New Tyres and re-painted engine covers

In the Shed
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I recently had fitted a new pair of Metzeler Roadtec 01 - also showing the re-painted engine side covers that I did myself

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Clutch cover looks slick :+1:

What’s your process for obtaining that level of gloss finish?

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The covers were all a bit grotty - a previous owner had hand-painted them whilst still on the engine. My process is lots of patience and the right grades of wet and dry paper. I used paint stripper, leaving overnight, a fine wire brush for the bits of paint remaining in the “corners” and 180 grit to get the worst corrosion off, finishing with 400 grit. The paint is Hycote gloss black engine paint, which I’ve never used before, so I’ve no idea of the durability of the finish, but it does look very good. I picked out the “Honda” using the remnants of an old can of white hammerite sprayed into its lid, using a very fine brush and a toothpick just dabbing the paint into the recess, not brushing it, dragging the paint to help it run to the corners with capillary action with the toothpick - took a good hour for each “Honda” to build up the depth of paint.

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Well done with the refinishing, maybe one day I’ll do some of mine.
Re the white Honda insets on the covers, I’ve heard of another way of spraying them in two coats.

  • once the covers are prepped, and the Honda lettering area is very clean, that area is sprayed with light coats of white.
  • When the desired thickness of white is achieved, the overspray is sanded off to leave a clear boundary for the black.
  • -the cover is placed level, and water with a small amount of very light oil is dribbled into the lettering so it just fill and covers the white.
    • cover is then sprayed with light coats of black till the right finish is achieved.
  • Once black has cured, tip out water mix and clean, hopefully a great finish!
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Very tidy Bob,first class job.I would be interested in your feedback on the tyres.Although I am converting my Bol to use different wheels,good tyres for standard wheels are becoming more difficult to find.
Regards Bif

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Cheers Bif - I finally decided on the Roadtec 01 based on reading and watching reviews in a number of various sources. Not the cheapest, but t’m very happy with the handling. The old Metzelers had gone quite hard and were cracking up round the tread, so any new tyres would be a revelation, which these are. The bike drops nicely into bends, as long as I don’t hold onto the front brake too long, bumps are absorbed much better, and I have a great deal of confidence, where I didn’t before. These tyres have a 2023 date, so they’re not exactly brand new, but they smell new and they’re “squidgy”, not solid like the old ones, which were 2009 and 2014.

Plus, Geoff Johnson won the TT on Metzelers on a Bol in 1985..

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