Saddlebags- black faded

[STeelersFan]

I washed, detailed and waxed the 2004 ST1300 last weekend. As I stood and admired my work, the stainless mufflers looked great (after lots of elbow grease), but from the back, the saddlebags looked terrible. The black portion has faded and was a dirty faded black color. I've used Mother's back to black in the past and was generally pleased, but last fall when I detailed the bike, Mother's back to black didn't live up to my expectations.

I'm not sure why I tried this, but I had a bottle of Kiwi Black leather liquid scuff cover shoe polish, $2 @ Dollar General. I applied it to the rear portion of the black saddlebag area. I was really pleased with the results. Maybe I'll take a picture to show off the results.

Sometimes a cheap solution works.:D

[Mongo]

Dollar General is where my wife buy's all cleaning supplies Cages and bike included.

[BeBeep]

There are 2 products i know work. Turtle Wax made a product called Black Chrome that I used for many years and the stuff worked great but I have not been able to find it anywhere for over 2 years. Maybe it is discontinued.

The other is called Black Again and i have not used it on the bike stuff but it works great on other black plastic I have applied it to. I got my last batch off of Ebay but it is available on the internet also.

Mothers Back to Black sucks plain and simple.

[Louie Louie]

Mothers Back to Black sucks plain and simple.

Shucks..I just bought it.. Why do you say that amigo? Why are the other products better?

[Jamie Z]

I've been happy with Back to Black. Haven't tried Kiwi (although I've seen their other products) so I can't compare. Louie, don't be down about the Back to Black. It's brought my handlebar switches and my grey plastic back to life. They look new again.

When the bottle runs out (in about three years) I'll have to give the Kiwi a try.

Jamie

[Ken]

The trick with Back to Black is to make sure you buff it out after it dries per the instructions. If you just leave it there, it gives the finish a dull look and doesn't bring it back to black.

[racer1735]

S100 Engine Brightener brings 'black' back to life regardless of whether its rubber, plastic or metal. Its made for the black paint on engines, but works on anything.

[BeBeep]

I probably feel that Back to Black sucks because I had such a great product for so long (Black Chrome) and had to switch to Back to Black and was very dissappointed. Kinda like eating steak versus a hamburger. If you have never used Black Chrome I am sure you would be happy with Back to Black.

Just my opinion for what it is worth. (Not Much!!:D )

[nm6r]

I used Black Chrome on one of my vehicles and was very pleased with it. I still had some left when I got my ST1300 and found it didn't do the trick on the bags. Maybe it was just way to old. I use ArmorAll on the black textured parts and am pleased with the appearance and uniformity.

Ray
http://www.frontiernet.net/~st1300rider/smile04Bikerwheelie.gif

[Louie Louie]

Folks, just finished using this product. Used in in black tupperware and fairing deflectors.. I highly recommend it, just make sure and you buff it after applying.

[TitaniumFryCook]

Black Chrome is still around (in SoCal anyway), but the formula has changed over the years. Black Chrome used to be sorta milky. However, the last time I picked some up at Pep Boys, the packaging was different and it was a clear liquid.

If you're really desperate to restore your black plastics, try and find the product that Chevy sells to its Avalanche owners (1/2 that truck is plastic). As a former owner I've read tons of positive reviews on the product. However, it's quite expensive.

Update: just checked out the Avalanche forums. It seems there are two products used to restore the plastic. One is armadillo somethingorother (just a cleaner and application), the other is called gatorback which appears to be an actual coating. http://www.gatorbackcoatings.com/index.htm

[ALANT]

I washed, detailed and waxed the 2004 ST1300 last weekend. As I stood and admired my work, the stainless mufflers looked great (after lots of elbow grease), but from the back, the saddlebags looked terrible. The black portion has faded and was a dirty faded black color. I've used Mother's back to black in the past and was generally pleased, but last fall when I detailed the bike, Mother's back to black didn't live up to my expectations.

I'm not sure why I tried this, but I had a bottle of Kiwi Black leather liquid scuff cover shoe polish, $2 @ Dollar General. I applied it to the rear portion of the black saddlebag area. I was really pleased with the results. Maybe I'll take a picture to show off the results.

Sometimes a cheap solution works.:D

I've always used a product called Black Magic on the black plastic on my F-150 and it worked great and it works just as well on the ST. A little goes a long way and its easy to use, just spray on a cloth and rub it in, no buffing required. I don't recall the price or manufacturer but it comes in a spray bottle and is available at Walmart, Auto Zone, etc. For the pipes I use Never Dull wadding cloth made by Eagle One, from Auto Zone too.

AlanT :04biker: