Need someone to paint my KZ1000 MK II fuel tank.

Don't underestimate the amount of work it needs, it can be very time consuming and quality materials aren't cheap.

Black is not an easy colour imo and in modern glassy 2 pack it unforgiving if less than perfect. Nice work Ness

I would go down to bare metal first and paint both side panels and tail as well otherwise I doubt you'll get an exact match.

That dent on the swage line looks really difficult, filler works best as thin skims on fairly flat surfaces, I did it before on a GSX11 tank but it was a massive job to get it just right - which it never really was.

Hand pinstripe taping is time consuming but you can do it as many times as you want until it is right -also quite a fun job.

Doing all the paint removal first then pinstriping on the basecoat before returning it for final clear coats would save some money.

Dr. Gamma wrote: I have always been a stickler to detail. Fanatic would be a better term to use for my attention to detail. Thats why I don't try to do any of my welding, major machine work, or cylinder porting. If I can't do it 100%, I find someone who can!!!

I have never been real good at body work, plus I could never make the pin striping match from side to side. If it was like a 1/8 inch off from side to side, that would not be good enough for me. Like I said, fanatic. I have not had any bodywork painted since back in the mid 90's. Boy the prices sure have increased dramatically since then. I don't have the unlimited bucks I used to have either. This living on a budget really sucks!!!

Remind me to never do any work for you. :S

The factory stripes won't be the same, side for side, within 1/8". If they are within 1/4" I'd be surprised.

Tyrell Corp is right, it is a lot of work, but IMO Black is actually one of the easier colors to spray. It's a base color so an even coat is not as critical as a candy, pearl or flake. However, it does require more prep time as it will show any flaws in your body work.

If you lack patience and don't plan on having any other future paint projects then find a professional looking for side work. I'm also an anal perfectionist, but part of the fun for me is learning new skills. Painting was my "new skill" for a past restoration. There's a special satisfaction when someone asks "who painted your bike?"and you can answer "I did". Assuming you have an air compressor, spray guns are not that expensive. The $9.95 Harbor Freight spray gun can do a decent job if set up right. Check out "HF purple spray gun" on youtube for set-up tips. Eastwood also has some great videos on painting and finishing techniques.

If you're considering learning to paint, here's a few tips:
1. Quality Automotive paint is ridiculously expensive, but you get what you pay for. I spent close to $600.00 in just materials on the last bike I painted. I just bought a quart of 2 part epoxy primer yesterday. It was $70 and I already had the catalyst and reducer. Primer cost alone will be over $100.00 for one bike. I tried to save money on my first painting attempt by using automotive rattle can primer. It looked great...for 3 months. The primer didn't bond and now the whole job is trashed. lesson learned.
2. Consider taking an automotive body / painting class at a local Community College. You may be able to paint your tank as "classwork". The instructors are probably retired bodymen with years of experience to share. The college also probably has a spray booth and guns you can use. The class cost will be less than what you'd pay a professional and you'll have the knowledge for future project.
3. Don't buy your paint on-line or from auto parts store. Find a dealer that specializes in automotive paint. Most Paint manufacturers (Dupont, PPG, House of Color) have a dealer locator on their websites. You may pay a little more, but the expert advice from the dealer is priceless. I did my research on the internet and created a list of materials I thought I needed. I picked-up a box of doughnuts on my way, walked up to the counter, and told them I'm a first time hobbyist painter and I have a bunch of questions...how many answers can I get for this box of doughnuts? They were happy to help. A few professional painters who were there as customers joined answering my questions. One even gave me his card and told me to call if I had anymore questions! A dealer will also throw in stir sticks, strainers and measuring cup that you'd have to otherwise buy.
4. A quality paint manufacturer provides a spec sheet with their product and the dealer should give you a copy. They can also be found on-line. Read them! They provide detailed instruction on how the product should be applied. It will tell you surface prep, mixing ratios, adjustments for temperature, coat thickness (wet/dry) and flash times (how long to wait between coats). Read and heed.
5. There's no mistake that can't be fixed, as long as you do it before the next step. Runs, dirt specs or orange peel can all be sanded out as long as you haven't applied the next layer (Primer, base, clear coat). Additional layers will not fix an underlying flaw. Worst case is you'll sand thru and have to apply another coat.
6. No painter lays down a perfect "show quality" spray job. Achieving the perfect finish starts after the clear coat is dry. The real key to a mirror like finish is the final fine wet sand (1500 to 2000 grit) followed by cut/polish. Plan on investing about $200 on variable speed Dual Action buffer with various pads/compounds. You can hand polish, but a DA buffer will save hours. Unlike a regular buffer, it's almost impossible to cut thru with a DA and foam pads. Tell the wife you're buying it because you want to polish her car.
7. Catalyzed automotive paint is nasty stuff that you don't want to breath. Buy a respirator and wear it when you spray. As a hobbyist, you don't need a $500 full hood with separate air supply, but you do want something a little better than the the paper cup with a rubber band. Harbor freight sells one for about $30 that's good enough for occasional use.

Here's my 80 Z1R I painted last year. It was done in my driveway using an EZ-up canopy for my Spray booth . I used the $9.95 HF purple spray gun for the primer/base coat and upgraded to the $30 HF gun for the clear (smaller tip with better atomization). I used all House of Kolor paints. I used a original factory replica pin strip kit and applied clear over it.

Nice Job . Beautiful Bike

Dave

Transtar epoxy primer w/catalyst (two quarts sprayable material) = $84 shipped

House of Kolor UC35 clear w/catalyst and reducer (1.25 quarts sprayable material) = $90 shipped

1 pint of base coat is about $100 (depends on the color though).

You will need a gallon of cheap lacquer thinner for clean up - $20

Body mud & spot putty = $20

Sandpaper, scotchbrite pads, sanding blocks = $30

Spray gun, paint mask, compressor, water separators, etc = $$$. I've got a couple of guns, one expensive and one cheaper. The cheaper guns are okay, but not quite as refined. Personally, I'd look for a nice condition pro level gun (used if necessary) purchased off ebay.

For polishing I used a $20 Harbor Freight DA. Works perfectly. Add $30 for light cutting compound and polishing compound.

Of course you also need a place to spray. Some tarps on the patio will work, or in the garage. Good luck with that part.

I have read everyone's reply with great interest. I don't ever plan on painting another fuel tank after I get this one painted. I see no need to buy a spray gun, a bigger air compressor, and then build a spray booth. Its just not going to happen. I live in a small rented house. My landlord and I have a great relationship even with all my bikes and parts filling up the garage. He can see that I run a super clean shop. The garage floor is still spotless, no oil stains or other mess at any time out there. I am NOT going to take the chance of blowing the relationship I have with my landlord by building a spray booth in this house. He just happens to live next door to me too!!

I cannot believe how great MDZ1rider's Z1r paint job looks!!! Thats the kind of finished job I am looking for. I might just have to live with the dents if I can't find someone to paint my tank. I already ordered a pin stripe kit from Diablo Cycle up in Canada. Thats the only place I could find that offered a stripe kit for the '80 MK II paint job.

That finish is better looking than any stock paint job I have ever seen!!!! Its better than perfect in my book.

The gentleman that is painting my MK II tank just sent me a photo of his finished work. Here is the tank just out of his paint booth.

Here is a factory painted tank I dug out just to see what my MK II would look like in all blue paint again!!!


Can't wait to see my newly painted tank in person. Just have to wait till it cures for awhile before he wants to ship it to me.

Looks really good, hope it looks as good in person as it does in pictures.

mopguy wrote: Looks really good, hope it looks as good in person as it does in pictures.

Believe me, so do I!!!!!!!

Dr. Gamma you said for close to the price you were quoted for painting you could buy the repop bodywork? Is there somewheere that has the MKII repop bodywork? I have only seen the Z1 stuff

KZ802 wrote: Dr. Gamma you said for close to the price you were quoted for painting you could buy the repop bodywork? Is there somewheere that has the MKII repop bodywork? I have only seen the Z1 stuff

I have seen the sets of MK II bodywork for sale on Ebay from time to time. I think it was a company that started with a "D" if I remember right!!! It was around 1,200.00 dollars for the set I think.

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