I like the patina on that tank.
I kind of wanted to keep the old faded tank, but get them emblems touched up, and throw clear over it. I think it would look cool as this is obviously not a resto. Is there a better method of adding a bit of gloss to the old tank?
Just throwing in my two cents as I've been reading your thread since you complimented my tank.. I would take a look at getting it ceramic coated. The process is expensive for cars, but for something as small as a tank, it would be a good investment. It's essentially like a long lasting coat of wax that literally bonds on a molecular level to the paint on your tank. This makes the surface of the tank stronger, less porous, and holds its shine. Water beads up automatically and dirt doesn't really stick to it. I would assume this would be the best way to preserve the look of the tank, as if the tank was glossed over, it would still need to be sanded down with 700 grit to get the paint to hold, and at that point no one knows how thin the paint is, so you could do more harm than good. Though, you can get the paint depth measured, but really, it seems like a shorter process to just get a ceramic coating hahaha.
Btw, you own a Scout? I love those! For the longest time I wanted to get one with a Nissan turbo diesel in it (think they had those as an option for the last two production years) but they don't last at all with the New England rust.
Thanks for the suggestions! I also shouldn't call it a build, but rather a learning experience, as this is my first motorcycle meant for road use. I have likely offended purists everywhere but I got hooked on the aesthetics of certain builds done on these bikes and wanted that look. Regarding the ceramic coating, I will have to look this up today. I have only really heard of it for exhaust use, so it was not even on my radar. Is it purely a coating on the exterior?
Yes I daily drive a 79. It has been in the rust belt its entire life, but the frame is solid and runs great, only 90k miles now. I figured I would replace the body panels when(if) i ever finish this CB haha. Most people think I am crazy or poor, driving this old truck, but after sitting in front of computer monitors all day, getting into that analog truck is refreshing. Plus, once I get some work in on that body, I can take the top off.
and my co-driver:
To restore the luster of your tank, you can simply wet sand it (lightly, use 1200 grit, then 2,000) and only the top of it. The Black is a single stage paint, the color is multi. The use a quality foam pad to buff it out. You can follow-up with the nano-ceramic coating Marissa recommends for tremendous protection (UV and Chemical). The only trick about the nano coating is the taped on stripes.
The badges you can restore with some Testers Model paint and shoot some rattle can clear over them.
Here's a quick glimpse of a Sunrise Orange I did a few years ago that was in worse shape than yours-
That is nice and shiny! Did you pull the emblems off at all? Cal, rather than spending all this time on the forum, you should just come get your hands dirty on this bike.
I spent some time figuring out the rear brakes yesterday. I wanted to ensure everything works before taking off the parts to polish. I read that the pedal should move an inch before the brake pads make contact. If that is incorrect, please correct me so I don't lock up the rears and kill myself.
I also soaked the carbs in Berrymans, but forgot to take an after pic. I will get around to it. I felt like I needed to watch more videos regarding the pin that holds the floats in. I thought it slides out, but I feel like I am going to break something if I applied any more force.