Questions for Duc painter

[Jeff_H]

I'm planning on having my Duc repainted this winter. Probably going to stick with as near a Ducati red as I can get, with some changes in graphics to make it very clean and reminiscent of the original SS. Anyway, I was hoping for some input from others regarding what I should be looking for in a paint shop and what kind of questions I should ask each potential painter as I shop around. I've invested so much into this bike, that I would like the paint job to reflect the level of attention the rest of it has received. I really appreciate any input, as I've never had a vehicle repainted professionally before.

Regards,

Jeff

[Bravo51]

I had my CF track fairings painted and mated them with my stock lowers. The shop matched up the yellow perfect and was able to do the number plate off of pictures, but it wasn't cheap....not by any means. A high quality custom shop can do anything. I think I got too nice of job done for a track bike, but I love the look.

[bruce19]

I want to find a good paint shop in the Northeast 'cause I'm seriously thinking about getting a sharkskinz fairing for my SS1000DS and painting it Matrix Green with white nose and tail. If anyone has any recommendations I'd appreciate it. I'm willing to drive approx. 1,000 mi. from CT to a good painter. Have to believe there are some quality ones a lot closer than that though.

[C-simian]

Bruce, no need to travel very far. By reputation one of the best Ducati painters in the country is located in Beacon Falls, Connecticut. Custom Motorcycle Paint | Connecticut Cycle Refinishing

These are the guys that ECS in Middletown uses on their racing bikes, and many of the DESMO crowd have gotten excellent paint jobs from them. If you go to their "Italian bike work" gallery, you'll see some of the DESMO and ECS bikes. Personally, I've no experience with their work, but when I get paint work done this coming year, I plan to give them a call.

Ron

[DesmoDog]

Originally Posted by Jeff_H

I'm planning on having my Duc repainted this winter. Probably going to stick with as near a Ducati red as I can get, with some changes in graphics to make it very clean and reminiscent of the original SS.

Well if it's attention to detail you are after, the original SS wasn't red. Supersports weren't available in red until about 15 years after their introduction.

I'm just sayin'...

An example of the original Super Sport:


If I had to choose one of the Ducati Reds over the years (yes, there have been multiple shades of red over the years) I'd try to match something from about 1991. The red they used then damn near glows under the right conditions. MUCH nicer than whet they used in the mid 90s, judging by a few bikes I've owned. I was out for a ride on my '91 907ie back in the day, It was slightly overcast and for whatever reason the bike looked particularly good in that light. I pulled in to a place for lunch and parked next to a red Corvette. When I came out, the 'vette owner was staring at my bike. He told me the car had just been repainted and he thought it was red, but now he sees what RED really is... On the flip side I had a little mishap and had to get a mirror repainted. I brought it to the best guy I knew. He did a great job, but when I picked it up he told me if the bike ever needed to be repainted, I should take it somewhere else. Matching the color was a PITA and he finally had to use a red-tinted clear over a pink undercoat to get it right.

[kineteks]

I too am looking at getting some paintwork done this winter on my 999. I have heard good things about Rich of Landric's Customs in Framingham MA. His cell is 774-200-6395 and there is a bunch of stuff about his work on the NESR forum.

[bruce19]

Originally Posted by C-simian

Bruce, no need to travel very far. By reputation one of the best Ducati painters in the country is located in Beacon Falls, Connecticut. Custom Motorcycle Paint | Connecticut Cycle Refinishing

These are the guys that ECS in Middletown uses on their racing bikes, and many of the DESMO crowd have gotten excellent paint jobs from them. If you go to their "Italian bike work" gallery, you'll see some of the DESMO and ECS bikes. Personally, I've no experience with their work, but when I get paint work done this coming year, I plan to give them a call.

Ron

I went to the Italian bike work gallery and the first thing I saw was a 900SS with custom exhaust by Bruce Myers of BCM. If he sent a bike there it has to be a good place. I should probably call him. Thanks for the info.

[Jeff_H]

Originally Posted by DesmoDog

Well if it's attention to detail you are after, the original SS wasn't red. Supersports weren't available in red until about 15 years after their introduction.

I'm just sayin'...

An example of the original Super Sport:


If I had to choose one of the Ducati Reds over the years (yes, there have been multiple shades of red over the years) I'd try to match something from about 1991. The red they used then damn near glows under the right conditions. MUCH nicer than whet they used in the mid 90s, judging by a few bikes I've owned. I was out for a ride on my '91 907ie back in the day, It was slightly overcast and for whatever reason the bike looked particularly good in that light. I pulled in to a place for lunch and parked next to a red Corvette. When I came out, the 'vette owner was staring at my bike. He told me the car had just been repainted and he thought it was red, but now he sees what RED really is... On the flip side I had a little mishap and had to get a mirror repainted. I brought it to the best guy I knew. He did a great job, but when I picked it up he told me if the bike ever needed to be repainted, I should take it somewhere else. Matching the color was a PITA and he finally had to use a red-tinted clear over a pink undercoat to get it right.

Thanks Craig. Trust me, I've been studying my Ian Falloon books with all the Ducati models in them. Was debating about going with silver, but am probably sticking with red. My focus has been on choosing graphics at the moment, but I will also consider the shades of red that I see in each model.

Glad to hear there are some good painters on the other coast. Little far for me...

Regards,

Jeff

[Chuckracer]

Also consider Robbie Nigel at PeachPit

Untitled Document

He's the guy who painted all the BCM bikes and does a lot of work for NE riders and racers.

[DT996]

Jeff,

You should ask your painter the following:

1) What Brand/type of paint used (PPG? HOK? Dupont?) The brand of paint is important as it establishes if the painter is focused on higher-quality results or if they are production-based painters where it's more important to use cheap materials and get the job done quick to just make money.

2) Are you using one paint system or mix-n-match? Some paints give best results as a system in terms of Primer-Basecoat-Clear, while availability sometimes requires using one brand's base colors with another brand of clear, etc. This question helps determine things like warranty, compatibility, etc. If you get an answer that they just use whatever they have at the moment, that's your first chance to get out.

3) Ask if they can give a brief description of the process without giving away any of their proprietary secrets. If they are willing to describe the steps and it is a clear and definitive description, you wil probably get the best job compared to someone who does not want to explain something because they either don't care to or they don't know. Some painters will give you a written estimate that shows the breakdown of time and materials estimated for your project, and some even better painters will give you an invoice that matches the estimate when it's all done.

4) Ask if they provide any type of warranty for their work and the paint product as well. If they do, then what is the timeframe? Typical warranty for good paintwork is one year, as that is what the paint manufacturer provides. A good warranty covers performance & materials for one year, adhesion issues that can be proved to be the painters fault (not caused by someone picking at the paint and saying "it just came off", or aggressive drivers scraping the parts on the road and then saying the paint doesn't stick good). Two things always excluded from coverage will be road debris damage and front-end chips, as there is no way to avoid getting those even in the strongest paint.

Those are the basics that should get you started, there's a ton more questions that could be asked, but these cover the base things you should know about a painter and what you will be getting.

DT