Colour Combos

[platinum_black]

hey guys, lately i have been looking round me and asking everyone i know for a bit of inspiration for when i get my gs powder coated and i cant seem to come up with anything really, tonight one of my ideas was rubb everything down and buff it up till it shines and give it like a purple frame or something along those lines, another option was mustard and mibbie red, green and white, gun metal grey and orange but i dont wanna be ripping off triumph :S but i dont know i want something different.

what have you guys considered or even tried?

[fred]

You should consider photoshopping a picture of your bike before making your final decision.... I'd like to see what a GS looks like with a frame color that isn't silver or black... I think one member did it, but it isn't super common.

[platinum_black]

see id rather not go with a black or silver frame, id rather something different, im also considering getting the engine sprayed to match, obviously in a heat proof paint but yeah would be cool

[utgunslinger13]

I'm really partial to graphite frame with black or blue tank and body plastics.

Nick

[qwertydude]

It would be really tough to keep clean but a white frame would look pretty neat.

[pronator]

It would be really tough to keep clean but a white frame would look pretty neat.

Agreed! Although a black frame with pearl white plastics would look fantastic, too.

[wladziu]

Had mine coated high-gloss black, then a metallic flake clear coat, then another clear for scratches.  Went with yellow for the tank, out of personal preference. 
If you're gonna coat it, then get a clear coat.  It'll cost you a little extra, but it's worth it.  Just the abrasions from your hands are enough to scratch high-gloss terribly, and the first time you wash it...   
Metal flake really sets off the look.  There are different sizes of flake, though.  I prefer the small flake.  Some of the coaters call it metal "dust" and the larger stuff "flake", so be sure to work out any miscommunication.  You'll be expected to pay for their screw-ups.  The larger stuff is the size of goldfish food flakes. 
I recommend going to the shop before you decide on a color.  My shop can do a few thousand colors and effects, and they've got little placards with samples.  Who knows, you might see a bronze hammered effect in person and fall in love with it. 


A good shop will sandblast it and dip it for you, included in the price.  If you've never been there before, then dress like a bum and act pathetically poor.  I know it's an old Cosby Show routine, but it saved me about $150. 
Definitely recommend that flake, though.  Mine shimmers a little when the sun hits it, really helps the bike look meaner.  Thought it'd be ghey, but not so. 
A little ICE liquid wax on the coat before you reassemble will help prevent road grime from sticking. 


A white frame wouldn't be THAT bad.  Put some black speck in it, uniformly, and the grime won't stand out as much.  A pearled frame is gonna look horrible in my opinion, though. 
One effect that stood out to me (originality-wise) was a base coat of a particular color, then a hammered-effect topcoat.  You could match, say, brown and black to give a wrought-iron effect.  Or, red and black if you're partial to the "streetfighter" (poser...cough, cough) look. 

Maybe canary yellow and a black tank, that'd definitely stand out. 

[wladziu]

One place I've noticed that REALLY accumulates grime (if you're thinking of a light color) is the rear caliper support arm.  If you ride in or after a rain shower, it gets filthier than everything else on my bike.  So, I'd do that a darker color. 

Otherwise, the coating seems to have a better resistance to mud and bugs.  Even chain grease seems to blow right off.   

Gets a ton of compliments, though.  You'd better be prepared with good storage solutions.  I'm afraid to leave mine when I'm shopping or even running into the convenience store.  Came out of WalMart once, and there was a little crowd (4, maybe 5) of thug-life wannabe-squids around my little GS.  I've since poured gas on the yellow tank, and they don't seem to appreciate it as much.   

[qwertydude]

Yeah white frame with white wheels, it would really pop.

[commuterdude]

medium metallic blue frame

[Roadstergal]

It would be really tough to keep clean but a white frame would look pretty neat.

It sure would, with road grime, chain lube, and the like... that's why I like black frames, black engines, and black wheels.   

I think round trellis frames look nifty in oddball colors - like on Duc monsters or first-gen SV650s - but I dunno if the slab sides of the GS frame would work so well.  I've seen other bikes that kind of frame either polished or chromed (or painted bright yellow), and to me, that just highlighted how awkward they looked.

One frame treatment that I do think would look good on just about anything is this one - sort of a sparkly crinkle that would be quite subtle.  That with a yellow or dark red bike might look pretty nifty.

[wladziu]

That's two-toned hammered. 

[platinum_black]

i really love the black and yellow two toned idea, would be quite interesting on the frame i think hmm but then what colour would i do the tank? hmm