RED (paint code) ALERT

[mountainrider]

It always bothered me that Ducati chose to use silver for the subframe while the rest of it is red. I painted bikes while attending college and know how difficult (and time consuming) it can be to get to get the right shade of red, but when I saw this thread Paint option other than Colorite I decided it was time to do something about it. This month is my Hypers anniversary, afterall. You can tell this does not go to plan, right?

I have a really good friend with a body shop. We got to know each other well over the years because of the way my wife drives. He has a PPG paint system and I now have a PPG code for Hyper Red. He would have my subframe done in a jiffy and I wouldn't miss any riding time, right? Wrong!

The OP in the thread linked above gave us a "universal base coat" formula. It turns out that my friend has an "A/B" system and PPG doesn't translate a formula from one system to the other. The only option was to scan my fuel tank for a match and that required a visit from their rep with the scanner.

Fast forward three weeks (yesterday) and it is finally done. I would post the formula here for anyone running into the same problem, but the color is just a shade off. The scanner is designed for cars and you really need a much larger flat area to get a good read.

Also, since I'm sorta bitchin', the OEM exhaust shrouds truly are of inferior quality. Both had disintegrated tabs when I removed them and will need replacing.

[Monstaman]

Looks bloody good with the red done.

[Borracho]

That looks great! Even if it is a shade off; still looks waaaaaaaaaay better than the silver.

[08hyper]

I don't know, I kinda like the silver, if fact a bare aluminum subframe looks trick to me, breaks up the red a little, but thats just me....... Aloha Alex

[bromike666]

Originally Posted by 08hyper

I don't know, I kinda like the silver, if fact a bare aluminum subframe looks trick to me, breaks up the red a little, but thats just me....... Aloha Alex

+1........ The silver breaks up the red and draws the eye along the subframe. Admittedly I'm a Treblanche Fanboy (look at the bikes I own) but I'm pretty damn sure he didn't just say "wtf, I really wanted red or black but I guess we'll leave it silver." when designing this bike.

Hey, it's your bike and I'll admit thats one of the better subframe paint jobs I've seen on this site.

[TommyA]

I think the subframe looks great. I know it's tough to tell in pics, but it sure looks like a close match to me. But, I know it's really tough to match the red, so I'm going with black myself. While I don't think the silver is horrible, I do think either the black or red look better. $.02, etc...

[PedroHM]

i got the same setup with the woodcraft pegs and cover! looks good. Looks better with a nicer set of headers.. hint hint..

[kingsnake1650]

I did the subframe red on mine too. The paint used was RM brand paint. Code C2S varient SR105.5 I belive they call it Ducati red. According to the guy that did the work for me the trick is getting the right varient. Mine is spot on color wise.. but has a little higher gloss than the stock frame. PS it looks alot better if you cut the tabs off the pipe.

[Surfdog]

Nice bike....

I went the other direction... BLACK

[typhon]

Originally Posted by kingsnake1650

I did the subframe red on mine too. The paint used was RM brand paint. Code C2S varient SR105.5 I belive they call it Ducati red. According to the guy that did the work for me the trick is getting the right varient. Mine is spot on color wise.. but has a little higher gloss than the stock frame. PS it looks alot better if you cut the tabs off the pipe.

i think it looks great.

on a side note: you may want to check your chain tension. it looks extremely loose in the photo...could just be a tropical delusion.