When I bought this bike it was not running, out of rego and in a bit of a sorry state really. So I never got to know what it was like to ride. I've never ridden a K in the past..only R's..my last one was an R1100s which was a fantastic bike, but for me a bit challenging to ride.

Now that I have my K on the road I can say that it is a surprise! It is delightful to ride and really nimble. Love the motor! Surprisingly torquey.

I guess everyone else already knows that.

Anyway here are a couple of snaps of the finished article. I'm reasonably happy with most of it, except for the headlight and horns...I really need to do something better, but at least its rideable!

If anyone knows about painting I'd be keen to know what I did wrong with the clear coat over the metal flake - for those with a keen eye you can see on the last photo some splits in the clear just near the edge of the seat. Since taking the photos the cracks have appeared all over the tank and even on the handlebars (4 coats of clear over a silver base compared with 20 coats of clear over the metal flake). The painting was finished in January this year, so it has taken a long while for the cracks to appear. Oh well, I guess I'll get another tank and mudguard and start again, but next time I plan to know more about what I'm doing.

Cheers, 
David

Hi David 
That is a great looking k you have, and i think its just great that you made such A beutifull bike, without feeling the need to chop the rear frame 

About the clear coating, i had an isue whith that once, it was incorrect time between layers. 

K- rider

Thanks K-rider for the feedback.

Thought about the rear frame, but the key for me was keeping the pillion seat for my lovely lady on the rare occasions that she wants to come for a ride

I wondered about the curing time too, also have been wondering about the mix ratio of thinners to paint - whether it should have been different. 

Cheers, David

Like the look of that. Nice colour combo. Like to see a better picture of the air intake. John

Nice bike, really like the bar work. 22mm is it?

Hi David,
I've just retired from 22 years of automotive refinishing so I feel that I may be able to help but first I need to ask you a few questions. 
Was the lacquer single or 2 pack?
Who manufactured it?-quality counts.
Finally, why so many coats of clear? It seems excessive to me, that could be the issue here.
2 or 3 coats of a good quality 2k clear should do.

Mike.

K75cster wrote:Nice bike, really like the bar work. 22mm is it?

Hi Keith,
Thanks!. The handlebars were made from 22mm I think with ends sleeved in. That did cause a bit of grief for screw access on the throttle side. End result is quite comfortable.
David

Motorbike Mike wrote:Hi David,
I've just retired from 22 years of automotive refinishing so I feel that I may be able to help but first I need to ask you a few questions. 
Was the lacquer single or 2 pack?
Who manufactured it?-quality counts.
Finally, why so many coats of clear? It seems excessive to me, that could be the issue here.
2 or 3 coats of a good quality 2k clear should do.

Mike.

Hi Mike,
Thank you for being prepared to step in...the paints I used are made by Spectrum Paints, single pack acrylic.

All painted elements have developed cracks, expect for the frame, and that was just colour with the top coat mixed with equal parts clear to colour.

The handle bars are 2 double coats of clear over silver base. That has cracked in a couple of places.

The tank is another storey...I did ask and checked a couple of forums (elsewhere) about metal flake applications as I have never sprayed that before. So the system used comprises a 3D undercoat, silver base coat, 2 coats of metal flake which ended up quite coarse, then I think around 7 or 8 double coats of clear applied over a number of weeks to allow drying time and to build up film thickness. Then it was carefully sanded smooth followed by another 4-5 coats of clear, dried and sanded between coats. 

The funny thing is that the cracks have developed about 8 months after the painting was completed. Its really only after getting the bike running again that the cracks have appeared, not that I think that is likely to be related.

I realise that the overall film thickness is huge, but my information suggested that unless I built up the film thickness over the metal flake that it could get damaged during sanding back.

So I'm all ears - could you recommend an approach to applying metal flake. I'm thinking that I will have another go if I can get hold of another tank.
Cheers, David

k100virgin wrote:Like the look of that. Nice colour combo. Like to see a better picture of the air intake. John

Thanks John.

I'll take another photo or 2 to show the air intake better. Time will tell if what I've done is going to work ok. It seems to me that the airflow meter hasn't been made to be external to the air box. I needed to get a couple of adaptors made up to fit to the intake plenum box and to fit the pod filter. The pod filter bends in the wind, so I am now thinking about how to protect if without reducing the air flow! 
Cheers, David

Just a minor issue but the fuel filler cap is 180 degrees out.  I thought some other eagle eyed person would have noticed before me.

David Menzies wrote:

Motorbike Mike wrote:Hi David,
I've just retired from 22 years of automotive refinishing so I feel that I may be able to help but first I need to ask you a few questions. 
Was the lacquer single or 2 pack?
Who manufactured it?-quality counts.
Finally, why so many coats of clear? It seems excessive to me, that could be the issue here.
2 or 3 coats of a good quality 2k clear should do.

Mike.

Hi Mike,
Thank you for being prepared to step in...the paints I used are made by Spectrum Paints, single pack acrylic.

All painted elements have developed cracks, expect for the frame, and that was just colour with the top coat mixed with equal parts clear to colour.

The handle bars are 2 double coats of clear over silver base. That has cracked in a couple of places.

The tank is another storey...I did ask and checked a couple of forums (elsewhere) about metal flake applications as I have never sprayed that before. So the system used comprises a 3D undercoat, silver base coat, 2 coats of metal flake which ended up quite coarse, then I think around 7 or 8 double coats of clear applied over a number of weeks to allow drying time and to build up film thickness. Then it was carefully sanded smooth followed by another 4-5 coats of clear, dried and sanded between coats. 

The funny thing is that the cracks have developed about 8 months after the painting was completed. Its really only after getting the bike running again that the cracks have appeared, not that I think that is likely to be related.

I realise that the overall film thickness is huge, but my information suggested that unless I built up the film thickness over the metal flake that it could get damaged during sanding back.

So I'm all ears - could you recommend an approach to applying metal flake. I'm thinking that I will have another go if I can get hold of another tank.
Cheers, David

Hi David,
If your metal flake was a little too thick coming out of the gun that would perhaps explain the course nature of application. Obviously if it's a heavy/flake it will naturally seem course due to its relative size. 

The cracks are just down to the wrong type of clear coat. Single pack clear isn't meant to be laid down layer on layer. I suspect that as the solvent has eventually worked it's way out of the lacquer, some shrinking has occurred causing the cracks to eventually appear. 

I'm not familiar with the manufacturer of the lacquer but next time use a good quality 2K and don't rush to apply clear over base- give it 24 hours before you apply the lacquer. 

Just ask if you need more advice. 
Mike.

This site has some handy information about body repairs and spray painting. Its aimed at the DIY car repairer but a lot of it is still relevant to bikes.
http://www.collisionblast.com/

Holister wrote:This site has some handy information about body repairs and spray painting. Its aimed at the DIY car repairer but a lot of it is still relevant to bikes.
http://www.collisionblast.com/

Thank you - I'll check it out.

Motorbike Mike wrote:

David Menzies wrote:

Motorbike Mike wrote:Hi David,
I've just retired from 22 years of automotive refinishing so I feel that I may be able to help but first I need to ask you a few questions. 
Was the lacquer single or 2 pack?
Who manufactured it?-quality counts.
Finally, why so many coats of clear? It seems excessive to me, that could be the issue here.
2 or 3 coats of a good quality 2k clear should do.

Mike.

Hi Mike,
Thank you for being prepared to step in...the paints I used are made by Spectrum Paints, single pack acrylic.

All painted elements have developed cracks, expect for the frame, and that was just colour with the top coat mixed with equal parts clear to colour.

The handle bars are 2 double coats of clear over silver base. That has cracked in a couple of places.

The tank is another storey...I did ask and checked a couple of forums (elsewhere) about metal flake applications as I have never sprayed that before. So the system used comprises a 3D undercoat, silver base coat, 2 coats of metal flake which ended up quite coarse, then I think around 7 or 8 double coats of clear applied over a number of weeks to allow drying time and to build up film thickness. Then it was carefully sanded smooth followed by another 4-5 coats of clear, dried and sanded between coats. 

The funny thing is that the cracks have developed about 8 months after the painting was completed. Its really only after getting the bike running again that the cracks have appeared, not that I think that is likely to be related.

I realise that the overall film thickness is huge, but my information suggested that unless I built up the film thickness over the metal flake that it could get damaged during sanding back.

So I'm all ears - could you recommend an approach to applying metal flake. I'm thinking that I will have another go if I can get hold of another tank.
Cheers, David

Hi David,
If your metal flake was a little too thick coming out of the gun that would perhaps explain the course nature of application. Obviously if it's a heavy/flake it will naturally seem course due to its relative size. 

The cracks are just down to the wrong type of clear coat. Single pack clear isn't meant to be laid down layer on layer. I suspect that as the solvent has eventually worked it's way out of the lacquer, some shrinking has occurred causing the cracks to eventually appear. 

I'm not familiar with the manufacturer of the lacquer but next time use a good quality 2K and don't rush to apply clear over base- give it 24 hours before you apply the lacquer. 

Just ask if you need more advice. 
Mike.

Thanks Mike. I appreciate your help.