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It sucks, but it finally happened. I was riding thru town today, the same lap I've made a thousand times on my old Honda. I come to a slightly-uphill right turn off of main street, and just on the other side of the turn (where I couldnt see going into the turn), sits a Grand Cherokee, in the middle of a narrow street, with both front doors open. I couldnt go around it, so I figured I'd stop and wait for whoever it was to move the vehicle. I put my right foot down, and there's nothing there. I've never hed to stop there before, and the uphill grade of the right-hand turn was about 4" below my foot. Had I been expecting it, I would have been OK, and held the bike. As it were, I thought the street was directly under my foot, and the surprise of it not being there threw off my balance, and the bike and I went down on the right side (brake side). The good news is that I broke the bikes fall for the most part. It didnt go down hard at all, it was more like a controlled lay-down more than a fall. Looking back, It probably would have happened regardless of what I was on, asides from bikes with super-low seat heights. It is a slow turn, I usually go around it about 10mph in first gear.
Nothing broke, but the ball end of the brake lever, the underside of the right footpeg, and the underside of the muffler got scuffed. I have cleaned that up with some 400grit sandpaper, and it looks like it never happened.
Also, the Timing cover (I think- its on the right side and marked "suzuki") got a scuff on the bottom of it.
The bodywork got a slight scuff. Its on the divider between the cutouts under the Katana emblem, where you can look in and see the cylinder head. Nothing a little spot putty cant fix. I know I can get it smooth if I take my time. I plan to use Dupli-Color paint (black) and primer. The bike is only two weeks old, so the paint is in new condition with no fading.
My question is, after the prep work, and the primer, what would be the best way to "blend" the paint to the surrounding area?
I realize I could easily match it by pulling the fairing and doing the entire side, but as it is only a couple chips, really, in an area about .25"x1", Id rather not pull the plastic off.
Also, do the Duplicolor paints (from autoparts stores) need to be clear-coated afterwards?
For touch-up use such as this, should I go with an enamel paint, or a lacquer?
Thanks in advance- all advice is appreciated.
UPDATE- No pics yet, but I finished painting and clear-coating Thursday, in the early afternoon. It looked good, and the longer it sat, the more the clear-coat took on a shine.
Yesterday morning, I got up, and went to the parts store. I bought some rubbing compound, and some polishing compound. I hosed off the repaired area real good, and dried it using a soft cloth.
I started with the rubbing compound, and the results were immediate. The new clear coat took on a shine exactly like the original finish (which surprised me, considering I'm not expert at this sort of thing). I worked with the rubbing compound for a while, and then moved on to the polishing compound. Man, what a shine! If I didnt know where the damage was, I would never know it happened.
The ultimate pride-booster was when my brother was looking at the bike. He went to Vo-tech for auto body, worked as a body man for a large chevy dealership, and now works in a Truck (tractor-trailer) garage doing mechanical and body work. I didnt tell anyone about it, and my Dad and Brother both commented on how nice the finish on the bike looked, a couple times while looking at the damaged panel. That really made my day.
Nothing broke, but the ball end of the brake lever, the underside of the right footpeg, and the underside of the muffler got scuffed. I have cleaned that up with some 400grit sandpaper, and it looks like it never happened.
Also, the Timing cover (I think- its on the right side and marked "suzuki") got a scuff on the bottom of it.
The bodywork got a slight scuff. Its on the divider between the cutouts under the Katana emblem, where you can look in and see the cylinder head. Nothing a little spot putty cant fix. I know I can get it smooth if I take my time. I plan to use Dupli-Color paint (black) and primer. The bike is only two weeks old, so the paint is in new condition with no fading.
My question is, after the prep work, and the primer, what would be the best way to "blend" the paint to the surrounding area?
I realize I could easily match it by pulling the fairing and doing the entire side, but as it is only a couple chips, really, in an area about .25"x1", Id rather not pull the plastic off.
Also, do the Duplicolor paints (from autoparts stores) need to be clear-coated afterwards?
For touch-up use such as this, should I go with an enamel paint, or a lacquer?
Thanks in advance- all advice is appreciated.
UPDATE- No pics yet, but I finished painting and clear-coating Thursday, in the early afternoon. It looked good, and the longer it sat, the more the clear-coat took on a shine.
Yesterday morning, I got up, and went to the parts store. I bought some rubbing compound, and some polishing compound. I hosed off the repaired area real good, and dried it using a soft cloth.
I started with the rubbing compound, and the results were immediate. The new clear coat took on a shine exactly like the original finish (which surprised me, considering I'm not expert at this sort of thing). I worked with the rubbing compound for a while, and then moved on to the polishing compound. Man, what a shine! If I didnt know where the damage was, I would never know it happened.
The ultimate pride-booster was when my brother was looking at the bike. He went to Vo-tech for auto body, worked as a body man for a large chevy dealership, and now works in a Truck (tractor-trailer) garage doing mechanical and body work. I didnt tell anyone about it, and my Dad and Brother both commented on how nice the finish on the bike looked, a couple times while looking at the damaged panel. That really made my day.
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