cant wait to see how it turns out. Good luck!

 

Thanks goodfellaz!

 

I think I forgot to tell you about this, done just before I left for Thanksgiving. It's a small update. We boxed in the under portion of the steering head casting and cleaned up the front end. I'm really happy with the way it turned out. I think it looks a hell of a lot better than the way it came from the factory. Here's what it looks like now:




Next step for the frame is to create a curved gusset that ties the steering head casting to the upper backbone. It will be mostly for appearance but should add some extra strength to the frame.

 

^^^rad!

 

I'm hoping it will be.

 

Looks great Ergo, love that fat gusset. I think at this point I'd have to flap wheel the whole frame and clear powder / ceramic it. As much as I love the murdered look, I think it would look **** in the "raw".

 

As you all know I've been preping the engine to eventually repaint it. The lower cases are down to the bare aluminum and the cylinders are mostly just the original HD black and grey paint that I'm just cleaning the dirt and oil off of.

I'm looking for your recommendations on the best paint to use on the engine and the best methods for applying it. "Best" by my definition means the best balance between good looking, most durable and long lasting, toughest, easiest to apply and inexpensive. In other words, I want to weigh all of those factors to make my decision.

I know many of you have just rattle canned your engines VHT flat black or HD wrinkle black, and I don't have a problem doing that if it's durable and looks good? It would certainly be the cheap way out, and I'm all for that as well as long as it tends to meet my other criteria. But with the engine out of the frame and mostly stripped to bare metal, I'm thinking that there is probably something or some way better...something more durable, lasting, good looking than just some rattle can hi temp paint that won't cost a fortune to apply. Maybe not, and if that's the best way to go, I'm fine with it. Would save a lot of time and money.

I have an air brush and I've done some firearm refinishing using Duracoat. The stuff wears like iron...I even used some left over tactical flat black on the set of chrome highway pegs I bought last summer and after four months of use they didn't have a scratch. So I'm comfortable with it. Duracoat makes a hi temp ceramic paint called Duraheat and I have been toying with the idea of using that. But it ain't cheap, $75 for 8oz, which would be more than enough to do the engine but way more money than 20 bucks for a couple of cans of VHT. What I don't want is to be disappointed next summer with paint chipping off my newly refinished engine. As Aaron said a few days ago - "don't take any shortcuts do it right".

So, here are my questions:

1. What kind of paint do you recommend for my engine, given that it has both bare aluminum and painted surfaces to be covered?

2. How should I go about this? What kind of prep do you recommend on the bare aluminum? Nothing? (The tech at Lauer Custom Weponry - maker of Duracoat, said I could spray Duraheat right over the bare aluminum) Primer? Self-etching primer? Something else? What about the painted cylinders? Clean with soap and water or clean it with something else?

3. I'm going to blacken the whole thing, and I'm also having the primary case, clutch cover and rocker covers powder coated gloss black. So, what should I go with for the rest of the engine - gloss black, flat black or satin black? What would look best in your opinion? I'm leaning toward flat but am interested in your opinions.

Any suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks everyone.

 

Damn Jackal, that's not a bad idea. But I'm pretty much committed to the blacked out motif at this point. That might be the way to go with my next project however.

 

Hahaha...I was actually going to say Duracoat then saw you mentioned it half way though post, but thought it had to be baked on like the old Norrels product. I'm mostly a Glock and AR guy, but I'm not much into the paint thing. There's also a Cerakoat product that I'd look into as well.

 

Bro this is one of the best threads ive seen!!!!!!!!!!! Im hooked and subscribed!!!!!! I love all the details you are putting into the bike and the updates....PLEASE keep them coming!!!!!!! Ive been a industrial mechanic for 20+ years and some of the stuff yall are doing i still wouldnt try but now your making me think twice about it. Yall for sure have talent and BIG SET!!!!! Jackal im like you, i love the RAW look. Go for it!!!