion. If it grabs and leaves a mark hold the buffing wheel over the mark with very light pressure checking it until it's gone. To really make it shine, spray on Mequiars Ultimate Quik Wax - with hydrophobic polymer technology and let it soak in. Maybe a couple of coats. Then use a microfiber cloth ONLY to finish polishing! The end result will amaze you!! :)
I did this to my 98 DS80. I had deep horizontal scratches across front fender. the razor blade leveled every scratch out to a level service. I polished it up after and the Fender looks brand new. Great Job....
Cool, love it when a plan comes together
I went to order Plastics and they were a fortune for this Bike. I'd end up spending about 500.00 for Plastics. Krazy... Great Job!
Scraping the plastic looks like it'd feel real good
Dood! I wish you would've posted this before I went and bought new plastics! Haha.
Definitely going to be trying that on the 86er's tank tonight. Might post up a video if I find a tripod.
By far the best channel I have subscribed to.
Thanks for the vid! Gonna do this to my ‘84 yamaha XT250
You my friend is really a nice man to show us this. Thank you very much.
Best vid like this out there. Thanks for the demo!
This was extremely helpful, THANK YOU.
Definitely will remember this! Great trick!
I sanded the fenders on a IT 175 and they came out smooth, but i cant get a shine on them. I think ill try with a dry buffer like you did. Thanks for the idea and I cant wait to see your yz fully restored!
Love the old yamahas. Quick technic nice
Love those old strokers... like everyone we all wish we never sold any of them !
WOW good job , takes me back to early 80s raced that 250 a few years great bike love the motor :-) , cheers-
thanks groutaone the best ideas I've ever seen.... you're the man!!! appreciated the tips...keep the good work buddy.
+I vote for truth democrats tab Thanks for watching, I have found not all plastic responds as well as this fender, also sanding is better than the blade to keep from damaging the plastic, thanks again
It's amazing how UV rays will mess up some plastic. And that first part with the blade was nearly like fingernails on a chalk board! lol
I think ima try this on my elsionore125 ! thanks for the very helpful info! and great explanations too!
Nice, turned out looking good.
this is why I dig youtube...learn so many stuff on here...some good some bad but mostly good :D
Nice! Thanks for making the video!!!
I like those KX500 AF's, I may do a KX500 aluminum frame conversion yet, what kind of engine damage did you have to fix?
Ive used just a medium grit emmory cloth and gradually going to a smaller grit untill the plastic turns into a clean smooth matte finish. then i took a propane torch and went across the sanded parts.It melts the face of the plastic very quickly and dries to a perfect gloss, a good wax after it cools makes it better even.Have to be very quick and even about it though, so you dont over do it, works well on black and coloured plastic. I found the heat gun takes too long. Your idea seams to work pretty nice.
awesome video. There are curved card scrapers available to there used by woodworkers, can be very helpful at curved areas.
haha thanks ,My step brother blew it up , but once I get her running again it sure will be a blast haha ,Been thinking about putting the 500 engine on my 250 frame kinda like you did with your Cr haha :D
Thank You very much for tips, they will rly help me polishing my motorcycle plastics (also yellow) Good luck with rebuilding this bike ;)
intresting. i enjoyed watching this and seeing the yz465
Thats brilliant! In more than one way sir!
they make a plastic compound for polishing plastic it comes in a stick you apply it to the polishing wheel it helps to polish the plastic
really good!! thanks man
hey groutaone I just picked up a 1989 kx125.. the plastics are in good shape but could use a little shine . do you think a buffing wheel would work by its self... ill try to post a vid of it today,... I only paid $100 for it it sat for the last 13 years only needs a topend....... thanks for the vid
Thank you for the video, I have a Kawasaki kdx 200 that I am restoring which has good but faded plastic.
Thanks for taking the time!
Thank you for watching
Great video, very informative.
Do you have any pictures of it when you were done polishing?
Does this work well on fenders that have been exposed to the sun for a long time? I can't get mine to get the gloss back.
Will this work on painted automotive style plastic
Thanks im going to try it on my atc
Good stuff, going to use my knowledge gained restoring my 80 KDX400
Very helpful... Well done!
Cool, what year is your bike?
Great video. Have any tips starting a kick start 93 dr350 other that brute force? The carberautor fills up with gas and I believe it is flooding it if you kick like a mule it will start but im small....thanks
she will be looking good for a while. Nice work
Thanks!! Im gonna do this on my ktm
Wow that was cool!!
The sanding block you could find in the paint secton at Home Depot or any store like it
Thanks for watching, will it work to sand the marks out of the plastic?
how long did this last?
Damn, wish i would have seen this when i was rebuilding my 89 FL400 Pilot. I used the plastic renew clear and it wasnt all that great. and like you said it easly wears off. Going to try this on an old plastic roof panel i have. it was white when i got it lol. supposed to be red. May post this video on a forum if you dont mind!
Its got to be real smooth, 120 is going to be too rough to start with I think, also it seems not all plastic will respond well to polish, my gas tank doesnt work as well as my fender
Nice job! Thanks
Great video, thanks.
great tip. I'm trying to wonder what I could use this on now..
Hey I have a couple of ATV"S I did that looked like that. What I did was 220 320 and 400. But after I did it in that step I took 1000 grit to it and it made it super smooth. you can find 1000 grit at any automotive place. ( all wet sand don't use to ruff of sand paper)
hey i did this trick to my old moto 4 and it was awsome what turned out i would love to send a pic to you its really cool
when i heat gun it leaves some traces that i don't like like white stains, like from dirty water and they don't clean up, what should i do then? Am i heating them bad? I need to polish my plastics..
Great video! Thanks for sharing
Franco Alvau Thanks for watching
Hey I have a 1989 yz 125 I will post an befor and after video on my old account. I have everything new but the. Frame and and forks but painted the frame what year is this bike
Very helpful, thanks.
Where you see this discoloration is likely around the edge of the area that got heated, try heating from one end of your fender and work your way to the other end without stopping, it will be a lot of heat on the entire piece in a short time so it may distort, maybe test on a junk one first
does this work if the plastic is white?
What kind of buffing wheel is that? Made of muslin, cotton?
nice work man! im trying to hide a huge crack in a tecate 4 front fender. there is one only one on ebay and its 899! i work at a custom paint/ motorcycle repair shop and sand ALL day it seems on harley tanks fenders but i couldnt figure out a way to clean up a shitty repair job an this tecate i have. your video was golden! now i need to figure out how to get the soldering iron marks off it where he kinda welded it together. nice work tho!!!
Great video.
Does this work on any type of plastic? I got an 2003 YZ 125 and it has pretty scratched up plastic, I might try it out in a place where it doesn't show, just to be sure it works on my type of plastic.
Awesome video btw :)
Very nice done!!!
Amazing !
Good info here, Thanks!
I can't get this to work, I tried 120 grit and it scratched it really bad, and I tried 300 and 400 grit wet sanding and it didn't seem to fix it up. I tried using the blade and it really messed it up. Then I tried using one of those 3m head light kits and it seemed to fix it up but now I can't get the shine into it
Cool bike, did Kawasaki already have the Uni trak in 1980? Somehow
I think it was 81 but not sure
KX500, I salute you
could you make an update on the yz pls ? :)
its been a while since you showed us something of it :)
Look's great!
Great technique! BTW has that kickstarter snapped off yet? Looks like it was cracked...
Could u use a palm sander instead of the blade?
thank you for the video.
What's in the bucket? Just dish soap and water? Detergent?
Thank you , my 95 cr 125 might be able to have a shine once again
Not that I got some immediate need for fixing plastic, but this is clearly something to keep in mind for when needed :)
b.t.w. I mostly like tricks and "how x works" videos.
Awesome work again always better to fix it than buy it keep it original
Post away my friend, your idea to try on a spare piece is a good idea, not all plastic responds to this procedure it seems
thank you sir, I have a 2005 CRF. should I still do the scraping even it has minor scratches or just do sanding instead? thank you.
Do not use a blade, just sand it, thanks for watching
HEY G . nice vid. __have u tried tooth paste n water works just like he 1500 grit paper
Damn it !!! why'd i have to watch this ,now i want to do my that to my 78 yamaha 125dt
Im trying to clean up a engine on a crf250 and was wondering if you have any tips or degreasers you prefer to get it to a almost bead blasted look on the cases
I use autohaus degreaser and it works great. Just spray it on and let it penetrate for a couple of minutes then agitate the surface with a brush and for some hard to reach places, use an old toothbrush.
Your right Uni trak did come in 81 on the KDX