So I got my 5th bike. a 1977 KZ650. Question:

Here are pics. Anyone have any foolproof ideas of how to get the oxidation off the engine (its grey and lumpy)?

See pics:

Vapor blasting will do it. So will many hours with sandpaper, WD40, and aluminum polish.

I've been testing a brass wire brush in a cordless drill for cleaning up the cooling fins and top end. So far it seems to work pretty well and gives a satin-type finish. (Brass doesn't damage aluminum like a steel brush would.)

You wouldn't want to use it on the clutch cover and other smooth surfaces, though. Those are candidates for polish.

I've gone over my covers with 400 and 600 grit over the years with water and a few drops of soap then followed up with Mothers polish.......... recently found hitting it with 1000 then 1,500 grit lastly really helps bring the shine out before hitting it with polish. Ed uses a couple of products I'm sure he will chime in on and you can't argue with his results but since I've had the Mother for years I was too cheap to switch.

Just was a thread on sealing the shine in with clear coat and there is a lot of sealers out there too but I'll probably just plan on hitting them once a month quick now that I've got em pretty nice. My head is still very good and since I have painted the block black for years I don't have to worry about that hard to work fin area........ Like that green (the darker green too) please be sure to give us some pics after you get it shined up.

I like WD-40
www.kzrider.com/forum/6-paint-a-bodywork...ore-the-metal#632029

SOS pads on the bits with corrosion. You can use it on the shinier bits but with a much, much softer touch. Soda blasting is an option if you have access to one. The polished parts will need the full sandpaper to buffing wheel treatment depending on how far you want to take it.

bluej58 wrote: I like WD-40
www.kzrider.com/forum/6-paint-a-bodywork...ore-the-metal#632029

Wow, this is super helpful! Thanks!

Simple green straigt is a good way to start.
It works quickly on dry grime but it also likes to eat aluminum, so I keep spraying the motor to make sure it doesn't dry out ,
and after about an hour I wash it off with soapy water then rinse with clean water.

After it drys I spray it down with WD-40 and start with the Scotchbrite

bluej58 wrote: Simple green straigt is a good way to start.
It works quickly on dry grime but it also likes to eat aluminum, so I keep spraying the motor to make sure it doesn't dry out ,
and after about an hour I wash it off with soapy water then rinse with clean water.

After it drys I spray it down with WD-40 and start with the Scotchbrite

Ironically I have some simple green in the house. Thanks so much!

If you have a scrub brush that would help too

bluej58 wrote: Simple green straigt is a good way to start.
It works quickly on dry grime but it also likes to eat aluminum, so I keep spraying the motor to make sure it doesn't dry out ,

There is a purple version of Simple Green which is labeled as safe for all metals. Home Depot and other places carry it.

After most of any heavy corrosion has been removed yo can use either (or both) of the products below to make the aluminum shine. The S-100 is a polishing cream, the X-TREEM is polishing wadding. They both work very well, but of course the more rubbing you do with them the better the engine looks. Ed