How good to the original?

[Suzuki mad]

So mad question for you guy's.

Who's recently had a GS1000S repainted? How close to the original could the painter get?

I've been told here in the UK that paint will be going water based shortly and some of the older colours won't be avaliable.

I've still got to sort graphics for tank tail and cowling (saved the front mudguard and side panels.) It would appear that the US model ran different graphics than the UK model. can anybody confirm that?

Suzuki mad

[SqDancerLynn1]

We have had water based auto primer, I don't know of any water based auto top coat.

[Nessism]

Water base or otherwise, the color availability should be fine since the colors are all mixed off of a mixing machine with a full collection of base colors.

Regarding matching the original finish, it's fairly easy to match the color (any auto paint store can do that) but the graphics are more difficult depending on your bike. Reproduction Decals are available for the 1000S here... http://www.reproductiondecals.com/de...info.html~main

You might want to get these guys a try.

[PAULYBOY]

Just saw this thread. Most automakers have been using "waterborne" enamels for at least 10 years. The graphics and sign painting industries have been trying to formulate this type of paint with the same opacity as their old partial lead based enamels. Any paint slinger will tell you thast it was the lead that made these paints cover in one shot, hence brand names like "One Shot". Kinda like the same idea that isocyanite was the main ingredient in car paints for years that made them super sticky. The saem chemical family as super glue.
As to computer matching, computers match what you bring, so find the least faded area of the paint. Most places still use an optically fired matching system, so it stands to reason that you get a match to what you bring in the condition it is in.

[hampshirehog]

This lot have a good reputation over here for the graphics:

http://www.sunrisegraphics.co.uk/

I wouldn't get too hung up on which graphics are right for which bike. The UK didn't just get UK spec bikes as new from the dealers, especially as there were dodgy tax fiddles to be had with the German bikes at that time. Having said that, if yours is the blue version there was only one graphics set that I have come across over here whereas there were many variations on the red ones. (And some blue ones had red body kits put on them at the dealers to help shift older stock - did this myself in 80 at the shop where I worked as 'blue was sooo yesterday...' and sent the blue stuff off, back to Heron I think).

I'm nearly at the point now for sorting my paint out. Bike isn't standard (4-1, Konis, fibreglass front mudguard and Katana swinger, GSX brakes / discs + I'll probably do some other mods in the future) and it has the same paint job as Sharpy's red S in Australia, albeit in a crap state. I'm tossing up whether to go for the standard S paintwork or a Cooley / Yoshimura style similar to the one they knocked together in Classic Bike.

[Nessism]

Just saw this thread. Most automakers have been using "waterborne" enamels for at least 10 years. The graphics and sign painting industries have been trying to formulate this type of paint with the same opacity as their old partial lead based enamels. Any paint slinger will tell you thast it was the lead that made these paints cover in one shot, hence brand names like "One Shot". Kinda like the same idea that isocyanite was the main ingredient in car paints for years that made them super sticky. The saem chemical family as super glue.
As to computer matching, computers match what you bring, so find the least faded area of the paint. Most places still use an optically fired matching system, so it stands to reason that you get a match to what you bring in the condition it is in.

Automotive paint on the OE level is thermosetting; requires high temperature to cure (400F - almost like powder coat). My understanding is that the solvent material, whether water or petro based, is mostly just a floating agent for the paint resin materials so they flow out and lay down on the surface before the paint is baked. I'm sure this description is over simplified but it's close. Aftermarket paint is different since the car can not be baked like this. In this case the paints are chemically cured, at least the good two part paints are. Baking (at 150F typically) speeds up the cure but is not strictly necessary. Not exactly sure how well water borne aftermarket works - sounds like of scary to me at first thought.