I’m really a fan of original paint jobs. If I’m being honest, bikes that are all shiny from a fresh repaint tire me out a bit.
I find it more charming when things are a bit worn, dented, cracked, and scuffed—and you don’t even notice the scratches that way. As long as the exterior has some shine to it, that’s good enough for me.
I found a ZEPHYR400 decal tank being sold at Up Garage, so I’m stocking up on a spare. True to Up Garage form, purchase price was 7,000 yen *About 10,000 yen including shipping. That’s a seriously good deal!
So I just polished it by hand for about 10 minutes.
If you polish it more seriously, it’ll get super smooth and glossy. Of course, the compound is abrading it . Just be careful not to focus on edges or one spot and polish it endlessly.
The inside of the tank has some rust, but it looks like something you could remove at a DIY level. I wouldn’t recommend doing DIY coatings carelessly, you know? Be careful (*’ω’*) *Basically, I only buy uncoated used tanks. If a tank is already coated, you can safely assume it’s got a history of rust.
A bike looks beautiful when it has shine
If you apply some wax-like product after polishing, it’s perfect ♬ I’m the type who thinks as long as there’s shine, scratches and dents don’t matter. That aging feel becomes a nice character. It’s kind of like leather products, I guess?
If you bought a used bike and think it looks beat up, try polishing it with some ceramic compound ♬ It should come back to life quite a bit (*’ω’*)
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