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I wet sanded with 1000, then 2000, then buffed. That seemed to solve the problem at first BUT there are several areas that have a lot of tiny white spots. I think they are air bubbles in the clear, but not sure. It gives a milky, foamy look that is too obvious to live with. The worst areas are on top of the tank and top of the tail section. Very visible spots. Hard to take pics of, but anyone standing next to the bike would see it and say "what's that?"

I showed it to a local paint shop. He said it's dust and I have to start over. NO! He said this type of thing commonly does not become visible until you sand and buff. I always use a tack cloth right before shooting, so I don't think it's dust. I am NOT going to redo all the striping now, so I decided to do a lot more sanding on it and see if I can sand off the problems. After heavy use of 600 grit the spots remain, however they are almost invisible when WET, so I'm thinking one good, wet coat of clear may be the answer. And then NO buffing.... This is becoming way too complicated!

By the way there were 2-3 coats of clear the first time, then the updated stripes, then 4 more coats of clear.
So the stripes have 4 coats and everywhere else has about 6. Maybe doing 4 at once was too much and caused the foamy look? Any thoughts on my idea that if it looks good wet, it will look good with more clear?

Here's my ultra hi tech buffing setup. I move the parts, not the buffer.

With that much clear coat, be real careful with that powerful polisher and large diameter pad after your final wet sanding (I'd quit at 2500).
The hot spots from your pad will melt/burn into the thick clear leaving large valleys and divots....really piss you off!
Yes... tack rag....ugh! Never forget to tack off before applying any new coat of finish.

Not sure how old this last shot is but if very recent, give it a few days to settle down and harden before wet sanding,
Also, right after your last clear coat shot, sometimes mixing your clear way way down with hot thinner (not temperature hot) with some good high cut lacquer to flash over, can help flatten a little of the orange peel before go to the sanding stage.
You have quite a bit of orange peel to sand off. It's going to take time and elbow grease... probably best to start with 1000 grit wet/dry paper, well soaked in water first.
Don't be afraid to sand enough to just start cutting into a little milky color if needed but STOP right then and be prepared to re-shoot clear if you need to.

Proper wet sanding is the secret to a great home shop paint job!! Can not stress this enough.

Thanks Bruce , good advice. That pic was 1 day old. I waited a week before wet sanding and had no trouble getting it flat and glossy. I'm running the buffer at a very slow speed and cleaning the pad often. I have done the burn thing in the past and it's not cool!

So if I sand into the color a bit by accident, then shoot clear, would that spot look weird? Like would you see the edges of the clear where I sanded thru to the base?

Also there is a bit of metallic in the red base, so I won't want to sand that...

I decided to wet sand A LOT with 400. I watched to make sure the material coming off was all white (clear coat). Well it seems to be working! The foam/spots are disappearing. I will finish with 600 and then shoot just one wet coat of clear and hopefully be done then. Too much work!

well I sanded off all the bad stuff without removing any color so that was good. BUT I shot new clear on and the same damn thing happened again! The stupid little pinholes and bubbles. I can't even tell you how pissed I was to see this.

I used a spray can with built in catalyst this time to eliminate my gun or air supply as possible problems. It's high quality stuff recommended by the paint shop. I used it on the frame long time ago and it worked great, so nothing wrong with the clear itself. Something fundamentally wrong with the surface I'm shooting on. No idea. I can't start over again now I would lose my mind so I have to call it done. Still looks great from a few feet away, not so perfect up close. dammmit.

OUCH... that is a drag!
Not sure what is happening. Pin holes are usually from sub surface venting of solvents and such.
Fish eyes are usually from incompatible materials, such as paint and water.

I did my tank and tail piece a week or two ago with one and half rattle cans of "over the counter" Dupli-Color paint from Auto Zone and one can of their clear coat cans.
The stripes are those $6.00-$8.00 mylar stripe kit rolls from Pep Boys.
I went from wet sanding-scuffing the original + 30 year old paint with 1000g paper for a decent mechanical bond.
Then applied two wet coats of rattle can paint.
Light wet sanded with 1000g to get the orange peel way down flatter... then another couple more thinner coats of paint, After 24 hours of drying, followed by 1500g wet sanding to eliminate most of the remaining orange peel. Then two wet coats of clear coat. Dry for 24 hours. Then wet sanded with 2000g to reduce any orange peel, followed by one smoothing wet coat of clear and final orange peel sanding of 2500g paper to dead flat... polished with a semi- dry cotton rag and non wax white polish, Stuck the stripes on and took some pictures, No wax yet,

Here's where I'm at now. The seat is TEMPORARY. It will be smaller and smoother and have vinyl cover of course.
I did the first test ride!! woo hoo! Ran great and feels great. Minor problem tho. The main fuse blew out 2x in one short ride. Glad I had spares with me! Seems to be happening when headlight and turn signals are on at same time. Any ideas what that is? The main fuse in it is 20 amp. Does that sound right? I need to check the wiring diagram.

check your grounds especially the one at the engine.

bike looks cool as hell !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

congratulations !!!!!!!!!!!!

leon

good advice, thanks Leon