[deadwood83]

Starting this thread partly for my own recordkeeping and to share my hodgepodge 'build' as it goes.

Short background:

• Lusted after the lupin blue /5 starting at announcement in 2019, but just started riding and couldn't justify since I had no idea if I would keep riding.
• Kept riding.
• Rode with folks who had EFI bikes and ABS. Got embarrassed at telling them to wait for 30 or so seconds for my bike to get some heat in the carbs at stops.
• Shopped down a list of 13 bikes and DQed valid contenders for various reasons to justify 9T
• 'Built' a bike on motorrad website and submitted an RFQ just for fun "because it's 2022 and nobody sells at MSRP, and nobody has inventory"
• Dealer reached out and told me the bike I wanted had just been built and was on their allocation list. The only diff was cross-spoke instead of option 719 wheels, and offroad tires.
• Reserved with deposit.
• ETA end of May/early June (build date Apr 1, 2022)

In a thread here, somebody mentioned 'Option 230" does not exist. I think the original poster may have meant the comfort package. Oddly Item 224, ride modes Pro is part of the select package whereas normal "Ride Modes" is part of the standard 230 package. It's confusing.

Anyway, on to the planned changes/additions! SOme people ask, "why buy things before you have the bike?" THis is a valid question. However, with all my vehicles regardless of wheel count the these has been if I don't do changes all in a big lump then I just never do them. I am a "Set it up once, do it properly and maybe minimally" type of person.

Things which have already been ordered:

1. Matris FB311K cartridge kit for scrambler. People mention that the Matris kits tend to be a bit stiff, so instead of selecting the lower weight as my own without gear, I selected springs based on my un-geared weight to be at the upper range of the spring chart. Utah has two seasons, and in April and October it switches between them from week to week (80F last week of March, freezing rain next week, last weekend was warm, snow expected this Wednesday, back to 70 by Saturday, etc) so the roads are not the smoothest. Somehow, this was $300 USD less to order from Italy. If it is still too stiff, then I will re-shim the valving. It doesn't look too difficult. I initially thought my XJ progressive springs and RT emulators were too stiff, but now wish they were a little stiffer.
2. Ohlins BM642 rear shock. Hydraulic preload, adjustable C/R damping at bottom clicky wheel. This was also oddly $250 less to order from Italy. Hoping the 2 at the end (as opposed to BM 640) will mean it comes with 12mm bushings instead of 10mm since the 21+ models went with larger mount bolts. If it comes with the wrong size... I have a lathe.
3. Tachometer kit! KFM saves the day here. $300 USD less than ordering stateside, but sadly they list the dual mount kit as 'obsolete' so the mount parts had to be ordered at a premium (though still less than direct from dealer.) BMW's official 1km break-in process lists speed limits per gear (guessing translated from RPM limits) but how would a new owner instinctively know what gear they are in without any indicator? I know on my XJ, but I have ridden it for thousands of miles.... and still sometimes try to change to a non-existent 6th gear. I also just really prefer the 2-pod look. If I am completely honest, the 2-pod look was the real push.
4. MV 50mm riser + clutch line and adapters. I hope the little stubs they stick on the reservoirs don't bother me, otherwise I will have to order Spiegler custom length lines. I strongly prefer a more upright position. 5'10" and 32" inseam put me at an 11* forward lean on the scrambler and a 0-2* lean on the XJ. 50mm up and 50MM back on the bars puts me at a 0-1* lean on the beemer.
5. Unit Garage Biposto seat in pleated brown. I have a posterior area which resembles the Great Plains region of North America. Sargent only offers two-piece seats unless I send them my factory seat to reupholster (weeks downtime), Mustang seats seem to be so-so, both factory and Mustang offerings are only in black; I want to see what brown looks like on the bike. If I hate it after an 8-hour day, I still have the factory seat to send to Sargent.
6. Unit Garage passenger grab bar. Unit garage pre-sales service is legit. I accidentally ordered the luggage rack and added a comment seeing if they could swap it. I received an email stating the swap was complete and the difference refunded. I have one on my XJ and love it for center stand manouvres on uneven pavement (the norm). Undecided about center stand for R9T, but I also think it helps the retro look and would complement a potential future purchase.....
7. Suntek Ultra for tank protection. Ordered the complete R9T from Tankslapper so I have more practice pieces.

Things I am undecided on:

1. Hugger? Mudsling? GS fender? Custom extended hugger for skunk stripe? I know a guy who has an english wheel. He specializes in sheet metal fab. On my XJ, the rear fender being both long and low means I can ride in an absolute deluge with a dry-ish back and a small pond forming in my groin. Rain and wind on my front does not bother me at all, but the thought of feeling lukewarm road grime slowly work its way from my neck to my gluteal divide is truly horrifying. This leads me to.....
2. Mudsling + Barracuda fender. This seems ideal, but I am conflicted. The Barracuda, to look fully integrated, would need to be color-matched to something. Probably the cosmic blue rear half of the tank. But then in order to tie the look together, it would make me want to do a larger front fender and also color-match it. The 719 color scheme with segregated tank would dictate that a color-matched front fender should probably have a forward edge with a white lip and a thin black demarcation before going blue. Sort of how the /5 Lupin bike was color-matched in the fender area. In short, I think any Barracuda mod would be about 2-3x list price all-in. But it also might look really good with the grab bar, and the Unit Garage rear seat (code 1601) seems to fill some of the gap left in the Barracuda design similar to the Roland Sands seat. It would also be a good opportunity to fab up an indicator mount to fill the remainder. Bullet signals would be detrimental to the under-thighs of any pillion riders, so perhaps Morimoto pindicators? I need to finish the CNC conversion on my mill.
3. Mirrors: Oh mirrors. Who even knows? I like my old Yamaha wide rectangular units. Maybe Rizoma dynamics or the Amazon special Kiwav Classic Plus rectangulars.
4. Indicators: The OE indicators are nice, but they seem to betray heritage shape. As a connosieur of "the old Yam" (XS400, XJ650.) and a follower of "well 'da" (CRF150/XR70 hybrid monstrosity w/ 6sp LC 300cc swap and USD forks) I have yet to see any truly vintage signals from the actual era where they were shaped like a candelabra bulb. Torn between Morimoto endicators and m-blaze discs for the front. Not heritage, but the integration factor is compelling. No idea on the rear. Will need to re-evaluate once I stare at it in person for some hours/days and decide on a fender/tidy or not.
5. Tires: I do not want the karoos. If the dealer will not swap them for free or a trivial amount, then I guess there's no choice but to test out the new suspension off the beaten path. I should find one of those doo-hickeys that bolts to the engine to protect the 'chest plate' since the front fender won't do anything.
6. Luggage: SW-Motech looks nice, but it't not I bag I could sling over my shoulder and walk into the office with unless I want raised eyebrows. I wonder if the SLC locking mechanism could be retrofitted to other host bags.....
7. DESIRE: I really want to find a good mechanical switch mechanism I could slip between a battery lead and its termination to fully de-energize the bike. I come from a world of owning actual retro machines without clocks and other mA-consuming devices so it has never been a problem to drain carbs, cover, and leave all winter. My condo does not have a garage (just covered parking) so a trickle charger is not feasible. I would like to avoid lifting the tank every winter and spring just to disconnect the battery. A good 'thwacky' heavy duty switch on the neagtive lead, covered by the seat and IP rated, would be ideal.

And that's it for now! I like using forums as a place to organize my thoughts, and it gives people the opportunity to call out my stupidity before I realize it during execution. If you got this far, I'm sorry, but also thanks for reading! I hope you feel the buzz in your brain whenever you look at a 9T, or think about a canyon road on a beautiful day; with perhaps a touch of a light meal off the side of a road by a mountain stream. Here are some photos from drives and rides near my home (and some from 4-5 hours away). https://www.deviantart.com/dirtyharry83/gallery/37752252/k5

 

[72706]

Good luck, deadwood83. Do your research now and take your time making decisions. Post pictures once your long wait is over and the bike has arrived.

 

[Chopper_Bob]

good to see that I am not the only one to plan aroind a bike that is not in our possession yet!!

I thoroughly enjoyed my time planning mods and eventually buying them,… the bike will be manufactured this week, delivery end of April… can,t wait!

good luck with planning and enjoy the expectation!

 

[deadwood83]

good to see that I am not the only one to plan aroind a bike that is not in our possession yet!!

I thoroughly enjoyed my time planning mods and eventually buying them,… the bike will be manufactured this week, delivery end of April… can,t wait!

good luck with planning and enjoy the expectation!

We're two of a kind! I am happy to see that I am not alone in enjoying the 'theory crafting' aspect of vehicle buying. It is the only time I can fully appreciate customization and mods with my work/life balance (or lack thereof.)

Once the bike is at hand, with nice weather... it seems almost criminal to take it out of service. I'm glad to see the shipping time via overland transit is much faster. I'm slightly jealous (since my VIN was built on the 1st but will likely be a month slower.)

 

[Chopper_Bob]

Have a look at my build thread:

Build “Misty” for me - ‘22 Scrambler

I thought I better start my own thread on my build. I have ordered ‘22 Scrambler, which is due late March/ early April. I have made a build list of parts to be added to the bike and parts are coming in (slowly). This is currently in the house, and it will allow me to spray paint the rear...

www.ninetowners.com

 

[deadwood83]

Have a look at my build thread:

Build “Misty” for me - ‘22 Scrambler

I thought I better start my own thread on my build. I have ordered ‘22 Scrambler, which is due late March/ early April. I have made a build list of parts to be added to the bike and parts are coming in (slowly). This is currently in the house, and it will allow me to spray paint the rear...

www.ninetowners.com

Hahahaha I mostly meant the wait from actual assembly date and not the total wait. I lucked out that their pre-allocation was basically what I configured on the site -719 spokeless and + off-road tires.

After learning that the 719 spokeless requires 'low suspension' which is just:

• a pure with a scrambler pipe, seat and gaiters,
• but charged scrambler msrp with a $250 surcharge for 'lowering'
• + the $950 USD for the wheels,
• - 19" front tire (more forward lean, more lower back strain).......

It suddenly becomes a few thousand extra USD to get a Pure with different mirrors and seat. Cross-spokes seem pretty great after that math, even if they are a little bit more of a pain to clean.

 

[deadwood83]

Yesterday I received an unprompted email update from my dealer.

Bike's on a boat!

 

[Chopper_Bob]

Yesterday I received an unprompted email update from my dealer.

Bike's on a boat!

Nice!!!

Mine should come of the production line this week!!! Don't think it will make the 1st may delivery...

 

[deadwood83]

I did more shopping. But was it useful shopping? No, not really. I could have looked at tires. Well, I did look at tires. I looked at a lot of Michelin Road 6 sets. They seem like a good investment. So did I buy any? Nope, sure didn't. Somehow, $400-500 for two tires feels offensive, even though I pay the same for my cars. But I have been spoiled by the cost of Shinko 712s on my metric machine. It is a mental hurdle I will have to overcome.

Anyway, on to what I actually did.

Desire: Barracuda fender.
Reality: Barracuda UK is the only one willing to ship to US so it's an unfavorable exchange rate compared to purchasing in Euros + the customer ends up paying the import duties for EU->UK.
Compromise: Cheap knock-off fender from AliX that sort of looks like the DK Design "hawkeye." I prefer to buy from the designer, but I have great difficulty dropping $300 USD on a piece of thermoformed ABS plastic smaller than a standard keyboard; doubly so if I plan to re-paint it and triply-so if I am unsure whether or not I will even like it.

Desire: Ability to rain ride.
Reality: Not getting the Barracuda at least for a while. Cheap AliX has no plate mounts despite saying "plate bracket" in the title.
Compromise: Cheap GS-Style mudguard and plate mount. It's cheap because the bracketry is really ugly and doesn't look like it was made with US moto plates in mind. But I have a portaband in a SWAG stand, a mill, and a lathe. Hopefully between the two pieces (and most likely a machineartmoto mudsling), the vast majority of rooster tail / skunk stripe will be controlled for the primary rider.

I have dome some highly scienticious art to determine the point of potential maximum sadness. You can see my representative stick man wincing and crying towards the heavens as wet, cold, gritty bog runs between helmet seam and jacket down his bare spine and pools to form highly abrasive and slightly slimy butt puddle beneath all his gear:

Conclusion: The two guards should block the majority of offending road slurry but there will absolutely be some speed range where negative pressure and water sling angle coincide to form the perfect buttcrack puddle. Oh well.


Desire: All the benefits of a steering damper without the feel of one.
Reality: Physics.
Compromise: Cheap knockoff steering damper which I will gut and rebuild with my own piston device made on my lathe. There should exist an oil weight which will allow me to get what I desire. It might even be possible to build a sort of reverse fork shim stack where the inner diameter varies which allows different valving. However, I would need to run simulations to see how that would behave with differing oil pressure since that seems to be the adjustment mechanism. I might just remake the cheap parts in good materials (6061, 7075), use a light oil, and call it done. They seem like very simple devices. I'm a bit shocked at what Ohlins charges for their damper because the only complex feature is some wire edm and that process has been done at scale since the 1960s at least.

In other news: MV canceled my order and issued a refund on the basis of "we don't want to hold your money for another month and exchange rate will be more favorable to you." They are good people. I like those guys. I wish they made more stuff I actually wanted so I could support them more.

And last but not least, paint. Fenders need color. I cannot accept just a silver fender on the back of my blue and white bike. So I did some terrible photoshop to examine options.

Option one: All Cosmic

Option two: All White

Option three: 719 Theme White front and Cosmic Rear

I think I'm leaning towards options one or three because I do like blue bike. My one hesitation with option 3 is the natural tendency of a purely cosmetic front fender in white to look like utter garbage as soon as you hit some dust/pollen/mud/water/a flea/life. I also can't help but notice the 719 band aligns just above the line formed by the painted frame piece. If I go option 3 perhaps it might be advantageous to add some minor black banding to the front 'edge' of the white trellis to continue the delineation?

If anybody has any inputs on options one two or three I am all ears.

 

[Chopper_Bob]

Option 1… nest looking

 

[72706]

Hello deadwood83, Since you're asking for opinions and since I have a 2021 Cosmic Blue/Light White Pure, I thought I'd give you my 2 cents worth. First, it's your bike and you can and should do whatever you want to make it your own. As someone who's been in the art, design, and academic world for several decades, however, there's a wise old saying to keep in mind: "Less Is More", meaning that the more you add to something, and then start color coordinating, etc., the more you are just decorating rather than designing. Take a look at some of the classic BMW designs like the smoke paint jobs on an old R90s, or even the design on a R9T Racer and think about how the paint and parts flow together in a unified design. When I bought my Pure (which I was really lucky to find during last year's inventory shortage) I was OK with the Cosmic Blue paint scheme which is still rather unique here in TX, but after awhile it began to seem a little too bright and pretty for me. A little bit of Cosmic Blue goes a long way, if you know what I mean. Ha! I decided to get a black tank cover, add black panniers, a black seat hump, black bar end mirrors etc. to tone things down a little. I can still take the black tank cover off, and then it's almost like showing off a second, brand new bike. Good luck with your decisions!

 

[deadwood83]

Hello deadwood83, Since you're asking for opinions and since I have a 2021 Cosmic Blue/Light White Pure, I thought I'd give you my 2 cents worth. First, it's your bike and you can and should do whatever you want to make it your own. As someone who's been in the art, design, and academic world for several decades, however, there's a wise old saying to keep in mind: "Less Is More", meaning that the more you add to something, and then start color coordinating, etc., the more you are just decorating rather than designing. Take a look at some of the classic BMW designs like the smoke paint jobs on an old R90s, or even the design on a R9T Racer and think about how the paint and parts flow together in a unified design. When I bought my Pure (which I was really lucky to find during last year's inventory shortage) I was OK with the Cosmic Blue paint scheme which is still rather unique here in TX, but after awhile it began to seem a little too bright and pretty for me. A little bit of Cosmic Blue goes a long way, if you know what I mean. Ha! I decided to get a black tank cover, add black panniers, a black seat hump, black bar end mirrors etc. to tone things down a little. I can still take the black tank cover off, and then it's almost like showing off a second, brand new bike. Good luck with your decisions!

Hahahahaha. I completely understand where you are coming from. I've always had more 'conservative' car colors (in order: white, grey, white, black, white) until 2019 when I got a commuter. in uh.... orange. I was fully intending to buy a "porcelain grey" vehicle of the same make and model but when I saw the orange in the sun..... It went home with me.

The bike should arrive before the rear fender so I will have much time to stew over the decision and thoughtfully stare at it. My only hesitation with a neutral color on the rear is it being such a large visual 'section'.

The 9T/5 Lupin matched the tank to the front fender. The 1200GS matched the tank, upper front fender, and frame section then blended the tail with alu trim. The seat brace and control sets would be a natural match but then it's just trying to balance against the triple and chrome stanchions (and snorkel on one side) but would feel odd with the warm stainless Akra cans and would feel even more odd up close when its plastic construction is betrayed.


I will need to stare at the blue in the sun for a long while. I ordered blue without ever seeing it because everything nearby is black/red.

I think I might be leaning a little bit towards option 3. Hmmmmmmm. Maybe I can math this out somehow.

Edit: After much comparisons of general ratios, finding triangles, looking at curvatures, and generally faffing about......

I think I am going to paint the front fender white. The 9T is an insanely visually busy bike.

 

[72706]

Hahahahaha. I completely understand where you are coming from. I've always had more 'conservative' car colors (in order: white, grey, white, black, white) until 2019 when I got a commuter. in uh.... orange. I was fully intending to buy a "porcelain grey" vehicle of the same make and model but when I saw the orange in the sun..... It went home with me.
View attachment 153519

The bike should arrive before the rear fender so I will have much time to stew over the decision and thoughtfully stare at it. My only hesitation with a neutral color on the rear is it being such a large visual 'section'.

The 9T/5 Lupin matched the tank to the front fender. The 1200GS matched the tank, upper front fender, and frame section then blended the tail with alu trim. The seat brace and control sets would be a natural match but then it's just trying to balance against the triple and chrome stanchions (and snorkel on one side) but would feel odd with the warm stainless Akra cans and would feel even more odd up close when its plastic construction is betrayed.


I will need to stare at the blue in the sun for a long while. I ordered blue without ever seeing it because everything nearby is black/red.

I think I might be leaning a little bit towards option 3. Hmmmmmmm. Maybe I can math this out somehow.

View attachment 153520


Edit: After much comparisons of general ratios, finding triangles, looking at curvatures, and generally faffing about......
View attachment 153522

I think I am going to paint the front fender white. The 9T is an insanely visually busy bike.

You've got a good eye for details, and you obviously have every angle covered! Have fun with your mods. After a year of ownership, I'm still experimenting - adding and subtracting as I go.

 

[Parkblu]

...The 9T is an insanely visually busy bike.

You so nailed it. I'm always looking to reduce the chaos of lines, colours and materials.

Riding a '17 Scrambler, I photoshop every color change (and some other items) before I grab the spraycan, which worked well so far. E.g.: tank is matte pale silver, engine black, heads were different silver from tank. And of course also different grey/silver than some other brightwork. Argh... Oh, and black head protectors are great but didn't help visually, not at all. So I PS'd three versions and then decided to paint the heads black: one visual distraction less.

Other examples: New seat – the high bench is nearly as useless as the low one – is on the must-have list, but I think I'm leaning towards black, again to quiet things down a bit. Scrambler-exhaust: Two into one into two? Really? PS'd the lower can out: much !! better, but (for me) not doable. Hattech's single stainless can is a lovely solution (though not cheap). – And so on...

 

[deadwood83]

As the date draws nearer, some worries fade and others emerge. For example:

• None of the suspension I ordered from Italy (On April 8th) has shipped. My dealer was willing to roll that into the build at BMW's discounted labor rate for building bikes. Now I'll be doing it myself (which is file, just more work).
• I am glad MV cancelled my order. I want to talk to them about only buying the risers without any adapters so I can use Spiegler lines. (After I try the bike without any risers).
• The ship landed late on the night of the 3rd, and has since left the port. I am only waiting on BMW/Customs now.

I think I want SW-Motech bars. I want a place to rest my legs on long rides where they will not melt.

My brain says they should be blak powder coated inox for max corrosion resistance; since they will be at the greatest risk for eating road debris. But perhaps the more affordable carbon steel bars will be the way to go. But I'll be re-coating them if they rust (doubt they are parkerized underneath). Hmmmmmmm.


Anyway, on to the real worry. Tires. Tires tires tires tires and again tires. I have ridden on crappy tires. I have ridden on 38 year old tires (for a few hundred meters before it was too scary). I have ridden on Chinese pitbike tires. I have ridden on old 2006 F650cs tires, on scooter tires, and on track tires, on $50 Shinko 712s (not bad for what they are)..... but never on a knobby tire.

The Karoo 3s and their stories have me a bit concerned. Mushy slow tire + stiff stiff steering damper? This is a whole new world of things I have not ridden. I have searched for reviews and there's no consistency. Some people say they grip alright in the wet, others say they are wildly dangerous outside of sunshine on pavement. I haven't been on an unpaved surface on a bike in..... 20 years?

I need to stop thinking and just throw a leg over it when it gets here. There are trail roads around, but I am not sure if they allow motorized mobility devices. Hmmmmmmm.

I see these things in my future:

• Mich Road 6 / RoadAttack 3 / Dunlop Mutant / Bridgey T32
• SLC side carrier frame right + sysbag 10 adapter kit (so I can make my own QD luggage)
• SW-Motech bars
• MV risers or others, depending on comfort/discomfort levels.

I prefer to keep things fairly simple, but dolled-up just enough. I also seem to enjoy worrying. Oh well.

 

[Parkblu]

...Tires. Tires tires tires tires and again tires.

No to throw another tire into your smoldering fire - don't you hate it when folks invent metaphors? esp. non-native speakers? 🤪 – but the Conti TKC-70/Rocks so far (about 2k miles) has proven to be a good choice. (Please notice how I resisted saying "it rocks"). Two comments: it sings a bit around 30-35 mph, and I haven't had a chance to ride it in rain, asphalt or dirt. It's supposed to be raining tomorrow, but they said on Fri and today too... forecasts for FL are notoriously unreliable.

 

[deadwood83]

Yesterday I rebuilt the chinese steering damper. It is a matris look-alike. Surprisingly, it was rather faithful to the original design with a couple misses.
1. The piston was nylon instead of aluminum. So I made a new 6061 aluminum piston on the lathe.
2. The pressure/sprung chamber was not located on the outer bore by any mechanical device. Instead, they machined down the outer sleeve a little to make a locking shoulder and hold it in place with tension from the blank end of the shaft (rather, the locking/screwing piece which holds the adjuster). FLuid can flow in a bore they enlarged between sealing surfaces/devices so it's actual rotational position is not important.
3. No nitrogen in the sprung chamber, using a mechanical spring instead (I actually like this, from a user service point of view).

The ohlns unit is rather easy to visualize how fluid flows, but the matris and clones is a bit more interesting. The inner adjusting collar has a hole and an enlarged bore for some length which allows fluid to enter. Just above the hole is a "trench" of varying depth throughout the adjustment range. As the adjustment goes to a higher number, a shallower portion of this cut is presented beneath the outer collar hole which allows fluid exchange between inner and outer cylinders. The outer cylinder has another hole which allows fluid to exchange between the pressurized chamber and the main body which translates extreme violent motion into ablated potential and kinetic energy with the spring.

The inner cylinder has a hole at the opposite end which allows exchange of fluid between inner and outer cylinders. The shaft piston is affixed directly to the shaft via roll pin through the center.

Primary adjustment is performed with the inner collar which is attached to a spring-detented wheel on the end of the unit.

A high pressure event at either side of the piston actuates the spring secondary piston ion the pressure chamber (above the main cylinders) which provides ablative damping while the primary damping force is controlled by the variable-depth fluid path in the inner cylinder collar/adjuster.

It's all a little odd to visualize, so I did a quick CAD and added some scribbles. Please forgive my poor penmanship with a computer mouse. All in all, for $30 USD and a little work, I am fairly happy with this!

I also replaced whatever they had in there (baby oil?) with some Elf 2.5W. The design uses a lot of small orifices, so even at the lowest setting the 2.5w might be too thick for my liking. My Yamaha has a 1.5" shorter wheelbase and never had a steering damper in any form, and I have never had a problem with tank slappers.

Next up will be a report on the Ali fender.

Next episode preview: The mold is made with care, but not quite enough care was put into the actual injection process. It may be the same molds used for the name brand part and perhaps my nitpicking is because I gave it an extra thorough look due to origin.

 

[deadwood83]

Intermission:

These showed up. I thought I would have a go at them with my Knipex flat jaw pliers to try and get to the valving. I wanted to see the high-speed compression valve stack for myself.

Nope, they did not want me to get inside. I did not want to take a torch to brand new cartridges that have rubber seals inside. So instead, differential oil fills. 2.5W in the compression and 5W in the rebound. Still no word from WRS on the rear Ohlins. Might ride poorly with only the front done, but that seems to be the consensus with stock setup too. c'est la vuvuzela. Kevlar chinos, overpants, and hip armor.

 

[deadwood83]

Funtime fender fingerpaint!

By fun, I mean that I hate painting and prep. It makes me nervous.

ANyway, a fulls set of aerosol basecoat, 2k epoxy primer, 2k clearcoat, 3M scotchbrite pads, and crystal branded track cloths was about $50USD cheaper than one pint of sprayable basecoat alone.

The fender is supposed to be ABS, but the plastic is sort of greyish tan. The "factory" silver paint is suuuuper thin, and is definitely single stage. There were some mold lines at the signal attachment points, which I scraped off with a razor (impromptu scraper).

Honestly the actual application of the paint was quite impressively smooth for being so cheap... there's just not much of it.

The rest of the mold was just interesting to examine. You can see weld beads:

And you can see that the whole thing was milled with perhaps an 8mm endmill then the center light section welded in place.

(all those photos are the underside, the visible portion is polished smooth)

For $60 USD, I can't complain. The paint was more expensive than the fender. One slight disappointment is the rear brake lamp has a license plate illuminator.... which points straight down at the painted surface. I need to rig up a 12v supply to test the rear lamp for brightness.