EZ-RIDER Chain Guard 100% Refurbished in Flat Black!
The 1st *COMPLETED* EZ-RIDER Mini-Project! At long last, I have finally completed *SOMETHING* on EZ-RIDER! Wow!
Yes, I know that re-painting a formerly black plastic chain guard in flat black is a trivial thing. Especially in the final analysis, when it comes to the Art of Motorcycle Repair, which will incorporate thousands and thousands of little fixes - But as they say here in China: "千里之行，始於足下" ("A journey of a thousand miles begins with but one step" -- Laozi), and this one was mine!
What a totally grotty chain guard. When I took it off, I immediately noticed that it was in horrible, terrible shape. Not only was it damaged, it was also caked with years of old, hard grease, road grit, little stones and all manner of other assorted nasties. It was faded and chalky looking. All of the fittings were (of course) rusty.
So I figured that this was as good a place as any to get STARTED with something I could FINISH. No waiting for parts or tools - just get it done! And, after this simple and easy beginnning...I could start to work my way out!
First, I power washed the chain guard as best I could.
Next, I went after what even the power washer couldn't dislodge, with a combination of elbow grease, turpentine, and disposable chopsticks! I ended up using two disposable chopsticks to scrape the inside of the chain guard and loosen the toughest, most anchored grit.
All the while, I used PLENTY of rags to soak up the resulting mess, because the resulting concoction was 100% BLACK, disgusting and and obscuring everything.
After I had cleared away the mess and completely wiped the chain guard down, I let the turpentine evaporate
After that, I sanded the chain guard with 220 grit wet/dry sandpaper. I did this so the flat black spray paint could have something to anchor onto, because plastic has no pores. Unlike wood, smooth surfaces like metal and plastic need to be roughened, or paint won't stick to them.
Once I had finished sanding the chain guard, I wiped it down with acetone.
(the next time I do something like this I will use alcohol instead, because I think the acetone was likely too harsh, and alcohol would have done an equally good job for cleaning away any remaining residue from the sanding)
Next, I put down an initial coat of flat black paint on the side of the chain guard that faces the public. After a 15 minute wait, I put down a second coat on the entire outside surface of the chain guard, front and back, and then left it to dry overnight.
Here's the result of my labor:
Hey, even though it was a very small job in the grand scheme of things, I felt super good about getting something on this motorcycle FINISHED. No waiting for tools, no waiting for parts, no waiting on consumables, no need to do further research. It just got DONE.
So, 1/1000 of the bike is now FINISHED...and that feels GREAT!
BILL OF MATERIALS:
GLOVEWORKS HD Industrial Black Nitrile Gloves - 6 mil, Latex Free, Powder Free, Diamond Texture, Disposable, Large, Box of 100https://amzn.to/35fifrv
Klean-Strip Green QKGT75004 Turpentine, 1-Quart
https://amzn.to/2ERhQ3e
Rust-Oleum 248903 Automotive 12-Ounce High Heat 2000 Degree Spray Paint, Flat Black
https://amzn.to/3996MfO
Disposable Chopsticks, pack of 40 pair
https://amzn.to/3979cLK
Scott Shop Towels Original Blue, 55 Sheets/Standard Roll, Pack of 2
https://amzn.to/2PSs89l
3M 220 Grit Imperial Wet/Dry Sandpaper Sheet, 9in x 11 in, Pack of 5
https://amzn.to/34OnuNT
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