You know, when I saw your red jacket behind me I thought you had passed Kay in those turns     You have come a long way in a short period of time though!  The most important thing is you don't take dumb risks and ride within your comfort zone, I made many stupid (and possibly deadly) mistakes before I learned that important lesson!  Just be glad you didn't have a virgin on the back       In all seriousness though Kay's friend did really well as a passenger.  A few times I had to look at our shadow on the ground to make sure she was still back there.  That may also have something to do with the fact that my left leg probably weighs more than she does... 

That was actually one of the best rides I've had in a while.  Carrying a passenger really makes me concentrate on my riding.  My shifting and braking is smoother and I'm a lot more alert.  The closest call of the day was that dumb blonde in the Jeep Wrangler that nearly plowed us over while we were stopped in the High's parking lot.  And unlike most idiots she wasn't even on a cell phone!  Hopefully this warm weather sticks around a little longer so we can get another ride in..

-Jessie

By the way, did you notice the sign that said "Frozen Turkey Drive"??  The first thought that popped in my head was "that's a weird name for a road"... took a minute before it dawned on me that it was a charity food drive   

Quote from: BaltimoreGS on November 15, 2009, 06:42:28 PM

So how're you planning on fitting both of those fenders on the bike?

Quote from: BaltimoreGS on November 15, 2009, 06:42:28 PM

That windscreen is pretty awesome. I've always just worn extra gear, sometimes heated whenever winter came, but next time winter comes I'm just getting myself one of those. No reason to screw around. Does it make the bike feel weird once you're up to a speed where wind is actually hitting the bike with some force?

The tentative plan is to use the front end off the CBR on Kay's bike but in case that doesn't happen we painted the GS fender too.  I personally love the windscreens, Kay hates them.  She likes the "wind in the face feel."  I do too when that wind isn't freezing my cheeks off     My '01 came with a windshield (can't remember the model but it is similar to the Nighthawks) and I thought it was ugly.  My friends called it the CHiP's windshield.  Once the weather got colder I grew to love it.  On the GS I can not notice any real handling difference but without the wind noise at speed you can really notice how mechanically noisy our bikes are.  Shortly after I decided to ad a windscreen to the Nighthawk for winter commuting.  I wanted the biggest one I could find.  If I remember correctly that one is a Plexistar 3 from National Cycle.  It extends down further on the fork tubes than my GS's one to help keep the wind off your legs.  Once the mounting hardware is installed it only takes a minute to take the windshield on and off.  On the Nighthawk I was worried about how it would affect performance, with my 250lb frame it already struggles to hold highway speeds on an incline.  The windshield must have made it a lot more aerodynamic because it actually increased it's top speed on the highway   

-Jessie

Quote from: BaltimoreGS on November 15, 2009, 09:40:52 PM
You know, when I saw your red jacket behind me I thought you had passed Kay in those turns    You have come a long way in a short period of time though!  The most important thing is you don't take dumb risks and ride within your comfort zone, I made many stupid (and possibly deadly) mistakes before I learned that important lesson!  Just be glad you didn't have a virgin on the back       In all seriousness though Kay's friend did really well as a passenger.  A few times I had to look at our shadow on the ground to make sure she was still back there.  That may also have something to do with the fact that my left leg probably weighs more than she does...  

That was actually one of the best rides I've had in a while.  Carrying a passenger really makes me concentrate on my riding.  My shifting and braking is smoother and I'm a lot more alert.  The closest call of the day was that dumb blonde in the Jeep Wrangler that nearly plowed us over while we were stopped in the High's parking lot.  And unlike most idiots she wasn't even on a cell phone!  Hopefully this warm weather sticks around a little longer so we can get another ride in..

-Jessie

By the way, did you notice the sign that said "Frozen Turkey Drive"??  The first thought that popped in my head was "that's a weird name for a road"... took a minute before it dawned on me that it was a charity food drive  

Yeah, that blonde chick was stupid as hell.  She didn't even seem phased that she almost seriously injured three people.  That kid that was outside was like, "yo, that girl almost plowed over your homeboys."  I was thinking to myself, "aren't we in Hereford?".

You seemed to be doing fine with the girl.  I wasn't paying much attention during the greetings, so I'm assuming it's Kay's friend?

I didn't notice the Frozen Turkey Drive, but that's funny none the less.  

I'm pretty much free tomorrow if you want to go for a ride.  I can go into work around 11 and be out by 1, and if you want we can ride for 2 or 3 hours.  

Kay wants to take me to the gym with her but she has to be at work around 1 so I'm free after that.  Hopefully the weather holds!!

-Jessie

Made a little more progress on the tank today.  I started roughing in the body lines on the side dent and smoothed out the top dent more.  It still needs a lot more sanding...

-Jessie

The bondo was dry on the side dent so I roughed in the shape with coarse sand paper.  Sometimes when you have a dent like this on a body line i is easier to hammer the body line down with a ball pein hammer and recreate the entire line in bondo.  The downside being if you drop the bike bondo damages a lot easier than metal.



There is a small chip about 1/8" deep that will need to be filled with bondo.  You can see it better once the tank has been wiped down with alcohol.



Once painted you can see this spot will need a lot more work to blend in properly



The top dent has smoothed out nicely.  There are small imperfections now that will be filled in with glazing putty and sanded with a finer grit sandpaper.



The glazing putty.  It is meant for filling pinholes/shallow imperfections.  Larger areas like the 1/8" chip in the above picture should be addressed with more body filler.



A little dab will do ya



Then smooth it out with one of the plastic spreader tools.  Once dry it will be sanded with fine sanding paper.

Decided to get the skim coat of bondo on the side dent so it can dry overnight.  There were also some small imperfection that I put some glazing putty on (darker red).

-Jessie

A little more progress made today. The dent on the top is now finished and the one on the side is coming down the home stretch.  Once the side one is finished it will be time for a coat of high build primer and some wet sanding.

-Jessie

Top dent after sanding the glazing putty.



A little primer and this dent is done!



Sanded down the side dent



Once primed you can see it still needs more attention



There are small imperfections and sanding lines from the coarse sand paper I used to shape the Bondo.  More glazing putty to the rescue...  One more sanding and this spot should be done too.

Sorry if this post is getting long and boring but painting a bike is....well..... long and boring    I know most people just want to see a before and after pic but hopefully seeing the whole process is helpful to someone.

The tank is now finished to the point that I can start on the fenders.  This bike has a metal front fender and a plastic rear fender.  The rear fender had some minor blemishes and the front fender has some minor rust issues.  Pics below...

-Jessie

Ebay fenders off an '86 model.  The '83 model we are redoing had a chrome front fender that was pretty beat up, later models had body color fenders.



Cleaned them up so I could see what I was dealing with.  The front fender had some rust so I decided to strip it to bare metal like the gas tank first.



Dab the stripper on liberally with a paint brush, let it do it's thing for a little bit, then scrape it off.  Repeat as necessary.



With the paint removed you can see the rust



Wash the piece thoroughly with soap and water to remove all the residual stripper.  Be careful not to get it on your skin.  You will know if it's there by the painful burning sensation...



Once clean, wipe down with rubbing alcohol to help evaporate he water



just like the gas tank I sanded off the lose rust and scuffed the entire piece.  Then primed with a rust preventative primer.



Topped with sandable primer and waiting to be wet sanded



Most of the rear is not visible when installed.  There were a few areas that needed attention especially one on the rear lip.



The factory paint was scuffed up with 400 grit sand paper and glazing putty applied to the problem spots.  A good rule to remember:  Paint doesn't stick to shiney.  Be sure to scuff up all the nooks and crannies.  Due to the cold weather the putty will need to dry overnight before sanding.  Once sanded it will be time for a coat of the high build sandable primer

Keep it up!  I'm going to be attempting some restoration work this winter and this thread has already been amazingly helpful for me.  Awesome work

Thanks NF11624, glad this is of helpful to someone.

Hit a few road blocks today on the rear fender.  I've had to move my operations outside which is even more "less than ideal" than my normal operation.  I know that all paint smells but the rattle can sandable primer I'm using right now smells really bad.  I was painting in the garage but the fumes were spreading into the house.  I'm working under a porch now.  The next hurdle was my fault.  I sanded the glazing putty down too far on the rear lip damage and had to redo it.  Instead of letting the putty cure overnight like I have been I sanded and painted it after only about 2 hours.  The putty wasn't fully cured and the primer did not adhere properly.  That will take a little sanding to correct.  The final obstacle was running out of primer before I was done. Normally not a big deal but I went to 2 auto parts stores and could not find the same brand in the black color.  I found the same brand in gray and a different brand in black (Rustoleum Sandable).  I was curious if the Rustoleum would have less of an odor but decided it would be a better bet to stick with the same brand.  I don't like mixing brands because not all formulas are compatible.  I also don't like mixing primer colors because they have some affect on how the color coat looks.  This is the lesser of 2 evils.  The next step will be wet sanding everything smooth. Later

-Jessie

Glazing putty sanded and the manufacturer sticker removed and scuffed



My new outdoor painting set up.  I never knew what a pack rat redneck I really was until I started looking at the background in these pictures.  Out of frame is an aftermarket tC exhaust I've been trying to sell if anyone needs one... 



Partially coated with high build primer.  This is when I ran out of paint...



Finished coating with the gray primer



Here is a close up of the problem area.  Make sure you let the putty dry thoroughly before sanding and painting.



This is the paint that has the terrible odor.  If I was doing this project again I'd try a different brand and see if it smells any better.

Great thread.  Thanks for sharing your project and posting all of the pictures up!  This is exactly the information I need after patching up body work with a fiberglass repair kit -- which currently looks worse than the dog's breakfast.  I hope that a bit of diligent sanding and bondo work will make it look half as nice as what you've done.

Thanks sys49152, I hope your project turns out well!  Take today's lesson to heart:  HASTE MAKES WASTE  I was trying to get the parts ready for color coats tomorrow and made 2 big mistakes:  I rushed things and I cut corners which came back to bite me.

All the parts are primed now and ready to wet sand.  If your parts are in good shape you can use 600 grit.  I have some rougher parts on the tank that I will hit with 400 grit first. The wet sand process:  Wet sand, dry with rubbing alcohol, look for spots that sanded through, touch up with primer, repeat as necessary until you get a uniform smooth finish.

My mistakes:  There were some sanding lines on the tank that should have been addressed with glazing putty.  Instead I took a half-assed approach and tried to put an extra heavy coat of primer.  Odds are you would have still been able to see the lines after sanding but due to mistake number 2 we shall never know.  I didn't give the primer enough time to dry before I tried to sand it and made a mess of the top of the tank....  Learn from my mistakes!!!

-Jessie

Basic wet sanding supplies:  Sandpaper, sanding block and lots of water.  In my usual "less than ideal" circumstances I am working on an upside down service cart in the front yard 



Sanding on flat surfaces should be done with the sanding block. On curved pieces like the front fender I sand with my hands.  Fold the paper over a few times to stiffen it, then hold it lightly across your fingers.  Sand from side to side with light pressure to minimize finger marks in the primer.  BE CAREFUL where you set the paper down, grit/dirt on the sandpaper will cause scratches.



The front fender has a pretty good finish so it will only need to be sanded with 600 grit.  Pour water over the piece and run your fingers over it to feel areas that need to be sanded more



I sanded through in a few places which needed to be re-primed and sanded again



The rear fender has a lot of contours to sand



I sanded through in a few spots



A little primer and some more sanding will fix that!  I continued using the gray primer on this piece.  That may cause a slight variation in the tint of the color coat compared to the other parts but it shouldn't be highly noticeable



The tank still looked good at this point...



After wet sanding with 400 grit



As I applied more primer I noticed some sanding lines in the top (red circle). Instead of taking the proper route and addressing them with glazing putty in my haste I tried to fill them in with primer which caused the run circled in yellow



I compounded the problem by not giving the heavy coat of paint enough time to dry before wet sanding resulting in this mess



After a round of cursing I let the paint finish drying and scuffed it up with 320 grit dry paper



Then applied a very liberal coat of glazing putty. Learning from my previous mistake I will let the putty dry over night before continuing.  I also took this as an opportunity to address some small imperfections on the tank I normally would have ignored



The good news is the fenders came out good and are ready for color coats

Excellent thread, very detailed with lots of pictures 

[threadjack] Anyone interested in this may also like my low-budget paint write-up  http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=50319.0 [/threadjack]

Thanks redhen, I'm hoping this is informative to some.  The project was kicked into overdrive this weekend but no corners were cut.  When I screwed up last week I was rushing things because the weather won't be on my side much longer.  It has been unusually mild in Baltimore for November (highs in the mid-50's oF).  I had intended on spraying the color coats Saturday but instead spent the day correcting the mess I made of the tank on Friday.  Luckily the weather held through Sunday so I was able to get the color coats on.  There are different types of automotive paints on the market and I'm sure you can find a lot more information about them online.  The 4 basic types I know are lacquers, enamels, single stage urethanes and base coat/clear coats.  Lacquer is what a model T Ford was painted with.  It is outdated technology just like the model T.  I have sprayed acrylic enamels before and gotten decent results.  It is a single stage paint that covers quickly and dries fast which is good when you are spraying in "less than ideal" conditions.  Acrylic enamels are still used on industrial equipment.  It can be buffed to a decent shine but does not have the depth of a urethane base coat/clear coat.  Most rattle can paints are enamels.  The next step up is a single stage urethane paint.  I have never used this type so I can not give any opinions on it.  The industry standard now is a urethane base coat/clear coat.  That is what we are using on this project.  The pics below are of spraying the base coat part of the system.  Normally the clear coat would be applied once the last base color coat had finished flashing (~drying).  This bike we are doing a 2 tone design on so only the base color was applied.  A second color and the clear coat will be applied later.  Plenty of pics below!

-Jessie


After the mess I made of the tank on Friday I had applied a liberal coat of glazing putty.  I hand sanded that for a good hour straight and the tank still looked bad



I decided to sand the messed up area back down to bare metal and build it back up again.  To speed the process I headed to my buddy's workshop and broke out the air sander



Unfortunately my budd's air compressor is not as powerful as the one I used at my last job.  The sander would bog down easily and the compressor was struggling to keep up.



Orbital sanding supplies are fairly expensive.  This bulk roll of sanding pads cost close to $200 (Note: This roll is about half used up)



Even with only partial power the air sander made quick work of the glazing putty and paint



A little primer to stop the rust and see what I was working with.  The spot will be feathered back in to match the rest of the tank with progressively finer sand paper and lots of high build primer



The tank looking pretty good again



I took this opportunity to address some small blemishes with the glazing putty



I let the putty dry overnight and got up early Sunday to finish the rest of the prep work.  First I smoothed out the putty spots and then went over the whole tank with 320 grit dry sand paper



With everything smoothed out it was time for some wet sanding with progressively finer wet sandpaper.  The goal here is to remove all the sanding lines so the color coats have a nice smooth base to sit on.  This prep work will determine how good your finished paint job will look so take your time and be careful!!



The tank was still a bit rough so I started with 320 grit wet sandpaper.  If a piece is already in good shape you can go right to the 600 grit.



Another coat of primer



Sanded with 400 grit wet sandpaper



A final coat of primer and then it is time for a final wet sand with 600 grit



More pics to come...

Just be careful not to drop it... 

Pavi- I like to call those "padongs".  That's the noise the tank makes when you accidentally bang it on something   

Sunday afternoon and I'm back at my buddy's shop to apply the color coats.  Normally it takes 3 base coats and 2 clear coats but this time we did 4 base coats.  We used the same Barett Jackson paint from Sherwin Williams that was used on Kay's GS ( http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=50627.0 ).  This color is called Snow White.  Take as many safety precautions as you can when spraying urethane paints, it has some nasty chemicals in it.  Ideally it would be sprayed in a down draft paint booth with a fresh air respirator.  We were using cartridge respirators with an open garage door...

-Jessie

Base coat paint and stabilizer



Clear coat and fast hardener (not applied in the pics below)



The spray gun we use.  The base coat is applied with the 1.3mm tip



Spray gun basics...



Spray guns are awkward to set down, plan ahead with a dedicated spot



Mix the paint thoroughly in the can. This is especially true if you are spraying a metallic or a pearl, the particles have to be dispensed equally or the paint job will appear blotchy



The base coat has to be mixed in a 2 part base to one part stabilizer ratio.  About 14 ounces of paint was necessary to cover the tank and 2 fenders.  First the base color was filled to the first #4, then the stabilizer was added to reach the other #4



Once stirred thoroughly the paint was poured through a strainer to remove any lumps that could clog the gun



Now the hard part, dialing in the gun.  This is just trial and error. It is worth sacrificing some paint to get this step just right.  Piglet is more experienced than I am in this department so I turn the gun over to him.  We use an old street sign as a test piece, you can still see some "Spicy Merlot Pearl" on the sign from when we sprayed Kay's GS



All the parts have been wet sanded with 600 grit paper. The parts are hung and wiped down with rubbing alcohol.  Just prior to painting they will be wiped down with a tack rag which is a sticky cloth that removes dust and leaves no lint



Kay has the tack rag in her hand in this photo.  Pig starts the paint job by hitting all the body lines and corners with a wet coat (relatively heavy coat)



Then he hits the rest of the piece for the first color coat.  Paint lines are started off the edge of the piece, moved smoothly across the piece at about  6" distance.  The gun's trigger is not released until you are off the other side of the piece.  Before the paint starts spraying, the trigger is pulled in about 1/3 of it's travel which starts the air flowing but does not release paint.  That clears any paint that was left in the nozzle which could create splatter marks if it got on the piece





The paint has to "flash" between coats, with this paint at this temperature flashing took about 15 minutes.  Notice the paint particles in the air, that is why you need some sort of respirator.  The parts are wiped down with the tack rag before each coat is applied to minimize dust/contaminants



2nd coat...



3rd coat...



4th and final coat



I wish I would have drilled a hole in the front lip to hang this piece, there were some spots on the edge where the wire hanger rubbed the paint.  Between the 2nd and 3rd coats I changed the hanging point to the opposite side to maximize coverage



If this was an acrylic enamel or single stage urethane paint job this would be the end of the painting process (with the option of buffing out after fully curing).  Normally the clear coat would be applied now in a one color base/clear paint job.  The parts were left hanging to dry for a day before handling.  Paint can take up to a week or 2 to fully cure.  Once thoroughly dry, Kay will be getting creative with some fine line tape and a second color will be applied.

More more more, this is great!!!  Nothing like reading about someone else's issues.  But hey, that is how we all learn.  I never knew about the glazing paste until I saw this thread.  Thanks for all the good info.

Thanks OCD!  Making mistakes is always a good way to learn, it's even better when it is someone else that makes the mistake before you do    

The parts are now dry enough to handle.  The base coat came out really nice.  My bondo work on the tank dent is decent but not perfect.  It is not really visible but if you run your hand across that part of the tank you can feel a flat spot in the curve.  There is also a small spot that I missed with the glazing putty.  In all honesty I could have spent another day fixing really small imperfections but over all I am very happy with the results so far.  Now the project will be put into Kay's hands for the stencil work.

Here's a breakdown of the cost of supplies for a typical base coat/clear coat paint job.  All figures are rounded off

Bondo quart     $10
Bondo spreaders     $3
Glazing putty     $5
Sandpaper  (320 grit dry, 320 grit wet, 400 grit wet, 600 grit wet) 4 x $7 each = $21
Tack rags     $6
Rattle can primer  4 12 oz. cans x $6 each = $24
Base Coat Paint Pint (enough for a non-full fairing bike like a naked GS)     $40
Base Coat Stabilizer     $15
Clear coat quart (not available in pints, enough for 2 bikes+)     $40
Clear coat hardener     $10
Other Misc. Supplies (rubbing alcohol, mixing cup, strainer, last chance filter...)     $10

Total spent $184


Of course this doesn't account for the price of tools.  There are various different guns on the market at all different price levels.  I used to use a $60 Harbor Freight special gun with acrylic enamel paint and got decent results.  I'm actually curious to see what kind of results I could get with that old gun and this paint but not curious enough to spend the $$$ to find out    I have been talking with tt_four about spray guns by PM, I'll see if he still has the message I sent about different types of guns.  If so, I'll post it on this thread if he doesn't mind.  One thing I didn't point out was that "last chance" filter on the spray gun in the pics changes color as the desiccant wheres out.  Here's some pics of the parts as they sit now.  Later

-Jessie

Edit: A side note on the primer.  I don't know whether the spray tips on the rattle cans are really inefficient or if the paint itself does not cover as well but I used a lot more ounces of rattle can primer than I would have with a quart can of 2K high build primer sprayed through the HVLP gun for about the same price (~$30)

Looking at redhens' post ( http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=50319.0 ) it looks like he used the single stage urethane paint so he would be a good one to give an opinion on its ease to apply and overall durability.  Durability and chemical resistance is a big concern with paint.  I did up an old motorcycle with rattle can paint and a a rattle can clear coat once.  The end result was fair but the first time I dripped gas on it the clear coat was ruined and the tank looked awful.

-Jessie