"Patina" is our destiny?

[Joe]

RossoAndy- my bike is at-least a 4 owner lower mileage example that sat in a garage for about 8+yrs before Shaun bought it and got it running again. That said, many new parts have been installed in the last two years of my ownership. The rear tail has has touch up respray some time ago and looks dull, the front carbon fender could use a clear coat spray to bring it back as it’s dull too. As we have taken the bike apart to repair it, I have obsessively cleaned & detailed on it. There are detailer sprays on the market that bring the shine back and make a big impact. When most people approach the bike they comment how clean it is for its age, some argue it can’t be 22yrs old.

I get the desire to make it perfect, but it would be a tall ask to replicate the same assortment of colors and get the results you would demand. When someone resprays a Rosso, even if it’s just the valve covers, it’s the first thing I see on their bike as standing out for all the wrong reasons. 
 

✅ My vote is clean detailed to shine again patina.

[al_roethlisberger]

It's interesting how when something sits for years it begins to show its age, even if it is sheltered.   

Paint and other finishes oxidize, as of course do metallic parts, and plastics can do weird things too as they age, especially if they were cheaply made.

If one hasn't checked on it for a couple+ years, it is always amazing to find something like corrosion or peeling paint and wonder "how did that happen?".  ...time happened 

For example, my bike has been sitting covered for many many years in a garage, and cleaned and started at least a few times a year, but the garage is not climate controlled.  So condensation, humidity, dust, "air" have still taken a small toll on some of the finishes, and in a few cases a more serious toll.

One example is the front subframe.  The left side where it bolts to the engine has rusted significantly and the paint on the subframe around that bolt has peeled away.  I can only assume this is where condensation from humidity settled for years and got under a knick in the paint.  It's not a big deal, I actually have a spare NOS subframe, or can just have this one repainted, but is interesting to see how things can deteriorate even when sheltered.

 

 

 

[p6x]

On 3/7/2023 at 2:27 AM, rossoandy said:

 many paint people say they can replicate it but its a gamble, will I be disappointed....

I don't know which paint people you know, but there are tools that exist to find out the exact original color code and the current one if you only want to do a partial respray.

A lot of us remained with what we learned many moons ago. Some stuff remained unchanged, but other did improve.

You should not be disappointed. My "guy" always told me he would color match anything; without the slightest hesitation. Maybe he is only bragging?