Product ideas sought for freshing up a "new" barn find bike

[rodekyll]

Product ideas sought for freshing up a "new" barn find bike

I have become the owner of a 2004 Moto Guzzi EVT (touring) 2-wheeler. The bike has 204 miles on it. It has only a little black heel mark on a pipe where the owner dragged his foot looking for the kickstand (and some really old gas) to indicate it has ever been ridden. I want to buff it up, refresh the fluids, do a recall, and sell it as in "showroom-adjacent" condition. The mechanical stuff is not a problem. The buffing it up part is.

The bike has been under a tarp since 2004. The owner bought it, rode it home, and died. It remained there in his garage until I bought it last spring. So while it is pristine, it is tarnished and dull. The bike is black and chrome with floorboards, bags, fairing, and lowers. I have no ideas of products to use or how to apply them. I imagine there is cleared paint, chrome, polished aluminium, and fake chrome. I want to restore and polish without damaging or leaving marks. I never get to have anything nice, so I've never had to think about it. Your input is welcome.

 

[1dn5up]

Congratulations on the find :clapping: Guzzis are a nice ride and the choice of the Connecticut SP.

Being your mechanical, no need to comment. As far as cleaning, first try washing it. Then a good polish with a cleaner . If that don’t work then a deluted - watery white rubbing compound . If the chrome is rusty, try a navel jelly, then chrome cleaner. Plastic chrome , as there is no resurrection other than a vinyl flex paint. Aluminum, if not stained or pitted , use aluminum polish. Otherwise a fine scotchbrite pad will definitely improve the looks followed with polish. Sounds like a lot of labor , but if your flipping it it’s worth it.

Good luck.

 

[rodekyll]

Thanks for the comments so far. I had typed up a nice report of where I am with the project, which is tank in prep for POR-15 and most other removable bits on a table to be scrubbed and polished. When I went to post it my token had expired and I lost everything. Oh, well. :Shrug:

 

[rodekyll]

I had a nasty surprise as I started the tank sealing. I pulled the filler cap flange and the "paint" began curling and peeling from the metal. In less time than it takes to write about it it had kind of "shrunk" from around the filler hole and delaminated from about half of the surface.

Under the paint the tank appears to be raw chrome. It doesn't appear to have been prepped or primed. They just slapped some black over the raw metal and called it good.

Now what?

 

[peteg59]

Is it visible with the cap on?

You could try touching it up as black is an easy color to match, or you could do as Fuzzy suggested and use paint stripper on the painted part of the tank to have it all chrome...

 

[rodekyll]

Virtually all of one side of the tank is no longer coated. A spatula would easily remove what's remaining like peeling an orange.

The "chrome dome" look on some California models is apparently a response to this problem. Rather than trying to make it look right, some folks have embraced it. I'm hoping to sell the bike as new-adjacent so sadly, polishing the rest of the chrome is not an option.



The cost of repainting might bury me in the project. I hate it when that happens.

 

[bikerbillone]

I'm guessing you've thought of about every option on the tank, and the cost involved. But seems you have a great barn find here with little original investment. Is it worth removing the tank and taking it to a good paint shop? Those old Guzzi's were such nice looking machines, something you turn into a show piece over time, as you have the finances to do the job, the low mileage is remarkable.

 

[rodekyll]

The blue one above is a ringer for mine.

Yes, it looks like I am headed to the paint shop with it. I can't find a perfect one in the wild. Bummer.

I finished the engine recall work yesterday. I have a club chapter meeting today, so I'll get back to it tomorrow. I'm ordering some of that "Glare" polish for the rest of the bike.