Progress on son's new to him bike

So yesterday Dylan and I started making his bike "his" bike. Still a lot to do but we made some progress. He decided that he wanted it done in flat black. I hate trying to paint flat black because I always have trouble getting it right. From a distance though, it turned out ok. I'm not 100% happy though so may wet sand and try it again. He also sprayed the gold tank emblems and then sanded the raised area so that they are silver. I think he did a good job with that. I still have to fabricate some type of side covers. It's an old bike but it is the look that he wants and I think it will turn out ok.

It looks good brother, the Nighthawk is a great bike, I have had 3 of them. Now for you and him to put some wind in your faces together.

Looks to be about an '82, don't know whether it's a 650 or 750. I had a bunch of the 650SC and 700S models over the years and found them to be as reliable as a 1st gen VR. Be very careful, you may ride it some and begin to like it.........a lot.......

It's got kind of a VMAX look to it now...

It is a 1982 CB750SC. Runs great but I still think it's too much for what is essentially a first bike. This thing is pretty quick.

I'm not happy with the paint. We prepped it very well. Down to bare metal then multiple standings and a final wet sanding. Very smooth. Then three coats of primer and another wet sanding before doing the flat black. The texture is rough. After the wet sanding, the primed surface was smooth as glass. Four coats of the flat black and now it is almost like a 400 grit sandpaper. Will be easy to mar and scratch much less trying to keep clean. I'm thinking that we should have gone with a regular black and then used a matt clear to achieve the flat look.

How about it those of you with some painting experience. What is the best way to get the look that he is after? Flat black but a smoother finish in my opinion would be better.

In the pics it looks pretty cool!! Neat lookin little Bobber! I am no paint and body man, but I wonder if a couple coats of matt clear and then wetsand would smooth it out?

Craig

Don,

The auto custom paint guy I got my paint from warned me not to make the surface to smooth as the auto type paint doesn't stick very well to a really smooth surface. Suggested I sand to no more than 800 grit. (I had used 1500 for final).

Though if your primer looked smooth, your finish coat should have been as well. Humidity get in the way??

I think it looks great,,, spray that puppy down with some kind of clear coat so the paint dont run off when Dylan over fills the tank and then you two jump on your scoots and come up here for a Hot Dog!!!

Wonder what it would cost to have the tank Powder Coated into a Denim Black? Wonder if thats even possible?

Don,

The auto custom paint guy I got my paint from warned me not to make the surface to smooth as the auto type paint doesn't stick very well to a really smooth surface. Suggested I sand to no more than 800 grit. (I had used 1500 for final).

Though if your primer looked smooth, your finish coat should have been as well. Humidity get in the way??

I don't think there was a problem with humidity or temperatures. Nothing like that. I think that flat black just behaves this way but I could be wrong. I may wet sand it all back down and then spray it with perhaps a matt black instead of flat. Or even a glossing black and then a matt clear. Still researching it.

I think it looks great,,, spray that puppy down with some kind of clear coat so the paint dont run off when Dylan over fills the tank and then you two jump on your scoots and come up here for a Hot Dog!!!

 

Wonder what it would cost to have the tank Powder Coated into a Denim Black? Wonder if thats even possible?

That would probably be the best thing to do. He called a small local body shop here and asked what they would charge to paint just the tank and front fender. They quoted him $250.00. YIKES!!! I thought that was a bit steep so we decided to try it ourselves. From what little I've researched on the web and YouTube though, I'm not the only one who has a problem with flat black.

That may work very well...or...use the flat/matt coat like a clear coat. Gloss over primer, flat over gloss. A couple of thin coats of flat.[/color]

Not a paint guy wither. But my experience (although on race cars) is any of the flats need a "sealer" coat. I think the matte coat is probably the way to go. As mentioned if gas gets on the flat its going to leave a stain.

Now for the side covers. Wont original covers work? Should be able to find some on the cheap. Or going for the kind of old look, how about checking with an upholstery shop and going with a leather or leather look. Just cover the tubes, maybe some custom stitching a logo or name. Could put a pouch on one side for small storage like a phone and stuff.

Original side covers would work fine but the very few that I've found on Ebay have been priced crazy. If I run across a decent set, I'll buy them. Otherwise, I'll just go old school and fab some flat metal covers sort of what you see on dirt bikes and etc. Might look sort of cool anyway. Right now I have to get the turn signals working. He told Dylan that he hadn't figured them out yet and I can see why. He is trying to make them running lights and turn signals and has everything wired wrong. Tail light and brake light works so I just have to come up with the best and cheapest solution to get signals working.

He had also replaced the petcock with a on off valve and aftermarket filter. Would be fine except that the gas gauge isn't working either so with no reserve position, I have no doubt that Dylan will run out of gas sooner or later. I found an original petcock on Ebay and ordered it yesterday. At least he will have a reserve again. Gas gauge may be OK but they cut the wires off the sensor in the bottom of the tank. I will try to repair it but they cut the wires off too short to splice them back on. Found a few on Ebay pretty cheap but have to make sure to get the right one.

I just think he would have been far ahead to just buy a nice older cruiser that hasn't been all modified. He liked this one though.

Boss, we ALL have our own tastes! That's why there are soooo many different styles and models of motorcycles out there. Heck, even with 2nd gen Venture motorcycles, look at how you NEVER find two identical ones! Even the same year and color will be accessorized completly different!

My experience with black paint is that when you spray clear coat over flat black it turns into gloss black

I have a hunting rifle that I refinished the stock with a flat 2K automotive clear. It has held up great to all of the beating that a gun takes going thru dense woods with out a mark of any kind. It also stands up to all of the chemicals used in the maintenance of a rifle. I found it very easy to work with. It only took 3 coats of the clear over bare wood to get to what would have been a mirror finish if I had used gloss clear. If you want I can look and see if I still have the old dried out cans of flat clear to see exactly which brand and formulation I used.

Thanks. Unless it is available in a rattle can though, I won't be using it. I have a compressor and a spray gun but don't know how to use it.

Well since you need/want a buzz bomb, there is this one http://www.eastwood.com/2k-aerospray-matte-clear.html.

It is still a 2 part matte clear but in a spray can. Once you mix it you have to use it all as it will harden in the can in about 48 hours.

I have not used it but do know others that have used the gloss versions on model aircraft and been happy with the results.

Thanks. Unless it is available in a rattle can though, I won't be using it. I have a compressor and a spray gun but don't know how to use it.

I sprayed a lot for uncle Sam and got pretty good at it but never learned to set the gun up. Should be a "How To" for this somewhere.