Summary for polished aluminum motorcycle frame Discussion
Polished aluminum motorcycle frame questions dominate this thread, with readers asking how to touch up a mirror finish on a frame and rims, whether the parts can be chromed, and why sanding and compounds sometimes fail to produce shine. James Porter asked if the work could be done at home or chromed; Brian Verkaart replied that he had hand-polished his 1998 R1 frame and suggested Mothers Polish or No. 7 Clear Coat Polish to bring aluminum back to a mirror finish. When Eric Jones reported no success after sanding to 2000 grit and using black, brown, and white compounds, Brian clarified that the method only works on aluminum, not steel, and recommended 2000 grit paper, very fine steel wool, then No. 7 Clearcoat Polish followed by Mothers Polish, all by hand to avoid streaks and scratches from power tools. The editor noted other letters with more detail on aluminum frame and rim polishing.
Q. WANTED TO KNOW HOW TO TOUCH UP A POLISHED ALUMINUM MOTORCYCLE FRAME AND RIMS? WANT TO DO MYSELF. OR CAN FRAME AND RIMS BE CHROMED?
JAMES PORTER
– SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
2002
A. If you have blemishes on your polished aluminum frame or any polished aluminum for that matter, I use
Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish
⇦ on
eBay or
Amazon [affil link] after I wash my bike to keep it looking like a mirror. depending on how bad the scratch or corrosion may be, you might need to resort back to using FINE
00 steel wool
⇦ on
eBay or
Amazon [affil link] the No.7 Clear Coat Polish
[affil link], then use the Mothers Polish to get the metal back to a mirror.
If there are any questions please feel free to get back to me. I’ve hand polished the frame on my 1998 R1. The only Dumb question is the one you don’t ask.
Brian Verkaart
– Boston Massachusetts, USA
2003
Q. I’ve been polishing on my frame for 2 months with no success. I have a 2003 gsxr 1000 and my frame does not want to shine. I know this guy in town who can get a chrome mirror shine on frames, but won’t give the secret potion or solution. I can’t afford his services, so please give me some help. I sanded the frame up to 2000 grit paper. Maybe not enough or what? I polished with black compound, brown, then white with no success. Any solution for me out there? Please, Please, Please H.E.L.P
ERIC JONES
AUTO PAINTING – PINEVILLE, Louisiana
2006 — appended to this thread by editor
A. Keep in mind this will only polish aluminum. NOT STEEL.
I used 2000 grit sandpaper then steel wool, very fine steel wool. than use No.7 clearcoat polish, to Mothers Polish.
I did all of this by hand because a sander or buffing wheel will cause streaks and scratches in your aluminum.
hope that helps a bit,
BV
Brian Verkaart
– Boston, Massachusetts
2006
Q. Aside from stripping the paint off, what are all the steps I need to do to polish an aluminum bicycle frame and what are names of chemicals (compounds) I need to complete this polishing process?
Cesar Padilla
Teacher – San Diego, California, USA
2006 — appended to this existing thread by editor
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Ed. note: letters 800, 1831, and 10917 go into substantial detail about aluminum frame and rim polishing.