Cleaning Up Triple Clamps

[dwarf66]

I am restoring a 78 RM 250 C-2. Does anyone have experience with polishing the triple clamps. It appears to have a clear coat or something on them besides the usual paint by idiots. I glass beaded them and now I need to clean them up more. Thanks
Marc

 

[Britt Boyette]

I beleive they have a clear coat on them which means you will have to strip it off first. Then you can polish them or clean them up and re-clear coat them. Some, like the 79-80 RM's, are painted a very light gold color. You can strip the paint and repaint and clear them too. Polishing looks better but you have to keep them clean.

 

[dwarf66]

Thanks Britt. I am looking for a good used alloy tank if you know of one.
Marc

 

[KTM Mike]

I just polished up a set of clamps on the RM370 I am getting ready to sell. Used my dremel with some rubbing compound then a product called Speedy Metal Polish (I can dig up the web site if you want it) That Speedy polish is outstanding! Quite amazing how well it works. You can get an almost mirror finish with that stuff if you want to! It does an excellent job on clamps, rims, forks - about anything!

 

[dwarf66]

Hi Mike thanks for the info. It is much appreciated. That 370 should be very interesting and pretty when you are done. I have been told that engine is not for the faint of heart. I have a very hard time selling them when they are done. Just out of curiosity, what do you expect the finished price to be on this model bike?
Marc

 

[KTM Mike]

Dwarf

Here is a link to that web site: http://www.speedymetalpolish.com/

Yeah, the 370 motors are strong! I had a 76 a couple years ago - first time I rode it was out in the field in front of my house - there I was rippin along grinning from ear to ear - then I realized i needed to shut it down before I can to the fence at the edge - that was when I realized that brakes on a 77 are no where as strong as modern bikes! (but strong enough fortunately!). That motor sure did HIT though! Modern powervalves that "fill in" the bottom end the old bikes did not have makes the hit of the old iron seem even harder!

Even the most basic of resto's take many many hours and you do grow attached to them dont ya! Kinda like raising kids or something!

I see in your sig a 79 Husky OR250 - I had a 79 Husky CR250...hated to part with it, and I also had a C-2...yet another one I should of held onto! And Britt - back in the day I had a 79 RM400 - that was another killer motor! That square cross section aluminum swingarm (rather than the rounded ones like the C-2 had) always seems so trick to me - no one else had one like that back then! Dwarf - I emailed you with the DRN email on price stuff (dont want the mods mad at me!!)

 

[dwarf66]

Hi Mike I got your email. I will get back to you. Nice corresponding with you. I have small children now so it is hard to even get my thoughts together on what I need to work on next. I will stay with the clamps for now and see how they come out.

 

[Master Wrench]

Most of the Jap tripple clamps are just painted clear coat . You can use a spray paint stripper to clean the paint off . Then , use a fine rubbing compound , then finish with Flitz....it's amazing stuff .You can do fork tubes and swingarms the same way .