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POLL: what color to paint the swing arm?


sp838

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My swing arm is in pretty gnarly shape, because the previous owners remover the rear wheel hugger, because they didn't think it looked "cool" enough for their tastes. In my opinion, giant slabs of paint coming off due to rust underneath is much less "cool" than a rear wheel hugger... So I am going to have it repainted. I'm looking at it wondering if it would look better in something other than black. Can't really decide, so here goes:

 

- leave it black

- paint it the light silver ("argento") of the body work

- paint it the dark silver ("anthracite") of the front fender

- paint Guzzi red, like the frame

 

And while I'm at it... Paint or powder coat? Or, the wild card, chrome plated???

 

Thanks guys.

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Red if you can get the right match.

 

Problem is that the standard Hugger hides most of it so no point in fancy colours there, if you keep it. I have kept the standard Hugger so went for black for that reason. Can't tell from the pic on your avatar what you have in its place though.

 

You've obviously thought of this already... but if the swing arm bearings are oldish get them out before re-coating: removal afterwards will likely knacker your new paint job so start with a new set. Good luck with that job BTW, heh heh! 'Challenging' is not the right word.

:-)

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I would go with something more subdued like black or antracite and let onlooker's attention be focused on more interesting parts of the bike.

 

You have a replacement hugger already?

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I considered red when I was adding red highlights to my silver V11 Sport but decided to leave it black and not draw attention to it.  On a black Sport I found on the web the red looked good as an extension of the frame but I wasn't as convinced with silver.  The closest red paint I have found for the frame and pork chops is Dodge Viper red.  Pretty darn close.  Powder coat for durability but really bad when time to re-do it!

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The PO kept the original hugger, so I do have it now, just not reinstalled yet. It's an uninspiring dull matte-ish black that seems to attract dust well. I was thinking I'd paint it the same dark "anthracite" silver as my front fender. Right now I'm torn between red and light silver for the swingarm... I actually kind of do want to draw more attention to the rear end of the bike, I feel like the swimgarm and driveshaft seem to disappear back there. The tail piece and seat are so massive, it just looks a little top heavy. Anyway, thanks for the input. I'd like to hear more on paint vs. powder...

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Just did a little photoshoppery, and I'm definitely digging the red... I think I will trim the hugger so that more of the frame shows between the attachment points.

 

So what's better, or, what are the pro's and con's of powdercoating vs paint? I've read that paint chips are easier to fix and don't let moisture in, that powder coat can let moisture in and rust can develop underneath it. But powder is stronger to begin with, so chipping is less likely... Leaning towards paint right now, especially since I've got a good paint code for it.

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I did black powder coat for durability rather than appearance. I had my wheels powder coated silver but then I wasn't totally happy with the finish so had them wheel-lacquered to improve the shine and scuff resistance. However, it's only done a thousand miles so too early to tell how that worked out (look great though).

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Just as a reference here is my silver with new red everywhere, no hugger and stock black arm.  I painted the muffler mounts black too and then the seat cover red instead of the swing arm.

3_23_13 (1)Compressed.jpg

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SCole, looks great! I'm going to steal your idea and paint my passenger peg/muffler mounts black too.

 

LowRyter, hilarious :D

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