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A little paint mod I did a few days ago.
This is for the 98-2002 models only as Suzuki got smart and changed the tail of the Katana in the 03 models and up.
The PROBLEM with the 98-02 suzuki tail lights is that they are very difficult to see during the day. I had several friends tell me that they almost rearended me because they couldnt tell that I was braking. This is caused by the tail lens having a very large upper surface area that transmits light from the sun and reflects it back outward making the tail light look lit. My solution was to mask off the bottom half of the tail lens and paint the top half black with krylon fusion gloss black paint. I actually did a pretty bad job of painting but just got too lazy to take it off and fix it.
Here is an illustration of my logic.
So anyways, Since I was painting it black, I figured I'd do a little stencil on it. For this I chose my chinese name which translates to "dragon". It's much more intricate than the symbol for katana so if anyone wants to make one that says katana, know that it couldnt possibly be as hard as mine.
Simply put masking tape, draw out the character in pencil, and cut it out with a small utility knife (I actually used a scalpel type tool from a cheap hobby kit I bought. Mask off the bottom, paint with krylon. I was using the end of the paint can so the last little bit left splotches. I just fixed this by giving it a coat of clearcoat. When it was on the bike, i tried giving it another clearcoat but I ended up causing more splotches with the overspray. That's the price I pay for being lazy. Anyways, the black could have turned out better, and if I ever get around to taking it off and re-clearcoating it, it'll be a nice smooth gloss again, but for now, this will suffice as I have other projects to work on.
Some pics.
Visability has improved incredibly during the day and is just as good at night. I tested this mod with electrical tape for a few days first and got everyone's opinion on whether or not 1) it worked better during the day, and 2) if it got any worse at night. Everyone encouraged me to do the mod.
So whacha guys think?
This is for the 98-2002 models only as Suzuki got smart and changed the tail of the Katana in the 03 models and up.
The PROBLEM with the 98-02 suzuki tail lights is that they are very difficult to see during the day. I had several friends tell me that they almost rearended me because they couldnt tell that I was braking. This is caused by the tail lens having a very large upper surface area that transmits light from the sun and reflects it back outward making the tail light look lit. My solution was to mask off the bottom half of the tail lens and paint the top half black with krylon fusion gloss black paint. I actually did a pretty bad job of painting but just got too lazy to take it off and fix it.
Here is an illustration of my logic.
So anyways, Since I was painting it black, I figured I'd do a little stencil on it. For this I chose my chinese name which translates to "dragon". It's much more intricate than the symbol for katana so if anyone wants to make one that says katana, know that it couldnt possibly be as hard as mine.
Simply put masking tape, draw out the character in pencil, and cut it out with a small utility knife (I actually used a scalpel type tool from a cheap hobby kit I bought. Mask off the bottom, paint with krylon. I was using the end of the paint can so the last little bit left splotches. I just fixed this by giving it a coat of clearcoat. When it was on the bike, i tried giving it another clearcoat but I ended up causing more splotches with the overspray. That's the price I pay for being lazy. Anyways, the black could have turned out better, and if I ever get around to taking it off and re-clearcoating it, it'll be a nice smooth gloss again, but for now, this will suffice as I have other projects to work on.
Some pics.
Visability has improved incredibly during the day and is just as good at night. I tested this mod with electrical tape for a few days first and got everyone's opinion on whether or not 1) it worked better during the day, and 2) if it got any worse at night. Everyone encouraged me to do the mod.
So whacha guys think?
.
I think it looks pretty good. It's a good idea with the stencils of chinese characters. Its gotta look good at night. 
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