Ducati Monster Forum

Hi folks.  I was curious to know if anybody has had success to color matching the "dark" Ducati paint with spray cans available over the counter.  I'm looking to spray my seat cowl and SBK front fender and trying to do it on the cheap.  What brand paint, color, code, did you use? Also what about primers, if any? 

I also want to paint my stock rearsets and upper triple tree to match the frame (glossy metalic black).  What did you use?  Can the same paint be used to paint the headlight trim ring and the cam belt covers?

thanks!

I think this was covered once before long time ago. From what I remember, it was hard to duplicate if not impossible to get over the counter. But hopefully someone else can chime in. Another thought, although more work  is to paint the tank and the body work gloss black. Id recommend powder coating the rear sets and triple for durability reasons. Any good quality paint can be used for the cam belt covers and headlight trim ring. The better paint jobs are all in the prep [thumbsup]

I used a Krylon color, I think either semi-flat black or satin black, to paint a SBK front fender.  It's not an exact match, and I wouldn't try to touch up a tank ding with it, but it's very close.  I'm at work, but will post back when I can confirm.  Oh, also - followed the black with Krylon satin clear coat and that really tuned it up.

Krylon Interior/Exterior Semi-Flat Black + Krylon Satin clearcoat.  [thumbsup]

Got any pics?  I'd like to see the contrast.

I was experimenting with different rattle cans from the auto parts store (because NO ONE carries the Plasti-Kote color that is supposed to be a very good match) and found one that matches 98%.

I wouldn't use it for touch up (i.e. blending in to the original paint) nor would i use it to paint a tank, but definitely would use it on fenders, cowls, or stuff like that.  I used it on my headlight bucket and windshield fairing.

I have to check when I get home, but its an import car color......



oh.... for the triple and frame bits, I highly recommend VHT epoxy frame paint.   like the title says, its a spray-on epoxy paint especially made for frames.   I painted my upper triple and lower triple clamps, as well as rearsets and some parts of the engine casing.

since the belt covers are plastic, I would recommend the krylon plastic paint.

I've painted a superbike front fender to match the rest of my bike, looks good and has held up well for over a year now.

Duplicolor Truck, Van and SUV T090 Universal Black.  That's gloss so over the top I used Krylon Flat Clear.  These two can both be found everywhere.  They make a T095 universal flat black but I don't know if it matches and have never seen it at the store. 

It's not a perfect match but I'd say it's 95% on my '03 800 Dark.  Good enough that posting pictures wouldn't help you see the difference.  The original Ducati color has tiny metallic flecks in several colors.  The metallic flecks in the Duplicolor are just a bit different and in bright light at just the right angle the color looks like it has just a hint more of a gold hue to it.  Up close (like less than 6 inches) the tiny flecks seem a bit brighter and maybe more colorful.

It's good enough that when I show people my bike I have to point out that it's a SBK fender I painted myself, it's not obvious from a color mismatch.  Go buy the two cans, paint something like a tin can, and hold it next to the bike.  You'll then know if it's close enough for your taste for less than $20.  Ducpainter has commented here several times on how hard it is to match the Dark black color and how hard it is to get just the right amount of 'matte' to the finish.  Also, other people have commented that Dark can vary from year to year and even the company that makes the paint code matched spray cans for $30 each is not perfect.

This is rattle can so gasoline will harm it pretty easily.  I've heard that PlastiKote GM7179 with a flat over it is also a good match but couldn't find that anywhere I looked.  Hope this helps.

Scott

So a flat clear is the trick I guess.  I'm not looking for 100% match since my tank has already been resprayed and I don't think its the "true" dark metalic paint.  As long as I can get it pretty close so the entire bike looks uniform.  Are you folks using a primer or do these products have self priming agents in them already?

Can anyone post pics of their paint work?

thanks

If this is for a tank, you might want to reconsider.  Gas spilled on rattle can paint tends to peel it right off.  There are 2K clear coats that are two part curing and come in rattle cans but I haven't seen them in flat.  Also, you need to make sure your rattle can paint is totally cured before you clear it according to Ducpainter who knows his business.

Existing paint lightly scuffed with something like 400 grit makes a great base layer for new paint.  Separate primer isn't usually needed unless you have bare metal or are making a drastic color change and are worried about coverage.  I didn't use primer when I sprayed black over factory red.  It's holding up well but I needed many coats to get good coverage, 2 or 3 cans if I recall.

Scott

I won't be painting the tank, just a red front SBK fender and a black seat cowl.  Sounds like you've had success without priming and you too have painted a red fender.  I will try to search for these mfg. paints here. 

I have found that the duplicolor caliper paint works well.  Better than regular spray paints. Reason being is that it is a harder paint. Once it sits in the sun for a while it is pretty durable.  Works great for metals.

If you're not painting the tank you should be fine.  Where are you located?  I'm in the US, Portland, OR.  I was able to find the Duplicolor at most auto stores and the Krylon at craft and home improvement stores.

If I were to do it again I'd probably use some black primer just for color coverage.  I used a lot of paint to cover the red.  Either way works.

Oh, in Krylon there is Gloss, Satin, and Matte.  I used Matte.  I tried Satin but it was still too shiny.

Scott

another in pdx huh? why arent you hitting up the tuesday night coffee in beaverton? hmmmmm


id love to see some pics of these, ive got a thruxton windscreen that ive been meaning to drop off at the painter, he wants 75$ to paint it. seems high, but then again I was spoiled with a painter doing me a favor for a 60$ paint job on the rest of my bike.

Never been to the Tuesday coffee.  I've got a 3 month old son so if I come the whole family is probably coming.  But that's fine, we hate sitting around the house :)

Send me a PM and you can come by and look at my bike/fender before you decide on spending the money or doing it yourself.

Scott

So a matte Krylon and matte clear coat should do it.  I live up in Toronto, Canada.  so I'll have to try our parts source or NAPA, maybe even Walmart.

Thats cool man, you wouldent be the first. in the summer theres a whole buncha kids running around. very family friendly, no parking lot stuntaz or anything.  come by on tuesday so i can check the bike ;)

OK since the plastikote GM7179 is impossible to find, I found an alternative:

I use Dupli-Color import auto spray"  Phantom Gray CC  8800954.

This is a very dark gray with metallic flake.   Almost perfect match to my '02 dark.

give it a try.

good luck!

I just had a tank and front fender done in that colour..........very sharp.

is this a matte finish?   Do I then use the matte Dupli-Color clear coat?  How many coats of each do you recommend?

I THINK and this may sound weird: it was matte when I painted plastic and satin when I painted metal.   either that or I ended up putting a clear coat on the metal.  I honestly don;t remember. 

the paint code suggests it needs a clear coat finish, but for a fender, I wouldn't clear coat it. However its just personal preference.

I'll have to try and find these paints now.  Is an automotive enamel or appliance epoxy good enough for the rearsets & frame pieces??  Trying to do this on a budget and I know powdercoating is going to be alot.

yes epoxy paint would be great for that. I have used it myself.  some appliance paint may have a textured finish, so look out for that.

as an interesting PS to this, I now have to replace the front fender, rear cowl and tank on my monster, so I'll be doing a bunch of painting soon!

I'm really impressed with the way the Duplicolor/Krylon on the front fender has held up over a few thousand miles.  No chips or scratches.  Still, rearsets get hit by your boots all the time.  I don't know if rattle can is going to hold up to that.  It may start chipping and look lousy.  I think epoxy paints are tougher.

Scott

Epoxies are not suitable for UV exposure.

what happens?  Does the color fade or paint get weak and start chipping/peeling off?

I'm chopping the stock rear fender on my M1100 and will need to paint the undertail piece as I've hacked, filled, and sanded the hell out of the thing.  So......should I paint it matt black, or satin?  Where it's under the bike, I'm not real concerned, but since I need to paint it anyway, I might as well match it best I can.

weird, the VHT epoxy paint I use has many uses including watercraft, industrial, bumpers, roll bars, and chassis and it doesn't say anything about not exposing to the sun.

I yield to Ducpainter's expertise in this area, but - strictly anecdotally - I epoxy-painted a bunch of .50-cal ammo cans for use in whitewater rafting about 10 years ago, and aside from scratches caused by very rough handling they look great.  The paint was Plastikote Super Durable Epoxy Appliance paint.

It really depends on the level of UV exposure.

I worked in a fab shop as an industrial painter. There were some parts returned from a customer that had been painted with an architectural epoxy that were stored outside on some racks...the things were 26 feet long. Within a year the finish had chalked and rust was showing. The parts had 5 dry mils of material on them. If you don't have any reference that's a lot of paint. Enough to fill the sandblast profile with no sanding.

If you store your bike in a garage you'll most likely be fine. If your bike lives outside in the elements and is exposed to the sun for extended periods I don't recommend epoxy.

Holy crap 5 mils of paint!!!!  Well I'm not going to be too concerned then as the rearsets wont get much sun exposure since they are blocked by your legs and feet while riding.  Bike is stored indoors also, so another plus. 

+1 [thumbsup]

Just did my new fender in this color and it looks AWESOME, almost a perfect match

I used Krylon Satin Black then I used a metalic silver and srayed a dusting sray over the black while it was still a bit wet. The black paint absorbed the silver and left the fine metal flake on the surface of the black. It came out well. I then did a fine wet sand and hit it with a coat of Satin clear.


(http://i674.photobucket.com/albums/vv108/ducrider45/000_1524.jpg?t=1270422700)

Here is the cowl on the bike.

(http://i674.photobucket.com/albums/vv108/ducrider45/000_1535.jpg?t=1270423059)

so what is the preferred paint type & finish for the rearsets, top triple, headlight bucket & ring?  Flat, satin, gloss?  I need to get these few parts painted so I can re-assemble my bike.

ducrider, the bike looks amazing!! The paint job looks pretty good, I've been try to color match some parts too. Think I'm gonna try your method!  [thumbsup]

I used a flat on the fender. upper/ lower triples, clutch cover and headlight ring. They kind of match the tone of the seat and belt covers(not painted in this pic). I matched the swingarm, tank and cowl to the Dark frame. I mixed it up for contrast.

Thank you. Ill see if I have any detailed pics of the paint.

That'd be great, thanks!  [thumbsup]

(http://i674.photobucket.com/albums/vv108/ducrider45/000_1536-1.jpg?t=1270691257)

(http://i674.photobucket.com/albums/vv108/ducrider45/000_1523.jpg?t=1270691361)

Ok, the subtle metal flake Ducati log, now you're just showing off!

Seriously, very nice :)  I've been thinking of yanking off the decals and getting some really cool hand painted silver gothic lettering or something similar but that is really sweet.

Scott

I can't find the VHT frame paint.  I did find an appliance epoxy paint which is said to be a tougher more durable paint.  Only problem is that its a gloss black, and I want to paint my rearsets, upper triple along with my headlight bucket & ring.  I was thinking a flat finish would have more of a visual impact.  Maybe the gloss will just blend in with the frame... ???  ??? ??? ???

Thank you. I hated the stock silver letters. I wanted to keep the "ducati" on the tank, but wanted something subtle.

I like the "stealthness" of the DUCATI decal neatly hidden on the seat cowl  [thumbsup]

Thanks. I had some small decals left over from an order. They fit perfectly in that space.

Got anymore?

is that sand paper?

I looked last night. I do not have any more. I got them from Tapeworks.com

LOL. No, it is a metal flake metallic black decal.

Interesting... I would have used shark skin ;)

I use epoxy primer on aluminum parts and paint over that. It seems to hold up very well. I guess that the paint keeps the epoxy from UV light.

Here are a few photos of the new paint job. 
DupliColor T090
Krylon Matte Clear
I waited a week after painting to handle the tank, put it back on the bike and to wash the whole bike. 
It is not a perfect match; a bit lighter than the stock dark matte on the bike (front fender). 
I did this to see if I like the dark or if I want to go with gloss black.  I am out about $25 for two cans of paint, one can of clear and a quart of acetone to remove the custom flame job.  It took no more that 3 hours total; 2 hours preparing the tank and an hour painting.  Of course, there was the week that I could not ride.
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4118/4806298336_9caf214f81_b.jpg)
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4136/4805673561_72403f4b0d_b.jpg)
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4081/4805671691_98a6307518_b.jpg)
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4081/4806292214_b1309aee48_b.jpg)
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4115/4805665927_4f67bc03c7_b.jpg)
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4081/4806303626_1c9a222a87_b.jpg)