Preserve 82 1100 Spectre factory gold powder-coat

Wheels, engine cases, forks, etc. ......QUESTION: Bead blast safe?? Pressure turned way down?? Not a good idea? Lol Please advise.

Thanks!!

Bead blasting will weaken the coating and "chip away" at it as it were. How much depends on how much pressure you use, how much dwell time is used for each area, and the thickness of the original coating. And speaking of that, I think the coating is wet paint, not powdercoat. Don't ask me what kind of paint though. Kawasaki paints the engine parts without masking prior to machining. You can see the paint inside the engine but it never peels or chips. As for the wheels, you can hit them with degreasing chemicals and not harm the paint either. If anyone knows what kind of paint they used please share.

Hi,

Not quite sure what you are asking.

If you are asking if you can bead blast those parts to remove the factory finish (or any paint finish, rust or corrosion), the answer is yes, sure, but you will have to disassemble the parts for thorough cleaning to remove the blast media, and that goes for any type of blast media. At nearly the speed of sound, those tiny blast particles have a way of getting into every crevice and passageway and past every attempt to keep them out of bearings and oil seals. Nowhere is safe. Bearings should be removed from wheels first, before blasting. Do not glass blast bearing retaining surfaces or screw threads. All mechanical parts have to be carefully washed with soap and hot water and rinsed well with hot water and blown dry with compressed air a few times to completely remove all the blast media before re-finishing and re-assembly.

I have soda blasted an engine without taking it apart before (first I thoroughly scrubbed and cleaned it with automotive engine cleaners and pressure washed it several times to remove all traces of dirt, grease, and oil). But I worked very carefully to drain and seal it first, then I avoided blasting around the ports, vent, and rubber seals, and afterward removed all the outer covers and oil pan to check for signs of blast media penetrating the working areas. It seemed to work OK, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else unless you are the one doing the blasting. No worker is going to be careful enough to do it right.

Good quality powder coating is very difficult to remove. A chemical stripper might be the best way to remove most of the finish, followed with a final bead blast to clean up the hard to reach ares.

I really don't know, but the Spectre gold could be an anodized coating.

martin_csr wrote: I really don't know, but the Spectre gold could be an anodized coating.

I kinda remember (from when they were new bikes on the dealer's floor) it was all paint except maybe the wheels were powder coat....it didn't look like anodized - too thick looking, and didn't have the typical color anodized appearance at all.

Added - maybe also powder coat on the brakes, too. I can't remember if the silencers where gold or not, though. I think they were black chrome....

Guy at a local shop said "..they called 'em Spectres, ..only thing I could gather is that there wasn't a spec of chrome on 'em."

Kray-Z - Simply wanting to preserve the factory gold as best I can. My engine cases are quite sun faded, ...I don't even wanna ask what it'd cost to have the cases re-done.

I don't think there is a practical way of "renewing" the old faded paint on your engine. that sounds like too much work for questionable gains. In order to get new paint to adhere to the cases, you will need to sand or otherwise finely scratch or roughen the old surfaces first. It is always preferable to completely remove the old paint first, as that ensures you won't have paint incompatibility issues while applying the new coating. I've seen and heard of many who do this using chemical paint remover, old toothbrushes, sandpaper, wire brushes, and truckloads of elbow grease to obtain "acceptable" results, but I can always find rough areas in corners and hard to reach areas where their paint is peeling or the surface looks like they painted over dirt and crud....

If you are going to paint with single component “engine” paint rattle cans, the surface preparation is a little less critical, as these types of paint seem to stick well to relatively smooth (but clean and dry) surfaces. If you are using a two component paint (either rattle cans or professional spray equipment) the surface must be completely roughened, as well as free of any trace of oils, waxes, polishing compounds, fingerprints, solvents, etc. or the paint will simply fall off. Some two part paints require a special (zinc – chromate?) primer or chemical etching preparation for aluminum. I’ve had good results applying engine paints on bare metal, too.

Because the engine consists of odd and irregular surfaces, the most practical way of stripping and preparing the surfaces is by some manner of media compressed air blasting. That is where the problems and expense begins; commercial sand blasting is relatively inexpensive on its own. But sand from blasting will find its way into vital parts of the engine, almost certainly, requiring complete disassembly, extremely thorough cleaning and rinsing, and re-assembly of the engine....

Other blast media are much less effective at removing old paint and corrosion but if the engine is completely sealed with extreme care and foresight, and the media blast stream is never directed towards areas at or around possible points of entry into the engine (the cylinder head ports, spark plug holes, engine seals, soft gaskets, etc.....) then it is possible to use less aggressive/ abrasive (and water - washable or biodegradable) media like baking soda and walnut shells to carefully blast the surfaces without having to disassemble the engine. I've done it with engines that are difficult and extremely expensive to re-build (a.k.a. Honda's CBX-6), but on a KZ-4, I don't think it is worth the effort and risk vs. disassembly.

First step to blasting is to steam or hot water pressure wash as much oil, grease, dirt, and grime off the parts as you can. Then, when I blast the disassembled engine, I "mock up" the assembly less the internals - basically, I use minimal bolts as needed to faux re-assemble the cases with all the outer engine side covers (clutch, alternator, timing, sprocket / shift mech), gallery plugs, switches and fittings, oil filter cover and oil pan (no gaskets, though), "seal off" the cylinder and other openings with several layers of duct tape carefully trimmed to shape. This will protect the critical machined surfaces from the media blast. Then I carefully blast away using very fine silica sand at full pressure (130 psi). Afterward, I use compressed air to remove as much dry sand as possible, then wash all the parts thoroughly through several cycles of hot soapy water (dish detergent then powerful laundry soap), compressed air through all oil passages and inside surfaces, and wipe dry outer surfaces as much as possible. Then one wash in mineral spirits, blow dry passages, and one final wash in soapy water and blow dry. I run a new / sharp thread chaser (not a tap) into every threaded hole, and blow out any debris. Then each individual part is ready for masking and paint, separately. I use the same basic procedure to paint cylinders, cam covers, and heads.

Note - you must wash the parts in soapy hot (really hot) water, not just solvents like mineral spirits or "Varsol", as those will not aid in removing the sand, which tends to clump and stick to the surfaces when wet with solvents....most solvents also leave a residue film that some paints will not dissolve or bond to.

I agree, re-doing the cases isn't practical for what I'm doing. I'm not doing a ground up restore, just doing some much needed paint and repairs. I did notice the gold was flaking/chipping off on the inner side of my oil pan, that concerns me.


Kray Z - Very informative response!! Thanks!!!!

martin_csr wrote: I really don't know, but the Spectre gold could be an anodized coating.

It's possible it is on the wheels and forks since my 550 Spectre still has that gold perfectly intact. The engine is something different though. Most of it's already flaked\worn off and what little remains is a far lighter shade than the wheels and fork.

Think I'd just give the engine a good steam/pressure washing w/degrease followed by removing any flaking loose paint and then shoot some VHT Engine Enamel on the engine. They make a nice gold color.