flat black

My bike is flat black right now, I actually just repainted it because of what dackler said ... scratches show up pretty easily, also I painted it with the wrong type of paint the first time around so had to fix it. Little scratches and rubs tend to always show up as a little patch of gloss ... pretty annoying. I personally like the flat black enough to deal with these little things. Make sure to flat clear it too, I had the hardest time finding matte clear until I looked at Michaels (arts and crafts store).

It's a 1st gen, and the pic's a little blurry ... but you get the idea:

WildPig said:

(SNIP) Make sure to flat clear it too, I had the hardest time finding matte clear until I looked at Michaels (arts and crafts store).(SNIP)

Click to expand...

Just as an FYI - any paint becomes flat/satin when cleared over with flat/satin clear - high or low gloss, it doesn't matter. You should sand a gloss paint before clearing if it has fully cured. The exception is metallic - you can't sand a metallic base without screwing it up. If you don't keep the same brand of paint (base-clear) you can end up with a wrinkled-up mess also.

Flat paints will always be less scratch resistant than gloss paint. The "flatteners" added to the base paint (always gloss) decrease its durability.

Spray can paints have one major drawback for cycles - gas. Drips and spills will soften and dull almost any spray can paint or clear. The best spray can paints are "2K" - 2 part - specialty paints. Eastwood sells the "Max" brand from Germany. It looks like they only have a gloss clear though. A clear Epoxy spray would be the best you could do (if you can find it) without going the 2K route.

One other Max product worth a try would be the "2K Rapid Primer Filler" (http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/...UCT&iMainCat=516&iSubCat=521&iProductID=21844 ).

Getting a decent amount of filling from a regular spray primer is pretty tough, the Max 2K would be worth a try if you wanted to prime all of your bodywork before painting. One drawback is once it is mixed (in the can) it only has a 24-hour potlife before it's junk.


Jay

I did my Buell in 'flat' black and modified my approach to end up with a more uniform matte finish. I honestly can't remember the concoction I used, but I experimented with a plethora of waxes, polishes, etc. to get just the right finish. The upside apart from the look was that the surfaces were very durable against scratches, smudges, and smears. I reapplied one coat of wax per year afterward to maintain the look....and FWIW, the bike got ridden in rain and snow and sat outside at work in the sun everyday.

Here is the end result:

I've only done the mini fairing and front fender thus far and I'm still contemplating doing the rest. Good luck