G'day,
I thought it would be a good idea to use a tank protector. In hynsight it achieved the opposite. Mid way up the tank where the tank 'protector' ends it has left a mark / ring all the way around the tank from where I can only guess it was rubbing, ever so slightly. The matte black paint has changed from its original colour to now have a partially shiny look to it which can be obvious in certain light.
Short of getting the tank re painted, are there any mesures I can take to reduce / buff out the mark?
If reprinting is the best option, does anyone know of an average price a 17 lt sportster tank would cost to get re painted in matte black?
Cheers.
Sorry Carmo, but the short answer is your stuffed. Buffing only makes the matt paint shinier and hence the problem gets worse. I have a similar issue where I put the smaller 48 seat on my bike, leaving a mark on the rear guard where the original seat rested against the guard and rubbed the paint shiny. The offical blurb from Harley is that the denim paint is supposed to "wear" and "weather" like a pair of jeans, which is code for you cannot do anything about chips, scratches or rub marks. The genuine Harley denim paint cleaner is the best stuff to clean it with in my experience, and using it may reduce the visibility of the marks, but they will still be there, sorry. TC
There is a trade off having Matt Paint, looks great but there isnt much you can do with it.
Probably a stupid question, but what if you used a REALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLy fine sandpaper on it to remove the shiny layer? That's if a repaint is the only answer..
Too bad to hear that, respray it is I guess. Can only learn from this.
Cheers fellas
