My GS850

[steely]

Well, I just got all of my parts back from the powder coaters. I had the head, valve cover, cylinders, carb bowls, carb tops, all four side covers, and the oil filter cover coated. It only cost me $50. I am in the process of cleaning the engine cases for a coat of high temp caliper paint (yes, I am trying to make it the faster "black"). Here are a few pictures I took tonight: http://s183.photobucket.com/albums/x253/steely75/?action=view&current=pics013.jpg

I just pulled the peg mounts off, and I will be having them coated as well. When I am finished, this bike should be as close to all black as I can get it.

Those pictures were taken before I started cleaning the case. I will get some more pictures up when I get the carbs back together.

 

[steely]

Here are the pics in thread:

 

[steely]

A few more:

This is how it looks right now:

This picture posting thing is great! I am getting rid of the case guards. I will be selling them in the parts for sale section once I get them cleaned and polished a little (probably tomorrow evening).

 

[mark]

Could you give me more info. on this? I've got my block and cylinder head re-done rebored, etc. and it would be neat to paint them (or powder coat them) if possible. I'd stick with silver, but I'd like to learn more about this.

Where do you go? What is there to watch for? Is there prep work involved? Etc.

 

[dpep]

Nice. And $50 is real inexpensive. I paid four or five times that amount to ceramic coat my exhaust. Where did you get the work done?

 

[steely]

Could you give me more info. on this? I've got my block and cylinder head re-done rebored, etc. and it would be neat to paint them (or powder coat them) if possible. I'd stick with silver, but I'd like to learn more about this.

Where do you go? What is there to watch for? Is there prep work involved? Etc.

Should you get your head powder coated, they will probably sand blast it. Be sure to communicate to the powder coaters that they should cover the cam journals when they do (don't ask me how I know). Be absolutely sure to power wash whatever has been blasted. If any of that grit is left in the oil channels, it can wreak havoc on the internals of your motor. Other than that, it is pretty straightforward. You just tell them which surfaces you don't want the coating on, and they tape it off with some high temp tape (it looks and feels like cloth medical tape) before they spray it.

The paint I am using on the cases is caliper paint. It is available at any automotive supply store, in rattle bombs, in a variety of colors. It is a ceramic impregnated paint, and it proper care is taken when spraying it (no drips) it smooths out and looks pretty good when done. It is a relatively high temp paint (500 degrees intermittent), a buddy of mine used it on his CB900 with spectacular results.

Nice. And $50 is real inexpensive. I paid four or five times that amount to ceramic coat my exhaust. Where did you get the work done?

I had the work done through a buddy of mine who owns a powder coating shop. Hence the low price (he even threw in one of his shop t-shirts for free). The coating he uses is not a high temp coating like you have on your exhaust, I should hope that these parts will never reach the temps that an exhaust will. The baking process on your exhaust coating requires very high heat and some pretty heavy duty furnaces. It tends to be expensive because the start-up cost on the furnaces is pretty steep.

Oh yeah! You keep your eyes off of my 850. I see what your sickness is!

 

[CA180]

looking good man!

I wish i had my bike going... Or atleast close...

 

[steely]

looking good man!

I wish i had my bike going... Or atleast close...

Thanks. It is taking a lot longer than I had anticipated, but I am trying to be patient and do everything correctly. I was cleaning the peg mounts and pegs last night and decided to disassemble them and take them to be powder coated as well. Here is a before pic:

I am really looking forward to getting this all back together. My frame is going to look like crap once I get everything painted and coated. I may have to do some masking and paintwork on it as well.

All of this would be a lot easier if I had a running bike to ride in the meantime. So, I am looking at an '83 GS1100L that has been sitting for the last three years. It is in decent shape, but will need tires, carb clean, and charging system correction. That is merely a weekends worth of work, so I could have it on the road in no time.