gsxr 600 race bike

[choneofakind]

oil dry >>> kitty litter

Also, major yuck factor to plasti dipped frame.

[Finesse]

this is a plastidipped silver --> black frame. I think it looks fine.


I'm 100% NOT taking my entire bike apart just to pay someone loads of money to powder coat a frame. I'm not that vain. and not that rich.

it's a damn shame that people discourage spray painting and plasti dipping and DIY paint jobs. if you take your time and do it right you can get some nice looking results. **** if I'm going to not even try just cause someone else wouldn't attempt it... if it looks bad, fine, peel it off, lesson learned...

[jkv45]

I don't know about PlastiDip or spray paint on anything that needs any amount of durability - it's not going to happen. Only way to get durability is to do it right and completely disassemble, strip, and powder coat the part. Even professional wet epoxy primer and wet urethane paint can't come close.

For some people it's worth the trouble. It's not loads of money, but it's not cheap either. You get what you pay for.

Speaking of GSXR600s, the owner of this 600 went all the way (including all of the engine cases) -

[Finesse]

that looks great.

I just dont have the time or money for powdercoating. it's just something I wanna try, if it doesn't turn out well, fine. but I'm curious and it won't hurt anything, so why not

[choneofakind]

I don't like plasti dip except what it's intended for: making spray on grip for tools that isn't permanent.

If you're going to paint a frame, strip it. No foo foo can in the world will carry the automotive quality finish that automotive paint can do. The protection isn't the same, and that means it doesn't hold up as well. Sure, I've used some spray can paints on little bits of my fairing brackets. But those are easy to take off and redo and I'm not expecting that paint to live long honestly. I'll pait my swingarm but that's becAuse it has to come off every 6000 miles for service anyway and can be touched up.

I didn't say powder coat because of the heat treating from an over-eager guy with a powder booth, I said paint. You can use automotive paint in a spray booth and you'll get great results. The same quality stuff isn't carried in spray cans though and the effect is never the same.

Not sure why you're getting so defensive and using SO MANY CAPS and swear words
all over for emphasis in responses to my posts, I wasn't suggesting powder coating it, I was suggesting doing the paint right.

[jkv45]

Originally Posted by Finesse

that looks great.

I just dont have the time or money for powdercoating. it's just something I wanna try, if it doesn't turn out well, fine. but I'm curious and it won't hurt anything, so why not

I can understand that, but my point was just that there's really no comparison between properly done powder coating and almost any other coating when durability is a concern.

If someone goes to the trouble of stripping the entire cycle down (which I know you aren't doing) they are way ahead to spend the money to have their parts professionally powder coated. As a reference, most common cycle wheels will cost around $100 ea for a complete powder coating job in a basic coating.

I've worked with everything from spray paint, to professional catalyzed paints, to powder, and for parts that are exposed to gas, oil, impact, or any type of abuse, you can't beat properly done powder if you are concerned about looking good in the long-term. If that's not a concern, there are many less expensive options.

[jkv45]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

(SNIP)
I didn't say powder coat because of the heat treating from an over-eager guy with a powder booth, I said paint. You can use automotive paint in a spray booth and you'll get great results. The same quality stuff isn't carried in spray cans though and the effect is never the same. (SNIP)

As far as that goes, it shouldn't be a problem. In my other posts I've said "properly done powder coating" - and that means they know what they are doing when working with parts that are heat treated (like most wheels) for strength.

If you know what you are doing, you aren't exposing any structural or heat treated part to heat at a level that will alter its "aging" and weaken it.

There are shops out there that will use excessive heat either to strip ("burn-off) or to "outgas" a heat treated part, so I would always make sure any shop you work with has proper knowledge of the effects of excessive heat on a heat treated or structural part.

[psych0hans]

I had my frame, rear spring and wheels powder coated the same color. Lucky for me I didn't have to pay a penny, a supplier for my dads firm got it done to me and refused to charge me for it.

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by jkv45

As far as that goes, it shouldn't be a problem. In my other posts I've said "properly done powder coating" - and that means they know what they are doing when working with parts that are heat treated (like most wheels) for strength.

If you know what you are doing, you aren't exposing any structural or heat treated part to heat at a level that will alter its "aging" and weaken it.

There are shops out there that will use excessive heat either to strip ("burn-off) or to "outgas" a heat treated part, so I would always make sure any shop you work with has proper knowledge of the effects of excessive heat on a heat treated or structural part.

And you're exactly right! Properly done coatings are awesome. I've had the opportunity through work to tour, document, and learn about the process of thermal metalizing coatings, epoxy coatings, powder coats, electric motor rebuilds, etc. from a reputable company and I know what it should look like. But knowing what it looks like when done properly makes me worried about the lower priced guy who does it using the shop equipment in his off time to make some money, or even the little local shop who gets swamped with work. Shortcuts get taken, heating/cooling can be done wrong, etc. painting is easier as well because you can tape off, vs PC'ing where you have to remove bearing races, retap all threads, etc. Paiting is a little more flexible in that aspect and automotive grade paints can give nice durable finish with a strong clear coat. It's still not cheap though.

I don't really like plasti-dip.

[jkv45]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

And you're exactly right! Properly done coatings are awesome. I've had the opportunity through work to tour, document, and learn about the process of thermal metalizing coatings, epoxy coatings, powder coats, electric motor rebuilds, etc. from a reputable company and I know what it should look like. But knowing what it looks like when done properly makes me worried about the lower priced guy who does it using the shop equipment in his off time to make some money, or even the little local shop who gets swamped with work. Shortcuts get taken, heating/cooling can be done wrong, etc. painting is easier as well because you can tape off, vs PC'ing where you have to remove bearing races, retap all threads, etc. Paiting is a little more flexible in that aspect and automotive grade paints can give nice durable finish with a strong clear coat. It's still not cheap though.

I don't really like plasti-dip.

That's why you need to do some research and check out the coater before dropping off your parts. Who do they work with? Call a few of the local restoration or race shops and ask who they recommend for powder coating.

A good shop needs to adhere to its standards - whether it's busy or not.

Powder can be taped off, just like paint, but it requires special high heat tapes and a bit more skill. A professional powder coater won't make you remove powder from holes with a tap - they will plug the holes before applying the powder so the fasteners will screw right in as they should.

Yes - you do need to remove bearing and races for powder coating, but the benefits outweigh the extra work where durability is a concern.

Professional automotive and aircraft paints are pretty good, but still nowhere near the durability of powder. That's because even though they look almost identical, their properties are much different. Paint is applied using a solvent that needs to evaporate from the coating, when it does the coating contracts, leaving micro-voids in the coating that fracture easily.

Powder doesn't use solvents, and as it melts and flows over a properly prepped surface will lock itself in. Given the proper temperature and time, powder "crosslinks" together, further strengthening the coating.

Paint lays on the surface in layers, where powder forms more of a woven mat. Painting can also cost more than powder coating, because it requires a primer over bare metal (powder does not) and once the primers/paints are mixed they can only be used for a short period before gelling.

I've applied both professionally, and I can honestly say there's no comparison.

[choneofakind]

fair enough, I can understand that.

Like I said, I've seen coatings done properly so I am a PC fan, but I still would recommend automotive paint over plasti-dip any day if the cost of PC is too much. Correct me if I'm wrong, but ninja frames come from Kawi painted, not PC'd?

[jkv45]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

fair enough, I can understand that.

Like I said, I've seen coatings done properly so I am a PC fan, but I still would recommend automotive paint over plasti-dip any day if the cost of PC is too much. Correct me if I'm wrong, but ninja frames come from Kawi painted, not PC'd?

Yes - I believe they are painted.

Industrial OEM wet paints are not the same as what is available to professional refinishers. They are applied in a much more controlled environment, and often provide durability similar to powder coating.

That durability can't be duplicated in non-OEM applications.

[choneofakind]

But you're missing the point.

We're comparing these to plastidip.

[jkv45]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

But you're missing the point.

We're comparing these to plastidip.

I was commenting more on what Finesse said when referring to powder coat -

"I'm 100% NOT taking my entire bike apart just to pay someone loads of money to powder coat a frame. I'm not that vain. and not that rich. "

and

"it's a damn shame that people discourage spray painting and plasti dipping and DIY paint jobs. if you take your time and do it right you can get some nice looking results."

I don't think PlastiDip can even be compared to spray paint in durability, but I guess it has its place.

[KawiKid860]

There's two crowds of people when it comes to plasti dip, those who love it and those who hate it. I fall on the former. I'm probably going to plasti dip my Mustang in the spring because it's cheap, durable, requires next to no prep and my paint is pretty bad but I don't want to try painting the whole thing myself and I'm sure as hell not paying someone to reshoot a $2k car. I'm also on a pretty tight budget.

Anyways, I disagreed with Honda's choice to sell a matte black (now matte white) bike with a silver frame, swing arm, etc. and I, like Katie, didn't want to disassemble the whole damn bike and pay someone A LOT more than $6 for a can of dip to powdercoat my stuff. So I bought a can of plasti dip and took care of it myself. Here's how she looks:



The swingarm, lower frame area by the footpegs and forks are plasti dip. The rearsets are bed liner, for extra durability.

Also the white and the gold are actual paint, from a rattle can. It didn't turn out perfect but I'd never painted anything before so I chalk it up to inexperience.

Oh yeah great thing about plasti dip? If it gets a scratch or something, it's super easy to repair. Or heaven forbid you have to peel it off and respray it, but it'd take a lot of damage to cause that.

[Finesse]

^that looks awesome! I wholeheartedly approve. looks super clean. is that a 919??

[KawiKid860]

Originally Posted by Finesse

^that looks awesome! I wholeheartedly approve. looks super clean. is that a 919??

Thanks! Yep it's a 919, great bike. Unfortunately I didn't put the plasti dip on thick enough so it's started to peel a little bit where my right foots been rubbing it and the forks have some small, almost non-noticeable chips on them, but it's not coming off at all. That's just from user error and it'll be easy to fix too, I've just been too busy riding it haha.

[Finesse]

I think it looks good. I'm going to try my hand at it too. that's such a sweet bike!

[alex.s]

Originally Posted by jkv45

oh god it's beautiful

[jkv45]

Originally Posted by alex.s

oh god it's beautiful

Thanks. I did it for a local cycle shop. Not sure if it's all back together yet, but I should give them a call to check.

They went for the Streetfighter-look. No fairings. Should be interesting when done.

[nickjpass]

I've had parts fall off, and I watched someone's tail fairing fly off too.

[subxero]

2 words...

Rhino Liner ..........

[subxero]

on side note to thread jack Bens new motorcycle thread even more. If Katie is hooking everybody up with parts I'm in the hunt for any 1000ss front end 2000's and newer and an older Fz600 swingarm

Ill drive down to pick them up, let me know when you find them

[adouglas]

Originally Posted by KawiKid860

Here's how she looks:

After how long?

My experience with PD is that durability is poor. Yeah, it's easy to reshoot, but not having to reshoot in the first place is easier.

I PDed my track fairings and after only three track days many of the sharp edges have worn through. When it gets too ratty I'll use real paint.

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by subxero

on side note to thread jack Bens new motorcycle thread even more.

I've thread jacked so many threads it's not a big deal at all for it to happen to me

Damn @adouglas I was considering plastidip, guess a new gas tank (dented) a fiberglass repair kit and some real paint is the way to go though

[KawiKid860]

Originally Posted by adouglas

After how long?

My experience with PD is that durability is poor. Yeah, it's easy to reshoot, but not having to reshoot in the first place is easier.

I PDed my track fairings and after only three track days many of the sharp edges have worn through. When it gets too ratty I'll use real paint.

It's started to very mildly wear after a couple hundred miles, but that's from rocks and debris hitting the forks and my foot rubbing directly on the frame since I'm an avid rear brake user. The other side of the frame and my swingarm are still fine, and like I said I put it on too thin. I have a very hard time believing people who's plasti dip doesn't hold up applied it correctly, because for every story of it not holding up there's 100 of it doing just fine. People do their entire cars in dip and it holds up for years. My cars wheels are holding up great after 5 months and I did a crappy quick job on them anyways. It'd be ideal to not have to respray sure, but the amount of disassembly, time and money involved to do all that would mean I still wouldn't be back on my bike. And it wouldn't make any sense since the bike has a rattlecan paint job on it anyways. And I can't afford real paint or powdercoat, so I did what I could in my budget to make my bike look exactly the way I want it to.

Like I said, there's two sides of the fence on dip, some people just hate it. I think it's great. I'll be further testing it on my Ninja since I don't want to destroy the still nice OEM finish, but the front fairing is trashed really bad so I'll be dipping it kawi green. I also plan on dipping my entire car come spring.

[Finesse]

I can't afford real paint or powdercoat, so I did what I could in my budget to make my bike look exactly the way I want it to.

word! hating on other people's strategies for customizing their own **** bothers me. it may not be what YOU would do, but it's fun to experiment and see what works and what doesn't and what you end up liking in the end and whether it's worth it. it's not going to be in any beauty contests. I ordered rustoleum flexi-dip. gonna practice on my dirt bike just to see how it goes.

@KawiKid860 I actually got to ride a 919 today at work, first time on one. it was a lot more mellow and more comfortable than I expected! I liked it. except this particular one has warped rotors and the whole front end 'chatters' when you hit the brakes. otherwise it was golden that's a great choice for probably everything except heavy traffic haha

[KawiKid860]

Originally Posted by Finesse

word! hating on other people's strategies for customizing their own **** bothers me. it may not be what YOU would do, but it's fun to experiment and see what works and what doesn't and what you end up liking in the end and whether it's worth it. it's not going to be in any beauty contests. I ordered rustoleum flexi-dip. gonna practice on my dirt bike just to see how it goes.

@KawiKid860 I actually got to ride a 919 today at work, first time on one. it was a lot more mellow and more comfortable than I expected! I liked it. except this particular one has warped rotors and the whole front end 'chatters' when you hit the brakes. otherwise it was golden that's a great choice for probably everything except heavy traffic haha

For real, my bike definitely isn't a show bike but I still want it to look nice. Yeah it's not a violent bike lol, but it's deceptively fast because it just has power everywhere. I've really started to dig the mass amounts of torque and instant thrust at any speed in any gear, it makes me wonder how I'd feel being back on a 600 lol. It kinda sucks when my buddy is cresting 10k rpms and his bike is screaming and mines achieving the same acceleration at like only 5k though. It's definitely a great all rounder and a lot of fun to ride. IMO it's better in traffic than a supersport just because it doesn't get super hot in the summer, but nowhere near as easy to ride as my 500. What year was the one you rode? Mine's an 02 so the FI is pretty jerky at low rpms, but it's not too bad to deal with. From what I've seen Honda fixed it on the newer ones.

[alex.s]

Originally Posted by Finesse

word! hating on other people's strategies for customizing their own **** bothers me.

my bikes have custom damage from crashing... i think people are allowed to hate on that.

[Bigballsofpaint]

I just dont like plasti dip. After all the time i put into painting the bike, after 1 track day both sides of the gas tank are worn down, and the back of the seat is worn down. Thats 3 coats of PD worn in 1 day. The only good thing is i know i was gripping the tank and getting my butt back...

[KawiKid860]

Plasti dip was never meant for, nor should it be used with expectations of durability on high frictions areas. However, for a low friction area that you want to put a TEMPORARY coating on to change the colors of, to hide crappy paint, or whatever it is a fine solution.

Hence why I painted my bike, then Plasti Dipped the trim I wanted black.

[alex.s]

plastidip was designed originally for tool handle coatings. if you do it right, and do enough, it is very durable. it is when you have exposed edges and very thin layers that it turns to ****.

remember... it only sticks to itself well.

[Sirref]

****ity **** **** ****

confirmed that the head gasket is blown

I gots oil where there should be coolant and coolant where there should be oil, suspected it for a few days but finished ruling out all other possibilities today...

on the bright side I have 2 bikes that are capable of running for the track day at shenny on sat so I'm good to go but it looks like I've got a lot of work to do before my trip to NJMP on the 18th-20th. If I can't get it running at all I may be looking for an inexpensive newgen 250 track bike to run in CCS instead, something I was planning to do later down the line rather than now though

[alex.s]

as long as the head isn't warped, its an easy fix. do yourself a favor and replace the head bolts with brand new ones while you're there.

[Sirref]

I'll also be checking the cams

what's the process on it?

flush oil & coolant
pull engine
disassemble engine to get to head gasket
swap gasket, check cams, replace head bolts
put it all back together
fresh coolant
flush out any remaining crap oil with cheap oil then put good oil in

ride the wheels off of it?
I estimate it'll take 12-16hrs of work or so

[Singh2jz]

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by Singh2jz

No worries, I've got an excuse to ride the wheels off my track only pregen

the poor pregen probably did this because it's been feeling betrayed that I got another track bike right after I convinced it to give me everything it had and then some at jennings gp

[csmith12]

The pregen misses you brah, she will enjoy being ridden again. And after riding the gsxr for a time, you will enjoy it just the same.

[alex.s]

Originally Posted by Sirref

I'll also be checking the cams

what's the process on it?

flush oil & coolant
pull engine
disassemble engine to get to head gasket
swap gasket, check cams, replace head bolts
put it all back together
fresh coolant
flush out any remaining crap oil with cheap oil then put good oil in

ride the wheels off of it?
I estimate it'll take 12-16hrs of work or so

its a pretty standard top end rebuild.

dump fluids (take an oil sample and send it off to blackstone labs), chain off, wires off, pull the engine, covers off, do a quick clearance check on the valves and take note. cams out, take the buckets out and put them in a labeled egg carton with their shims so you dont mismatch them (save work later), pull out the head bolts and throw them in the trash, take off the head. since you have it off you might as well check out each valve and relap it after. dont mix them up, put them in the same slot in the egg carton. get rid of the old gasket, check out the piston tops and clean things up. make sure sure sure absolutely sure both the cylinders top as well as the head bottom are TRUE. go buy an accurately true rule and make sure. if its not, get a new head or have it repaired by a machinist if its minimal (another option while you're here, deck the head for moar powah!) another optional thing to do here which will make the engine last longer is to put new piston rings and skirts on and give the jugs a new hone. then reassemble with new head bolts. use a freshly calibrated torque wrench. do a valve adjust and take a look at the numbers before and after. did you mix up a valve? no? then finish reassembly. dont forget assembly lube/moly grease. treat it like a new engine even if you didn't do new rings/hone the cylinders. ie- standard break in proceedure. first heat cycle, keep it under 6krpm. just get it up to temp with not much load, then let it cool back down. after that start power cycling.... get it warm, then do some quick acceleration. don't go overboard right away. build up to it.

after it has had 100 or so miles breakin, do a compression check to make sure everythings alright.

take your time. go slow. do things correctly. triple check everything.

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by csmith12

The pregen misses you brah, she will enjoy being ridden again. And after riding the gsxr for a time, you will enjoy it just the same.

I just swapped the coolant/oil(**** was dirty, prob need a new filter)/gas, cleaned the carbs (despite that it was already running anyway) cleaned the chain and put the battery back in from the tender. Rode it around a bit and everything came back to me immediately, the moment I turned it in to the neighborhood esses (my testing ground for all things car/bike) I was instantly reminded why it is my favorite bike. Gotta sort out the forks and get 17" wheels on this bad boy sometime. Oh and fairings/bellypan so I can actually race it in the 2016 season or with TPM's setup.

God I love super ridiculously lightweight 250s, the gsxr didn't even feel heavy when I tested it but this

@alex.s thank you for the advice, I've got a shop manual on the way to help me out with it. I'll start sometime next week when the book and parts come in the mail

I refuse to let this gsx-r die without me abusing the **** out of it for a couple seasons