Scratch removal / repair / etc.

[ChrisBiggsUK]

Morning all.

As those of you who have been following my complete newbie journey will remember, during my CBT a few months ago (I can't believe it has been a few months already!) I fell off on a roundabout and scuffed my otherwise pristine CG (I should note that I have not fallen off since).  I've left the scuff in place so far, as a reminder that I know nothing and am still new to all this and to remind me what can happen if I get cocky, if that makes sense?  Well, now that I'm merrily pootling around all over the place in all traffic and weather conditions, I think it is now time for me to remedy said scuff over winter, along with attaching a screen and some other bits and pieces.

Attached are some photos of said scuff and its location that I have just taken during washing the bike (hadn't finished yet, hence why it still looks grubby), and my question to you fine people is this;

What would be the best course of action for removing / repairing / replacing it?  Would paint do it and if so which paint and where would I get said paint? Should I just get a replacement and if so where from? Should I just leave it?  

Any and all advice, feedback and/or input will as always be most welcome.  

 

[RideWithStyles]

Other than being plastic not much different to a regular car body shop sort of way.
If it was me as it’s not a safety issue I’d leave it till your ready to sell it, sod law says you’ll paint it up and do the same damage or somewhere else. as you say a stark reminder of your fook up that could of been worse…

Take the mud guard off, Clean, sand area needed, clean, smooth sand, clean, prep, clean, spray meticulously fine and lightly, blend to the original, clean, very fine smooth out if rough, clean, lacquer, smooth, polish, clean…you get the idea.

 

[manxie49]

I'd personally go with what @RideWithStyles said.  Difficult to see how deep the scratches are from the photos.  But if you're going to spray it, good preparation will pay dividends.  If you want to try and get an exact paint match then give these a try https://www.rsbikepaint.com/en-gb/colours.php I've used them before and they're pretty good to deal with.  

[RideWithStyles]

One other note is to check the lever, mount, its bolt and nut also the handle bar if it’s true as they aren’t strong (especially if drop it again.)

youve ground off a decent amount of ally reasonably high up, with a very long and soft lever this can affect the mount and bolt as they would have taken some twist/lifting force as it contacted and continued along the road…

the other check is the gear lever, as that can get pushed closer to the case because the peg gets folded up.

check all -

at least you didn’t have the cbf! other wise you’ll be doing the the side panel etc along with broken lugs.

trust me the wife fell foul such with diesel on the exit of a round about.

[ChrisBiggsUK]

25 minutes ago, RideWithStyles said:

One other note is to check the lever, mount, its bolt and nut also the handle bar if it’s true as they aren’t strong (especially if drop it again.)

youve ground off a decent amount of ally reasonably high up, with a very long and soft lever this can affect the mount and bolt as they would have taken some twist/lifting force as it contacted and continued along the road…

the other check is the gear lever, as that can get pushed closer to the case because the peg gets folded up.

check all -

at least you didn’t have the cbf! other wise you’ll be doing the the side panel etc along with broken lugs.

trust me the wife fell foul such with diesel on the exit of a round about.

I'm lucky in that regard as the dealership sorted everything out with the bike after I came off it.  Didn't realise at the time but I'd done a number on the alignment and other stuff.  I'm just glad that I did it on my own bike as I would never have been able to forgive myself if I had damaged one of the dealerships bikes, though I think I mentioned as such on here back when it happened.

I'm just peeved that the pristine CG I bought, that only had one minor dent on the top of the fuel tank, now has this big scratch.  Still, as mentioned, it is a reminder of how quickly things can go wrong and serves to remind me to not get cocky, not get overconfident, and to remember that I'm still a complete novice (though I'm well and truly getting there!).

I think I'll leave it for the time being.  Sort of wanted to get it removed when I add bits to the bike over winter, make it go back to looking pristine, but yeah.  I'll keep it and the reminder it is.

Still going to buy some paint as suggested by @manxie49 though so that if / when I come to sell it on (though that will likely not be for the foreseeable)   I can make it look its best.

Thanks for the input chaps.

[Hairsy]

If I were you I'd keep an eye on eBay either for the specific mudguard or someone breaking a bike of the same colour.

 

An alternative would be to contact a local SMART repairer. I've used them a couple of times and they've always done excellent work. Probably not as cheap as a second hand mudguard but you might be able to get it done quicker.

 

Also, depending on funds, you might find a brand new one isn't as expensive as you think.

 

Final thought - you could always just get a touch up paint pot. It would be far from perfect but certainly less visible than currently. And you'd probably be able to get one for c.£10 or so.

[Hairsy]

Just had a look at new prices - I think I was wrong to suggest that a brand new one isn't as expensive as you think!