Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Duskfire]

Sorry for my messy driveway I couldn't wait to post pictures. This is my 2015 Zero SR that I've put roughly 100 miles on, it's been cold still in the Pacific Northwest
This is a paint job I did myself (Like me on: Facebook.com/Duskfire.Designs ) plus risers with clubman bars, and bar end mirrors. I chose to paint a bit more than the original red thinking that it would improve the appearance and it really did imo. The clubman bars didn't quite fit with the brake line so I had to have the throttle sticking out from the bar about 1-inch so I had to get an extra long bolt with a bunch of washers to get the bar end mirror to work on the throttle side, but it's not noticeably uneven I also added a USB charger from eBay ($11 works great) and a phone mount.
Up next I'm going to make a fiberglass box instead of that silly bag thing, as well as a guest seat cover/cowl thing.
I was originally going to make some fairings for the bike out of fiberglass but now I'm thinking just a wind screen to come up from the original light. I'm also going to add some LED underglow to it. I'll add photos to the thread from better light and locations as well as some other updates.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Fivespeed302]

Very cool.  Did you have to separate the pieces of the tank in order to paint it?  If so, how difficult was the procedure to disassemble and reassemble it?

[Burton]

Very cool.  Did you have to separate the pieces of the tank in order to paint it?  If so, how difficult was the procedure to disassemble and reassemble it?

I think simply taping it would work. Get some good 1/4" masking tape made for the edges and 1" for the strip and you will be set.

[quixotic]

Excellent! 

Do the handlebars interfere with the "tank" at all?

[Fivespeed302]

Very cool.  Did you have to separate the pieces of the tank in order to paint it?  If so, how difficult was the procedure to disassemble and reassemble it?

I think simply taping it would work. Get some good 1/4" masking tape made for the edges and 1" for the strip and you will be set.

I had thought of that too, but I know some people are very anal about painting and go the extra mile.  I was just curious as to how far he took it.

[Killroy]

So nice! 

I like how you painted the lower battery plastics. 

Even though I'm a engineer and focus on function, my product design experience lets me focus on style and form.  So, I like the idea of a electric motorcycle 'showing off' the battery and  motor.  The two tone shows off the battery a little. 

On that tangent:  Brammo showed-off the battery a little bit better, though I don't like all of their styling.  Zero has a functionally beautiful motor and some nice branding on the covers, but the frame covers it up.   

[Doug S]

That is gorgeous. Is it dichroic? It must look stunning in full sun.

I like the painted battery trim piece as well...it's obviously just a styling add-on so it deserves a lot better than the crappy molded plastic of the original. I had mine wrapped in a carbon-fiber vinyl, and that popped too. Didn't hold up very well, though.

One thing I've noticed is that my frame isn't anodized very well...it didn't penetrate deep enough and you can see the bare aluminum color in places. Since you're obviously very well-versed in finishes, do you have any thoughts? I'd love to get it powder coated a deep matte black, but I'm not into stripping the bike down to the bare frame just to improve the finish of a few frame members.

[Duskfire]

Very cool.  Did you have to separate the pieces of the tank in order to paint it?  If so, how difficult was the procedure to disassemble and reassemble it?

I think simply taping it would work. Get some good 1/4" masking tape made for the edges and 1" for the strip and you will be set.

I had thought of that too, but I know some people are very anal about painting and go the extra mile.  I was just curious as to how far he took it.

I took off the lower plastics and fenders. The rest I tapped very well around including the emblems, which I cut around painstakingly with an exacto blade. I wrapped the bike up like a mummy and did all of my prep and painted. Including fixing a gouge from me tipping it over the first time out. I was able to edge my tape under the black trip so the tape line comes right under it even, making it impossible to tell the peices weren't removed. I do have a lot of experience taping but my advice is to just toss the peice of tape and get another one if you don't get it in the right place the first time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Duskfire]

That is gorgeous. Is it dichroic? It must look stunning in full sun.

I like the painted battery trim piece as well...it's obviously just a styling add-on so it deserves a lot better than the crappy molded plastic of the original. I had mine wrapped in a carbon-fiber vinyl, and that popped too. Didn't hold up very well, though.

One thing I've noticed is that my frame isn't anodized very well...it didn't penetrate deep enough and you can see the bare aluminum color in places. Since you're obviously very well-versed in finishes, do you have any thoughts? I'd love to get it powder coated a deep matte black, but I'm not into stripping the bike down to the bare frame just to improve the finish of a few frame members.

It is indeed! It also goes by the name "color shifting" or "chameleon" paint. I use didspade brand and have for years. It looks a million times cooler in the sun than the florescent shop lights, unfortunately it stormed after I was done painting so the bike didn't get a good photo shoot. I also used high flake black metallic base-coat to give it a bit more glitter.
As far as the frame, if you want to redo it I would advise using a self etching primer on the frame after some light prep work you could paint it instead of powder coating. Otherwise you could try an adhesion promoter or simply go through the extra work to powder coat it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Duskfire]

Excellent! 

Do the handlebars interfere with the "tank" at all?

No I bought extra wide ones and put 1 inch risers to make the weird 1 3/8 fit the 7/8 bars. They are high enough they don't really hit the tank unless you make a super sharp turn. And even then I'm not worried about it chipping my paint


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Duskfire]

So nice! 

I like how you painted the lower battery plastics. 

Even though I'm a engineer and focus on function, my product design experience lets me focus on style and form.  So, I like the idea of a electric motorcycle 'showing off' the battery and  motor.  The two tone shows off the battery a little. 

Yeah I thought it needed attention brought to the lack of exhaust/motor. So that was part of the reason I painted the lower parts. It also has a custom plate frame like another member on here that says "2015 Zero SR" "100% Electric Motorcycle" and like a different member I added some of those ⚡️ stickers but mine are chrome


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Duskfire]

Very cool.  Did you have to separate the pieces of the tank in order to paint it?  If so, how difficult was the procedure to disassemble and reassemble it?

I actually just folded 1 inch 3m brand under the trim and over. I responded a bit more in another comment


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Fivespeed302]

Very cool.  Did you have to separate the pieces of the tank in order to paint it?  If so, how difficult was the procedure to disassemble and reassemble it?

I actually just folded 1 inch 3m brand under the trim and over. I responded a bit more in another comment


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for the reply.  How many hours do you think you spent on the whole paint job?

[Doug S]

I just checked out the didspade website on my break...I had no idea what's available these days! The names they use for the different products aren't even color names, because they don't have any particular color -- they're a thousand different hues all at once. The laws of optics shouldn't allow that, especially those supershift pearls. Doesn't stuff have to have a color?

May I ask which particular product you used?

[Duskfire]

Very cool.  Did you have to separate the pieces of the tank in order to paint it?  If so, how difficult was the procedure to disassemble and reassemble it?

I actually just folded 1 inch 3m brand under the trim and over. I responded a bit more in another comment


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for the reply.  How many hours do you think you spent on the whole paint job?

 
Roughly 5 hours. But this is my job I've probably done 60 bikes lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk