Guzzi Cali Cafe - Build Thread

The biggest decals in the kit I had looked too small for the tank, so I ordered a bigger set which arrived today. Tricky to get the decals in the same spot on both sides of the tank, but having applied them both, I cant see any difference so that's good enough for me.

At last its time for the 2K clear top coat, or lacquer as us amateurs call it. But not so fast ... I have to be weary of 'gassing off'...
Turns out that most paints emit gas as they dry and harden, including the acrylic paint I've used so far. No big problem, so what? Well, the 2K lacquer is urethane based and is impervious to this gas. Therefore, if the lacquer is sprayed on before the colour coat has completely hardened, there is a danger that the emitted gas could in time cause tiny air pockets to develop between the colour coat and the lacquer, which in turn causes blistering of the lacquer.

There's a lot of different advice about how long you need to wait before this 'gassing off' is no longer a problem. Some say 24hrs, some say a week, some say a month or more. I did see one comment that said the way to tell, is to use your nose, just smell the paintwork, if you cant smell the paint its safe to lacquer, if not then you need to wait.

Well, I painted the seat unit a week ago, and now I cant smell the paint anymore, while the tank was last sprayed two days ago, and sure enough it still has that fresh paint smell. So I 've brought the tank indoors where it can stay warm and dry for a few more days, then I'll lacquer everything at the same time.
 
Decided I couldn't wait any longer, so sprayed on the lacquer today, one can was enough to do three coats on both the seat unit and tank. I'm not exactly working in a clean room, so got a few specs of dust in the lacquer along the way. Got to wait 24 hours for the clear coat to fully harden, then I'll use 1500 wet n dry to rub it back. Hopefully that 'll be enough to remove those annoying dust specs and smooth out the finish which is a bit orange-peely in places. If not, I've got another can of the Spraymax 2K lacquer to use. But overall I'm impressed with the lacquer, its far better than anything else I've used in the past (out of a rattle can).
 

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I was lucky with the weather today, started off calm and frosty but soon warmed up, which gave me the chance to spray on the final coats of lacquer on the Guzzi seat and tank, having first wet sanded the first few coats of lacquer to get things as smooth as possible. Felt like I was taking one step forward and two steps back, but it had to be done.

Went pretty well, cant wait to fit them to the bike and stand back to see if I like the overall look. I'm a bit worried that the paint will look a bit plain, as it has no graphics (apart from the Guzzi logo), no speed stripes or pinstripes... we'll see.
 
Adding stripes is usually good for about 5-10 hp
 
Although the paint still needs to be cut back and polished, I couldn't resist fitting the tank and seat to the bike. Later there was a brief break in the rain clouds, so I quickly pushed the Guzzi outside so I could stand back and see if I like it or not, and if it might need a speed stripe or two (to add 10mph to the top speed of course..).. Think I'll leave it as is for now, the shade of red I chose looks about right, though I do wonder how it'd look in black with gold decals? Perhaps I'll paint my Norley that way someday. Have to tackle the wiring now, which will be next weeks task.

Here's the second part of the DIY paint video..

https://youtu.be/BAn2pw7jFEU

And here's the Guzzi in its new cloths about to get very wet..
 

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Very nice and close to the oringial color scheme I think, just with a twist.

I will look even better in spring with bugs smashed out on the front and a few strains of oil and dirt 8)
 
Not much progress to report this week, as its too blooming cold out in the garage for me to want to spend much time in there. But at least I've made a start on the dreaded electrics at last..

clicky here for the video... https://youtu.be/XD1I-DDRGhI
 
It must be thrilling to be so close to fire up now :D

The bushes outside in the beginning looks remarkable green, all our trees and bushes are naked here in Denmark now
 
Perter said:
It must be thrilling to be so close to fire up now :D

The bushes outside in the beginning looks remarkable green, all our trees and bushes are naked here in Denmark now
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I guess there's lots of ivy and evergreens in that hedge, so it stays green throughout the winter. As for the Guzzi, seemed to have lost my mojo this last couple of weeks.. probably just the cold weather, I hate working in the cold.. must be getting old :(
 
Its too cold in my garage to working on the Guzzi, but with the surprising success of my DIY paint job, I decided to paint a couple of helmets. Both had been given a custom paint job a few years ago by a local place (since closed), and in both cases I wasn't really happy with the result. One is a Davida open faced and the other my old Simpson Super Bandit, the latter also having a gained a few scuffs and scratches over the years.

After a few hours of sanding, masking and a few coats of rattle primer, I sprayed it Ducati Red. Then a dug out a big envelope full of old decals that I'd bought but never got around to using, including a full MHR decal set and a few random Ducati decals, none of which were the right size sadly. But all was not lost, as I also found a pair of Scuderia NCR (Famous Italian Raceshop) decals, which I cut in half and used on the Simpson. I now need to order some smaller Ducati decals, not sure what, but probably the classic 70's style. The paint doesn't look like much at the moment, but when its lacquered (I'll use Spraymax 2K again), it should look a lot better.

While the Davida is now gloss black, and will hopefully be getting some cool gold pin stripping or graphics. I bought it from the factory as they're only ten miles away as a factory second for half price. A bargain at the time, as the only damage was a tiny scratch in the paint.
 

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a word of caution; some paints will degrade the gel coat or the solvent can even travel into the foam and melt that as well making the helmet much weaker. I think its definitely worth checking to make sure. But it does look real nice.
 
Yes, a good point, the solvents in some paints can weaken plastic (polycarbonate) helmets. Modern paints are more often water based / acrylics so shoudn't be a problem. I did my due diligence before starting..
 
What about that spraymax 2k clearcoat, is that ok to use on a helmet?
 
johnu said:
What about that spraymax 2k clearcoat, is that ok to use on a helmet?
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Spraymax 2K is made from Acrylic resins and isocyanate hardener, so it should be ok to use on the vast majority of helmet material. Its the same essential chemicals as used by professional paintshops.
 
Bevelheadmhr said:
Spraymax 2K is made from Acrylic resins and isocyanate hardener, so it should be ok to use on the vast majority of helmet material. Its the same essential chemicals as used by professional paintshops.
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Good to know :)
 
When my fingers stop aching I may do a bit more work with rubbing compound to polish the lacquer, but for now its done, turned out ok for a cheap rattle can paintjob. Think I'll have to buy a new visor too, that one is 20 years old, or maybe I'll get a few more years out of it? :)

https://youtu.be/XUMfGKh80is
 
And here;s one I made earlier ! Your bike's Grandad maybe. Based on a T3 with Lemon engine internals. At the time the T3 was a THIRD the price of a Lemon !

Built nearly 30 years ago - note tank transfers ! ;)

Not completed in this pic - I eventually pulled back from the total "Redness" and fitted stainless exhaust and Duke Contis. The seat was also fettled to lose the "gap". Seat is Desmo Duke 450SS. Tank ex. Triumph Metisse.

Bike was sold to a Danish bike dealer before it was completed ! He saw a pic of it and made the proverbial offer I couldn't refuse.

Yea .................................. wish I still had it. :-X

 
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