Hey everyone,

I picked up an 08 1000rr on Monday and was giving it a wipe-down and noticed that the headlights and parts of the fairings are nicked. To me, it seems like the previous owner went off roading or sprayed the bike with rocks that nicked the plastics. Only at close glance can you see the damage, which doesn't really bother me.

However, the headlights are also nicked. It doesn't effect the lighting or anything but it's a cosmetic issue. I was thinking about just replacing the entire assembly, which can cost a bit.

Any ideas what I should do? Replace or keep?

I'll try to upload some pictures soon.

 

Keep & use. My F4 has places like that in the headlight plastic & front cowl from cars rear tires throwing up debris. If what you're talking about is like that, just clean/polish it up & keep on keepin' on. ;-)

 

Any suggestions for the fairings? I'd hate to have to buy new plastics or get these repainted. The nicks are small, but when you see them it looks like the plastics are dirty but it's because the black from underneath the paint is showing. I've used touch-up paint before but if done incorrectly can look odd. Suggestion?

 

Possible for you to posts pics?

 

 

Normal paint/plastic damage from use. Other then building a show bike and never taking it out expect this type of damage over time. I've seen some of the clear (car) headlight films which do a decent job of protecting the lens from small chips but I don't know if in the long run it's any better then the occassional polish.

 

Yeah but it's pointless to put that on now...they're damaged for good now.

 

Have you tried one of these?

Paint Pens | 1/2 Ounce Touch Up Paint Pens | AutomotiveTouchup | 888-710-5192

or

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Radnor-Val...r-Box/15789570

 

You can wet sand and buff out your headlights if the nicks are bothering you. I've done it in the past with good results. However, I already have all of the materials and tools since my hobby is restorations, so it may actually be cheaper to find a good used headlight.

What I do is wetsand the headlight with 800 grit, then 1000, then 2000. Once all of the nicks are gone, I buff it out with an electric buffer with a wool pad and heavy cut rubbing compound. I see there are more and more headlight restoration kits popping up for use with a drill, but I have never used them so can't say how well they work. But they should work the same. You could wet sand the headlights and use one of those kits with the foam buffing pad attached to a drill.

Of course, you can only wetsand and buff so much. If the nickes are really deep, you won't be able to remove them.

As for the nicks in the paint. The only thing you can really do is touch it up. But as you said, most touch ups look worse than the nicks that are already there. But, if you look at most bikes, your going to see the same damage. It's just the color of your bike really shows up the nicks.

If you do use the touch up paint, try taking a tooth pick and dipping it in the paint. This will give you a really good pinpoint ability to add just enough paint to the area's you need it.