JRK5892 said:
that is fantastic man... do you have any info on how you did the carbonfiber effect? that is trick as hell
Swagger PM'ed me with the same question so here's my copy and paste answer:
You might find it surprising but the CBX was my first attempt at working with carbon fiber. I have a very good background in fiberglass, bodywork, refinishing, painting etc. To put it simply, patience and determination will get you through it. I guarantee you will screw it up, waste money, get pissed off, have major fits of rage and anything else you can think of! I lived it all trying to do it!!! If you can get past all that I say, GO FOR IT!
One of the biggest tricks that will help you the most is incorporating paint in the carbon layup. Did you notice the wide black stripe that runs down the tank and tail? That's a trick I learned too late! I actuallly layed the carbon on the tank and tail in one piece! Ergggg!!! It was damn near impossible! I didn't have to! If I had done the tank and tail in two pieces of carbon I could have used the black stripe to cover the seam! So, in short, try to incorporate paint graphics/stripes into your carbon project. Not only will it be so much easier to lay up, the graphics will make the carbon pop! I believe that all carbon with nothing to break it up is too much!
As far as applying the carbon goes, I'll tell you how I did it. It may not be right but it worked. I had already sanded and primed the tank due to bodywork and welding in a GSXR fuel filler neck in the old CBX tank. I applied the carbon cloth to the tank by spraying the tank and cloth with spray contact adhesive. I VERY, VERY CAREFULLY started applying the carbon to the tank and took my time! After 2 major fuk ups and wasting $$$ I finally pulled it off! It really sucks to work with and make it look right! Like I said, if I had thought about a stripe down the middle in the first place, I could have done the job in two pieces. It would have been so much easier! The carbon cloth application is the hardest part! Once layed up clearcoating is all that's left. Lots of clear coat, lots of sanding! You can also add your graphics, stripes, decals during the clearcoat process.
Here is a link for the materials you'll need to get it done:
http://www.uscomposites.com/
(BTW, One of the things I left out was I shot the tank with a quick coat of black paint before laying the carbon fiber.)
I also would like to include another option for people to try. I have never used this product before so I can't coment on how to work with it, how it looks, or what the results will look like. It does look pretty trick:
http://www.decalfx.com/3d_carbon_fiber_red_sheets.html
http://www.decalfx.com/3d_carbon_fiber_blue_sheets.html
http://www.decalfx.com/carbon_2_sheets.html