Getting the most $$$ out of your bike?

[Ace McCool]

I have a 2000 KDX220 with some minor wear and tear. (i.e. scratches on radiator shroud graphics, small tear in seat cover)
I've always heard that extras you purchase for a bike will never pay for themselves, but I'm preparing to sell my bike in a few weeks and I'd like to know if I could get more money out of it by replacing the scratched graphics. If so, where could I get OEM graphics for it? Are there any products available to help reduce the appearance of scratches on the plastic itself?
Further, would it be more valuable with the FMF exhaust or would it be better to put back on the stock pipe?

Thanks a Million,
Andrew

 

[yzeater]

n-style.com has your graphics, and you could buy plastic renew to fix the scratches

 

[CR 250 MXer]

Someone told me that Mop and Glow will have the same results as Plastic Renew and it is less expensive. Is this really true?

 

[yzeater]

Mop an Glow does a good job at getting the plastics clean, but it won't erase the scratches

 

[smb_racing]

are you using the mop n glow cleaner or the wax yzeater?

 

[Lorin]

I found it best to sell the aftermarket parts seperately and sell the bike with the stock parts. As to the pipe, paint the stock one to make it look nice and try to sell the other here. When selling my 91 kdx, I got $1350 for the bike and an additional $400 for frame guards, skid plate, disc covers, chain guides, exhaust, you get the point. With as many kdx's on this board, most of those parts would most likely sell fairly quick.

 

[Patman]

Mop-N-Glo or any other similar floor polish will do nothing to "clean" plastic but will put a glossy coating on the plastic making it look newer. It will not fill deep gouges or make heavily scratched plastic look showroom new but, will make a bike look MUCH better. Graphics are pretty inexpensive and do a lot to make the curb appeal of the bike more attractive to perspective buyers.

 

[CR 250 MXer]

Is there anything cheaper than plastic renew that will work just as well to make scratches go away? Or am I stuck buying a $20 bottle of plastic renew? Is it really worth it or should I put that $20 towards new plastic? Thanks.

 

[txvintage]

PC Plastic Renew reality check.

This stuff does not fill in or remove scratches. It comes with sand paper for wet sanding out the scratches, but you always need more than it comes with. The Liquid stuff is just a polish that you put on, let dry, and buff out with the supplied steel wool after you finish wet sanding.

Plastic Renew is outstanding for resurrecting vintage plastic that is no longer manufactured, but it takes hours of hard work to do it right. If you can buy new plastic, do it. Other wise just mop and glow your old stuff.

 

[CR 250 MXer]

What grit sandpaper is best to sand scratches out of plastic? What comes with the Plastic Renew kit?

 

[txvintage]

From the kit......

"Wet sand only the scratched areas with 220 grit. If some scratches are too deep for 220 consider leaving them. Completely wet sand the area again with 320 grit followd by 400 grit."

On most vintage stuff, I wet sand the entire piece.