| Author | Message | ||
     Hammeroid |
Sooo, I've been using Novus 1 on my plastics since I purchase my bike with great results. While getting ready to store the bike for the winter I noticed some scratches in the airbox cover and decided to try Novus 2 to remove them. Results are not so good. I now have a large section of my airbox that looks cloudy, and it appears to be permanent. Is there anything out there that might remove this???? Any help or suggestions are appreciated. Sean | ||
| Lovematt |
I have not used Novus in a while but it used to be that you would "step down" similar to paint polishes. For example you might start out with Novus 3, then Novus 2, and finally Novus 1. I am going to presume you used a reasonably good cotton rag/towel for doing this work...most polyester/rayon rags are generally not recommended. I don't believe these plastics are coated (the solid colors)...not sure about the translucent plastics though...I know NOVUS 2&3 may not work on coated plastics. Try doing a small area with Novus 1 to see if it clears up. Also in the future start small if possible to make sure the results are what you want...that has saved me a few times. | ||
| Hammeroid |
Thanks, I used good white cotton shirt. Started with N2 and then went over it 4 or 5 times with N1, no luck. I was wondering also if there is anything that could be used to take all of the novus off and then start over. I usually do start in a small area first to see results. I don't know what I was thinking. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Novus 2? Or Novus 3? And did you use a toothbrush or something? That will totally wreck the surface. Novus 2 with a good clean cotton cloth following the directions on the bottle ought to be able to give you just about a mirror finish. if you did butcher it up by accident (been there, done that) Novus 3 then Novus 2 will get you back to where you want to be, but it will take you some time. Don't know if you could shorten the work by starting with some crazy high grit paper (1600?), but I never had the guts to try. | ||
| Reepicheep |
(posts crossed)... good point, my data is all from the translucid stuff, but i thought the non translucent stuff was all molded in color and would work the same way. I haven't tried it yet though. I don't think Novus 1 does anything beside put on an anti-static coating. Novus 3 does a rough cut, Novus 2 does the polish, Novus 1 is more of a cleaner. The Harley Sealer Glaze seems to be a "gentler then Novus 2 but still cutting a little". I have had good luck with it. | ||
| Treadmarks |
PlastX by Meguiars works wonders on the windshied and tank/airbox cover. | ||
| Cycleaddict |
try one of the scratch remover products (i use blue coral ) | ||
| Hammeroid |
Reepicheep: I used Novus2 with a good clean cotton cloth and followed the directions on the bottle with poor results. Maybe if I get Novus 3 then move to 2. Maybe N3 will get rid of the poor results of N2. Or maybe get PlastX or Blue coral and end with novus 1 Thanks for all the help. Sounds like some good suggestions Sean | ||
| Nasty73z |
Hammeroid, Is your bike black by chance? If so, the Novus 2 will cloud the plastics. It should not be used on black plastics. I know this from personal experience. Nothing can remove the hazing but time. Try one of the other mentioned products like the Meguiars' Plastx. | ||
| Cereal |
Scratches add character. | ||
| Hammeroid |
Nasty73z. You guessed it. At least I know now that at some point it will come off. I will never use it on the bike again. Thanks. Sean | ||
| Pwnzor |
 Click here to get rid of your scratches and swirls on metals, clearcoats, plastics, ANYTHING Pwnzor's official seal of approval! | ||
| Hammeroid |
I was gonna pick some of that up for my rusty exhaust problem. I had no idea you could use it on plastic. NevrDull, which I thought was a similar product is only for metals. Thanks Pwnzor. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Novus 3 would make a problem created with Novus 2 even worse, so try one of the other suggestions here (including the Harley Sealer Glaze). | ||
| Pwnzor |
It's good for every surface. I used it on my clear windscreen, and it looks like new! | ||
| Diablobrian |
You use the nano-polish on plastic? I've been using flitz for years, but never thought to try it on paint or plastic. It does say (just like the nano-polish) safe for fiberglass though. Hmmmmmm Plexus is another product to try for final shine. It was designed for the plexiglass bubbles on helicopters, and I have been using it with good results. Also Honda cleaner/polish in an aerosol is another good one, but I prefer the plexus for final polishing of plastic parts. | ||
| Pwnzor |
Absolutely. | ||
| Court |
I need a little help. Some of our Italian friends are having problems with cleaning the plastic after getting gas (petrol) on it. We've had some discussions and folks have reported various results. Is there a consensus as to whether or not anything really works and if so, what works best? Court | ||
| Reepicheep |
Sure... here is my experience. Take the plastics off the bike, and sit down on a comfortable chair. Put in a good movie or a good album. For the really bad gas etching, I had to use Novus 3. Follow the instructions using clean cotton cloth (furry towels works best). Keep scrubbing it as it dries. Do NOT use toothbrushes or other "time savers"... stick to the cloth. Then repeat with Novus 2, again following directions. Then I use "Harley sealer glaze" as a kind of Novus 1.5. Novus 1 supposedly polishes as well, but I can't tell a difference, except that it keeps the plastics from attracting dust. That will (with patience) remove all marks, you may have to repeat each step a few times. Start with a small area and take it all the way to perfect so you get an idea how many times to repeat each step before you move to the next step. The only place this cannot reach is right where the "stickers" and rubber X mount to the airbox. I have not found anything that will get in those crevices that won't also scratch the finish... but I have not tried very hard. Its hard to see the frosting there anyway. I just ignore it. Somebody else reported good success with very high grit sandpaper (2000+ ?). I have long suspected this would work well as a step that either precedes or replaces the Novus 3 step, but never remember to get the right paper when I am at the store. I expect that would be an easier way to get into the crevices, and getting the right grits in the right sequence would probably go a lot faster then the Novus, and could probably make it perfect again (the novus makes it near perfect). The novus is nice and slow and "mostly harmless" though, so its the safer route, and even for the worst "frosting spills" I don't think I ever spent more then an hour cleaning it back up to near perfect. Its really hard to keep the gas off these things, and annoying that they mark so easily, but they clean up fairly easily as well... and now after 20k "commuting" miles, the airbox cover is never more then an hour away from looking showroom new again (from 3 feet or more away). So it's still a step forward from a paint job IMHO. I've tried all sorts of goo and called McGuires tech line to ask them what I could put on the tank to resist gasoline... and the answer is always the same... nothing. If somebody here wants to send me some sample goo they have laying around, I have a "tester" cover that I will test with. But regardless, it's not that hard to clean. |
