On all the GS1000S's that I've done, I've put enough clear on to completely bury the stripes and 99% of the decals. Those babies are thick, especially if they come from Reproduction Decal, which makes a nice product, but they're heavy. It takes a lot of clear to cover them. But, you do it in stages, with plenty of time to dry. 2/3's of it actually gets sanded off in the process so there's never a huge buildup. The main reason I paint the stripes (and would rather paint the decals, too), is because not only is painting them artistic, and just plain..cool..they're so much easier to bury under clear. 1/3 as much clear, which translates to a lot of money saved in time and materials. I always ask a customer how far they want to take it. If they want it to be absolutely factory/concours correct, I probably wouldn't even rub them out. Most people want a high-end finish but still look factory correct by using decals, so I leave a hint of the decal edge, such as Chuck's. His bikes are all so beautifully factory correct, I made that call on his.So far all of my Cooley customers have wanted all the edges to go away, so that's how they get em. Either way, they look really nice, I think.
Larry, By all means.....feel free to run with your artisticinis's
, and paint those decals on.....
