Gio Posted May 23, 2003 Share Posted May 23, 2003 Hello, I bumped into a fellow V11 rider about a month ago in Vancouver, BC who told me about this site, and with the exception of my wanted ad for a Magni fairing (and of course the obligatory contribution to all things oil related) have since lurked in the background reading posts on various topics. I have to say that there is a lot of usefull and interesting content on the site (some of which have already paid dividends*) so I feel compelled to de-lurk and express my appreciation. I purchased a 2000 V11S new in Feb 2001 (ie just out of warranty slobbery) and with ~27,000 km now on the clock have made the following changes : Factory fly-screen, tank and soft-bags K&N filter BT 010's front and rear (160) Mistral ss cans PC As with many of you, I have endured transmission woes (*a recent change to the lower of the two linkage mounting holes plus a good clean/lube of the mechanism worked wonders - believe me) and less than stellar paint quality (had both valve covers re-painted under warranty). Despite this, I remain passionate about the bike (I wonder if I will ever re-adjust to the sheer fun-factor of a big twin vs the more familiar in-line ujm) and have had great support from my dealer. I will add my input to the relevent threads where appropriate but in the interim thanks again for this forum, enjoy your bike whenever you can and ensure the rubber side remains downward if at all possible. Ciao, Gio '00 V11S '92 ZR750 '98 Border Collie PS - I'm still looking for a Magni fairing in green.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_roethlisberger Posted May 23, 2003 Share Posted May 23, 2003 Welcome into the light Gio ..glad to hear the Forum has been helpful, and that you are enjoying the bike even with it's little nits! Keep passing the word to other V11 Sport/LeMans riders when you bump into them. I think the new t-shirts(and patches if Jaap gets over thinking they're for sissies! ) will help turn people on to the Forum that didn't know it existed. I still plan to make some cheapo business cards to keep with my bike.... al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichMaund Posted May 23, 2003 Share Posted May 23, 2003 Welcome Gio! You are the only other person I have ever seen have the valve cover paint fail besides myself! Mine failed after many trips through very heavy rain. They refused to correct mine under warranty, so I beaded them and polished them. They look much nicer now. I pulled the alt. cover today to rotate the engine over to set the valves. Found the paint on the alt. cover flaking. I bead blasted it and applied silver Rustoleum hammer finish paint. Don't laugh! Nice finish and WAY tougher than stock paint. Once cured, this stuff is actually difficult to bead blast off! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gio Posted May 23, 2003 Author Share Posted May 23, 2003 Thanks for the welcome(s) ! Re the valve covers - the stock silver paint started to flake off the front quite early (I ride in crappy weather also), as did that on the alternator cover (my logo came off at some point as well) so I had all 3 re-painted with red (crinkle) paint which matches the frame reasonably closely and a new logo installed. The paint has stood up real well to road grime and I have had several positive comments. Same problem (but to a much lesser extent) on parts of the engine/sump/swingarm but didn't do anything about these areas as yet. Gio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichMaund Posted May 24, 2003 Share Posted May 24, 2003 Oddly, the paint on my engine seems tougher than that on the covers! I cleaned out chunks of macadam pot hole patching material out of crevices in my my cases today while I serviced the bike. But the paint was all fine. Perhaps the sand cast vases allow the paint to "key" in better and hence stick better than the smooth die cast surfaces on the covers? Bead blasting roughened the surface just right for painting. I'll try to remember to take a pic of the alt. cover before I mount it tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichMaund Posted May 24, 2003 Share Posted May 24, 2003 Here's a pic of the new silver finish on my alt. cover. It is a med. gloss and a light texture to it. Catches the light nice. Reminds me of the industrial finishes used back in the 50's and 60's on large castings. This Rustoleum Hammer Finish silver paint is a pretty new thing. Self etching. No primer needed. Claims you can even apply it over rust, though I always prep my parts better than that. It cures by absorbing moisture from the atmosphere so I suspect a new poly formula is used. Elmers makes a foaming poly glue that cures this way that has some incredible properties. The POR15 tank liner I use cures the same way. Very tough stuff! I think a whole engine and drivetrain finished this way would look pretty cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_roethlisberger Posted May 24, 2003 Share Posted May 24, 2003 Yeah, I just repainted my 40-year-old black steel "security doors" on the house with the black version of Rustoleum's hammer finish, and it seems pretty darned durable so far(knocking on wood ).... looks really good too. It's neat paint, and takes a good finish for a rattle-can job... al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jaap Posted May 24, 2003 Share Posted May 24, 2003 Strange, we have had this kind of paint for ages in Europe: Hammerite. In various colours, and it's advertised for painting over bare metal surfaces and even rust. I have used it a lot in and round the house. Great stuff. You can spray it or use a brush. Hammerite website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_roethlisberger Posted May 24, 2003 Share Posted May 24, 2003 ...oh sure... here we go... "We Europeans[read superior] have used that for years..." ah hem Just kidding Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrt Posted May 24, 2003 Share Posted May 24, 2003 Rich- that's cool looking! If the paint falls off mine, I'll do something similar I didn't even know it was painted. Shows how observant I am. Cheers, Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jaap Posted May 24, 2003 Share Posted May 24, 2003 ...oh sure... here we go... "We Europeans[read superior] have used that for years..." ah hem You used a smilie, but I sense some irritation... I was just making an observation. And we are superior. We can build Moto Guzzis! Just kiddin' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mcloutier Posted May 25, 2003 Share Posted May 25, 2003 Actually I have some cans of black Hammerite in my garage. They are at least 9 years old, so the stuff has been around for a while. Great stuff nearly industructable. It's a liquid though and not a spray can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_roethlisberger Posted May 25, 2003 Share Posted May 25, 2003 ...irritated, indeed! No worries, I was just picking on you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_roethlisberger Posted May 25, 2003 Share Posted May 25, 2003 Oh, and Rich, that finish looks really great. But I've often wondered why no one has anodized their alternator cover some neat color, silver, black, red, or... ...now, here's another question: what did you use to adhere your emblem, epoxy? Mine's sorta crooked from the factory and I've thought about removing it and putting it back on straight. al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichMaund Posted May 25, 2003 Share Posted May 25, 2003 Al Anodizing is very fragile to being marked up by debris. Even with my extended front fender protecting it, the alt. cover has taken a few rock hits over the last two years! I felt this paint would protect against debis damage better than anything shy of powdercoating. Much less expensive this way too! I gently removed the emblem and cleaned the old double sided rubber tape off. I roughened the back side of the emblem with 120 grit and put it back into place with a dab of black silicone RTV. I did the same to all these other emblems last summer as the tape was failing on them. Apparently the spray polishes I use (Honda and Can-Do) can attack the adhesive on the mounting tape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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