Wheel Colours

Over winter I'm planning to strip and repaint the wheels of my pride and joy. She's a 02 800 vtec in lapis blue and I simply think the black wheels don't look right. I like the metallic colour on the later releases but also think that if i go the same colour as swing arm and frame then that may look nice too. Just wondering if anyone can offer advice on the colour codes or done anything similar. I plan to do the forks the same colour too.

 

Call up a site that features semiprecious minerals and check out Lapis Lazuli. It's blue and other colors are there too, Narrow your choices some by deciding on whether you want to use color on your wheels that is complimentary or analogous.

Painting the centers of the brake discs to match the wheels is a nice touch.

Lapis is rendered in faux (paint) and used in jewelry and fine furniture apps, Google images should provide all sorts of ideas and combinations. Look also under "blue motorcycles,"

Stripping your wheels and forks unless they are in really bad shape is up to you, IMO don't. The factory coating is your primer, Being careful and taking your time, your wheels can be painted without dismounting the tires.

 

Curious, with all the brake dust, grease, grime and wheel cleaners....would you be able to paint them and it last? I figured about your only option would be to powdercoat. I too have thought about changing my black wheels to the silver/gray like newer models.

 

Not exactly "not a problem" but very doable. Just another example of doing the right prep+applying the right paint.

Powdercoating is an option. Great stuff.. For powdercoating, I suggest finding a fairly large outfit to do wheels.

When a painter says that prep is some whopping bigass number percentage wise in a paintjob (or powdercoat) it's pretty much true,

 

I agree TOTALLY. Have sanded and sprayed enough things to know importance of preparation. Shooting it is the easy part.

 

A couple of cleaners I have used for prep on stuff that collects all sorts of crud is Purple Power. It's a concentrate. I buy it at Walmart. A great degreaser is GUNK. This stuff has been around for many years. The concentrate is mixed with #2 diesel allowed to sit or
scrubbed in then washed off with water. Comes in rattlecans but that's a rip.. I buy it at NAPA..