How should I paint my 2nd KLR?

[Mrs. DantesDame]

As you may or may not know, I am now the proud owner of two first generation KLRs. The second one was bought mostly on a whim, but is still a valued member of the family. It is currently in the garage, waiting for the installation of a new headlight subframe. The previous owner did "something" to it, enough to bend the plastic fairing forward a bit, and then for some reason, painted the outer portion of said fairing black. Now if he hadn't done that I probably wouldn't be asking this question and would just leave the bike "stock". But the black fairing looks silly, so the paint will come out. It's just a matter of which paint.

For reference, here is the original 2000 KLR, my daily driver:


Here is the "new" 2001 KLR:



If I go "return it to stock", I'll get on ebay and source an original green fairing and replace the one that's on there. Personally, I think it would be amusing to have two bikes of similar appearance. Especially if Dan and I take them down to Mexico together    Anyway... just because I'm asking doesn't mean I'll go with the results. I'm just curious as to what others think.


Oh, and no, I don't really like the military. It's more of an ode to M*A*S*H    Hence my car:

[bluepoof]

I had a brilliant idea after we talked about this last ...what about keeping the "matte finish/star" theme but doing different colors? Like black with a hot pink star instead of the army green/white?  Or orange with a blue star?  Could be fun!  

If that's meh, I change my vote to match the 1st KLR since I do like the matte finish/star motif.

[squeezer]

Go with KTM orange to confuse people.

Or faux fur.

[maddjack]

Go for something bright say I , you have your mash tribute so go different.Blueproof has the idea and it is good.  

[Mookie]

Zebra fur all the way.

[Corbeau]

Den Mother, I have two suggestions:

Keep the military scheme, but make it look like it's from the other side of the Iron Curtain. Ergo, a red star.

Scrap the military scheme, and make it look like Barbie's bike.  

[maddjack]

Zebra fur all the way.

naw bright  tiger stripes in hot pink on a deep purple backround, now that will get looks

[Rincewind]

Militarized Hello Kitty

[bubba zanetti]

Paint it like the Swiss Army Knife that it is ... 01's rock !

[ConPilot1]

Orange/black/white tiger stripes and a picture of Bruce Lee in an "Enter the Dragon" pose
on either side of the gas tank.

[Bombauer]

Paint it like the Swiss Army Knife that it is ... 01's rock !

That is an EXCELLENT idea!  Red body, and chrome everything else!

[chornbe]

Go total contrast to the army one and pastel and girlie it up. Cover every mood. (and make dan ride it)

 

[chornbe]

Militarized Hello Kitty

^^^^^^^^ -- or that

[napper]

You've done the M*A*S*H tribute, how about a Partridge Family tribute.



Hello world, here's a song that we're singin'
Come on get happy.

(I get off watchin' 70's TV)

[Tony T]

Keep the military scheme, but make it look like it's from the other side of the Iron Curtain. Ergo, a red star.

Great idea!  

Or do a hammer and sickle thing.  

[squeezer]

Paint it like the Swiss Army Knife that it is ... 01's rock !

Actually, I really like that idea.

I mean, even more than faux fur.

[Mookie]

Fine.  I vote Swiss army too.

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Paint it like the Swiss Army Knife that it is ... 01's rock !

This idea is currently being mulled over    Dan really likes it and I think it's a fun option. Plus, we can pull out our matching Swiss Army knives that we purchased while in Switzerland and really complete the set  

[JReazor]

That is an EXCELLENT idea!  Red body, and chrome everything else!

Chrome on a KLR? Is that possible? The bike might reject it like a bad transplant.

[Mrs. DantesDame]

haha - that's what I said to Dan, too. No chrome, but I'll keep the "shiny" frame, swingarm, skid plate, etc.  Close enough for me...

[mxvet57]

I say just go out and get it dirty

[stefrrr]

Paint it like the Swiss Army Knife that it is ... 01's rock !

I like that idea!

[Mrs. DantesDame]

So do we - we already bought the paint  

[stefrrr]

Sweet! I can't wait to see pictures of the bikes together!  

[tomek]

I propose dazzle camouflage paint job with some girly colours.

Something like this

[Mrs. DantesDame]

I propose dazzle camouflage paint job with some girly colours.

Something like this

Thanks for the suggestion, but...no thanks!  

[Papa Lazarou]

Strip all the paint off and let nature take its course.

[Leanintree]

Missed the boat on this one...



This had possibilities too...

[Prubert]

HOT....PINK.....

[falconati]

Something fun.  Go nuts on it!

[Mrs. DantesDame]

HOT....PINK.....

You SO don't know me....  

[Prubert]

You SO don't know me....  

Oh yea, hit 'em from left field!!!

[bluepoof]

 

[Leanintree]

 

I can't take credit for that... it was 1K all the way.  

LT

[Zerosum]

I'd go for a "Mad Max" theme.  Paint it matte black and just start affixing random junk and animal skulls to it.

I also recommend riding around a gettup like this:

[expatbrit]

Paint it like the Swiss Army Knife that it is ... 01's rock !

Another vote for the Swiss Army KLR! Except... without the chrome.

[1KPerDay]

Militarized Hello Kitty

dammit

[1KPerDay]

Missed the boat on this one...

You owe me a quarter.  

[1KPerDay]

[Leanintree]

You owe me a quarter.  

I can't take credit for that... it was 1K all the way.  
LT

Credited before you even saw the theft.  

LT

[Papa Lazarou]

I would suggest keeping it the way it is. But:

Spraying it with organic matter, for instance diluted cow dung or yoghurt (both easily obtainable from any local store), to encourage lichen growth.

[wibornz]

My son just did his klr in digital camo.   Finished the paint on Tuesday. Will recover the seat on Saturday and paint the top case.

[stefrrr]

All right, national is over.
 

[Mrs. DantesDame]

phhhhttt - I just got home!  

[Mrs. DantesDame]

No pictures yet, but I started painting last night!  

[stefrrr]

 

[Mrs. DantesDame]

I should warn you that I'm going to do this in baby steps. I really really enjoy painting and want to drag this out so I can suck up the enjoyment for longer  

[stefrrr]

 

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Get your own KLR to paint then  




By the way, it's finally raining here  

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Ok, but I warned you, I'm going slowly  


And in the beginning, there was nakedness...



My neighbor asked me who the "kill booth" was for  



Not really exciting to look at, is it?



I'm painting the inside surfaces flat black. The white is a base coat for the final red color. We did some test painting and found that the white really made the red "POP!", whereas the black gave it a nice deep luster. We were shooting for "POP!", hence the white...



Oh, and here's a sample picture:

[stefrrr]

Get your own KLR to paint then  

Eventually... It's about 4th down a list of important things to do (after finish school, get job, buy house... you know, the little stuff).

[Corbeau]

Ok, but I warned you, I'm going slowly  

This is like watching paint dry...



 

[Mookie]

My neighbor asked me who the "kill booth" was for  

Dexter rules!  Just need a bunch of saran wrap and a demented childhood....

[chornbe]

I'm netflixing it. Love the show.

[carpe_diem]

Can't wait to see the final product.

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Tonight I'll post up pics. No, I'm not done    but I *am* done with the white base coat and the black undersides. I'll take a picture and then I start on the RED


I hope to have it done by the end of the weekend.

[Papa Lazarou]

DD, how should you paint your KLR?

On psychedelic drugs of course!

[Mrs. DantesDame]

I told you this was going slow  

Here are all of the piece with full base coats. White on the soon-to-be red parts and black for anything else...




I have started the red on almost all of the pieces by now. It's slow going, as it doesn't cover very quickly or easily. Here are the first couple after an initial coat...




I was going to try to finish the bike today, but it won't happen. Just too damn hot out there and Dan keeps telling me to wait for stuff to dry before I go back out there  So I shall drag it out a little longer...

[tomek]

My son just did his klr in digital camo.   Finished the paint on Tuesday. Will recover the seat on Saturday and paint the top case.

Awesome paint job.

[maddjack]

I told you this was going slow  

Here are all of the piece with full base coats. White on the soon-to-be red parts and black for anything else...




I have started the red on almost all of the pieces by now. It's slow going, as it doesn't cover very quickly or easily. Here are the first couple after an initial coat...




I was going to try to finish the bike today, but it won't happen. Just too damn hot out there and Dan keeps telling me to wait for stuff to dry before I go back out there  So I shall drag it out a little longer...

take your time, it will come out better and BTW for what its worth , its a kickass idea.

[spd2918]

I will donate two or three swiss army shield logos in white vinyl if you like.  Tell me what size you need and I'll draw them up on my next day off.

[zarly]

What a great idea! I love it. it's a perfect choice for a KLR.

[Mrs. DantesDame]

I will donate two or three swiss army shield logos in white vinyl if you like.  Tell me what size you need and I'll draw them up on my next day off.

Thanks!!!  


Dan and I are toying around with putting one of these on the bike, to represent the ubiquitous "Corkscrew"
 

[zarly]

Don't forget the tooth pick and tweezers.

[Mrs. DantesDame]

You kidding? Those are the first things to fall out and get lost!!!  

[zarly]

Yeah but if you get a splinter in your finger you'll be glad to have those tweezers and you can't over emphasize the importance of good dental hygiene. (I had to spell check hygiene)

[ConPilot1]

You kidding? Those are the first things to fall out and get lost!!!  

I've had 2 swiss army knives for several years and the toothpick and tweezers never fell out.

[stefrrr]

 

[Leanintree]

 

Cough nudge meaningful look...
What she said.
LT

[R Doug]

[Mrs. DantesDame]

yeah yeah - I had to get another can of paint! And I'm going to do some sanding experiments, too.  

[bomber]

Sanding experiments . . . . this sounds like bad juju, to me.

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Sanding experiments . . . . this sounds like bad juju, to me.

Trust me, I'm not deeply into experiments. I have something to try and then regardless of the outcome, I'll continue painting  

[Papa Lazarou]

If all fails, you could pebble dash it.

[antvq]

You should just copy this paint scheme......








 

[Mrs. DantesDame]

I'm still not done  

But I have something to show you guys at least  

Here ya go, progress thus far. I think I left you with some first-coat red pics. I'll start from there

The entire bike:



Remember that I did the inner parts black. There's a bit of red over spray, but nothing that I'm going to worry about



Starting to lacquer the parts. You should be able to tell the clear coat vs un-clear coated in this picture



Front fender and rear tail piece, drying but other wise, complete



spd2918 has graciously offered to make the Swiss Army logo   and its on its way. Therefore the tank won't get sprayed until it arrives. But the rest of the bike should be ready and waiting  

[Papa Lazarou]

No smiley for a big frown.

Still think it needs pebble dashing.

[chornbe]

No smiley for a big frown.

Still think it needs pebble dashing.

Pebble Dashing... I just found the character name for my new novel.

[Papa Lazarou]

Pebble Dashing... I just found the character name for my new novel.

You can't even spell it. So you are pretty stuffed.

I do ghost writing for a small (big) fee,  

[ConPilot1]

The rapid progress on this project is just mind-boggling...

[Mrs. DantesDame]

What? It's only been a month (to the day, no less). Its not like you have anything better to do than watch paint dry...  

[ConPilot1]

I've decided what I'm doing when I get my first (old) KLR. Matte Black all around with this guy mirrored on each tank side.



This on the front windscreen and possibly on the panniers sides.



I'll have the coolest KLR someday.

 

[Nodaclu]

I'll have the coolest KLR someday.

Me too. Between DD espousing the virtues of the 1st gen KLR in another thread, and this project, I'm beginning to look at KLR's in a whole new light.  

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Ok! I got the decals from spd2918 - they look fabulous! Here's one on the tank:



I'll put one on the front fairing just above the headlight, and *maybe* one under the taillight. I don't want to overstate it  


I hadn't attached the tank for this, so the seat wouldn't seat, but I put it on the bike anyway. Front fender and tail piece are done. I won't put on the front fairing until the wiring is done for the heated grips (Tech Day on 8/29). After THAT, all of the rest of the plastics will go on

[stefrrr]

It looks great!  

[coho]

Awesome.  Well done.
 

[bluepoof]

Looks perfect! I don't think you need one under the taillight.  

[Rincewind]

Were your ancestors Swiss?  They would be proud.  I love it.

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Mine aren't, but Dan's are. Mine are close though: southern Germany.

Thanks! The wiring part should come together soon. I have some stuff coming in the mail this week and a Tech Day on Sunday. Tick tock!

[bomber]

very nicely done -- good work both on your part and Spd's . . .we got some talented folks round here!

[ConPilot1]

Looks great! Unique!  

[Mrs. DantesDame]

I'm done!!!

Well, as done as I'm going to be for the time being. The handguards I had from Dan's bike had some broken parts, so I didn't put any on at all (the bike didn't come with any). We installed heated grips and a battery tender outlet. I have the Gerbing's plug to install later. But for now, the bike shall rest in peace (instead of in pieces   )


May I present to you.... the Swiss KLR!!!!










...and four of the five bikes, nestled together  

[Nodaclu]

 

That looks amazing Colleen. Awesome job. I love it!  

[squeezer]

Yessss!!!    

You definitely made the right choice. That looks great!

[Skee]

One of a kind - just like its rider.

[coho]

Looks like a theme is happening...perhaps DDR livery for the GS and JDF for the other KLR?

[bubba zanetti]

Looks great !!    Excellent job !!

Somebody had a brilliant idea ! ....  

[Papa Lazarou]

Nice sunflowers.

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Nice sunflowers.

Thanks!