I love my son more than my bike....

[headshrink]

I have to keep reminding myself of this fact. He is almost 3, a little hyper right now, and decided to rake my bike. I thought at first he missed all the painted surfaces, but this morning discovered a nice sized chip on the gas tank.... going all the way to bare metal. I'm not happy about the ugly chip, but I am more concerned with rust now. What can be done, short of removing the tank and taking it to a painter? Or is that what needs to be done? I may settle for a touch-up brush, but don't know where to get one, color, etc.

It is the Red 2008.

[jonthechron]

You might want to try and fix it with a touch-up brush. But I just want to let you know that Red, along with Pearl White, are the moist expensive colors when it comes to paint - probably 2x the price of black or blue. AT least it is down here, check with your dealer or colorrite.com

[headshrink]

Originally Posted by jonthechron

You might want to try and fix it with a touch-up brush. But I just want to let you know that Red, along with Pearl White, are the moist expensive colors when it comes to paint - probably 2x the price of black or blue. AT least it is down here, check with your dealer or colorrite.com

Great link, thanks!

Might the touch-up pen be enough, or should I go with the brush? I realize you haven't seen it, but I could post a pic if need be.

[jonthechron]

Yeah post a pic so we can take a look at the damage. Bust most likely a brush should do, anything else would require much more work.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by headshrink

I love my son more than my bike....

Still?

[bdavison]

I temporary fix would be some clear chicky nail polish.

[headshrink]

LOL - yes, still. I just got home and went in to watch him sleep to remember this fact.... I pretty pissed about the situation, but really can't be pissed at him. He is a curious and energetic boy... these are good things.

I like the nail polish idea. Will this create any difficulty for the touch-up paint to adhere properly?

Here are the pics:

[Seattle_Chris]

OH dude, that's pretty small. I betcha a good body shop wouldn' t charge much to touch that up. Just needs a touch of paint, and some blending. Even if they just used whatever red they had on hand, I bet they could blend it well enough it would be hardly noticable.

Or, once you touch it up yourself, you could just add a decal of some sort to cover it up. tapeworks.com has some pretty nice ones.

But for sure you wanna clean it up and put SOMETHING on it before you start getting greases and stuff on it which would make it harder to fix later. And for sure before rust sets in. I've got a thing for POR 15 myself. But it's black.

[divingtigger]

Nail polish and a clear top coat nail polish would do a quick and easy job....the tricky part would be finding the polish that will match it 100%. Gotta love kids and forgive them for little stuff like that. My 5 year old daughter knows how to respect tools, cars, bikes ect.... and will always offer to help me work on any of them. My 3 year old daughter wants to help too, but the last time I let her she thought it would be fun to use the container I put bolts in to water the flowers....really not that much fun digging nuts, bolts and washers out of mud.

[addy126]

I use colorite pens for the touch up and small repairs with their clear coat as well. U have to be careful about the "nail polish" products some will burn thru your existing paint and create a melty smudge effect then make matters worse. Colorite is expensive but if u do it right the 1st time, then no regrets later At least you'll have a supply on hand for the next little "indiscretion"..

[Sailariel]

After you touch up with Colorite, you can get a magnetic tank bag to cover it up. Tank bags are really useful. I don`t ride without one.

[headshrink]

So the pen it is then.

[headshrink]

I am about to order the pen, but need to know if I also need base and/or clear-coat???

[Sailariel]

Bob, That`s a good question. You may need a dab of primer if there is bare metal--after that it will be putting in a little paint every day until the whole thing is at the same level. At that point, I would consult a good body shop for advice. The other possibility is to go to a good body shop and get their take on a fix before you do anything. Either way, I`m sure you will have a positive outcome.

[DarkNinja52]

The 08's use Kawasaki's "Passion Red", so thats the color you'll need. The 09's use "Sunbeam Red", dont mix them up, they really don't look alike so it won't match.

[rockNroll]

Put a sticker over it.

[headshrink]

Nahhhh... my daughter only has hello kitty stickers, and the likes....

[ztrack157]

I wasn't happy with the performance of the paint pen. I would fork out the couple extra for the brush.

[headshrink]

Originally Posted by ztrack157

I wasn't happy with the performance of the paint pen. I would fork out the couple extra for the brush.

Would that basically just be applying more pain? How about brush strokes?
Did you use clear or base coats on yours?

[addy126]

Bob here's your link to your 08 color specs at Colorite.... http://www.colorrite.com/matrix-colo...TOKEN=72384908
A primer is always recommended when metal is exposed. The brush strokes may be an issue if you don't use a light touch. I dab and let it fill in on its own (gravity) if at all possible. Then add the clear coat with a light hand as well. You can always use an alcohol pad to wipe away the fresh wet application if you don't like it and try again to get it right. I've always used pen, its a personal preference but then I've never had a gouge to deal with just stone chipping and such. Just remember to apply all applications they recommend. It won't be 100% but it will be much better. The website has tips and tricks you might find handy.

[headshrink]

Thanks Addy126