Paint

After dis-assembly, the first step was a good bath. See that giant hole in the rear fender? That is the stock location of the ECM. More on that later. After the bath I gave each piece a good sanding to promote adhesion. Then I took my rattle cans and started spraying. 

I always go a little overboard with coats. I put a lot on this time too. Chalkboard paint is excellent stuff and results in a very durable exterior. I've put it on the last two bikes I repainted. 

 

Notice anything missing...the rear fender maybe? More on that later too...

I know you can't tell from this flawless execution but I have no stencil experience. Used flat white, it was still wet in this photo. I am pretty happy with how it turned out.

After

Simple cosmetic changes, small on their own but together they make a pretty big difference. In the next few weeks I'll detail what all was done, from the easy to the fairly complex. I've gotta say, I am pretty stoked on the end result.

Tank Art

While Nick's bike was here, I decided his plain old green tank needed a little love. 

We brainstormed for a bit before laying out the panels and then started trying to get all the bases covered. Here, you can see at the top we have the line squiggles and scales. 

Front left we did some freak, or as Nick likes to call them, polka dots. 

Added a desert landscape...

and a space scene.

For flair, we threw a little lettering on the top as well. 

Last but not least, we threw one of our new stickers on there so Nick can keep track of his progress. 

I'm not sure he was as excited about the art as I was. He said something about painting over it but I know he must be joking. 

If he did that, he would totally ruin his chances of selling it online 40 years from now for hundreds and hundreds of dollars...

5 Step Program

 1. Buy motocross helmet on clearance online for $27.00.

 2. Apply masking tape...badly in this case. More on that later...

 3. Sand with whatever sandpaper you have on hand.

 4. Apply chalkboard paint.

5. Remove masking tape, apply touch-up paint, apply Fifty's Haze helmet sticker. Take bad photo. 

Abandoned Country Club

A buddy of mine lives near an abandoned country club. There isn't anything keeping people out...so we went in.