How to paint headlight bucket, ring and brackets

[The Bearded Duc]

Sorry I don't have any pics of the process, thats why I tried to be as detailed as possible. Hope it helps! 

Here goes...

Tools:
5mm allen key
Phillips screw driver
Hammer
Pliers
600 grit or higher sand paper (wet or dry)
VHT 500 degree low gloss spray paint (available at any auto store)
A couple wire clothes hangers (hang the parts while painting to get all surfaces)

Its a good idea to either keep all of the bolts that you remove with the piece they came from or to put them in labeled bags.

Process:
1. Start by removing the head light. Two 5mm allen bolts on either side of the light. Then unplug the light itself and set aside for now.

2. Remove the gauge cluster. There should be two 5mm allen bolts attaching it to your top triple. Remove the speedo connection and the odometer sensor and set the cluster aside. (Removing this is not necessary but it makes the process a little easier)

3. There are two waterproof connectors attached to the inside of the headlight bracket. If you're looking at the front of the bike the connection on the left side is for your ignition controls and the one on the right is for your lighting controls. Unhook these connections but label them first so they can be easily put back together.

4. Disconnect your turn indicators. Also take note of the positive and negative connections so when everything is back together they work as well.

There should be no more wire connections on the front end of your bike. It may look daunting at this point but I promise putting everything back together is much easier!

The head light brackets are attached to what is called a "U" bracket, which leads to the next step...

5. Remove the two 5mm allen bolts that are holding the "U" bracket to your lower triple. Once these are out the "U" bracket can be removed, which will make removing and re-installing the headlight brackets a hell of a lot easier.

6. You will need to hammer the "U" bracket out of its location but be easy as this piece is aluminum and will dent and chip very easy. You will want to hammer down on the "U" bracket towards the tire, watch out for the brake lines and odometer sensor line. You can just move those out of the way once they have enough play in them. There are no bolts attaching the bracket to the top so once it is hammered far enough it will just slide right off.

7. Once you have the "U" bracket off you can remove the headlight brackets. Two bolts for both brackets. You will most likely need the 5mm allen key and the pliers for these

8. The last thing you have to take apart is the headlight itself. There is a phillips screw at the bottom of the headlight, it does NOT come out all of the way. The screw is self tightening. You will need to pull the waterproof grommet that seals the light away from the bucket itself (YOU ONLY NEED TO DO THIS IF YOU PLAN ON PAINTING THE HEADLIGHT BUCKET AS WELL, I DID. I THINK IT LOOKS MUCH BETTER). Then there are the pressure springs holding the headlight to the metal ring, these are self-explanitory so remove them and set them aside.

Congratulations!! You're done with taking things apart. WOW, seeing it this way makes it seem like so much more work than it actually is. Now comes what I call the fun part....

9. Lightly wash the parts you want to paint, no need to get in there deep as you will wash again after sanding. The parts I painted were the headlight brackets, the headlight ring, and the headlight bucket. You can paint the "U" bracket as well but it's not really that visible once everything is back together.

10. Time to start sanding! You want to use a higher grit sand paper, the finer the grit the lighter the scratches. You don't want great big gouges in the parts you're trying to paint. You don't have to use a heavy hand when sanding but you DO have to get into the cracks as much as possible.

11. After sanding wash all of the parts again. Make sure you wash good this time so you get all of the dirt and sand paper grit off the pieces, the paint will stick better.

12. Next they need to be dried, some people say to use a microfiber cloth to dry them so there is no dust but a clean dish towel should work fine.

13. PAINT!!!!! Here's where the hangers come in handy, you can hang two pieces at once. Obviously outside is best but use caution if you do it inside.
Spray the pieces using light even strokes covering the whole piece. You want to put on at least 3 coats, this helps in the durability department. Spray the second coat about 30 minutes after the first and then the third about 30 minutes after the second. You can do more coats but three should be fine. After each coat re-hang the pieces from a different hole so everything is painted thoroughly. Oh, and if they start to look a little hazy don't worry about it, the next coat will take care of that.

14. Let the pieces dry properly. I think the can says the full cure time is 24 hours but if you let them dry over night you should be fine. You can also put them in the oven at around 250 degrees for 15 minutes, it will speed up the process a bit but it does make the house stink.

Now, if you're like me you're looking at the pieces say "damn this looks good already, I can't wait to see it back on the bike!" So lets get to it....

You want to put everything back together in the reverse order. But now you have to be even more careful because everything is painted!

15. Start with the headlight. Put the ring back on the headlight and secure the pressure springs, once you get one the rest are easy. Now feed the wiring back through the hole in the bucket and set the grommet back in place. Put the two parts together, making sure the screw on the ring is towards the bottom of the lettering on the headlight and the tighten the screw. This may take some messing around but it will tighten.

16. Attach the headlight brackets to the "U" bracket, again you will need the pliers as well as the 5mm allen key. Make sure they're tight, you don't want them to rattle off when you're riding.

17. Hammer the "U" bracket back into place. If you painted the bracket you'll want to use a rubber mallet instead of the hammer. Feed the brake lines and the odometer lines back into place.

18. Attach your turn indicators to the headlight brackets making sure they are tight as well.

19. Reconnect the two waterproof connector for your ignition and lighting controls and reattach them to the headlight brackets.

20. Reconnect your turn indicators

21. Reconnect the headlight wires and then bolt the headlight back into the brackets, it may help to have someone to hold the headlight while you put the bolts back into place. Also, don't tighten all the way yet as it needs to be aligned correctly.

22. Reconnect the speedo sensor and the odometer sensor to the gauge cluster and reattach that to the top triple.

Once you have gotten to this part it is a good idea to put the key in and turn it to the on position and check your connections. Make sure your headlight comes on, make sure your turn indicators work, make sure your bright lights work. If any of the lights aren't working check the fuses before you take everything apart again. Then check the ignition, start the bike. Once all of the connections check out you have to realign the headlight.

23. Realign the headlight. I'm sure there is some thread on this board that has the proper measurement for headlight placement but I found the easiest way to do it is to wait till night, point the bike at a wall, have someone hold the bike upright (or use a stand if you have one) and align the headlight so that it is a little below straight forward, it might take some tweaking and/or around the block riding to get it exactly right but that is about where you want it. DON'T FORGET TO TIGHTEN THE LIGHT INTO PLACE. You certainly don't want that thing coming loose while you're riding!!

24. Crack a beer, sit back and enjoy your handy-work. 'Cause you a MAN and this is what we do!!!

I'm sure this looks like quite a process seeing it written down but I promise it's not. The total time it should take is 24 hours and that includes sleeping while the parts dry and drinking that beer.

[COP TZR]

Lets see your end result.  Throw a pic up of the finished product.  I'm in the middle of doing this now.  Everything is taken apart, I'm just trying to decide on paint type & finish.

[The Bearded Duc]

Oddly, I don't have any close ups right now. I'll snap some for you and put them up tomorrow.

[The Bearded Duc]

Lets see your end result.  Throw a pic up of the finished product.  I'm in the middle of doing this now.  Everything is taken apart, I'm just trying to decide on paint type & finish.

Sorry it took so long to get some pics. They're not the greatest but should give you a general idea...

[COP TZR]

Looks like it turned out pretty good!  I think I'm going to spray mine in a gloss finish to blend with my upper triple, frame & rear sets.  I got my hand on some Epoxy spray paint.  It should be a hard durable finish.

[The Bearded Duc]

I'm sure the epoxy stuff is much more durable, and the headlight doesn't really see too much road debris so you'll be more than good. I was trying to match the Ducati "dark" as well and this was the closest I could come. Then I saw this thread....

http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=35799.msg649013#msg649013

Great stuff and I'm probably gonna try it next.

[COP TZR]

I'm sure the epoxy stuff is much more durable, and the headlight doesn't really see too much road debris so you'll be more than good. I was trying to match the Ducati "dark" as well and this was the closest I could come. Then I saw this thread....

http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=35799.msg649013#msg649013

Great stuff and I'm probably gonna try it next.

Well I started painting some of my parts today with that Rustoleum appliance epoxy paint.  I must say that it goes on pretty good.  Doesn't require any priming.  Just very clean surfaces.  I gave the painted parts a light sanding, washed them down, fully dried and started to spray.  After about 3 coats, the painted parts look like they have been "dipped" into a bath of paint.  They came out very smooth, and the paint appears to be thick & hard also.   24 hours hasn't passed yet, so I'll see how they are tomorrow.  Want them to fully cure.  I've only painted the fender eliminator, "U" bracket and headlight brackets.   My upper triple and rearsets will be next, after I see how the painted parts cure.  They I will tackle the headlight bucket & ring.

[The Bearded Duc]

Well I started painting some of my parts today with that Rustoleum appliance epoxy paint.  I must say that it goes on pretty good.  Doesn't require any priming.  Just very clean surfaces.  I gave the painted parts a light sanding, washed them down, fully dried and started to spray.  After about 3 coats, the painted parts look like they have been "dipped" into a bath of paint.  They came out very smooth, and the paint appears to be thick & hard also.   24 hours hasn't passed yet, so I'll see how they are tomorrow.  Want them to fully cure.  I've only painted the fender eliminator, "U" bracket and headlight brackets.   My upper triple and rearsets will be next, after I see how the painted parts cure.  They I will tackle the headlight bucket & ring.

Awesome!! Pics when it's done, please.   

I think I remember reading, from ducpainter, that the epoxy stuff might not do so good with the UV exposure. You should PM him just to double check. It would suck if your paint job was ruined buy the sun. Maybe a few coats of matte clear will do the job

Keep me posted. I now have some scratches on my headlight ring and probably have to redo it.

[COP TZR]

Awesome!! Pics when it's done, please.   

I think I remember reading, from ducpainter, that the epoxy stuff might not do so good with the UV exposure. You should PM him just to double check. It would suck if your paint job was ruined buy the sun. Maybe a few coats of matte clear will do the job

Keep me posted. I now have some scratches on my headlight ring and probably have to redo it.

Once I get around to it all I will post some pics.  As for the UV exposure part, the parts that are painted won't get that exposed to sun.  I had actually let them dry in the sun.  I think Ducpainter was more concerned if the bike would be stored outdoors and sun exposure for very long periods of time.  I think it would take years for the paint to start dulling.  I'm not sure on the clear coat with epoxy paint.  There could be some sort of bonding reaction.   We go thru pretty good season changes here in Canada, so its not that hot very long and my bike is stored in the garage.

[The Bearded Duc]

Oh, cool. You should be fine then!!

[ducpainter]

Once I get around to it all I will post some pics.  As for the UV exposure part, the parts that are painted won't get that exposed to sun.  I had actually let them dry in the sun.  I think Ducpainter was more concerned if the bike would be stored outdoors and sun exposure for very long periods of time.  I think it would take years for the paint to start dulling.  I'm not sure on the clear coat with epoxy paint.  There could be some sort of bonding reaction.   We go thru pretty good season changes here in Canada, so its not that hot very long and my bike is stored in the garage.

It doesn't take 'years'.

Epoxy in direct sun will fail in much less than that.

The fact that the bike is garaged certainly helps.

[The Bearded Duc]

It doesn't take 'years'.

Epoxy in direct sun will fail in much less than that.

The fact that the bike is garaged certainly helps.

Will a couple coats of clear help at all? Matte or otherwise? Thx

[COP TZR]

It doesn't take 'years'.

Epoxy in direct sun will fail in much less than that.

The fact that the bike is garaged certainly helps.

What exactly happens?  Does the paint start to peel off?  Like duc750 asked, will a clearcoat help the issue?

[ducpainter]

What exactly happens?  Does the paint start to peel off?  Like duc750 asked, will a clearcoat help the issue?

I answered that question for you here...http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=35799.msg643553#msg643553

A good UV protective clear will certainly help.

[COP TZR]

I answered that question for you here...http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=35799.msg643553#msg643553

A good UV protective clear will certainly help.

Is there any specific brand that you could recommend thats easily available?