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V50 Guzzi re-paint ie: Therapy

Decals look great Larry, yes, I also admire your patience! I've not put decals under clear at all yet so the gassing out period is good to know as I'm sure I'll encounter that at some point.
 
Thanks, Pete. Your skills and patience have also come a long way. A look at your Kat is all one needs. It's almost wrong for me to call these graphics "decals" as they're not transfers but actually vinyl. Much thicker then what we used on model car building. They'll be difficult to totally bury under clear with no edges. It would probably take 10 coats to do that and it would cost a fortune. The clear is so insanely expensive... In the long run, though, it should have a nice factory look, and that's what Jim prefers. He once bought a 650 Matchless from me..or as he says, teasingly, "saved it from me" because I wanted to make a bobber out of it. ;) He restored it beautifully back to stock. That was a cool bike.
 
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I'm with ya' Larry, the Suzuki decals on the Kat are vinyl, so yes I know exactly what you mean about the thickness there and yes it would take a lot to bury them in clear coat alright!

A bobber out of a Matchless? Sacrilege! :D

The only issue I see with this paint job being a nice factory job is that it will probably be better than when it left the factory :cool:
 
Back at the shop today to spray what will hopefully be the final clear coats. No sense wasting more clear on the underside of the tank..plenty there already.



Hung everything but the side covers, and after 5-6 coats..can't remember for sure..parts look nice.

















I'm probably as happy about the inside of the fairing as any part, even though you won't see it after it's been satin-blacked and mounted. Let the parts dry overnight, open them up with some 600 and let them cure for a week before cutting and buffing process. Light at the end of the tunnel.
 
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Beautiful work Larry. I never tire of looking at your progress and reading your comments. That being said, why open it up with 600 as opposed to say 1500? Just trying to learn a thing or two here.
 
Very nice work Larry, it seems a shame to have to sand down the beautiful finish just to polish it up again.

I would call it good if that was mine, what's the reason for sanding and polishing after it looks so perfect.

David.
 
Kiwi Canuck said:
Very nice work Larry, it seems a shame to have to sand down the beautiful finish just to polish it up again.

I would call it good if that was mine, what's the reason for sanding and polishing after it looks so perfect.

David.
Click to expand...

Me too. Done and done!
 
Leaving it the way it is would look OK..but if you can see the parts up close after the cut and buff you would see the humongous difference. There is still a bit of orange peel that looks factory..but the absolute glass smoothness of cutting all the texture out is what gives it that show finish the factory can never match. It's what has made my paint jobs just a bit more glamorous. Opening it up with 600 really let's it breathe. 1500 just doesn't scuff it up enough to dry with as many coats of clear that it has. 800 followed by 1000 then 1500 and finally 2000 before a 3 stage buff and polish. This bike is gonna look fantastic, and yes, I promise we'll get some back on the bike shots from Jim. Thanks again for the compliments and the interest. So close now to wrapping this baby up.
 
A very good final wet sand and polish is the ultimate finishing skill. It really is necessary and not often done by DIYers.
I have been scoffed at for asking people if they're gonna follow up with this. Will be glad to watch your results here.
 
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Wow Larry fantastic as always! Nice isn't the right word at all :D

The final sand before cut and polish definitely makes a difference too. The Kat paint job is so much nicer than the 450 paint job because I persevered with giving that a proper go this time 'round. Still a few bits where I wasn't game to sand in case I went through the clear but overall it's definitely a better final result doing that final bit of wet sanding before cutting and polishing.
 
Thanks, guys. Looking forward to the final steps. Jim might even get a ride in before the season is over. 3 1/2 months to do it, 1 day a week translates to just under 3 weeks total. Not too bad, but still a long time to wait. I appreciate the patience of everyone concerned.
 
nvr2old said:
Leaving it the way it is would look OK..but if you can see the parts up close after the cut and buff you would see the humongous difference. There is still a bit of orange peel that looks factory..but the absolute glass smoothness of cutting all the texture out is what gives it that show finish the factory can never match. It's what has made my paint jobs just a bit more glamorous. Opening it up with 600 really let's it breathe. 1500 just doesn't scuff it up enough to dry with as many coats of clear that it has. 800 followed by 1000 then 1500 and finally 2000 before a 3 stage buff and polish. This bike is gonna look fantastic, and yes, I promise we'll get some back on the bike shots from Jim. Thanks again for the compliments and the interest. So close now to wrapping this baby up.
Click to expand...

Does the 4 passes of 800, 1000, 1500 and 2000 just scuff it up enough for the final cut and buff, or does it actually remove some of the layers of clear?
 
alke46 said:
I also wanted to know if this product is good for the final cut and buff
after the last clearcoat pass.


https://flic.kr/p/2hfVgga
Click to expand...

That's exactly the product to use. It's the perfect compound to use for the first 2 steps after you get to the 2000 stage. A wool pad followed by a yellow pad with that product, and then a swirl remover as the final step with a black pad. You asked about the sandpaper removing the clear. Yes, it does. Probably anywhere from 2-3 coats worth if you start with 600 especially. I'm not removing much at all though just to scuff it up to let the paint breathe. You do that because the clear has a hardener in it and it will dry with a crust over the previous coats and needs to be opened up to let the under layers gas off and cure. If you leave that crust on it fights the rest of it. This is only when you use more then 3 coats which will dry and cure fine..but 5-6 or more coats, that's a lot of material. The 800 removes the 600 scratches, the 1000 removes the 800 and so on. If you skip a grit the following grit is too fine to remove the last grit scratches and it will never polish out correctly. It will always show scratches left behind. You have to follow the system step by step for it to work. If you do, you will rewarded with a beautiful glass smooth final finish with a mile deep reflection. It's not for the faint of heart because, yes, you don't want to break through or it's back to ground zero. Starting over again sucks big time..ask me how I know...:rolleyes:
 
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Here's a couple of examples of how cutting and buffing really raises the bar for a top-notch finish..this is the the BMW that I did for Tobin last year..look how clean and deep that reflection is.. You can see the waves in the top right portion of the pic of an un-sanded and un-polished portion of the tank that will be under the rubber knee pads. It's shiny..but no where near the crispness of the rest of it.



Or these side covers from a GS1000 I did a number of years back..







Man..I love the depth..it's SO worth the extra time and effort.
 
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Larry, thanks for explaining the process and that BMW tank and the side covers sure shows the difference.

That is big time risk reward and the reward is worth it if you have the patience, skill and balls to take it on.

It's a treat to have you share your skills with us.

David.
 
Jim sent me a couple of before shots of his Monza. Wrong color, wrong graphics, wrong painted wheels, wrong exhaust. All of which will be re-done back to factory correct.





And hey, Pete..here's the Matchless G11 that he "saved" from me..lol



Dang..I should've bought that baby back from him. So pretty.
 
Hahaha nice Larry... yeah he saved it alright! :D That is indeed a pretty bike!

I really like the lines of that Monza also and while I know the colours aren't factory correct, the before colour works really well with it.

However, it will be an absolute stunner when it's done!
 
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