Candy Super Red paint

This is what mine looked like after a decade outside in Ohio....I tried Alsa brand "killer cans" (28 bux a pop), single stage urethane candy Blue over (thoroughly gassed out) Silver metallic laquer (also spray bomb) DON"T USE IT! If one were "reverse painting" an RC10 body, they might work ok, but the spray pattern is the size of a golf ball...IMPOSSIBLE to get smooth, consistent color on a large panel...For reference, I went through 4 cans. (They are a little larger than your average rattle can.) For my "forever" paint job, I am currently leaning towards a Dark blue pre-thinned metallic laquer (Duplicolor) sold by the quart at Oriley's/Autozone. If you REALLY want to DIY, pick up a Harbor freight car gun, and with a little practice on an old car hood, &c, you should be able to achieve acceptable results...It ain't rocket surgery, LOL! Thanx to our ever-loving EPA for the hunormous spike in the price of car paints and the general unavailability of laquer...opinions vary widely, but laquer (to me) is SOO user friendly. it skins over very quickly, which, if like myself, one is trying to do the job in the backyard, virtually eliminates bugs sticking to your freshly shot panels. And almost any problem can be easily wetsanded out/repaired...as mentioned, Candy is MUCH more difficult than an opaque color, but BOY is it pretty when done well...If you do go with urethane (single OR dual stage) wear a respirator, gloves, and coveralls...The stuff WILL kill you! Ed, you ARE the man, but I could have SWORN Ma Kaw used metallic Gold as a base for their candy Red...But, I HAVE been wrong before! LOL!

This scaling thing about the 'golf ball sized' rattle can spray pattern; agreed, what might just work on a smaller part won't on a motorcyle tank. When you look at it in the sun, and walk around the bike looking at it from all angles any striping or uneven coverage will be glaringly obvious - and that is assuming the flatted primer prep is perfect- unlikely on a first attempt.

OP either drop the rattle can idea, or get someone to do it for you. with a spray gun who knows what they are doing . As a compromise a nice red metallic with a deep clear coat polished glassy smooth will look stunning I promise.

This thread got my attention as I want to do this on my GPz750 R1, a really lush candy red with original design but maybe slightly altered colour graphics . I've had some great results with metallic base coat and 2k clear but not tried a candy red yet.

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The metallic blue 1980 gsx1100 custom flame tank was a first attempt -but it did take a long time as i had a few mistakes to fix along the way. I had a dream about my scruffy old maroon gsx being transformed with blue ghost flames, so I did it. Pics don't do it justice, it was smooth as glass. it it took ages then, and even now it is still quite a time consuming and expensive job.

Sorry to hijack your thread but i really love painting bikes and I am debating between metallic base and clear or 3 stage candy right now.

650ed wrote: The red paint on the 1977 KZ650 was called Candy Super Red. It used a special silver base coat, super candy red second coat, and clear final coat. You may get fairly close matching it using a single step paint, but as noted, it will not be the same. If possible, maybe take a part that has some paint that isn't faded to an auto paint store and compare to paint chips....

Or keep an eye out on eebbaaayy & splurge on a super duper NOS side cover or something when one pops up for sale & have that color matched by the computer at the paint store.

I have a compressor and a gravity feed Snap On gun that was given to me. I havent used it yet and dont have the first clue as to how to set it up.

I also have a spare Suzuki GS 1000C tank that i was planning on some practice before going for the KZ tank and body work.

And another question...what color and type of primer should I use???

Also, I am good personal friends with the manager of the local auto paint supply store and they have a scanner, so some possible paint scans can be done if theres an area acceptable.

In my experience, color of primer wont matter...you can use both actually, One could alternate colors for use as a "guide coat" indicating high/low spots after sanding. Hi build primer for initial coats. TAKE YOUR TIME !!! I will repeat...TAKE YOUR TIME!!! If this stage is not done perfectly, any subsequent paint (especially a dark final color) will show EVERY flaw!! use self etching primer for metal parts, (fenders, &c)
I find rattle cans acceptable for this stage, as long as the can is fairly full, and the tip is clean...splatters are a pain, but it is wet sanding that dictates how your primer coats ultimately comes out...Check youtube..I am sure there are some "how to" clips on there! And there is no mixup that bondo can't fix up! LOL!

What grit paper are we talking about for each stage? I assume sanding the primer is different than say the silver base coat...and the red color will again be different than the clear or the base coat??

Watch colorites videos and application recommendations. It's all there.

Ballpark grits: (these are all wet/dry paper....keep water clean, and switch water when you go up in grit size! 400-800 grit for primer...1000-1500 base coat, 2000 for clear.