Custom Project Bikes
Today I taped off the panels and sprayed the red. The red that Yamaha typically used was a very bright red so spraying it over the white keeps it nice and bright. Lots of taping- it’s very important to get everything completely covered because any slight mist or overspray on Read more…
Today I spent a lot of time laying out the blocks in the stripes. Lots of measuring and then trial and error until I got the proportions and angles I wanted. Since the bodywork on this bike is obviously not the same as on the bike in the museum, it Read more…
While I am working on the RZ500, my friend Jerry is up in North Carolina reassembling the SL 350 that we painted the bodywork for a few months ago. It is really coming along nicely and as you can see from this set of pictures, it will be a sweet Read more…
Last time we sprayed a white base coat and 1 coat of clear on all the parts in preparation for laying out the graphics. After wet sanding everything with 400 grit so the red and blue base coats will stick, we mounted all the bodywork back on the bike so Read more…
Today I sprayed on the Polar White base coat and then 1 coat of clear so that while we are remounting the bodywork to lay out the graphics we don’t have to worry about getting dirt, fingerprints, etc on the white base. I will sand it all with 400 grit Read more…
Just a quick update- here are the parts all primed, sanded and ready for base coat paint. Since the base coat on this bike is basically just white, the parts will not really look any different in base coat- just a brighter white.
Well, today we are going to put the epoxy primer on the sanded and prepped parts. The first picture is the hand made aluminum gas tank. The 2 holes are where the relocated oil tank fillers stick through. Most paints don’t stick well to bare aluminum so it is important Read more…
After I stripped the bodywork off of the RZ, I went to work getting all the old paint off of the fairings. Lots of sanding! Since the parts were old and used, there were also some spider cracks in the gel coat from bumps, flexing, etc. These require repair by Read more…
I am starting on a new project this week that will be super-fun! This RZ500 is owned by a client who is trying to create a road legal replica of Kenny Robert’s last GP bike. So we have some pictures from the Yamaha museum in Japan that will serve as Read more…
In today’s installment, we are spraying on the silver base coat that gives the metallic look to the translucent candy red top coat. When you are using a tri coat system like this, the base coats need to have hardener added so that when you spray the red top coat Read more…
The SL has a mix of materials used for it’s bodywork- steel for the tank, aluminum for the fenders and plastic for the side covers. In a case like this, the best primer to use is an epoxy primer like PPG’s DPLF. It sticks to anything and anything sticks to Read more…
My friend Jerry is currently in the midst of restoring his 71 SL 350 and since I did the paint work for him, I thought it would be cool to post the progress for everyone to see. The bike was not a total wreck, it was just showing its age Read more…
Now that the Street Rod is done, it is time for it to find a new home. The paint is beautiful, the aluminum is polished and the bike is completely serviced including new tires. Priced at 8999.00, it is about 2500.00 under NADA book value. The 07 Street Rod was Read more…
I finally got around to updating the Kawasaki page in the galleries. Check it out for a few custom painted Kawasakis. If pearl white with pink flames is not your thing, there are a few others!
Here are a few pictures of the finished V-Rod Street Rod. This is a super rare bike that Harley only produced 700 of in 07. In addition to the paint and cosmetic repairs, I also did a complete service that included new hydraulic fluids for the brakes and clutch, oil Read more…
Today, the weather was a bit nicer with temps in the 60’s and sunny skies. So it was the perfect winter day to do the final buffing on the paint. Even though the paint looks great after clear-coating, we wet sand everything again to eliminate any slight orange peel or Read more…
We are in the final stages of the “restore the V-Rod” project and is is starting to get really fun. Today, we get to install the replacement exhaust and put the chrome heat shields back on the pipes. The original mufflers were scratched when the bike fell over- not badly Read more…
So, now we are in the final stages of our project and some of these are really tedious and time consuming. Since this bike was a daily ridden commuter bike, it wasn’t cleaned and polished regularly- so the aluminum parts like case covers, swingarm and wheels had that dull slightly Read more…
Well, the V-Rod is on the ground and rolling. After a thorough cleaning with all the bodywork off, we are ready to reassemble. Wet sanding the tank (really, air box cover) is easier with it off the bike, but I won’t buff it until it is installed. Plus, we have Read more…
Today I reinstalled the front end components- forks, wheel and the clutch and brake mater cylinders. Here’s a tip for you- always do your cleaning and polishing with the parts off the bike for ease and simplicity. It is way easier to clean a wheel with it off the bike Read more…
With the forks back on and the steering head nut tightened, we can now install the handlebars and soon, all of the switch gear and master cylinders. In the mean time, the tank and rest of the body work has been cleared and is drying and awaiting reassembly.
Well, I needed to strip the bike down more than I thought since the handlebars were tweaked and needed to be replaced and the steering head bearings need to be adjusted. I will say this- Harley does not design their bikes with ease of maintenance in mind. At any rate, Read more…
Well, here are a few pictures of the finished product. As you can see, it totally transforms the bike. Apparently, Yamaha does have a kit similar to this in other parts of the world but I’ve never seen one in the US. Tapeworks.com will have the graphics available as a Read more…