Body Work, Motorcycle Fairings

[goose491 0]

Hello all,

No I didn't crash my bike! (again) lol

I'm looking to peel the decals off my 93 Suzuki Katana... go for the straight black look. I'm wondering about sun-fading though, and seeing where the decal used to be, in dark black against naturally faded black. Know what I mean? Someone told me that any sun-fading could be "buffed out" with the right products but didn't know anymore then that.

Any one know if that sounds about right? Has anyone ever done such a thing? Steps?

Any info would be greatly appreciated :-)

Nick

My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

[funks 1]

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Any info would be greatly appreciated

Buy a real bike. R1, CBR, etc.

Not being a smartass,(ok, I guess I am being somewhat of a smartass if you consider my previous comment) but is an old Katana worth any effort whatsoever?

[goose491 0]

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Buy a real bike. R1, CBR, etc.

How about when I build up enough experience on this one k?

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is an old Katana worth any effort whatsoever?

Short answer: Yes

So my question is about the actual process. It doesn't sound like much "effort" at all... does anyone know what my friend was talking about? Can sun-fading be "Buffed out" ?

My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

[DeNReN 0]

Someone who knows what there doing with a plastic buffing compunnd and a buffer can work wonders....but it will depend on the severity of the fading....drop by a local reputable bodyshop and ask.

[kjarv 0]

I worked in Autobody about 20 years ago, back then buffing out sunfading wasn't any fun but it could be done.

Mostly though, your buffing out oxidation.

You have to be careful about your finish as well, if you have a clearoat finish, buffing it out can make it MORE dull.

I don't know how old your bike is, but if it's got some good fadin' going on, when you get those stickers off it's gonna look weird.

There is a bright side though... if you know a small body shop owner, he may be willing to let you do the hard labor (sanding down your paint) and may be willing to spray it for you...

there also may be new and fancy products from those smart chemist types that may work for you...

good luck
-kjarv

[skymedic 0]

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Buy a real bike. R1, CBR, etc.

Not being a smartass,(ok, I guess I am being somewhat of a smartass if you consider my previous comment) but is an old Katana worth any effort whatsoever?

Nothing wrong with a little 1980's aircooled/oil cooled technology at it's finest.

Marc
otherwise known as Mr.Fallinwoman....

[goose491 0]

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You have to be careful about your finish as well, if you have a clearoat finish, buffing it out can make it MORE dull.

The fairings are fiberglass, painted black... how can I tell if it's been clear coated?

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I don't know how old your bike is, but if it's got some good fadin' going on, when you get those stickers off it's gonna look weird.

It's a 93 and has seen good kms... but here in Canada, it only got to go outside a minimal portion of it's years. Fortunately, There is one small piece of decal which can be removed without looking like it's missing. I'll test with that and see what I'm dealing with.

My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

[FIREFLYR 0]

The decals will deffinately have a perfect untouched surface beneath. I dont believe the paint has been lightened by sun. it is usually just lots of tiny scratches which give a whitening effect.
When I worked at a harley shop detailing bikes I could get that buffed out in an hour.
It's fairly simple.
Good luck.
~J

"One flew East,and one flew West..............one flew over the cuckoo's nest"
"There's absolutely no excuse for the way I'm about to act"

[Viking 0]

what about having some gunmetal or dark grey flames or some kind of design to cover up where the decals were?

I see you have side bags on there, do you do sport touring? hows the handle bar position for that?

I swear you must have footprints on the back of your helmet - chicagoskydiver
My God has a bigger dick than your god -George Carlin

[dropoutdave 0]

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Buy a real bike. R1, CBR, etc.

How about when I build up enough experience on this one k?

You're a wise man, unlike me, this is my first bike! (Well, ridden alot of motox but this is a whole lot different!)

Still, it only goes as fast as you make it.

------------------------------------------------------
May Contain Nut traces......

[AggieDave 6]

My honest opinion is that you won't be happy and the bike won't look right until you just sand and paint all the plastic.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[Broke 0]

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My honest opinion is that you won't be happy and the bike won't look right until you just sand and paint all the plastic.

Yeah bro sand and paint it. It is worth the experiance. If it comes out crappy just sand again and repaint. Then when it looks good, and someone goes, "Where did you get that done?"
You can smile and say, "I did it myself."
Make sure you use a good primer, and good paints. Take your time.

Divot your source for all things Hillbilly.
Anvil Brother 84
SCR 14192

[kjarv 0]

Go with everyone's advice....sand it and paint it! You'll enjoy the experience.

Remove the decals (be VERY careful with the heatgun if those parts are plastic)

picking your own color is really satisfying, DO NOT try to use spray paint cans (don't laugh, I know people who have tried).

enjoy and send pics when you're finished.

[goose491 0]

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The decals will deffinately have a perfect untouched surface beneath. I dont believe the paint has been lightened by sun. it is usually just lots of tiny scratches which give a whitening effect.
When I worked at a harley shop detailing bikes I could get that buffed out in an hour.
It's fairly simple.
Good luck.
~J

Cool cool. Thanks for that. I can remove that 'piece' of decal from the rear-side panel and see what luck I have. What sort of Buffing Compound would you suggest for this task then? Should I use what's called a 'cutter' ?

My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

[goose491 0]

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You're a wise man, unlike me, this is my first bike! (Well, ridden alot of motox but this is a whole lot different!)

I wanted an older model, one I could punish a bit during my first coupe seasons One it wouldn't be a crime to do my own maintenance/repairs on whith no experience at all . lol

Beauty!! I love the YZFs. Only thing is that they are FAR from rare... at least where I come from. My next bike just might be a late model YZF600, I think it's a 95. The owner has taken very good care of it and it just looks PIMP! Without taking a larger engine, the YZF is significantly smaller, lighter and more agile then mine... should make a nice step

My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

[goose491 0]

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Go with everyone's advice....sand it and paint it! You'll enjoy the experience.

I just might... The more I read about paint systems, the more I'm leaning towards giving it a shot. I have a friend with a paint gun.... maybe I'll try the buffing first, for the experience just the same.

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Remove the decals (be VERY careful with the heatgun if those parts are plastic)

See now this is just the sort of thing I hadn't considered... a Heat Gun. I would have only thought to peel by hand and use "Goo-Gone" to get rid of the Goo! Lot's of scrubbing.

My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

[goose491 0]

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what about having some gunmetal or dark grey flames or some kind of design to cover up where the decals were?

But... then all my biker-buddies will call me a flamer!!

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I see you have side bags on there, do you do sport touring? hows the handle bar position for that?

The bags came with the bike, the picture is the one from the classified add. Truthfully, I have only used them once to bring a bunch of stuff to the DZ. They are off most of the time. The longest I've spent on the bike in one sitting is some 6.5 hours though.

This bike is actually classified as a "Sport-Tourer", the seating is very comfortable and the handlebar/footpeg positions lend themselves to a bit more of an upright position then most crotch-rocket.

My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

[FIREFLYR 0]

Yo, I wouldnt do it yourself. If you do, start with the most gentle compound you can get.
~J

"One flew East,and one flew West..............one flew over the cuckoo's nest"
"There's absolutely no excuse for the way I'm about to act"

[goose491 0]

Bump,

So this weekend I took the panels off. I removed the vinyl using a hair-dryer and then used some concentrated windex to work on the goop left behind (actually, as I got better at removing the pieces, there was little 'goop' left).

Anyway, it turns out I may have been worried for nothing. There is no visible difference in the colour or shade of the paint. At certain angles, you can see how the minor abrasions to the surface are not present where the stickers used to be but the difference is almost non-noticeable unless you are looking for it.

I bought this product by Meguiar, it's called Scratch-X, for minor scratch and swirl removal. It is clear coat safe so tonight, I'll see what type of magic I can work. Then I presume a wax-job will 'seal' the deal. lol. I'll keep you posted.

My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

[Squeak 17]

How about some progress pics.
BTW your Katana in the states is a fair bit different to the Katanas that were released into Oz in the 80s, our ones were not Sport Tourers

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?