Painting the 1500

[Rednaxs60]

Thanks - cleaning is not my forte, but in this case I'm making an exception, keeps me off the streets. Maybe find the oil leak that's been eluding me.

Schedule is being firmed up a little. Expect to paint blue plastic trim Sunday. Would like to get to the main plastic, but know I should rush this step. Looked at the weather forecast and starting Tuesday are some 10 plus degree C days coming. Going to shoot all the main panels in one day then let these sit for a bit. The C-19 issues are keeping me from rushing. Hopefully get all the initial sanding done today, as well as taking the front fairing off and prepping it. 1500 gets parked outside for a couple of days. Only a few more pieces need initial sanding and primer coats. There are a couple of parts that need some filler. These will be done tomorrow, final prep on Sunday/Monday.

 

[Rednaxs60]

Another full day. Got started around 0930. Took the front fairing off - a lot lighter than the one on the 1200, now have a naked GW:

Parked the bike out around the side of the house, a lot lighter to move around. It'll be there until about Wednesday.

Spent the rest of the day sanding and prepping parts starting with those that have been sanded through the gel coat to the ABS structure. Once sanded, scuffed with scotch pad, then cleaned with rubbing alcohol, sprayed a coat of adhesion promoter then 3 coats of sandable primer. Before painting will do a final sand of 800 grit dry. Should have a very smooth surface for painting. Since I have done quite a few of the panels with sandable primer, will do all the panels. Expect this will help with the final product. Did the spraying in the garage, a bit cool but the primer has flashed off. Brought inside for the night to let the primer set:

Back into the garage tomorrow.

Found an object located just in front of the right fairing pocket: that is connected into the clearance light circuit. Top view:

Wire side view:

Any thoughts? Looked in the manual and no mention of such an item.

Going to install the Goldwing emblems on the side panels. The holes are still visible on the backside of the panels. I'm thinking these are the correct emblems:

There are these alternatives:

More tomorrow

 

[Rednaxs60]

Been thinking about what to do in the areas that I removed the chrome passenger kick plates from. Looks like there are three products out there to be considered; ceramic paint coating, vinyl wrap and paint protection film (PPF). All do the same job, but depending on your application, mine being to protect the paint in the area where the passenger's boot is going to be is the deciding factor. All three can be applied by a DIY, and non are 100 percent bulletproof. This information is available on line, but I'm summarizing my understanding because of what I intend to do.

Ceramic paint coatings are good and used to protect the paint from normal wear and tear. It is scratch resistant, not scratch proof. It will last a long time, but after some 3-4 years will have to be reapplied.

Vinyl wrap provides more protection, is a polyvinyl chloride compared to the PPF that is a polyurethane. The Vinyl wrap is more brittle than the PPF. Comes in a range of thicknesses from 2 to 6 mil whereas the PPF can be had in thicknesses of 6 to 10 mils. The PPF provides more protection than the vinyl wrap.

Having perused and viewed a few videos, all mentioning the same information, I will be looking at a PPF for the areas to be protected. Might be good for other area such as the front fender, the lower fairing pieces and such. Have found on Amazon a 3M product that is clear, and 8 mils - 3M Scotchgard Clear Bra Paint Protection Bulk Film Roll 12 Inch x 60 Inch - for $40.00. Something to look at.

More cleaning, sanding and priming being done today. Cheers

 

[Rednaxs60]

Cleaned up for the day. It was a clean and repair day. Started with cleaning the fairing, and in doing so, found a lot of cracks and missing pieces that had to be fixed. Here are some of the pics of cracks and damage:

There are other cracks that needed to be fixed. Think I have them all now. Did some repair(s) on the front fender - cracks around bolt holes, and trunk box bolt/screw holes as well. Think I have got all the cracks and such repaired.

Tomorrow will be a sand, and paint with primer day. Putting off painting the blue trim pieces until Monday. Should still be able to get painting the rest on Tuesday. This is dependent on how tomorrow progresses.

Cheers

 

[julimike54]

Is the 1500 more prone to cracks than the earlier models?

 

[Rednaxs60]

Good question of which I do not have an answer. I can say that the fairing on the 1500 is quite light compared to my 1200 fairing. Lots of variables when it comes to ABS cracking, missing pieces. The good part is ABS is easy to fix.

Was browsing the how to articles and found some regarding installing LED light strips in the saddlebag and trunk marker lights. The saddlebag and trunk marker lights are the small push in type:

Finding these will be a project in itself. I had a few minutes to spare yesterday so I looked at the marker lights.

The saddlebag marker light bar is easy to work with. The lens is secured using screws. There are 6 small lights, not all are working:

Should be an easy project to retrofit with an LED strip(s).

The trunk side marker lights:

are a little more involved to get the lens off. The lens is sealed with an adhesive gasket and locking tabs. Gentle persuasion is required. Once the lens is off there is a light diffuser (?) inside:

and holds 3 bulbs. The bulbs can be changed without taking the unit apart, but I needed to see what was inside.

Both of these units are good candidates for LED strip lighting. The strip lighting can also be dual purpose, running lights and signal. Will be looking into this, and probably making a change.

 

[Rednaxs60]

julimike54 » Yesterday, 8:24 pm[/url]":1ww3vpzg]
Is the 1500 more prone to cracks than the earlier models?

After having gone over everything today, I would say the 1500 structure is not as robust as the 1200 plastic. This could be for a few reasons such as weight reduction, the 1500 is considerably heavier than a 1200, economics - keeping the manufacturing cost down. Fixed the ones I could find and should be good now.

Got a good start this morning. Finished all the sanding and got ready for primer - only got one coat of primer on the last pieces. These pieces are good to go, no repairs that need filling so one coat should be good.

I have 2 4X8 tables setup for priming the last pieces, and it is very tight for space:

Thinking the painting will have to be a 3 day affair. One day for the blue trim pieces, and 2 days for the main plastic. Will do the smaller pieces first, then the saddlebags and trunk. Should be okay.

Have been looking into wet sanding, benefits and what it entails - never having done it before. I tried a test piece and from what I can tell, it does give a smooth finish. I'm thinking 600/800 grit wet will be good.

More work tomorrow.

 

[mcgovern61]

What did you use to repaint the emblems? (Gold chrome?)

 

[Rednaxs60]

mcgovern61 » Today, 9:13 am[/url]":40dvijfg]
What did you use to repaint the emblems? (Gold chrome?)

Won't have to repaint the emblems, came off and no damage to these. Have decided on the alternate side panel emblems. Will be ordering soon. Been fixing a few faux pas I have made. Learned that you do not apply adhesion promoter to any part that you have done a fix and have primed, do not put any filler on too thick - takes too long to cure and sanding will be a PITA.

Tackled the handlebar covers. Took the small chrome strips off and removed the old double sided tape. Was going to mask these but decided it was better to remove and install later with new double sided tape:

have mentioned that I'm considering installing LED strip lighting in the saddlebags and trunk. Ordered a 5 metre strip of this on Amazon - $11.00 CDN delivered - SUSAY Waterproof Red LED 3528 SMD 300LED 5M Flexible Light Strip 12V 2A 24W 60LED/M - https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01DVKVQU8/ref ... 70_TE_item. Here's a pic:

Will have a few days to do small projects like this after I paint. Intend to let the painted parts sit for at least 5 days to cure and harden well before reassemble. I think doing too soon will do some damage and I'll kick myself for that. Mind you, waiting will be hard to do.

Stopping for a coffee. Rest of the day is wet sanding and prepping for blue trim painting tomorrow.

 

[Rednaxs60]

Been a long slog, but the end is in sight. Did some filler today, 3 pieces will need to be sanded and primed tomorrow - brought these pieces in for the night to help the curing process. Wet sanded all other parts with 600 grit - these will get to dry well. Should be able to setup the first batch of white plastic tomorrow late afternoon/evening. Getting as many parts in a sensible arrangement and secured so the spray guns don't blow them around takes a little time.

Have all the blue trim pieces cleaned and setup for painting tomorrow:

These parts will be done tomorrow, should only need two coats of the new blue colour, it's a lot darker, much closer to the original. Will be doing a satin clear coat as well. Did a test piece to ensure that I would not have to use an adhesive promoter - test successful. Even using plastic drop sheets to cover the walls and such.

Looking forward to Wednesday evening.

 

[mcgovern61]

opcorn:

 

[pidjones]

I just hope things are secure and spaced enough that you don't drag the air hose over the plastic and pull something off! You have about 8 times the area that I have, but luckily there are not nearly as many parts to paint on a 1000.

 

[Rednaxs60]

Things went well. Blue trim all done and put away for at least 5 days, probably more because the white parts have to be finished and worked on first.

Lots of room to walk around and keep the hose off parts and plastic. Used the spray gun with just air last night to make sure everything would stay in place. Will do the same for the white parts. Will be a little more particular with the white parts as to placement and would like a bit more area. Should be able to get a few more linear feet for space.

Sanded and primed the last three pieces. Wet sand in the morning. Hopefully get all white parts done tomorrow.

 

[Rednaxs60]

Have the first 17 white pieces on the tables and ready for tomorrow:

These are the larger parts. I picked up another 4 linear feet and it made it easier to get all the larger pieces ready for tomorrow. There are 13 mid to small pieces that will be done in the second batch:

These will be done on the long bench. Won't have to be as particular with setup.

When I cued up each piece I did a shadow painting/visualization to make sure I could get at all the surfaces that I want to paint. Also used a spray gun to ensure all pieces would not move when sprayed. Going to be a good day.

 

[Rednaxs60]

Beautiful sunny day. Temp right now at 7 deg C, going up to 15 deg C. Going to start painting around 1030.

Had a thought about spray can nozzles and how these can affect your project. I was spraying the clear gloss coat on the blue trim yesterday, a SEM product, and every now and then my finger would give out and release the nozzle, didn't matter where or when. I then used a Dupli Color spray can to spray some sandable primer onto the last few pieces of white plastic. This nozzle is very easy to spray with and easy on the finger, no pun intended. Here are some spray nozzles that I have been using:

The SEM nozzle on the right requires the most finger pressure, the Dupli Color in the middle is the easiest on finger pressure, and the red nozzle on the left isn't bad, but your finger can get in the spray pattern. So lesson learned for myself is to get a spray can with a nozzle that requires the least amount of finger pressure. This prevents inadvertent stops in the middle of a pass over the part. When this happened I also noticed that I would automatically want to restart where I was and this can put a lot of paint in one spot that you do not want to do. Should have started a new pass and gone over where I left off. Things to consider.

 

[pidjones]

They make a trigger that mounts on the can (I think Rustoleum markets them) that REALLY eases the finger pressure on the other cans. I agree, Duplicolor got it right, and you can even rotate the nozzle to change the spray pattern from vertical to horizontal.

 

[Rednaxs60]

Thanks - have looked at those spray can trigger mounts, but have not heard a lot of good things.

Minor setback this morning. Went through a setup process with the gun, spray pattern, air pressure, and I thought the product amount was set as well. Murphy was lurking and came to the fore. The mix is 1:1 paint/reducer and is quite a watery mixture. Seemed that I might need to reduce the paint flow, but stuck to my initial process. The paint came out in buckets, runs on almost all of the first pieces. Let it setup a bit and wiped the excess off (lots of it) Kicked myself, but it is only paint, can be sanded smooth again and continue.

Picked up some more base coat, don't want to run short. Have started the remedial process. Was only going to sand out the affected areas; however, going to sand all the panels that I did this morning, 1-2 coats of sandable primer, wet sand with 600 grit then get at it again. Thankfully these are the larger panels and easier to work with. Probably overkill, but if the base coat is not right, the rest won't be as well. Should only add a day to the process.

Cheers

 

[Rednaxs60]

Progress! Sanded all the panels I intentionally ( :smilie_happy: :smilie_happy: )screwed up! Two coats of sandable primer, wet sand 600 grit in about an hour, then I'll let sit until tomorrow. Using the finishing spray gun this time - 1.0 mm tip - for the base and mid coats. The big gun is nice but I'm dealing with small items so the smaller gun will work quite well. When I switch from base to mid coat paint, flush with solvent then use the mid pearl colour. Will use the new gun I got the other day for the clear coat. Will be dialing back the paint flow so that I don't have a recurrence of paint runs. This gun will be using a 1.3 mm nozzle and can flow a lot of paint.

If I were to do this again, and probably will on my 1200, I would only use finishing spray guns with 1.0 mm nozzles for base and mid coats, and one with a 1.2 mm nozzle for clear.

Cheers

 

[pidjones]

Rednaxs60 » Thu Apr 09, 2020 5:19 pm[/url]":2ddndr2h]
Progress! Sanded all the panels I intentionally ( :smilie_happy: :smilie_happy: )screwed up! Two coats of sandable primer, wet sand 600 grit in about an hour, then I'll let sit until tomorrow. Using the finishing spray gun this time - 1.0 mm tip - for the base and mid coats. The big gun is nice but I'm dealing with small items so the smaller gun will work quite well. When I switch from base to mid coat paint, flush with solvent then use the mid pearl colour. Will use the new gun I got the other day for the clear coat. Will be dialing back the paint flow so that I don't have a recurrence of paint runs. This gun will be using a 1.3 mm nozzle and can flow a lot of paint.

If I were to do this again, and probably will on my 1200, I would only use finishing spray guns with 1.0 mm nozzles for base and mid coats, and one with a 1.2 mm nozzle for clear.

Cheers

I'm using lacquer, which specifies 1.6 nozzle, I found it was laying down too fast for me, too. Ended up just moving real fast! So, when I did the accent color I went to my touch-up gun with a 0.9 tip. It didn't lay the paint down fast enough, and I ended up with serious orange peel. Can't color sand it as it is a metallic, but luckily the clear coat (rattle can) levels it well. I need to see if I can get a 1.2 nozzle for one of these guns!

 

[Rednaxs60]

Cleaned my three spray guns. The Devilbiss StartingLine set has a finish and painting gun with 1.0/1.3/1.8 mm nozzles. Cleaned these and the internals are very rough compared to the FLG-4 that I bought as a good water based and clear coat gun. The FLG-4 has three nozzles - 1.3/1.5/1.8 mm. Can be used for any application; however, on these smaller jobs I'm still of the opinion that finishing guns are the better option with the appropriate nozzles. The finishing spray guns can use a smaller compressor and has less over spray. Looking at an ANI R150 mini gun. Good reviews. Will be asking about the internals, anodized or not.

The paint I'm using is by Valspar, LVBR100 series, low VOC Hyundai (SW2) Storm Trooper Pearl basecoat and colorcoat (pearl). Mixing the base and mid coats 1:1, the clear coat is a 4:1 mix.

Back where I was Tuesday evening. All parts smoothed, two coats of sandable primer, and 600 grit wet sand. Weather has been good and the forecast is to continue through the weekend. The morning temp is getting better as well. Was at around 10 deg C by 10:00 o'clock this morning. A little cooler is good for painting, may not flash as fast but that's okay. Hoping tomorrow morning's temperature will be the same or thereabouts.