The satisfaction of spending hours detailing your dirt bike, stepping back and looking at your work is a joy only the rider can appreciate. For many riders the clean-up after a hard day's ride is just as fun as the hours spent on the track or trail.
A show room shine equals perfection so there's little that deflates a proud dirt bike owner than seeing old, faded and sad looking plastic. Whatever your colors are bright, shiny good-looking plastic makes the dirt bike, right? So, if your plastic has seen better days but you can't bear to send them to the good recycling bin in the sky - because after all the week you first put them on is when you reached the podium for the first time - then fear not we have some solutions.
That's some pretty bad-looking plastic
What's more if you own a vintage bike the chances of finding replacement plastic to keep the classic look of the bike could be hard to find. You're only choice in this case is to work on the original plastic and make it new again.
A bit of research may show a dozen or so tried and true methods to restoring dirt bike plastic. We've found many of them work superficially but after the next wash you're back at square one.
Every mechanics friend, WD-40, is often cited as a work-around but it could damage your graphics or just as worse, cause the graphics to peel off. Straight-up car wax is another option that works for a bit but too often the goop tends to get stuck between all the spaces between the plastics and makes a bigger mess.
Restoring Dirt Bike Plastics
First things first - start with a clean bike. Follow our Dirt Bike Cleaning Tips & Tricks guide to get your dirt bike prim and proper.
A popular choice and easy option is of course to invest in a full graphics kit. Yes, those graphics not only look cool but the one thing every one tends to forget is they protect the plastic on your dirt bike. Graphics completely cover, and therefore help best, on the rear fenders and radiator shrouds.
The front fenders not so much. Graphics leave a portion of the front fenders uncovered therefore you'll likely notice the front fender plastic looking a bit more wear-heavy than other pieces. If buying new graphics works for you check out our all of the Motocross graphics we carry and then watch an instructional video featuring Brett Cue on installing your new graphics.
The next option is to invest in all-new plastics. We've got plastic for almost every inch of your bike including front number plates, fork guards, side panels and of course the must-have front and rear fenders and radiator shrouds. Check out our entire line of dirt bike plastics and plastics kits. We carry plastics from the best after-market brands and OEM.
Finally, for the DIYer who does not want to change out their current plastic or the vintage bike owner who can't find replacement plastic several options exist to get those original fenders and shrouds back to a show-room shine.
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Good Plastic Restorer |
Better Plastic Restorer |
Best Plastic Restorer |
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Pro Honda Spray Cleaner and Polish  |
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Keep in mind when restoring your plastics some products like the Plastic Renew require you to sand down the plastics, others suggest it. Sanding the plastic allows the product to stick and absorb better. However, this can add significant time to the restoration process. At some point, restoring your plastics becomes moot and eventually you'll need to invest in new product.
Now that's what plastic should look like!
If you've found success in restoring your plastics with the products mentioned or if you've found other suitable methods please leave a comment and let us know!
