Big single custom bike project
Discussion
for years I have had frames powder coated... the main reason was I hated the amount of overspray painting tubes makes in the garage...
However, powder coating does come with a few disadvantages... Firstly finding someone who will do a good job! I have had some terrible jobs done in the past... the other disadvantage is if there are any rust pits, you cant cover them with anything due to the powder coat process involving heat. With a sprayed finish you can use a 2K primer filler which does a brilliant job of covering them imperfections up. the other advantage is it's much easier to touch up in the future, plus and unlimited range of colours.
So after the powder coater messed me around again, I decided to paint the frame with 2K. here is the results.
I started with a thin coat of etch primer (or adhesion promoter as I prefer to call it!) followed by two coats of 2K primer filler. After a bit of a flat off with 800 I gave it two coats of silver base coat, followed by two of 2K lacquer.
I did this in the garden, under the Gazebo, which was brilliant! I am really pleased with the results and probably won't go back to powder coating again.
However, powder coating does come with a few disadvantages... Firstly finding someone who will do a good job! I have had some terrible jobs done in the past... the other disadvantage is if there are any rust pits, you cant cover them with anything due to the powder coat process involving heat. With a sprayed finish you can use a 2K primer filler which does a brilliant job of covering them imperfections up. the other advantage is it's much easier to touch up in the future, plus and unlimited range of colours.
So after the powder coater messed me around again, I decided to paint the frame with 2K. here is the results.
I started with a thin coat of etch primer (or adhesion promoter as I prefer to call it!) followed by two coats of 2K primer filler. After a bit of a flat off with 800 I gave it two coats of silver base coat, followed by two of 2K lacquer.
I did this in the garden, under the Gazebo, which was brilliant! I am really pleased with the results and probably won't go back to powder coating again.
Megaflow said:
Hold the phone!
You can't just drop that little nugget, more information is required! Vastly more...
it was installed in the early 90's... there is about 6 feet ot earth on top of it, its accessed via a metal ladder underneath what looks like a substantial man hole cover. its the real thing and must have cost an absolute fortune! it has air filtration, mains, battery (long disposed of) and also manually operated via a handle. it has a main room, with bunk beds for 8 people, a store room, (with a water tank!) and a toilet. You can't just drop that little nugget, more information is required! Vastly more...
The guy that built it was a bit (!) eccentric my mate was told by the people who live close... \The house was his country holiday home! he worked for the MOD apparently in a senior capacity.
We have had the odd dinner party down there, its spookily quiet!
The other thing the powder coater did for me was the plating… but he didn’t, despite having it a month. I used to do this myself with a home kit, but it was hugely time consuming and he would do a batch for £45. I knew this had potential to hold me up again so after the bank holiday I made a list of local companies that did plating. The first one I visited said I would need to open an account… and the minimum invoice was £120… The second one, the reception was locked, so I wondered into the factory via a side door to be met with a very friendly guy, the owner of the company. I showed him what I had and he said he would do it… but they had a minimum charge… £28! He said come back next day as he would do it at the end of today’s production run. Next day I popped back… Fantastic job!
I hate hammering bearings in where there is an alternative… so I pull the head bearings into place with a large piece of threaded bar, this works a treat and allows the bearings to be seated nicely before assembling the headstock.
One job I needed to do was to check that there was no blasting media in the frame oil tank. Although I had sealed it you never know, that blast media has a habit of getting inside! I used my bore scope which is an excellent bit of kit! It has an 8mm camera probe and LED lights, it plugs directly into my phone so I can see inside things like engines, it takes stills and videos! All for £15! No sign of any media at all.
As I was doing it my wife came into the garage with a coffee… I said let me have a look in your ear… I checked inside her ear and said “just as I expected…nothing in there” she silently walked out… with my coffee
It’s all coming together fast now as you can see…
I hate hammering bearings in where there is an alternative… so I pull the head bearings into place with a large piece of threaded bar, this works a treat and allows the bearings to be seated nicely before assembling the headstock.
One job I needed to do was to check that there was no blasting media in the frame oil tank. Although I had sealed it you never know, that blast media has a habit of getting inside! I used my bore scope which is an excellent bit of kit! It has an 8mm camera probe and LED lights, it plugs directly into my phone so I can see inside things like engines, it takes stills and videos! All for £15! No sign of any media at all.
As I was doing it my wife came into the garage with a coffee… I said let me have a look in your ear… I checked inside her ear and said “just as I expected…nothing in there” she silently walked out… with my coffee
It’s all coming together fast now as you can see…
Things don’t always go to plan… I dropped the speedo and of course the glass cracked. Very frustrating! My first reaction was to just buy another… then I got thinking… maybe I could repair it? So I made a new bezel out of aluminium and tried to peen it over… first attempt failed, it was too thick, so I made another, and that worked perfectly! One tip when bending aluminium is to aneale it first. To do this mark it with a sharpi pen and heat it.. when the marks disappear, its the correct temperature for annealing! just let it cool…
I was able to turn a new glass out of 3mm polycarbonate, clamped between two pieces of aluminium, and a revolving centre. I guess there are now a couple of advantages… the alloy is more in keeping with the bike, and i was able to remove the GPS logo. While the MOT man is not bothered, (its not a reason to fail) A GPS speedo does not comply with construction and use regulations.
I was able to turn a new glass out of 3mm polycarbonate, clamped between two pieces of aluminium, and a revolving centre. I guess there are now a couple of advantages… the alloy is more in keeping with the bike, and i was able to remove the GPS logo. While the MOT man is not bothered, (its not a reason to fail) A GPS speedo does not comply with construction and use regulations.
This build comes to an end, just in time for spring and the better weather! Took it for MOT today and it passed with no problem… But then again he follows my builds!
I did spend a very frustrating day yesterday.. I measured the voltage to check it was charging... It wasn't! I set about fault finding ( the electrex worldwebsite has a fantastic fault finding section!) and everything checked out, I couldn't understand what was wrong... In desperation I asked my mate to pop round... First thing he di was check the volts... with his meter... It was charging! the fault was my meter!
I will update in a while when I have put a few miles on it... first impressions are very favorable! Its very light and weighs in at 139KG with a bit of fuel in there... On the road it feels torquey and nimble!
I did spend a very frustrating day yesterday.. I measured the voltage to check it was charging... It wasn't! I set about fault finding ( the electrex worldwebsite has a fantastic fault finding section!) and everything checked out, I couldn't understand what was wrong... In desperation I asked my mate to pop round... First thing he di was check the volts... with his meter... It was charging! the fault was my meter!
I will update in a while when I have put a few miles on it... first impressions are very favorable! Its very light and weighs in at 139KG with a bit of fuel in there... On the road it feels torquey and nimble!
KTMsm said:
I love your threads, you have great skills and if you like it - fantastic !
I struggle with single seat looks
My favorite was the Guzzi
from a build perspective, I loved doing the Guzzi! With style, I used to try and build what I thought would be popular when it came to sell ( I can hear my wife saying "you dont sell any" ) then I realise I was building for other people, not me. So these days I just build what I want... and like, but I do always look and thing if I did it again I would change things!I struggle with single seat looks
My favorite was the Guzzi
As this build finishes my mind turns to the next project, I have 6 months to think about it as I like to ride over the summer months... Yesterday I moved the cars and bikes out of the garage so I could give it all a good clean. Moving the bikes around made me realize just how heavy the Guzzi feels (200kg) its manageable for me at the moment, but I am sure a time will come when that also becomes too heavy... The Ducati's weigh in at 165- 168 KG and with the high bars, they are easy enough to move around. The Honda feels super light in comparison! Incidentally I rode a Honda Montesa last month... at 80 ish KG that felt like a push bike!
I think the next build will be a single cylinder, and as powerful as I can find... which means going for a watercooled bike. maybe quite modern, and perhaps accident damaged/reparable salvage... we will see, watch this space! suggestions welcome!
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