a buddy of mine picked up a 2005 1300 that had sat for may years and the paint on the lower part of the engine below the fins (the grey paint) is bubbling and flaking quite a bit.
what paint can be used to refresh those areas
http://www.vhtpaint.com I saw this somewhere else... I've personally used rust oleum paint I've picked up at Lowes, it works good but I've not used it on a motorcycle engine....
Paint has held up great so far, haven't had to touch it up yet....This was a huge pain in the ass of a job to do, but well worth it when finished...Aluminum foil is perfect for masking the bike off, as you can bend and squish it around odd shaped parts (carb for example), and into tight spaces you don't want the paint to get on...Several threads on this here on the Cafe, but I did mine slightly different...Sanded the fins with progressively finer sandpaper, removed the upper fake fin sections for easier sanding/painting, and the ones on the engine I wrapped sandpaper around some paint stir sticks to get into the tight areas....Most everyone else tapes off each individual fin with fineline masking tape...This is extremely tedious, and a test of one's patience....As patient and OCD as I am, that was beyond my patience level, so thought of a quicker way...As I was spraying the paint, I had some pieces of old t-shirt ready to go, wrapped around paint stir sticks and can of paint thinner right there by me...Shoot paint on part of the engine, put thinner on the "rag on a stick", and wipe that across the fins, removing the paint from the edges of the fins...Did a little at a time, as the more the paint dries, the harder it is for the thinner to remove it from the fin edges...Had a few spots that I had to touch up with a small modeler's brush (sprayed the engine paint into an old primer can cap, as I was also doing bodywork on my saddlebags at this time)...This was a ton easier than taping off each fin, then pulling all that tape back off, and turned out great!!!...
Bassdude, if you're reading this I'm wondering what the heck that toggle switch is above your left pipe/in front of side cover. Is that a 'secret' kill switch?
Phantom, you definitely do not need to pull the engine to paint it. Countless guys have done this mod over the years using tinfoil and/or tape. This one is still on my list of things to do, and will remain there until I find a heated shop to store the bike for the winter. Another member will have to point you to a how-to thread as I'm not sure where the most detailed one might be. If you do this mod, take pics along the way and post them in a new thread. We loves our pics!
Bassdude, if you're reading this I'm wondering what the heck that toggle switch is above your left pipe/in front of side cover. Is that a 'secret' kill switch?
Phantom, you definitely do not need to pull the engine to paint it. Countless guys have done this mod over the years using tinfoil and/or tape. This one is still on my list of things to do, and will remain there until I find a heated shop to store the bike for the winter. Another member will have to point you to a how-to thread as I'm not sure where the most detailed one might be. If you do this mod, take pics along the way and post them in a new thread. we loves our pics!
Bassdude, if you're reading this I'm wondering what the heck that toggle switch is above your left pipe/in front of side cover. Is that a 'secret' kill switch?
Not the ignition.(which is now near the clutch cable). I mean the little toggle in front of the side cover. That's some James Bond sh*t for sure. :icon_susp