Can you get a bike’s frame polished?

Is this something you can get done and specialists exist to do it? My 2015 blade has mottling on the frame basically surface corrosion and whilst it doesn’t really bother me it’s not great trying to sell the bike. How much should I expect to pay to get it polished? It’s only done 5k miles and i’ve never ridden it in the rain so it’s not a great advert for modern Hondas - there is paint flaking off the engine casing too. Honda warranty told me to get lost trying to claim under corrosion claiming the bike has been used through Winter and is salt corrosion which is utter BS.

 

Have you tried cleaning off the mottling yourself?

I've experienced the same problem and I just used a bit of wire wool and WD40 and it came up like new!

 

Thanks guys. Paulo no I haven't tried that i've not tried anything for fear of scratching or damaging the frame and making it even worse! The engine casing can be painted but the frame is one of those things I was worried was permanently ruined. It's not something I am going to try without asking how gently it should be done and any particular wire wool (I have none so need to buy some). This isn't something i'd want to get wrong!

The only reason I mentioned polishing was not for the look but for any answer to get rid of the mottling look.

 

Check this thread where a member had his swing arm polished. Looks friggin' magic. Perhaps PM him for details:

https://www.1000rr.co.uk/threads/bling.37037/#post-486742

 

Many years ago I had some corrosion on my r1, I bought a loy block (not sure if that is the correct spelling or if they are still available) but in certainly worked .

 

That is one shiny swingarm! Thanks Nigel i'm hoping I don't need to go that extreme.

Thanks for the suggestion.

This is a quick photo just taken in the dark so the flash actually makes it look worse than when it's outside in sunlight:

Ah it's uploaded twice for some reason and can't see how to delete one of them

 

Okay. As an alternative, try a test patch with Autosol. Is a mild abrasive, but lightly applied should not adversely affect your paint work.

 

Thanks Nigel i'll add that to my options. I'd like to try Paulo's suggestion first as he has tried it and it worked for him but I just need to know a bit more about it before trying such as how gently it needs to be done to avoid scuffing the frame etc.

I'm still in disbelief it's even gone like it. I had a 929 years ago that I used for commuting doing 25k a year in all weather all year round even in frost and snow so rode it in all the grit and salt and never cleaned it when I got home just went straight in the garage and back out the next day. It might have got cleaned once a month if that. It never corroded anywhere, it was absolutely bullet proof. So to me it shows just how badly Honda have cut down on quality when this bike has only been used in Summer and kept garaged and ends up with it's frame looking like that. In fact i'll attach a pic of my 929... if I could have that bike back now as it was when I sold it i'd snap someone's arm off for it.

 

I'd snap both arms off for that 929!

Re corrosion, it truly is sad if Honda's QC has gone so far downhill. But, with the greatest respect, let's consider the fact that corrosion or pitting will only occur should a foreign antagonist come into contact with the metal, or in this case your frame. Whilst I have have no doubt you have taken the greatest precautions, might it be possible that the garage environment has not been 'moisture free' - and that specifically includes damp air?

This is purely a gut feeling based on logic, but something has caused the mottling. This is why many expound the use of ACF50.

Another point is, are the the first owner? I ask that because if not, a previous owner might have allowed a contaminant (salt etc) to contaminate the frame and engine casings to cause the current situation. In any event, Paulo's WD40 and wire wool is a better preferred first option than my Autosol.

 

Thanks Nigel yeah I wish i'd never sold it! Wasn't the fastest bike i've had and drunk fuel being the first year of Honda introducing fuel injection but it was much bigger and more comfortable than my 2015 blade and took all the abuse you could throw at it. I bet it would have gone on for a long time after I sold it. I'll have to look up the reg to see if it's still on the road.

My garage will no doubt be damp during Winter it's not sealed with having a flat roof and eaves so gaps all down the external side allowing air in. However in 25 years of having bikes i've always kept them garaged and never had damp air issues do anything to a bikes frame like this one has gone. If that's what's caused it then I don't know where i'm supposed to keep my bike, sounds like it would be better off outside! Honda UK refused to do anything under corrosion warranty as I admitted to having an external venting tumbledryer in my garage and they blamed that as the cause even though it vents externally Like I say that 929 had salt and grit abuse constantly and not a mark on it yet the 2015 blade sits in garage and just damp (Winter) air can cause that then their frames are now far more fragile then they ever used to make them. If i'd known that before buying it i'd have stuck with older bikes. I also had a CBR400-RR that had even more abuse than the 929 as I was young and didn't care back then and that also never rotted and that's a Japanese import which aren't even made/protected for our weather/road conditions. So i've had 2 Honda sports bikes from the early 90s and early 2000 both were bullet proof but this is my first modern/new bike since 2003 and it's corroded just by sitting in a garage all Winter. I never expected newer bikes to be more fragile i'd just assumed quality would improve not cheapen. The Honda dealership guy I was dealing with did say to me when my warranty claim was turned down that all the manufacturers have cut costs massively on build quality admitting including Honda and then said Kawasaki were having loads of claims at the time for all sorts of issues. It's put me right off newer bikes I know that much.

 

Wow. I guess this serves notice to those who are unable to store bikes in a controlled environment. I have a couple in a shed, but run a small heater and dehumidifier throughout winter. For even a small garage I understand the cost of that would be prohibitive.

I just hope yours cleans up okay.

 

Thanks it's certainly been an eye opener for me. I bought a blade on the basis of my previous 2 Hondas being so incredible but Honda have lost that loyalty after this bike.

If I do keep it I will have to certainly do something for next Winter to try and protect it.

I hope it does too, I want to give it a try but need some advice on how to go about it.

 

Had a look online for these today and they look like a sanding block. What parts of the bike did you use it on? Also looked up how to deal with corrosion on aluminium and it was all for polished aluminium not like the bike frame finish so none the wiser.

I also checked for my old 929 and it’s not had an MOT since August last year so I hope it’s not been killed off.

 

Anyone know about getting frames powder coated? What sort of cost is it to strip the bike back enough to paint/powder coat the frame? This may well be my only option if I can't get the mottling off and also to stop it getting worse next Winter. Having the frame done in black is appealing to me.