I did a stupid, stupid think last night!!

[uhfradarwill]

Fired up my trusty 89 Royal this morning to go to work and noticed my left side hard bag cover was missing.

Yesterday I carried home the old battery I replaced yesterday in the compartment and it must have caused the un-locked cover to go flying.

Luckily I found it only three miles from home rite on the side of the road.

 

Lesson learned; lock those locking levers from now on!!

 

Now what to do to get those horrible scuffs and scratches out?

 

Will

[RDawson]

Been there. Done that. Bad as I hate to admit it twice, now your left lid matches my right.

[Flyinfool]

Hard to tell in the pic if those scratches go all the way through the color. Put some water on it, if the scratches disappear then you are good to do a simple scuff sand and clear coat, sand smooth and reclear and you will never see the scratches again. If the scratches are into the color, then the only option is to repaint.

 

That sure looks a LOT better than the one I had taken of at 65 MPH by a softball size rock that bounced out of the back of an oncoming truck, impact speed was around 120 MPH. I never did find all the pieces of that cover and had to get a new one and paint it to match.

[uhfradarwill]

Hard to tell in the pic if those scratches go all the way through the color. Put some water on it, if the scratches disappear then you are good to do a simple scuff sand and clear coat, sand smooth and reclear and you will never see the scratches again. If the scratches are into the color, then the only option is to repaint.

 

That sure looks a LOT better than the one I had taken of at 65 MPH by a softball size rock that bounced out of the back of an oncoming truck, impact speed was around 120 MPH. I never did find all the pieces of that cover and had to get a new one and paint it to match.

 

It's funny you mention the water test, cause I licked my finder and rubbed them and most of them did disappear. I figured the white was the primer.

Will

[Flyinfool]

You effectively did the water test on a spot.

 

If that's the case then just scuff sand it with 400 wet just enough to break the shine so that the clear will stick. Spray it with a buzz bomb of 2K clear coat (around $20 per can). It might just look fine with just the one coat of clear. If the scratches still show as valleys in the new clear, you can wet sand them out with the same 400 wet paper and shoot the clear again and it should look great. 1 can of clear will easily get 2 coats on that lid. from the time you mix the clear it is good in the can for 48 hours, the sprayed clear will be hard in about 12-24 hours for you to decide if it needs more sanding and a recoat. After the 48 hours throw the can away, it will be starting to harden in the can and be unusable.

 

BUT be careful, I redid the one lid and it looked so good that it made the 30 year old paint on the other lid look bad so I had to clear that one too so that they would match........

[uhfradarwill]

You effectively did the water test on a spot.

 

If that's the case then just scuff sand it with 400 wet just enough to break the shine so that the clear will stick. Spray it with a buzz bomb of 2K clear coat (around $20 per can). It might just look fine with just the one coat of clear. If the scratches still show as valleys in the new clear, you can wet sand them out with the same 400 wet paper and shoot the clear again and it should look great. 1 can of clear will easily get 2 coats on that lid. from the time you mix the clear it is good in the can for 48 hours, the sprayed clear will be hard in about 12-24 hours for you to decide if it needs more sanding and a recoat. After the 48 hours throw the can away, it will be starting to harden in the can and be unusable.

 

BUT be careful, I redid the one lid and it looked so good that it made the 30 year old paint on the other lid look bad so I had to clear that one too so that they would match........

 

Thanks Flyinfool. I took your advice but I only had 600 grit on hand and some epoxy clear at work. I'm just waiting for the first coat to dry, and the rain to stop, before calling it a day.

[Flyinfool]

If you can pull the masking before the clear dries or you will have a raised edge. Since you are putting clear there was no need to mask.

[Patch]

If you're up for it you could let it harden enough to wet sand the orange peel out, then apply 2 thinner coats.

 

I know epoxy clear is challenging.

 

Nice fix tho and quick to.

[uhfradarwill]

If you can pull the masking before the clear dries or you will have a raised edge. Since you are putting clear there was no need to mask.

 

I wasn't sure just how much clear/paint it had on it so I elected to initially do the areas that needed.

I'll wet sand the entire thing and apply a second coat. I have done my fair share of re-blueing guns and refinishing the stocks, but paint on plastic and metal is new to me.

I can't believe the results. I got good advice and lucky!!

 

BTW with 600 grit sandpaper, you'll be sanding a good long time till you reach the black base material.

I rode it home with the initial coat tonight.

Cheers

Off topic but I love older things in mint condition. Here is my mint condition 1997 Saab 900SE Talladega edition!!

[uhfradarwill]

If you're up for it you could let it harden enough to wet sand the orange peel out, then apply 2 thinner coats.

 

I know epoxy clear is challenging.

 

Nice fix tho and quick to.

 

Thanks Steven, that is exactly what I plan to do. The priority has decreased since it looks respectable now lol

[Flyinfool]

It sure does look a lot better than in the first pic.

 

You could even just sand and polish the clear that you already have there and not need any more coats.

 

Also if you do recoat it, take the hardware off, each clip is just 2 screws from the inside and it is actually faster to take it off to do it right than it is to mask and unmask the hardware.

[uhfradarwill]

It sure does look a lot better than in the first pic.

 

You could even just sand and polish the clear that you already have there and not need any more coats.

 

Also if you do recoat it, take the hardware off, each clip is just 2 screws from the inside and it is actually faster to take it off to do it right than it is to mask and unmask the hardware.

 

What kind of polish do you recommend?

Will

[Prairiehammer]

Losing the saddle bag lids on the 1986-1993 Ventures is an age old lament.

Very early on (1987 or so), the solution has been to tether the lids to the lower part of the saddle bags with stout cord (shoe strings, braided nylon cord, spiral wound lanyards, etc.)

One may attach the cords with crimp-on electrical eyes or thread the cord under the loosened latch hardware and secure when tightening the hardware mounting screws. For the best protection, use two tethers per lid (one at each end) and adjust the length of the tethers to allow the lid to hang comfortably alongside the lower bag when the lid is opened (not too long and not too short). In addition to saving the lids if they unlatch, it is very convenient to simply unlatch the lids and let them hang along side the bags, as opposed to removing them and setting the lid on the seat or on the ground while accessing the saddle bag.

I have added tethers to all my MKII Ventures as soon as I have acquired them, even though I am fairly diligent about LOCKING the lids, because **** happens.

[camos]

Losing the saddle bag lids on the 1986-1993 Ventures is an age old lament.

Very early on (1987 or so), the solution has been to tether the lids to the lower part of the saddle bags with stout cord (shoe strings, braided nylon cord, spiral wound lanyards, etc.)

I have braided nylon boot laces on my 90 VR which work well enough but require them to be tucked in which is not very convenient. On my 89 VR I put a light twisted chain which does the tether well and has the benefit of not needing to be tucked in since they sort of fall into place.

[Flyinfool]

What kind of polish do you recommend?

Will

 

I have always had good luck with the Meguiar brand. It comes in several grades, If you sand with your 600 wet you will need to start with the rubbing compound that is more coarse and work up to the polish.

[uhfradarwill]

I have always had good luck with the Meguiar brand. It comes in several grades, If you sand with your 600 wet you will need to start with the rubbing compound that is more coarse and work up to the polish.

 

Got cha, thanks.

[dna9656]

Losing the saddle bag lids on the 1986-1993 Ventures is an age old lament.

Very early on (1987 or so), the solution has been to tether the lids to the lower part of the saddle bags with stout cord (shoe strings, braided nylon cord, spiral wound lanyards, etc.)

One may attach the cords with crimp-on electrical eyes or thread the cord under the loosened latch hardware and secure when tightening the hardware mounting screws. For the best protection, use two tethers per lid (one at each end) and adjust the length of the tethers to allow the lid to hang comfortably alongside the lower bag when the lid is opened (not too long and not too short). In addition to saving the lids if they unlatch, it is very convenient to simply unlatch the lids and let them hang along side the bags, as opposed to removing them and setting the lid on the seat or on the ground while accessing the saddle bag.

I have added tethers to all my MKII Ventures as soon as I have acquired them, even though I am fairly diligent about LOCKING the lids, because **** happens.

 

_ _ _ _ sure happens; trust me, I know!

[uhfradarwill]

I have always had good luck with the Meguiar brand. It comes in several grades, If you sand with your 600 wet you will need to start with the rubbing compound that is more coarse and work up to the polish.

 

 

Thanks for all the info!!