Adventure Stainless Steel Panniers

Anybody have and luck / problems with the new adventure aluminum panniers. No matter what i try to clean them coat them with they just look worse every day and this is on a 2 week old bike....

i have tried

Stainless steel cleaner for kitchen appliances
WD 40
S100 Total Cycle Cleaner (Almost ruined them)
Brasso wad polish for SS (works best so far)
Windex
LPS
Motor Oil
arhmor all

Can you passivate them?

In what way is the appearance changing that displeases you? Got any pics?

Stainless steel? You mean Aluminum? Trying to keep them polished is going to be a tough battle. Once they start to oxidize a little bit it hides the blemishes.

Stickers, I use lots of stickers. I can barely see any of the metal anymore.

My adventure bags are about 2 years old, I just wash them when (and if) I wash the bike, I use a car wash soup that I picked up at Costco (Turtle Wax I think).



A.

If you're really want to invest the time to polish them I'd suggest you look at Autosol. But you'r going to end up doing it again in a while, and the shiny surface will likely blind the driver behind you with their own headlights.

Mother's aluminum polish will do the job but you've got to be nuts to even think about it. Once you wear off the aluminum oxide 'patina' and go for the high-gloss polish it will eat on your mind continually, and you'll be a slave to the polish routine. Trust me, I've been polishing aluminum wheels on a motorhome and I have sore index fingers, black imbedded in my skin, and it's a thankless task!

DON'T DO IT!

If you want to polish, use "the Original Purple Polish "from California Custom. It's the worst stuff I've ever used--once you do a small "sample" area you end up doing everything. This stuff is BY FAR the best metal polish I've ever used. PERIOD!

Take the mud and dast of and then, as somebody seed, a lot of stickers works grate and by the way the bike looks good no mather if the boxes are little oxideted.
Cheers.............Omar

I cover with dirt and Stickers

Jeebus, are you going to polish the inside of the muffler, next?

You must have a LOT of free time on your hands. Wouldn't you rather spend it riding than polishing?

DIRT.

Best cure all for GS appearances ever.

I take mine out on single track in the pine forests.

It knocks the dirt off, but I'd describe them more as "scuffed up" than clean.

I have an 09 GSA with the aluminum boxes and I think I know how you feel, but if it bothers you, then you may have gotten the wrong machine. It bothers me too, but when I am riding I can't see the boxes, and when I am stopped I am busy tending to my adoring fans and posse.

I kind of figured when mine inevitably get smashed up, I'd pound them back into shape and have them shot with Speedliner (kind of a smaller texture hot applied bedliner).

I'm thinking a red/blk/red pattern with a diagonal transision to match the bike...

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=527816&highlight=media+blasted+panniers

Worse is better.

Superbad is Supergood.

Dat's just da way it be.

scotch-brite them up! Looks like grain going in the one direction. Once you have done that use thinners or prepsol to clean them until they are spotless and hit them (spray) with clearcoat satin finish for that perfect look that doesn't require any attention in the near future. Thats what I did on mine and it works great!

A good manufacturer would have them anodized before they sold them to the customer.

Too bad, the boxes aren't made like my car, but, it'd be a little heavier. All I used was Stainless Barbeque cleaner and shines right up