swingarm cleanup

[Kawasakinut]

got a question about my swingarm kx 250 year 2000. what would be the best thing to return the swing arm to stock condition on this style bike? keep in mind that i want the swingarm to look original. trying to detail this beast piece by piece as i put her back topgether.   

[BDI]

You should sand out the bad scratches then polish the spars I'm not talking like a mirror but smooth enough you can use a scotch brite pad to put the brushed look back on the spars.when doing the scotch brite pad only go in one direction and then stop and lift and start over from the begining if you go back and forth you will not get strait lines and you get turn around marks at the end of your stroke if that makes any sence.Then mask off the spars with some 10 mil tape and glass bead blast the cast portions of the swingarm if you do It right it will look brand new and stock.

[Wizzy214]

dont know what your budget is but the very best thing to do is to have it  bead blasted then powder coated. to the stock color.

[BDI]

dont know what your budget is but the very best thing to do is to have it  bead blasted then powder coated. to the stock color.

I guess that would be the most stock thing to do. I myself like the look of the raw aluminum, it looks modern to me.

[Jeeks]

The swing arm is painted from the factory.  You could try to match the paint or get it powder coated like others have said.  If you strip it down to bare aluminum, your going to have a heck of a time keeping it nice looking.

[BDI]

I did this swing arm two years ago It still looks good to me. Using that logic I should take my new aluminum frame bike apart and paint the frame to keep it looking nice? It does not look original but unless you are doing a full on numbers matching resto to auction at Barrett-Jackson who cares. I think silver paint/powder coat looks cheep on a swingarm.

[Plowboy]

 I guess to make it look "original" is one thing, but I personally prefer polished aluminum to painted/coated anyday. I don't think polished holds dirt as much as painted, though it does take a little Mother's AP to keep it looking it's best.

 Just my opinion though.

[Jeeks]

lol..judging by the paddle, it would be pretty easy to keep clean.  Try running it through some Jersey loam once. 

Any bare metal is hard to keep clean on a dirt bike that actually sees mud.  I have to clean my hubs and crap with a toothbrush otherwise it takes weeks for the stains to come out.

The bare alu looks sweet, just would be a pain in the ass for me.

[The Flyin Hawaiian]

Anyone try clear coating the swing arm after getting the desired finish?

[BDI]

Anyone try clear coating the swing arm after getting the desired finish?

       Yes one time I polished mine until I could brush my hair in it. then I took it down and had it clear powder coated the clear nocked the shine down a bunch from the mirror shine I had. Then my rear brake reservoir got busted and leaked all down the side of my swingarm while I was riding. It turned the powder coat urine yellow then I found out that aircraft paint stripper would not take off the powder coat.That left me with the option of sand blasting the powder coat off. I did not want to even try to repolish it after sand blasting so I got another swing arm. Now I do all of my swingarms as described If It starts looking a little scrappy I brake out the scotch brite pad and redo it for free.

    P.S. I hate mud and avoid it like the plague. Here in the desert we have nasty rocks that make quick work of paint or any other finish you put on something.But I have dealt with red clay mud on raw aluminum before and have never had a problem washing It off with soap,water and rag.

[BDI]

bdi that is exactly the finish i am shooting for. i wasn't sure if the raw aluminum was original on my bike from the replys i've gotten i guess its not but i like the raw finish better anyway so i'm gonna got with it. 

      Remember to make It look good takes an artistic touch for most people It would be far easier just to take it some where and have it powder coated.You know what looks cool but is kind of a pain to do is to polish all the welds to mirror finish then mask the welds and then do the brushed finish on the spars then mask the spars and the welds then glass bead blast the cast parts.How ever you do it do not bead blast the weld this is a sure tip off that you did it yourself. To make the finish more durable you could have it clear anodized but that's not cheap or easy to fix when it gets screwed up. Also do not use sand to blast the swing arm It comes out a dull gray color. to get the shiny clean silver look you have to use glass bead. I like to spray on and wipe down the swing arm after I'm done with teflon spray this helps to plug the poors of the metal with teflon you could even buy some aluminum sealer to do this with from http://www.zoops.com/zoopseal.asp.

[Kawasakinut]

              got started on that swingarm today  made a bearing remover for like $18 at the hardware store. then i used the scotchbrite to clean er up a little bit -  still not finished yet.   

bearing remover parts

1.) 13/16 socket
2.) socket as big as the inside dia. of swingarm
3.) 4 washers
4.) 3 nuts
5.) 2 ft of all thread

 

[puffy]

I am having mine blasted then cromed.Shiny and no fuss .I guess it is the drag banshee thing still in me.

[Kawasakinut]

 lemme see when ur done plz!!! lol i chromed out my my shifter/kickstart lever/brake lever/and bottom triple clamp with a buffer and aluminum polish. i might just scotchbrite them back to a brushed aluminum finish not sure i'm diggin the chrome look.

[puffy]

Not polished, I mean take it to a chrome shop and have it chromed like a bumper.