what have you done to your "bike" today

[budd]

I've put mine up for sale today, I guess that's quite a big thing to do to your bike anyone interested see the for sale section

[VTRDark]

What are you next bike plans then. Anything in mind.

(:-})

[markbo]

i've primed the belly pan tonight and made an interesting "discovery" :

if you paint indoors in the utility room the floor will get covered in paint!!

luckily my wife and i live in seperate houses so it's not a major problem, but i don't think i'll tell her all the same!
after a couple of sprays i realised i needed to put dust sheets down and make a heath robinson spraying booth - that helped a lot...
here's a couple of pics of this evening's work.
as you can probably see the pan is quite pitted but i think i'll just live with that cos i spent hours sanding it down and i don't think i can get it much better, will the top coat and lacquer fill the pits in anyway?

i'm also wondering if i've used the wrong colour primer for yellow?





i read the posts that carl and chris posted and they helped a lot but as this is my first time painting i thought i'd better start at the bottom!

mark

[budd]

What are you next bike plans then. Anything in mind.

(:-})

yes Carl there is a plan a foot, much as I've enjoyed this Storm and indeed its predecessor I now fancy a bit of a change. suffice to say the new arrival will be another big twin, although unlike Honda it’s manufactures thought more of it than to saddle it with the compromised OE kit Honda thought adequate, so my new arrival will feature top suspension from Ohlins, goldline Brembos and a fair amount of carbon bits and bobs.
it’s not to difficult to suss out what the replacement is going to be is it ?
Well it’s not a done deal yet, I’ve spoken to the vendor and if all is well then it will be coming home with me Monday (I’d have gone this weekend but I’m away on a Rush music convention )
And while I know this a VTR forum I’d like to think I’ve made enough friends on here not to get flamed (to much) if I were to mention any Italian bike

[lloydie]

i've primed the belly pan tonight and made an interesting "discovery" :

if you paint indoors in the utility room the floor will get covered in paint!!

luckily my wife and i live in seperate houses so it's not a major problem, but i don't think i'll tell her all the same!
after a couple of sprays i realised i needed to put dust sheets down and make a heath robinson spraying booth - that helped a lot...
here's a couple of pics of this evening's work.
as you can probably see the pan is quite pitted but i think i'll just live with that cos i spent hours sanding it down and i don't think i can get it much better, will the top coat and lacquer fill the pits in anyway?

i'm also wondering if i've used the wrong colour primer for yellow?





i read the posts that carl and chris posted and they helped a lot but as this is my first time painting i thought i'd better start at the bottom!

mark

Yep grey primer for yellow .
Tho I find yellow primer better but it changes the final finish colour .

[VTRDark]

Primer is lovely stuff to apply......so easy and lovely to rub down......so easy

Looks very good for your first attempt. The paint wont fill the pits, hence the reason for rubbing down. Now is the time to fill them pits if you wanted to. A little light filling, then rub down, then another coat of primer. Your lucky as you will get away with one coat of filler and rubbing down with that pitting. If you now give the primer a rub down you will loose some of the smaller less deep pits, but you risk going back to the previous coating.

If I was you, considering this is your first time I would just go ahead a spray the colour on. Lots of thin coats rather than one thick coat. If you get a couple of runs, don't worry, stop, leave them to dry and don't try to wipe them off. Then spray any misses again if necessary. Once you have the colour applied and it's dried for a good 24h rub down nice and smooth again ready for the lacquer. Lave about 10mins between thin coats of colour. Be warned colour is not as easy to apply and lacquer which is basically colour without the colour is even harder.

You will loose the pitting with many coats of paint and rubbing down between coats but that is work and a waste of paint. Better to fill, rub down once and then spray again to do things properly. I would treat this as your practise run. Learn to spray light even coats without to much paint build up that runs or other paint defects.

Are you wearing a mask while spraying indoors and got plenty of ventilation. It's not the best stuff to be breathing in, especially lacquer. I know someone else who likes spraying indoors No not me.

I would have used a White primer personally but I wouldn't worry about it too much at this stage of the game.

(:-})

[markbo]

thanks for the advice - yeah i've got a mask, makes me look like a japanese commuter!

i've been looking at filler and see you can get primer/filler is that any good?
i'm not too worried about it as it is my first attempt and it's not really an area that shows but there's not a lot else to do on the bike so i think i should make as good a job of it as i can!

i was surprised how well the primer went on so thanks for the warning that the others won't be as easy!

mark

[agentpineapple]

you can always use a high build primer, apply, rub down, apply rub down, after a few coats you should have the pitting all but gone, but imho I wouldn't bother, as you won't see it anyway, if it's the Honda yellow, be aware that it's a pearl, and as such is almost impossible to match....
have fun with it, worst ways you rub it down and start again, it's a good piece of bodywork to start off with.

[lloydie]

Yep and within two tanks it'll be pitted chipped and looking poo again :-( as its right in the firing line from the front wheel

[VTRDark]

you can always use a high build primer

That exactly what he's talking about otherwise known as a primer putty. It's a bit of a marketing con really and not worth the extra cost IMO as it only fills the smallest of hairline imperfections. I suppose it''s OK for spraying over previously rubbed down filler as it gets rid of the fine lines left behind from rubbing down with a course bit of scratch. No I wouldn't bother and just use a regular good old primer. Sorry there is no way to cut corners when it comes to the perfect paint job. It's quite simply all in the prep and that means hard wok with rubbing down between each coat and gradually working your way through to finer and finer grades of scratch and then finally a rubbing compound and polish.

Yep and within two tanks it'll be pitted chipped and looking poo again :-( as its right in the firing line from the front wheel

The boy has a point. Especially using a 1k system. And ideally it needs to be left for as many weeks as possible for the paint to fully cure and harden right off before put to work. A ceramic shield could be applied to it which is harder than paint.

if I were to mention any Italian bike

oor err now all we have to do is guess which model, older or newer. Make sure you post some pics. I'd love an RC8 one day. And if I was had silly money and garage to keep it out of the elements a 1098. Oh I dream...

Stick around on the forum bud

(:-})

[agentpineapple]

you can always put some clear 3m vinyl on the underside of the oem bellypan, that'll give it extra protection....

[psf storm]

Fitted my accent lighting kit to the bike.

[markbo]

Yep and within two tanks it'll be pitted chipped and looking poo again :-( as its right in the firing line from the front wheel

yeah i think you're right and patience is not my strong subject - i'll start painting the yellow tomorrow ( in the garage this time - i'm going to use my heat gun to warm the plastic first and bring it indoors between coats, that should work ok according to the tinternet )

ideally it needs to be left for as many weeks as possible for the paint to fully cure and harden right off before put to work.

that's pretty likely this time of year

if it's the Honda yellow, be aware that it's a pearl, and as such is almost impossible to match....
have fun with it, worst ways you rub it down and start again, it's a good piece of bodywork to start off with.

now you tell me!!


thanks again for all the advice

[markbo]

i like that lighting kit - if i ever went out at night i'd get one!!

[budd]

if I were to mention any Italian bike

oor err now all we have to do is guess which model, older or newer. Make sure you post some pics. I'd love an RC8 one day. And if I was had silly money and garage to keep it out of the elements a 1098. Oh I dream...

Stick around on the forum bud

(:-})

yes I'll be sticking around, and the new arrival isn't a RC8 much as I'd like one they are more than I want to spend nor is it a Ducati, there is only one bike the fits the bill 1000cc twin, Ohlins and available for well under a £2K