My Scratched Saddlebag Fix

[ZedHed]

Dude -- I am so going to use that paint on my grab bars.  They scratch too easily and look crappy in silver.  Thanks for the write-up and your bags look awesome, don't listen to the few naysayers !!! 

[curly]

I saw a c14 in Daytona this year at the Helmet Shop who had done the bags all over in bedliner stuff. It actually looked pretty good. I couldn't locate him/her to ask about it.

Yours looks great too. Nice job.

[mkorn]

Hell of a clever fix ... thanks for sharing!

[alexx45]

Now I like that. I've got a couple of nicks in the tops of both my bags from hauling a camp chair strapped across my back seat on a long ride They're not huge but they are noticeable. I've been toying with the idea of using touch-up paint to fix it but this looks like it might even work a little better. I really like the idea for preventing boot scuffs after a long day. Sometimes tired = brain lapse when mounting the bike. It Happens. I wonder how it would look on a black saddle bag. Hmmmmm

[Vegas Rider]

Looks great!  Two thumbs up

[scgoan]

Wow, I can't believe how professional that looks! Great job!!!

[comet]

Ingenious fix, you did a great job!

[Bosco]

Now that it has been over 6 months. How is it holding up.

[Gearhead82]

It's holding up well.  However, I don't always ride with the bags installed and it's been winter so they don't have a lot of miles on them.  I suspect they will hold up very well over the long run though.

[maxtog]

It's holding up well.  However, I don't always ride with the bags installed and it's been winter so they don't have a lot of miles on them.  I suspect they will hold up very well over the long run though.

I somehow missed the original thread.  I have to hand it to you, that looks *really nice*.  Some people say I am hard to impress

[Pokey]

Much like....gonna do that when mine get scuffed. Bedliner on the grabrails will for be getting done soon. I use that stuff all over my WR250R, applies perfectly on plastic and tough as nails.

[nico]

Gearhead, I like what you've done. I have a scratch in the lower area of one of my bags, that starts below the bottom-most "rib" and runs through the area that's already texturized. So in my case, just coating the top third wouldn't help. I'm seriously considering entirely coating both bags.

Anyway, I don't know anything about wet sanding. I wonder if you could give a little more detail about what sandpaper you used and how you did the sanding? Did you do all the sanding with 400 grit, or did you start out with something more coarse and finish with 400 grit? Was it just your basic 400 grit paper that I'd buy at any hardware store, or do you need some special type of sandpaper to wet-sand plastic? Did you do the sanding by hand, or did you use a machine?

[wendel]

When I bought my 08 C14, people were taping off the lower front corners of the bags and spray painting them with the bed liner to repair scuff marks from dropping the bike. You did an excellent job. The idea of using it instead of tank pads is interesting and the cost would be insignificant compared to Tech Specs. Plus you could apply it and them paint it to match the bike and almost hide it.

[Gearhead82]

Gearhead, I like what you've done. I have a scratch in the lower area of one of my bags, that starts below the bottom-most "rib" and runs through the area that's already texturized. So in my case, just coating the top third wouldn't help. I'm seriously considering entirely coating both bags.

Anyway, I don't know anything about wet sanding. I wonder if you could give a little more detail about what sandpaper you used and how you did the sanding? Did you do all the sanding with 400 grit, or did you start out with something more coarse and finish with 400 grit? Was it just your basic 400 grit paper that I'd buy at any hardware store, or do you need some special type of sandpaper to wet-sand plastic? Did you do the sanding by hand, or did you use a machine?

I'm not an expert at sanding and prepping by any means, but the basic idea is just to at least scuff up the clear coat a little so that the new paint (or bedliner) will stick.  I think I did use some courser paper (maybe 150 or 220 grit) to try to sand out the scratch itself, but the bedliner will do a decent job of filling in the scratch if it's not too deep.  You can get the wet/dry sand paper at any auto parts store.  I think the main purpose of using it wet is to keep the paper from clogging up with dust.  I just used a small bowl filled with water and added a couple drops of Dawn dish soap.  Just dip the paper in there and keep it wet.  Since you're applying a thick, textured material, you don't need to be too careful.  More than likely you could just lightly sand it with some regular 220 grit paper, wash it well, and paint away.  Also, I've since used the bedliner spray on a couple projects at home and work and I found that I like the Rustoleum brand better than the Dupli-Color brand.  I think it's cheaper too, about $7/can at Home Depot.  The stuff sprays out pretty heavy so I would recommend practicing on a piece of cardboard or something first so you know what to expect when spraying.

[nico]

I'm not an expert at sanding and prepping by any means, but the basic idea is just to at least scuff up the clear coat a little so that the new paint (or bedliner) will stick.  I think I did use some courser paper (maybe 150 or 220 grit) to try to sand out the scratch itself, but the bedliner will do a decent job of filling in the scratch if it's not too deep.  You can get the wet/dry sand paper at any auto parts store.  I think the main purpose of using it wet is to keep the paper from clogging up with dust.  I just used a small bowl filled with water and added a couple drops of Dawn dish soap.  Just dip the paper in there and keep it wet.  Since you're applying a thick, textured material, you don't need to be too careful.  More than likely you could just lightly sand it with some regular 220 grit paper, wash it well, and paint away.  Also, I've since used the bedliner spray on a couple projects at home and work and I found that I like the Rustoleum brand better than the Dupli-Color brand.  I think it's cheaper too, about $7/can at Home Depot.  The stuff sprays out pretty heavy so I would recommend practicing on a piece of cardboard or something first so you know what to expect when spraying.

Thank you so much for the quick reply! That's exactly the sort of info for which I was looking. You mentioned you've since used Rustoleum and prefer it over Duplicolor. What makes you like Rustoleum better? Have you noticed any difference in the color or texture between the two?

[Gearhead82]

Thank you so much for the quick reply! That's exactly the sort of info for which I was looking. You mentioned you've since used Rustoleum and prefer it over Duplicolor. What makes you like Rustoleum better? Have you noticed any difference in the color or texture between the two?

The Duplicolor came out kind of in little "globs" compared to the Rustoleum which comes out nice and even, more like regular spray paint.  The Rustoleum also has a slightly finer and more uniform texture after it dries.

[Excavator]

I used the Rustoleum on my summer windscreen, it all turned out even and uniform.

[martin_14]

I used the Rustoleum on my summer windscreen, it all turned out even and uniform.

If I may: what are those two vents on the front of the windshield, and why? 

[nico]

The Duplicolor came out kind of in little "globs" compared to the Rustoleum which comes out nice and even, more like regular spray paint.  The Rustoleum also has a slightly finer and more uniform texture after it dries.

"Finer and more uniform" is precisely what I'm after. Rustoleum it shall be.

[Excavator]

If I may: what are those two vents on the front of the windshield, and why? 

Simply to minimize back pressure. Doing 70 on the hwy with the shield up there is quite a bit of back pressure pushing me toward the front adding weight to the wrist and shoulders, I was suprised at how well it worked. The vents and bar risers I just added have helped a lot.