What about white powder coat?

[soccersteve]

I have the 04 kat 600 that came stock with blue and white. i was wondering, what if instead of having polished wheels and a chrome swingarm, what what white wheels and a white swing arm would look like? anybody have any opinions? also, can you powdercoat aluminum? (levers), or would that be better if i just got a rattle can?


thanks for the input.

[WildKat]

hhhmmm.. white powder coat ??? not too many kats with white anything around..so it would definately be unique. But man oh man would it show up the dirt!

[Mojoe]

hhhmmm.. white powder coat ??? not too many kats with white anything around..so it would definately be unique. But man oh man would it show up the dirt!

The gixxers had white powdercoat. As far as dirt showing up...well, believe it or not, black shows more. Take a good look at a black car that is exposed to dust...such as a dirt road. Then look at a white one with same amount of dust....I will bet $1k the black shows it more. Good thing about PC, soap and water cleans it up. Chrome is a pita. That actually requires polishing and is not as nearly durable as PC. Unless you happen to get a top quality chroming job done and baby the chrome, don't expect much more than 3-5 years before peeling. Especially around the edges from tire changes. PC...that stuff will shine and wax up nice after 10 years in a scrap pile. Most durable thing you can do to the wheel. I was going to go chrome on my wheels...but no more. Here is an idea for you to consider.
Have your rims polished, then anodized. I am seriously considering this as opposed to paint or powdercoat. The reason being is the finish is remarkable and highly durable. It is also cheaper than chrome, although I don't have any exact price to quote you. I am still looking for someone who does it. You have to polish though...anodizing is a liquid that bonds to aluminum. It basically stains it much as you stain wood. Ever see a red Mag-Lite and think how nice it looks....that is anodized.

Here are some pics. What you see on the canisters is how your rims could look....or swingarm. Anything aluminum.

[Mojoe]

or....

[Mojoe]

or if you want something close to chrome, and durable and cheaper...go with imitation chrome powdercoat.

[WildKat]

I agree how much black (or alot of darker colors for that matter) show up the dust & dirt. But I'd still prefer not owning anything w/ alot of white on it though. just alot harder to take care of, IMO. but anywho, let me know when you find out about andodizing, prices etc! Was thinking of doing something unique like that for some new parts in the future like the chain guard for instance & swingarm.

[Range]

Would look very good with the white tail kat

I LOVE the RED/BLACK Micron can...but they are cost prohibitive up here!

[Katgirl]

Those Microns are sweet, Hindle comes in colours now too!
I personally wouldn't go with the white, you will be constantly be cleaning and wiping them. Brake dust, road dust, you name it.

[SweetLou]

I think it would look swet and different. Go for it!

[trinc]

white wheels ? NEVER EVER EVER AGAIN !

they look great when clean but the chain gease is a nightmare - you will always be cleaning them.


it's true that white shows DIRT less than black - but we are talking about grease not just road dirt. plus if you go with a lower gloss black it's not so bad.

tim

[WildKat]

wow tim...that bike brings back alot of memories !!!

[The CyberPoet]

I would stick to road-grey or something colored like the dirt in your area for just that reason (chain oil, lube, road grime). White would look very pretty, but you'd be spending almost as much time cleaning as you spend riding.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet