Renewing the Black Plastic ( ST1300 )

[KoTAOW]

Submitted by Paul R. Buettner, STOC #3499

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Renewing the Black Plastic ( ST1300 )

Having no luck with any of the plastic bottle cures for the black trim on the ST 1300 I tried the bumper and trim spray paints available at any auto supply place. Here is what I found.


The Plasti-Kote Flexible Bumper and Trim is a spot on match for the ST 1300 but I only found it once and even those places that say they will get it for me have never been able to produce another can. With nothing to lose I tried the Dupli-Color Bumper Coating. While a slightly glosser finish I have found long term it dulls up ever so slightly and is an excellent choice for the black trim.

What to look for labels.

Plasti_Kote©

Dupli-Color©

As a test I painted an old knee pad to see how it would look and if the paint would stick to and stay stuck on the rubber. It has on both counts.


The paint sticks to the rubber very well and remains stuck even when the top and bottom edge are bent over and touching each other.

Although not as dynamic a difference in person this is not a touch-up project on the rubber pieces. The plastic pieces do much better as a touch-up but at one point you have the piece in hand so you would be better off just painting the entire piece and being done with it.

The lower. Left half painted right half not.


Some of the worst pieces to fade on the 1300 are the latch pieces on the saddle bags. These fade to gray regardless of what you use and how often you use it.


Just the latch itself not the handle has been painted. These were done several years ago and they still look great and give no appearance of a touch-up.

I still use an Armor-All type protectorate on the trim pieces but more for the shine and UV protection than anything.
For about the same cost as Mothers© Back to Black you can have a permanent fix to the trim fading and be done with it. Highly recommended.

Thank You again for your contribution Paul R. Buettner, STOC #3499

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Comments by Chuck Henderson, STOC# 086:
I use a light coat of Baby Oil after each wash. Works good and keeps the black trim from fading. Mine was getting fadded bad untill I switched to the Baby Oil.

I tried Back to Black© and Armor All© and all the other products. I found the more you used the more it needed to be used. Baby Oil for me now. and it smells good.