Original paint or repaint your Guzzi?

[tazio]

Just wondering out loud.
Some of you have owned your bikes since new and have acquired many miles with the same ol' factory paint.
Would you bother to repaint if a deal came along on a quality paint job?
 or is what came from the factory meant to stay on your bike like some sacred shroud?
Even a custom paint job can acquire it's own patina, right?
Friend at my old job sprayed his Buell with Plasti-Dip. Love the guy, strutted around like a peacock over his handy-work.
I didn't have the heart..
 

[Guzzistajohn]

Personally, I'd do whatever I feel like, especially if I intend to keep the bike. And a good deal on a paint job would seal the deal. I re-painted my CX-100 in '99 and it's getting the patina from MY riding in it now. I kinda like that.

[keuka4884]

Good patina is irreplaceable. It is worth it's weight in gold. I have a 78 T3 in black and gold and would never consider repainting it. The frame too. Just ask Wayne Carini. 

[cruzziguzzi]

factory generally means nothing to me. I was happy to get rid of my sad white stripes on the CalVin and eventually hope to have Ford "refrigerator" white on my El Dorado. Since my 95 Sport is in such dire need of paint, I have a stash of one of the Ferrari Scuderia reds for that - the much less orange one.

Probably, the 95 Carbifornia will be the Mazda yellow of my '82 Katana too... just a soupçon of black in that.

Nah, Guzzi's beg at individuality and owner accommodation.


Todd.

[Kiwi_Roy]

Old bikes should have old paint, I regret painting the tank and side covers on my California II.
A friend has a beautiful old 1942 NSU 250 that he refuses to paint even though it would get him cheap insurance as a collector.
The idea of making a bike look better than factory is wrong for me.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

I went to great lengths to find all original paint parts when I built "Barney". Have a few original paint Loop tanks here that are dented that I don't intend to ever have repainted.

On the "flip side", my '86 Le Mans arrived with just one piece of bodywork - the tank - and the paint on it is pretty bad. The replacement bodywork has been painted yellow with spots of original red showing through. So that will go off to the painter to be redone in original red with original decals.

The Morini K2 is somewhere in between - lots of patina, but the paint still shines and a tankbag hides the worst of the paint damage on the tank. Haven't decided which way to go there, probably will just leave it as-is.

[tazio]

Maybe just me, but Guzzis seem to somehow pull off some odd color choices.
Yellow? The old 1100 Sport i looks fabulous in this hue.
Mustard and ketchup? What was going through their heads. But it looks great!
Just cannot imagine repainting or changing colors in examples like these.
Let them do what paint does over time and exposure.
Not so sure about the Stelvio with it's flat silver and gray..
Fresh paint can spice things up, you know?!
~Where's that can of Plasti-Dip ....

[Green1]

Had a brand new 98 Kawasaki ZX11 once,it was black and I am not a fan of black but the price was right,it was painted within a month,easiest paint job ever,just scuff and paint,wasnt even a rock chip in it,to me bikes are ment to reflect the rides personality,i wouldn't bat an eye painting anything you don't like

[Gliderjohn]

It is one own bike and they can do as they wish. My T- 3 was a police model and painted in a well worn police  paint so I went with something different. At times I do wish I would have gone to original police paint, etc. as I would guess people would notice you more. Anyway I have received many compliments on my T-3 over the years.

GliderJohn

[Triple Jim]

Whatever you do, don't do what your friend did to his Buell.  The Ninja 250 I bought this year was painted with Plasti Dip.  I plan to repaint it anyway, so I don't care, but I haven't yet, and it's dissolving around the filler cap whenever there's a little gasoline spill, and peeling off all over the place, wherever something rubs it.

[Farmer Dan]

Couldn't tell you how many hours I spent polishing the paint on my Father's Eldorado when I got it.  The paint ain't perfect but it will always be original.

[charlie b]

Paint it however you want.



Having said that, if you have a more rare bike that might appreciate in value then keep it as original as possible.

[Tobit]

Good patina is irreplaceable. It is worth it's weight in gold. I have a 78 T3 in black and gold and would never consider repainting it. The frame too. Just ask Wayne Carini.

I'd have no compunction about having the frame on my LeMans IV stripped and repainted or powdercoated as it's looking a tad rough.  But the original red paint on the bodywork stays.  Decals can be replaced too, but the paint stays.

As far as patina, this is goofy, but I really like how the black coating on the clutch lever has been burnished almost bronze in the finger reliefs by my glove.  I did it.



Tobit

[blackcat]

My CX was painted rattle can black when I got it so it really didn't matter what I did to that bike.

[Groover]

I'd say if your original parts are still OK and you are itching to change the color, then I'd get a spare set of sheet metal parts for your bike, keep the originals (you'll be glad you did someday when all of a sudden the original parts look right to you again) and paint the spares you just acquired.

I painted my bike because it has already been painted so it was an easy(ier) choice to make. Sometimes I also miss that maybe euro guzzi-blue color too though... The bike was originally in "Rosso Madeira", which is that maroon/burgundy color offered in '81 - Now it's Magnetic Metallic, which is a 2015 ford color.

Before:


After:

[tazio]

Ever see bikes where the sun has faded the paint on the tops of the side covers and portions of
the tank, EXCEPT where the tankbag sat? Love that look for some reason.

[Tobit]

The best example of patina was on a high-mile '88 R100RS I saw in the '90s.  The bikes were white with blue pinstriping and the clearcoat had just about worn off of this one.  It had turned a satin off-white which was stunning on that motorcycle.

Tobit

[Groover]

I think white in patina looks great, especially for that era. I missed out on a white eldo that was white but faded similar to what tobit described - loved the looks of it.

[johnr]

Paint it. It's only cosmetics and can at will be returned to original colours.  I had my one owner Rocket 3 repainted about 4 times I think. One painter commented that a paint job was really only good for 4 years.  It's the quality of the job that matters.

[Gliderjohn]

Quote by john:
"One painter commented that a paint job was really only good for 4 years.  It's the quality of the job that matters."

Apparently it is the quality. My T-3 I posted was painted with Imron after everything was stripped. That pictures was taken about 3-4 years ago. At that point the paint was about 22-23 years old and about 70,000 miles worth of riding. The painter had experience painting aircraft and Harleys.
GliderJohn

[canuck750]

If the paint is original and in reasonably good condition (stains and fading are ok) and the metal substrate is solid I would 'save' the original paint.

Get some quality wax remover  / paint cleaner and wipe off the old wax and deposits.

Wet sand the parts with 1000 grit and then 2000 grit and then use a finishing compound to return the lustre to the paint.

I use this G3 paste from NAPA



After sanding, touching up small nicks and polishing and two coats of wax hand polished



And the before

[Groover]

^ that looks good. Nice technique!