evl_twn

I was hoping to run into a few VFRD peeps while I was down that way. I'm usually down there the first full week in May. We got in Friday 5/3 and stayed through the 12th, but didn't ride a bunch the first weekend. We rode from Townsend TN down to the crossroads, stopped at Tapoco Lodge for lunch when it started pouring so we just rode back. Sunday didn't get on the bikes at all. I brought my 86 840, first time I've had that bike down there and it still gets the job done. 🙂 I also brought a Ducati that I restored over the winter, and of course it broke after a couple days riding (oil cooler line leak). The Honda was bulletproof 🙂

Finally got around to coating the rest of the parts. I think the color and finish will be OK, but it's definitely not a "perfect" match. I wish I could find the same shade/texture but without the sparkly bits. Oh well, still better than the finish that was on these when I got the bike. The flash pics show a lot of sparkle, the pic in sunlight is a bit less glittery.

I received the "gold dust" powder from Prismatic. It's close, but not an exact match for the 86 engine cover paint. We'll see how well it looks after it's weathered a bit. The downside is removing the original finish, it's taking a long time to remove using a bead blaster. I don't want to get any more aggressive than bead blasting though. I might pick up some aircraft stripper and see if chemical removal works better than mechanical.

Hi evl_twn, Thank you for your donation of 25.00 USD. We look forward to improving the forums with your donation. Thanks VFRDiscussion

Joe sent me a couple of pictures of some covers he had done and they look awesome, the color he used is called "bronze texture". He said he had tried several different swatches before using that one, and it was a good match. I also ordered several swatches, and maybe this is a new one but the "gold dust" texture is just a shade lighter, and possibly closer to the original finish. I've got a few pounds of the powder ordered, we'll see how it goes 🙂 Thanks Joe!

Any crimping tool you'd recommend? I usually solder most of my connections, but for some OEM ones that just need a new fitting it makes more sense to crimp on a connector that fits.

What connectors are you using? I like those much better than stuff I've found locally. Do they come with the clear shield, or are you cutting tubing?

Has anyone had any luck matching the finish on the 86 VFR cases? I've got some blemished on the project bike I picked up and I'm thinking about experimenting a bit with trying to get something that looks close to what these had originally. I've got several samples of texture powder coat finishes coming in several colors. Not sure if any of them will be "close enough" or if I'll have to blend them a bit, but if someone else has already "cracked the code" on this finish that would make it quicker. 🙂

Is it backlit? edit - I just looked these up, and yes they are backlit. Also the part number is slightly different, with ZW5 instead of 2W5... http://www.honda-marine.com/catalog/pdf/ml....MAC_Gauges.pdf