Hello everyone.  My 2000 GS has so vertical rash on the factory exhaust can due to the previous owner.  The rash doesn't look that deep, though is a definate eyesore.  Would it be possible to sand/grind the rash back to smooth, then polish the entire can back at a good metallic shine?  Has anyone done this or know how?  I've been told that you can polish metal using really fine grit sandpaper, but I don't know where to start...what to use...or any best methods.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Aside from a stage 3 re-jet and some electrical upgrades, I'm trying to plan out the winter disassembly season.

Thanks for any help...

yes, you can.  start with some good quality sandpaper, pretty fine grit.  i'd say over 600.  use the 3m wet/dry sandpaper, it's pretty good.  work your way through finer and finer grits.   then use polishing compound to get the final shine.  or just do like i did, and stop before that and keep the "brushed" metal look.

I recently got a V&H pipe and the can was somewhat faded and had some burnt on crap on it, I took a scotch brite to it and got all that off then polished it, it came out ok.  I dont know how it would work though to get out scratches, mine has some on it and I never really tried to get them out, I think it would involve quite a bit of labor and a high speed polisher, it you wanted it to look perfect, otherwise some elbow grease will do. Check out meguiars.com they've got some info on getting fine scratches out of clearcoat, I think the process would be somewhat the same for metal.  I think its under how to center then under Barry's clinics, just a thought.  You could also paint the entire thing black, which is what I did with the stocker.  



So you say your planning a disassembly this winter, I too plan to do a complete disassembly and redo my bike.  Some of my mods include a V&H exhaust, Bandit 400 rear wheel, new tires, new chain, 15t sprocket, Buell Turn signals, new mirrors, K&N pod filter and Stage 3 jets, 89 top triple, Katana 600 shock, complete sandblasting of frame and other parts, and then powder coating either black or a darker metalic silver-close to the 96's, should be quite the project.

just a small question here....

is it the stock pipe you want to take the scratches out of?

chris<pixelmonkey>

Thanks for all the replies.  I'm very new to motorcycling and I'm trying to jump in head first.

Quoteis it the stock pipe you want to take the scratches out of?

And yes...this is the stock pipe.  The black portion still looks great...not faded at all...but the cover over the can has the scratches that I'd like to remove.

ok... that part i believe is chrome plated steel.

thus, sanding it down with the above suggestions will work, but it will leave you with a dull surface exposed to weather and ready to rust at the first site of moisture.

if anyone here knows differently, please jump in and correct me!


my thoughts... live with the scratches until you can replace with another scratchless set of OEM or an aftermarket set.

hope it helps!
chris<pixelmonkey>

Cool...I never thought about that...I figured it was polished aluminum or something.  I'll double check before proceeding.  Thanks for the heads up.

if you sand it down to get all the "scratches" out then you MUST go back and polish the metal/ water seal it. Krylon makes a clear coat that works well after you polish her up:) Then go back over the clear coat [after it dries of course ] and apply a wax.

a dremel works really well for polishing btw...or a drill w/ a polishing bit

Ah...so a clear coat will keep the polished steel from rusting.  And I thought I'd get out of all that elbow grease.  I have a dremel, but I think the bearings would burn out by the time the whole can got polished  :dunno:

Anyway...as always thanks to all for the advice.

The bright cover may be stainless?  Check it with a magnet.  Chrome plated steel will attract the magnet.  Stainless and aluminum will not.  The stainless and aluminum metal can be sanded and polished.

Good luck.


Bob

Well everyone...it took some doing with loads of elbow grease but the scratches are all but removed.  Sadly some scratches remain because they were so deep, but the other 99% of the nasty rash was removed.  The can was wet-sanded using 3M 220 grit paper until I got a consistent "brushed aluminum" look and most of the scratches were removed.  Then I slowly progressed through 400, 600, 800, and 1000 grit paper.  Finally I took a good metal polisher and rubbed the can to a mirror shine.  I never found out if the can was chrome-plated, stainless, aluminum, or whatever but the end product looks really good for a couple days of work around my school schedule.

Does anyone know of a high temperature clear coat that I can apply to protect the polished surface from oxidation and inadvertant scratches.  Also, part of me would like to dress the can up a bit with "Suzuki," "GS500," or something like that in high gloss black down the midline of the can.  Do they make a vinyl decal material or gloss paint that will withstand the temperatures that I can use to apply a custom decal before appling the clear coat.  Please be specific about product brands and where I can find them (I'm not exactly handy is these ways if you can't tell).

Thanks for all the help with everything.  Be aware that once I put the bike into hibernation I will be ripping out the carbs and trying to get the bike idling better (I think the pilot screws aren't set right) so youll hear from me again soon.