Kz550 some winter progress

YUP ... the sanding crap is very labor intense !!!! Next bike I do will get this part done differently !!! You're doin' good though ... looks like she's comin' along nicely

Thanks dale, it is coming along, i dunno about nicely tho! Painted the frame, but in my haste and racing a thunderstorm coming in i forgot to clean it before painting, and sprayed right over what appeared to be ten pounds of dust..:blush:
Sooo, had to re sand, did it again, and this time it came out right..

Got some shine to it, used lacquer.

Got some shine to it, used lacquer

oops, double post.. Last pic for now..

What are your plans for the finish on the motor ?

I know its a little late, but aircraft paint stripper works well, as does the 15.00 sandblaster (not including air supply or 8.00/100# bag sand). At least it beats manually sanding everything.

Otherwise, it looks good. Good work on getting that all cleaned up.

Also, what are you doing with your wheels? I can't decide whether to leave mine stock, or strip all the paint off and polish and clear coat them, or just go all black.

Motors gonna get vht black satin. Im so nervous to do that, i hate painting..
Kawiconvert, funny you should ask that.. Ive cleaned them probably 20 times now, used everything from water to simple green to armor all mag cleaner and i cant get them to look good. No shine left to them, paint is looking pretty faded. I had thought about painting them kawa green, i do like that look, but im not a "bling" kinda guy, and i dont want to attract any more attention than my 300lb ass on a 550 is already gonna get. :huh: I am leaving that an option tho, I might end up giving it to my nephew for his first streetbike. If he graduates. Or even goes to school. Ok thats another post.
Second, as i might have mentioned, I cant seem to paint if my life depended on it, and the wheels, if not done good, will make the whole bike look like crap. I tackled the frame because it was bare and nothing really to work around, but the wheels are beyond me. Not a smooth surface, tape work,etc. Im gonna have someone do the body work, found a kid that used to be a graffiti artist that'll do it for a song, and depending on how things shape up i might have him do the wheels too. I love the black mags tho too.. I think they make these bikes (sorry spoke guys), so for now im leaning towards black.

Even all black w/out the stock polished accents will look good . Light colors will always look dirty with this style wheel , too many corners for grime to collect in . If you like the Kaw Lime go with that on the bodywork .

I have to say that I like both the spokes and the mags, but when it comes to low maintenance the mags win every time. I haven't focused on polishing my wheels yet, so far I am working on the top triple and getting the frame and everything else prepped for powder coating.

As for the wheels, I agree that the black wheels would look better than the kawi green idea (unless you really want people to look at your wheels). I am thinking of taping off the polished accents and then sandblasting the rest to give it a beaded dull look, and then repolishing the accent areas and then either doing a clear coat, or seeing if I can get a wheel powder coated with a clear coat. Just need something to keep the shine. I just don't know if the all aluminum wheels would look too odd with a lighter paint color ( I have been tossing a black/gray with kawi green accents for tank and fenders, or just black and gray, or Kawi with gray. So many options.

Either way, the frame looks good. Make sure to post pictures of the wheels when you get them done.

Sorry to keep adding, but after seeing a set of wheels on a beamer parked at work today I am going for the polished accents with sandblasted where they are currently black. The extra silver in the wheels didn't detract so I am going for it. Also, I am not doing an all black bike so this should work. I am starting to think an orange with gold flake along with gray accents may be the colors I go with on a black frame. Anyways, sorry again to add to yours, but just finishing my thoughts from yesterday.

kzrider.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&...w&id=191240&catid=11


Green wheels