GSF1200S K4 Bandit fairing repair and paint after a fall 26th September 2018

[linuxrob]

           
After one or two near misses over the years the Bandit finally succumbed to gravity while being pulled backward. My feet hit a bit of gravel and I lost traction. The side stand was up at the time so over it went on to it’s left had side.

After picking it up the damage was :

Broke left front indicator
Snapped clutch lever
Scrapped left mirror
Scrape on left side of front fairing
Small scrape on top-box.
Scuff on left crash bung.

The bike was still rideable so when home I repaired the indicator and ordered a new clutch lever.
My only concern was the scrape on the fairing. I dug got out the touch up paint aerosol (Barrel Grey Metallic YAU RS paint No 16427) and gave it a quick mask and spray to disguise it temporarily / badly. 

 

 

That was over 2 years ago. I have with great success repainted the frame sections but I have never been very good at blending paint, my more resent efforts on car wheel arches were more function over looks. This time however I need to up my game so to speak and make the best job I can.

While doing the headlight repair and all the fairing sections off the bike I bit the bullet and decided to get this job done. First I sanded the scuffed area with 240 wet and dry to get the highlights off and then applied 2 thin layers of filler allowing 24 hours between each layer.

 

By now the really cold weather had eased so I could wet sand with 400 then 600 wet and dry using the palm of my hand to get the profile correct and ultra smooth. Finally with the aid of a very small amount of body putty and a further 600 wet and dry sand then area was cleaned and masked ready for priming.

 

I curtained off a small section of the shed and heated it with my oil heater to around 16C, this also got the humidity down to an acceptable level below 60%. A few thin coats of plastic grey primer and fast dried with my heat gun, then carefully wet sanded back with 600 wet and dry.

 

 

With the paint can first heated in warm water (30C) and then given a good 3 minute shake the 2 light coats of the metallic grey were applied with first a 5 minute blast of the heat gun and then a wait of 30 minutes in between. Being water based paint a good air flow is required to dry the paint thoroughly. Also it is important to blow across the panel not directly at it as the still wet paint will just be blown over the surface.

 

A few hours later with 4 thin coats applied the panel was left to dry overnight.

 

 

The following day I heated the shed again and had a good look at the painted panel. I noticed a few nibs on the surface. I had cleaned the area up with my Dyson and took care not to move about too much but there was still dust in the air and this had settled, a tack rag did not remove any of these bits so I decided to lightly sand the bits out before applying the clear coat.

This is where enthusiasm got the better of me and autopilot kicked in. I think you may have guessed it, yes I WET sanded the panel. Being water based paint it all came off. So. Panel cleaned, and a quick 600 wet and dry rub down and the 4 thin base coats were applied again.

 

I must have taken a bit more care than previously because there were less dust particles on the dry surface the next day. I could have DRY sanded with 1000 grit but I did not want to push my luck and had to get some clear on before the weather turned wet and damp again.

Here is a shot of the equipment used:

 

 

With the shed at 16C for the 3rd day in a row the panel was lightly wiped down with the tack rag and 1 light coat, 3 medium coats and 1 wet of clear applied to the whole upper part of the fairing panel allowing 30 minutes between coats.

 

 

 

 

 

Close up of the repainted area. The bit I painted does stand out. A full section paint would have been better. I will see how it looks in few weeks when the clear has fully cured and I can buff out the slight “orange peel” effect and maybe lose a bit of that obvious line. Overall I am well pleased with the results.

[fastbob]

Good job . Not the easiest place to blend in . Looks like you know what you are doing . When it comes to the flatting I'm thinking 2500 paper and gently rubbing in small circles with soapy water . Patience is the key . 

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

Excellent I struggled to remember where the original damage was. Would be interested to hear how the Simoniz clear lacquer holds up over a longer period. 
Is there anything that can be down to prevent orange peel? 

[linuxrob]

16 hours ago, fastbob said:

Good job . Not the easiest place to blend in . Looks like you know what you are doing . When it comes to the flatting I'm thinking 2500 paper and gently rubbing in small circles with soapy water . Patience is the key . 

Good thought Bob and thanks for the compliment, I know the theory but my hands, eyes and brain are never in total agreement when I am doing this sort of job. Can strip and rebuild engines and do electrical / electronic work OK but anything "arty" and I go to pieces. Have some 2500 also 3000. Always done up and down and side to side when sanding. This time I will get some Maguire's ultimate compound and buff by hand the clear after flattening it a bit to get that orange peel down and the 2500 / 3000 grit sanding scratches out. Thankfully the clear is not water based so the water bucket can come out again.

 

Am on with some cheap OEM eBay damaged Bandit mirrors to see if i can make them look as perfect as possible and use them this year and do my own, only scuffed ones in the summer. Will post the usual pic fest on here in a few days, waiting this afternoon for the last coat of satin black to harden so the satin clear can go on.

[linuxrob]

14 hours ago, Slowlycatchymonkey said:

Excellent I struggled to remember where the original damage was. Would be interested to hear how the Simoniz clear lacquer holds up over a longer period. 
Is there anything that can be down to prevent orange peel? 

Cheers, I hope it is fine, not the best brand, i usually go to a paint suppliers and get an aerosol from them but this was at Halfrauds one Sunday when i needed some. I went on fine. The orange peel usually comes from the paint droplets being too large and going on blotchy. In the past I have heated my can to around 40C, it sprays more (more pressure) and use from a greater distance. Best thing is to use a gun and mix your own clear and thin it down enough or to spray at a higher pressure. The painters on here will correct me on this I am sure. I will wait and sand them buff the hard clear to a even shine. This summer with the spare / sat in the corner of various sheds over the last 35 years Kawasaki Z500 to do will have to get a spray gun and do the tank and panels. The colour i want is not in ready to buy cans. So more opportunity for learning and cock-up's.

[JRH]

@linuxrob that looks really good, do you want to come and do mine. Scuff in the same area after going down on the left hand side.

re orange peel. Rover Longbridge in the 80’s used to do a good job of turning out 100’s of black minis for rework because of orange peel.

[linuxrob]

1 hour ago, JRH said:

@linuxrob that looks really good, do you want to come and do mine. Scuff in the same area after going down on the left hand side.

re orange peel. Rover Longbridge in the 80’s used to do a good job of turning out 100’s of black minis for rework because of orange peel.

Have seen most of the VW range with appalling paint fro the factory, the detailing guys do a roaring trade there. as Bob says patience is key and thoroughness. Look forward to doing the Z's panels this summer and more practice. will keep you all informed on how the hand buffing goes. cannot justify a DA polisher even though the car could benefit too. Mine you, soon as it is done one trip to the supermarket car park will ruin it.