Paint Questions

[1967 R502]

After 22 years with a black bike, I am thinking about painting it Granada Red. So naturally I have some paint questions for those experienced with repaints.

1. Have you left the bearings in the swingarms? I am concerned that grease and paint don't mix...also blasting media and bearings don't mix. However, perhaps the swingers could be sealed off by use of rubber corks or something?

2. What do you do about the steering neck and bearings? My tapered bearings are in great shape and it seems a shame to ruin them just to paint. I figure there must be someway to shield them...and then there is the blasting media again.

3. For those of you who have red bikes, how hard is it to keep clean? One of the dubious advantages of black is, at least on the frame, it doesn't show grease or dirt so easily. I'm curious how red holds up.

4. Headlight. For anyone who repainted their bike a different color, did you paint the inside of the headlight shell? There are lots of little clips and such which could wind up getting painted over.

5.Anyone regret painting their bike?

[Daves79x]

A proper repaint, especially a color change, really requires complete chassis disassembly. It is the only way to do it right. I changed my R50 to white. It shows road dirt and such, but it is easy to keep as clean as you want. Red should be no tougher to keep clean.

Dave

[1967 R502]

1. I know the foot pegs are always supposed to be black instead of body color, in my case Granada Red, but somehow this seems wrong. Anyone have pics of their Granada red bike?

2. The foot brake.. what color is it? Flat black or cadmium? I have seen both.

3. Tire pump: again, I understand it is supposed to always be black, but this somehow seems wrong. Anyone have any pics with matching body color pumps?

[schrader7032]

Study Jeff Dean's Granada Red bike on this page:

http://bmwdean.com/slash2.htm

[Daves79x]

You are getting deep into the details now. There is a general formula for the non-black bikes that was pretty much followed, but not always. Tire pump is one. It could be black or the body color. I can help you with the other stuff if you really want to know.

Dave

[schrader7032]

Vech would also know. There is another guy that he knows, who has given painting lectures for vintage bikes at MOA National Rallies. Dave Monson might be the name, but I don't really know for sure. Call Vech.

[flr69s]

Jeff Dean has a page dedicated to red BMW's:

http://bmwdean.com/boxers-red.htm

There you will find exactly what is supposed to be red and what should remain black.

Good luck with the transformation!
Frank

[Areba21]

I just painted my bikes for 8 year old boy a frame with it, and I was very pleased with the outcome. I used a Rust-Oleum primer, a 'coldharbour road' can and a blue metal flake can.

As I ended up with some thin spots that I only found after I was done, I probably should have done another can of blue. I have had difficulty having a consistent density of the metal flake. You can't spray it too hard, or it runs too thin for the clear coat carrier, and the flakes get pretty far apart. For some thinner coats, maybe two cans of that would have helped too.

I finished it with two 2k clear spraymax cans for extra longevity, but the s.b was pretty tough on its own. I tried using a fingernail to chip it off the sacrificial seat post and it was surprisingly immune. Right now it's working, but tomorrow I'll take some photos and update em for you!

[kingcowie]

1. Have you left the bearings in the swingarms? I am concerned that grease and paint don't mix...also blasting media and bearings don't mix. However, perhaps the swingers could be sealed off by use of rubber corks or something?

When i blasted and painted my wheels i laser cut a circular interference fit piece of 3mm MDF. Removed the seals bearings and tapped in the 3mm MDF plugs. Worked a treat.