Call me crazy but I don't want to paint my bike.

I'm having an internal struggle.

I've been riding and (mostly) enjoying My 82 GPz750 (see link in sig line). It's in pretty good shape but it has the original paint that is moderately weathered, faded, scratched, chipped, dinged and lightly dented. I've really come to appreciate it's character and 'battle wounds". It's not "rat" but it's not a survivor or "road warrior" either, more of a scarred "road veteran".

Up until now this has been a running project, modifications and repairs done with minimal down time in mind. However, a minor crash has put it out of commission until the crankcase is replaced. A perfect opportunity to go all out and do just about anything I've been wanting to do to it before it runs again.

I'm having a very hard time coming up with a color scheme or finish that I think i'd like besides the original finish, The tank is in overall very good condition, Excellent if it didn't have various small dings and dents. I lost a side panel last fall but I've now located a replacement that looks to be original color if isn't actually original. Since I've found this panel I feel very strongly about leaving the paint alone.

The inside of the tank is in very good condition, only small areas of light surface rust visible. I would like to have it professionally treated and coated. This is where my biggest dilemma lies. If i just take it in and have it coated without taking the dents out wold it cause a problem if I or someone else take the dents out later? Should I carefully attempt to take out some of the dents before coating and try not to harm the paint? There is one small point where the paint has cracked in a small dent i put there myself. Should i try to sand the sharp edges of the cracked paint with or without pulling the dent and then spray the tank and the rest of the bodywork with a coat of clear so the finish doesn't deteriorate further?

Hard choice but if it's going to be down, why not? One problem, if you get a scratch or a GOAT jumps on it, it will be a ongoing task.
Steve



Good thing I have a spare tank.

Some people like tank liner coatings, some don't, I'm in the don't category, if all you have is minor surface rust spots, and they worry you, treat that and leave the tank as it is, I've seen tank liners go completely to shit {can I say that..?}, and cause all sorts of problems, removing them is a nightmare if they fail, so If your tank is as good as you say inside, I'd leave it as it is....

GPzMOD750 wrote: The inside of the tank is in very good condition, only small areas of light surface rust visible. I would like to have it professionally treated and coated. This is where my biggest dilemma lies. If i just take it in and have it coated without taking the dents out wold it cause a problem if I or someone else take the dents out later? Should I carefully attempt to take out some of the dents before coating and try not to harm the paint? There is one small point where the paint has cracked in a small dent i put there myself. Should i try to sand the sharp edges of the cracked paint with or without pulling the dent and then spray the tank and the rest of the bodywork with a coat of clear so the finish doesn't deteriorate further?

If the dents are very shallow (I can't tell from the pic) then they can be filled. This will allow you to have a nice paint job and a lined tank without worrying about pulling the dents after lining the tank.

OTOH, if the rust is not too bad you can use something like Rust Remover to get the oxidation out of the tank and skip the lining. Then you can do what you like with the bodywork without risking cracking the lining.

As far as a paint scheme... I have a 1981 GPz550. The original bodywork isn't great so I'm doing a full second set in plain Firecracker Red (no stripes). I think it will be true to the original design but will have a cleaner look.

Hey,

This bike has the best lines of the KZ family, IMO. It is the classic look of Kawasaki muscle bikes to me.

If it were mine, I would go with any of the GPz or ELR schemes. That leaves the same stripe patterns and graphic schemes, but color choices are pretty good. GPz Red, ELR Green, ELR / KZ1100R White, KZ1100R Blue / Silver, or the 83 KZ1000L black / orange / red.

Also, polishing your old paint might give you satisfactory results too. I've done that a few times now when customers didn't opt for new paint, and it can look pretty good when done.

After paying big bucks to paint two bikes I didn't want to go down that path again especially with a tank I was not all that fond of.
I stripped the paint and kind of liked the way it looked so I put a few stickers on it and cleared it with 2K.
Good enough for a rat bike. I'll probably do the same thing with the replacement tank I got for it.

Kray-Z wrote: Hey,

This bike has the best lines of the KZ family, IMO. It is the classic look of Kawasaki muscle bikes to me.

If it were mine, I would go with any of the GPz or ELR schemes. That leaves the same stripe patterns and graphic schemes, but color choices are pretty good. GPz Red, ELR Green, ELR / KZ1100R White, KZ1100R Blue / Silver, or the 83 KZ1000L black / orange / red.

Also, polishing your old paint might give you satisfactory results too. I've done that a few times now when customers didn't opt for new paint, and it can look pretty good when done.

I do like the lines and the color scheme but giving it a new paint job would take away the character. I like the rough around the edges look without being totally beat up or rusted. I think it's a good match for myself and my personality.

ThatGPzGuy wrote: After paying big bucks to paint two bikes I didn't want to go down that path again especially with a tank I was not all that fond of.
I stripped the paint and kind of liked the way it looked so I put a few stickers on it and cleared it with 2K.
Good enough for a rat bike. I'll probably do the same thing with the replacement tank I got for it.

That looks really nice, I like the bare metal look, like an aircraft. I happened to pick up a part at a BMW dealership a while back and I saw a nine-T that has the brushed metal finish, very sexy. I wouldn't be opposed to that but the tank would have to be super straight and dent free or it'd drive me nuts. I do have a KZ1000E tank I might want to retro fit and It would be really cool to do that to if it is straight enough.

As for the lining. I'm terrified that it will be damaged. I have seen postings of people that have done it as a way to restore already damaged ones with mixed results. The KZ1000E tank I have is one and looks like crap. I thought it might be a good idea to do before any major damage occurs. These tanks are super hard to find in good shape in the states, The only ones harder seem to be Z1R coffins and MKII tanks.

I don't paint anything. It has no value after that to me unless done to match the factory which is very rare. If choice is weathered/faded paint with dents vs non original acheme, I'll take weathered any day.

RonKZ650 wrote: I don't paint anything. It has no value after that to me unless done to match the factory which is very rare. If choice is weathered/faded paint with dents vs non original acheme, I'll take weathered any day.

I try to save the original paint over re-spray any time it is possible, up to rust or dents bigger than a quarter. It seems to work best on bikes without fairings or much plastic bodywork like the '82 GPz. Cruiser models are the simplest to restore or paint. Spending the hours doing paint touch ups, wet sanding, rubbing and polishing compounds, waxes, and buffing tools is easier and WAY cheaper than sanding, priming, color coating, and clearing.

Full bodywork bikes like modern sports bikes and any full luggage equipped touring bike are a different story....they just plain look beat - up unless they have near to perfect paint, and the plastics show every nick and scratch it seems.

Custom paint jobs are o.k., in my opinion, but there are way too many bikes (and cars) out there with cheap custom paint on them. I'm talking about DIY types that use hardware store rattle cans on the bodywork, or buy only the cheapest brands of industrial paint. My rule is you should be able to see yourself clearly in the paint at 10' in sunlight, down to colors in the reflections, 6 months after applying the clear coat.

OK, how's this?

I found another tank, fender, and tailpiece. I already have a few spare side panels. So, we both win!.

I'll keep the original bodywork to the side and paint another set. If I feel the urge I'll swap them over.

How do you like those apples?