BUSY! Update soon!

Yes, there are some pictures on my camera, however, this past weekend was focused more on 'doing' than 'documenting.' And doing is what I did.

Starting last Friday night, inventory was taken and plans made. Before the end of the weekend I was determined to completely paint the frame. So a supply list was made.

Early Saturday morning the motorcycle frame was scrubbed with warm soapy water, wirebrushed ad rinsed. After a few cycles of that, the frame was hung by heavy wire to the garage rafters so it could dry while I ran out to get painting supplies.

This is where a mistake was discovered. The color I wanted is called "Ford Cardinal Red" by Duplicolor. It only comes in the smaller 5 ounce touch-up paint size cans, and costs nearly $8. As a matter of fact, three cans were previously purchased and used to paint the kick stand, passenger handles and a few other pieces.

Well, after visiting Pep-Boys, Auto Zone and Checkers, the reality of my mistake was clear. It was a two fold mistake. #1) The paint color is not widely available here in Las Vegas. Apparently luck was the only reason I found the three cans. The color was order only from all three auto parts stores. #2) The touch-up size does not cover very much area. That seems obvious now, but not so much before.

Economy of a different color choice made sense. So, a color called 'GM Victory Red' was selected. It costs only $6.50 for a large can and is nearly the same shade as 'cardinal red.'

The remainder of the day was spent sanding with 400 grit wet paper, wiping down the frame and cleaning any nooks and crannies that had been missed before with a tooth brush. The center stand was also finished in a fantastic and durable matte black and hung up.

Sunday morning start was early. After plugging all of the bolt holes in the frame with wads of shop towel and masking off other parts, the whole things was sprayed with three coats of Dupli-Color Sealer Primer. Some spots where there had been rust, received a coat of self-etching primer before the sealer primer.

While waiting between coats, I cleaned up the rear swing arm and rear wheel. By the end of the day, the rear wheel was nearly ready to have the driven gear re-installed.

After the prerequisite primer dry time, the painting started; two thin coats and one 'wet' coat. Just before finishing the second thin coat, the can goes empty. After a quick run to Auto Zone, Paint was flying again.

Painting odd shapes with a rattle-can is easy. Avoiding runs and under-painted surfaces is the hard part. My little VX800 frame has some runs and is not glass smooth but is fairly tough.

After being thoroughly cleaned, sanded and masked, the rear swingarm was given a coat of self-etching primer where necessary and then two coats of sealer primer. After that, it was covered with several coats of Dupli-Color matte black.

And then, after everything is hanging in the garage, curing, something is discovered. While drinking a glass of Merlot, examining my handiwork, several underpainted spots on the frame and a few on the swingarm were found.

DAMN!

The swingarm fix was simple; just an extra coat. The repair for the frame will be a bit more complex. The low paint areas will need to be wet sanded down a bit, then more red paint and then more clear coat. Honestly not too painful.

So... Next weekend, maybe even this week, rebuilding begins!

And, not to worry. pictures coming soon.

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