Back to Black - The forever edition - restoring faded plastic

[mrbios]

Cleaned the plastic with a cloth and soapy water then made sure the surface was dry. Spent about 30 minutes on each side with a heat gun from harbor freight - you can watch videos to learn proper technique. After things cooled down I applied Bear brand water based Spar Polyurethane with a sponge. Available from Home Depot for $22 for one quart. The 'Spar' polyurethane contains a UV blocker which will prevent the plastic from fading and is very easy to reapply. It should last at least 5 years. Also, it can be de-glossed to more of an OEM flat matte finish with a plastic scrubbing pad or ordinary house scrubbing sponge.

Note: the bike is a 2012 NCX with 46K miles on it and up until 2019 it was stored outside in Southern California with no cover.

 

[jeremyr62]

S'funny you should post this as I was using one of those butane/propane weed gun burners and I just happened to play the flame onto a very faded pvc (assumed) drain pipe. Blimey, it came up like new. I did a few more with the same result. Plenty of room for error though. Make sure your insurance covers you for fire.

 

[mzflorida]

Cleaned the plastic with a cloth and soapy water then made sure the surface was dry. Spent about 30 minutes on each side with a heat gun from harbor freight - you can watch videos to learn proper technique. After things cooled down I applied Bear brand water based Spar Polyurethane with a sponge. Available from Home Depot for $22 for one quart. The 'Spar' polyurethane contains a UV blocker which will prevent the plastic from fading and is very easy to reapply. It should last at least 5 years. Also, it can be de-glossed to more of an OEM flat matte finish with a plastic scrubbing pad or ordinary house scrubbing sponge.

Note: the bike is a 2012 NCX with 46K miles on it and up until 2019 it was stored outside in Southern California with no cover.

Nice little project! I'm not big on endorsing products, but 303's protectants do what I think is an outstanding job on restoring the luster to black plastics. It is not nearly as durable as your solution. But I wash my bike frequently so I just reapply. Nit taking away form your project one bit (I've done nearly the same thing on my daughter's first scooter), just an alternative to consider.

 

[dduelin]

I’ve had very good results in the past with a product called Wipe New. Admittedly the plastics were not severely weathered.

 

[Possummanj]

I had good results on discolored black plastic on my V-strom by using spray on truckbed coat--mask it off and shoot it--looked great

 

[MZ5]

Thanks for the report, mrbios!

Curious: Did you apply it to the control pods just inboard of the grips, too? How does that look? Those seem like a fiber-reinforced plastic to me, or I suppose perhaps just fiberglass, but on mine those need some protection.

 

[Havok]

I use a UV protecter on the matte finish parts and a good wax on the gloss parts to hopefully prevent the fade.

 

[670cc]

I use the Honda brand Spray Cleaner & Polish on the bike’s painted parts, black plastic, windscreen, the helmet and face shield, whatever. Spray a little bit on, wipe with a microfiber cloth. Done. The black parts stay black. But I admit my bikes are almost never parked outside in the sun.

 

[mrbios]

Thanks for the report, mrbios!

Curious: Did you apply it to the control pods just inboard of the grips, too? How does that look? Those seem like a fiber-reinforced plastic to me, or I suppose perhaps just fiberglass, but on mine those need some protection.

No, that plastic is harder and I would worry about damaging it or warping the HI/LOW switch. I have applied the polyurethane and it has the effect of darkening the plastic. Also, if that was not enough and since they are small they could easily be sanded and painted black with a sponge instead of spray to avoid the need to masks. My goal was to clean things up without the effort of masking and painting. Also, plastic can be difficult to get a durable lasting adhesion of the primer / paint.

 

[mrbios]

I use the Honda brand Spray Cleaner & Polish on the bike’s painted parts, black plastic, windscreen, the helmet and face shield, whatever. Spray a little bit on, wipe with a microfiber cloth. Done. The black parts stay black. But I admit my bikes are almost never parked outside in the sun.
View attachment 51710

I have that exact same can and use it on the windshield and reflective part of the mirrors.

 

[mrbios]

I use a UV protector on the matte finish parts and a good wax on the gloss parts to hopefully prevent the fade.

That will absolutely prevent fading. In my case I as I looked at the faded plastic from 7 years of uncovered storage outside I kept hearing:

The Living Years by Mike + the Mechanics​

"It's too late (it's too late) when we die (oh when we die)
To admit we don't see eye to eye...."

and for time I accepted the wisdom of the song but then I heard:

If I could turn back time by Cher
and I though if she could keep herself looking so young for so many years maybe I could do something to "turn back time" on my 2012 NCX.