Many, many moons ago I came across a picture of a very attractive young blond gal stretched out on a blue/white K100RS SE.  Have checked my hard drive and Googled but can't seem to find it.  Does anybody here have a copy of said picture?

Enjoy........

Ahhh... that's the one!

Best K pic EVER!

I really like that color scheme.

Is there anything related to bricks that Inge doesn't know or have???

BTW, Ummm, nice SE paint job.

So earlier this morning I had my finishing expert in for a consult on transforming the plastic bits below into a suitable white.  I had wanted to show him a K dressed in white but the above is just out of this world.  How do you achieve such a finish?  Sadly, I think it lies far outside my skill level......

With one hell of a lot of time and patience, Woody. I used to paint bikes and although it's possible to get a factory 'glass' finish at home, you're looking at around three-six weeks work to achieve it. The problem is drying time; the factory (and pro painters) use a low-bake oven to speed up drying time. It's possible to speed it up with a hot air gun and I have done that. This was my home workshop workflow for a fuel tank with no obvious dents and no help on the drying time:

Get it back to base material
One coat of yellow primer-filler
Let the primer-filler go off for at least 24 hours
Sand it back with 600-grit wet'n'dry so that you've exposed almost all of the base material again (this gets the very shallow dents). Wrap the we'n'dry around a block - never use your fingers because they will follow the contours of any dents
Rinse and repeat two or three times
Sand the last coat smooth with 800-grit wet'n'dry
One coat of grey primer
Let the primer-filler go off for at least 24 hours
Sand it back with 600-grit until the yellow starts to show in places. You can dispose of the sanding block at this point. During all sanding operations I used warm water with a good dash of washing-up liquid for a lubricant
One coat of white primer
Let the primer go off for at least 24 hours
Sand it back with 600-grit until the grey starts to show in places
Rinse and repeat once more so you have four coats of primer
Depending on the topcoat colour, finish with another coat of grey or white primer
Cut back with second-cut 1000-grit wet'n'dry. Second-cut is when you rub two sheets of the same grade wet'n'dry together before use.
First topcoat
Let the topcoat go off for at least 24 hours
Cut back with second cut 1000 grit
Rinse and repeat as many times as I thought necessary - at least four coats
Once it has gone completely hard, polish it and get the best shine possible
Clean the surface thoroughly
First coat of laquer
Let the laquer go off for at least 24 hours
Cut back very gently with second cut 1000 grit
Check that the laquer shows opaque all over
Rinse and repeat four - six times
Walk away from it for at least two weeks to allow it to go hard
Polish using a colour restorer until the surface comes up glass-smooth.

If the temperature isn't up to snuff you can work with a spray can in one hand and a hotair gun in the other. Warm the tank up, spray and follow the spray with the hotair gun. Getting a skin on the paint ASAP helps prevent sags and runs.

I wish I hadn't written this. It's just reminded me what I have to face with the fuel tank on my '78 850-T3 California later this year.

Oh stuff that I just use a garden sprayer with a mist jet setting. I used a mop once but me mum didn't see the funny side and made me buy a new one.

I once dated a chick who looked like that. She had a penchant for riding backwards at motorway speeds on top of the tank...something about the high frequency K tingle. It made her so frightfully joyful, twirling her hair and lithe body like a guitarist from an '80s hair band, we often didn't get out of the car park. I limped more in those days.

Yes but how do you get the blonde on the bike?    I'd love to pay someone to make the maroon go away but for a shop to do a decent job of it, outlined in the way you have above Dai, it would cost me more than what I paid for the bike.  I have no quarrel with what a shop would charge - I completely understand the labour involved - I just can't justify it (to my wife...)

I'll have to dye my hair...





will a grey beard do?

If I get my K up and running with shiny paint, will my wife transform into her? (I am so lucky that she cant read this )

jahearne wrote:I'll have to dye my hair...





will a grey beard do?

A Gray beard is fine by me:).   My boyfriend and I have the same exact bike as you.  We just bought it, new to BMW, and it was not running.   We got it running and I’ve fallen in lust over it so far.    Dave wants to sell it.   I want to make it my commuter to and from work every day.   We are looking for a fuel level gauge if you have an extra for sale or know if where we can get one for u dear 200.00.

Kathysresto wrote:A Gray beard is fine by me:).   My boyfriend and I have the same exact bike as you.  We just bought it, new to BMW, and it was not running.   We got it running and I’ve fallen in lust over it so far.    Dave wants to sell it.   I want to make it my commuter to and from work every day.   We are looking for a fuel level gauge if you have an extra for sale or know if where we can get one for u dear 200.00.

You're too kind! I'll keep an eye out for a gauge. I have a few extra RS body panels, but I don't recall any gauges... I'll take a look tonight.