I tried color matching. Problem is no one stocks paint for bikes. Only cars. I don't know why they made the paint code different for their cars and bikes. Different company divisions probably?

I ended up using Dupli-Color spray paint. You can find it at O'Reilly Autoparts, Murrays, Autozone, Advanced Auto Parts, etc. They arrange their paints based on the car manufacturer so I looked at the Honda ones and took a stab in the dark as to which silver would match the best. Alabaster Silver Met. BHA0987. From the looks of it it's really damn close if not spot on.

I've spray painted my fair share of bike parts and car parts without anyone knowing the difference. This is the closest thing I could find to what I do when I paint. Read it over before you start and then read it again to make sure you know what you're doing. http://www.ehow.com/how_2062197_spra...-like-pro.html

Anyways, the first thing I did was take a small square sander with 600 grit (you can use 800 if you want, I just wanted to get there faster) and sand down whatever surface I could to get rid of any imperfections from the mold. You'll know what I'm talking about when you receive it. It's not perfectly smooth. Sand by hand any rounded points, corners and lips to make sure you get it all.

I threw down some Filler Primer to get any pinholes I missed and sanded it back down. Then I threw on another coat to be sure I got it all.

You can either sand here or go on to paint.

When painting, don't over-do it. Lighter coats over heavier ones so nothing runs or looks blotchy. Your first coat will look like crap and it should look like you barely touched it. Again, very light. Don't over-do it, less is more, etc. Throw on a second coat once the first one dries.

At this point I like to wet sand with 1000 grit (any higher is overkill at this point) to get off any overspray. Others like to put on all of the coats of paint before wet sanding. Still others like to sand inbetween each coat. It's all up to you. Whatever's clever. Wipe it all down and throw on another coat.

Keep repeating painting and sanding until you get a uniform color without any blotchy spots on the part. Wet sand one last time and clean the part from any dust/water.

On to clear coat. You can use whatever you want for it. Throw down how ever many coats you want. The more you do the more it shines. I went for 4 coats. Then, wet sand it first with 1000, then again with 1500. At this point it should feel like glass. Wet sand again with 2000 to get out any scratches from the 1000 and 1500 grit.

Let it dry and clean it up. Get some Car Polish and rub it in. Wax it afterwards and presto, professionally painted for a fraction of the price.

 

Sick bike!

www.leveloneracing.com

Best looking/sounding pipes for the F4i! (2 brothers is a close second)

 

Wow, Thanks so much for explaining the paint and listing the paint you used! I feel much better about doing it myself just by reading what you wrote but I'll read the link you posted too. This really was a big help!

 

bike looks good man

 

That bike is a real beauty! I agree that a nice slip on will finish the look up.. I bought my wheel stripes from glsigns on ebay... I bought a set of non-reflective green ones for my old Ninja, and this time I have red reflective ones... they look great IMO and the reflectives were like $13 shipped.. cant lose... white or even black refective would be really nice.. black is cool because you can only see it at night... there isnt much red to work on with your bike.. not sure how it would look..

 

Looks good. Thanks for sharing.

I've been thinking of getting the same tail setup as you. Couple questions: How is the pimpbike undertail for fit? How bright are the tail light and blinkers?

 

Thanks for the replies and input. I pulled the trigger and got reflective silver rim stripes. I'll throw up pics once I get them on.

The fit on the undertail leaves something to be desired. It fits snug to say the least. So snug that it's to the point you really have to put in some effort to get the holes lined up underneath it for the little grommets. Afterward it's also quite a PITA to screw in the rear screws on the rear cowl.

Nothing is as bright as the stock blinkers IMO. I use hand signals most of the time anyway unless I'm in a turn lane. Bikes in Michigan do not require turn signals so I'm not particularly concerned. Also, cagers don't pay attention to it anyway.

The brake light is on par with stock visibility during the day. At night I would say it's brighter.

 

Thanks for the response. I'm going between getting the same setup as you or going with the Compwerkes undertail, Clear Alternatives non-integrated tail light, and keeping my current blinkers (since the undertail comes with a bracket for them). Now I just need to find out what people think of their Compwerkes.

 

The Competition Werkes fender eliminator is probably the highest quality and fit of any one that I've come across.

 

I have it on my F4... basically the same as your F4i.. It isnt bad... it does teh job for sure... IMO still overpriced for what you get..

Adam