Guys, I have just one faint scratch about 1" long on the tank of my CBR1000F which is otherwise pristine. The scratch is not deep, but the primer(?) underneath shows through as a white mark against the otherwise orange/red tank paint. Is there something I could use to mask or reduce the visibility of this mark without painting the whole tank. It might not sound like a very "professional" idea but I was thinking of simply trying a felt tip pen or rubbing it with a wax crayon!! I know, I know it might sound like crud, but I might just try it to see what happens as it can't do any damage - just wondering whether anyone has done anything else with good results as this must be a common problem but I haven't found anything else on the forum. Thanx.

 

You will need touch up, and your colour code but look here for kit
RS Motorbike Paint Colours - Motorcycle paint, bike paint, Kawasaki Honda Yamaha

 

I've used a felt marker to touch up a bad spot on my tank. It works alright, but only for a very short time as it fades away pretty quickly.

 

Yes, I thought the duration of any "half fix" might be an issue, but still worth considering I think. I wonder if they're are any pens/sticks /crayons that do a better job.

 

I used to use a laundry marking pen to label my uniforms. The writing would last the life of the uniform. The kind we used had a rubber ball on the end that you would pump with your thumb to pressurize it.
I don't know if it would work on metal or not, but I am betting it would. I had a stencil with stray markings on it and it never rubbed off of it.
If you do an internet search for "Textile Maker With Bulb" you will see to what I am referring.

 

I'm with Cabaret. Just go buy the correct color-matched touchup paint from an autobody supplier. Ride the bike down, have their painter eyeball the color (or try the paint code but motorcycle paint codes usually aren't in their system) and they'll mix up an ounce or so. Should cost $20. Clean the panel, use a fine-tipped paint brush to run the paint into the scratch, let dry, and ride

Recently my brother went at his Ducati with a bottle of nail polish. The repair spiraled way out of control to the point where he's wetsanded the nailpolish, sprayed the mess with rattlecan clearcoat, sanded again, sprayed it again, spent hours trying to polish the thing, and after several days' work, it still looks like a complete turd

 

I've googled the textile marker suggestion from Hamblin6 and found companies that supply all kinds of very permanent markers that can be used on all sorts of materials. That sounds promising although the range of colours is of course rather limited. In another thread someone also suggested fine brushing on a colour-matched paint and then polishing it down with a fine cloth dampened with thinners before it's completely dry. Then applying a wax. That sounds promising too. I unfortunately agree with tentacleslap that the Ducati Monster really is just that! (Sorry for your brother). There's some interesting ideas coming out of this.