Painting the Frame

[Mayakovski]

Greetings all;

In my ongoing struggle between the Racer and the Carbon Shine (big cost difference). How much work would be involved and could it be done by someone mildly mechanical to paint the Racer's red frame to black? I am guessing it would be pretty much everything apart to do it right, am I correct? Is that an "easy" process?

Thanks
Maya

 

[Trout]

If you enjoy wrenching & have a place, tools & time to do it Guzzi's are pretty easy to take apart & re-assemble.

Don't do it a buddy's house/garage as stuff tends to get moved or lost.
Take lots of photo's so you know how stuff goes back together.
Be prepared to buy tools like a bike lift or hydraulic jack etc....
Allow at least a month of downtime.

Personally I wouldn't get involved in doing this to a new bike.
You may want to consider buying the Carbon riding it for a year while saving money to convert it to a racer style.
Get your fueling and any mechanical bugs worked out then go for the 'Look".

 

[Mayakovski]

You may want to consider buying the Carbon riding it for a year while saving money to convert it to a racer style.

Actually other way around, Racers are $7500 up here, while the Carbon is $11,300.
I just am not a fan of the red frame.

 

[Trout]

WOW! Buy the Racer.
For that much difference I would paint the frame even tho my previous post was against it.

 

[Mayakovski]

WOW! Buy the Racer.
For that much difference I would paint the frame even tho my previous post was against it.

I am very tempted, do you know what differences there are in the ergonomics, besides the handle bar setup?

 

[Trout]

I've not ridden any of the current V7 models so I can't give you a definite answer but I have owned & ridden both styles.

The Racer is going to put you in a lean forward position & the V7 will put you in an upright (closer to a cruiser) position.
I like both styles myself however if you are not used to a Racer style bike then in the beginning it can be a bit harder on the body.

In general the V7 bike will "handle" easier than the Racer because of handle bar width & highth, it gives you more leverage to turn the wheel. The Racer will require a little bit more effort.

Sitting/riding on the V7 in an upright position is a more relaxed type of ride allowing the weight to be on your butt with shoulders relaxed.
The Racer position puts more pressure on your shoulders which takes some time to get used to.

Your hight & inseam will determine which bike fits you the best.
I know many people who have put risers on the V7 models to raise their sitting position to an even more upright stance.

Owning a bike becomes a very personalized thing.
I think my Victory Tour is the only bike I have ever owned that I have not changed handle bars or seat.

On one bike (2011 Guzzi Black Eagle) the stock bars were high & wide so my body became a sail, the wind beat me to death & gave me a pain dead center between my shoulder blades.
I swapped bars to a lower style but the angle on those killed my wrists so I changed them out again & for what ever reason they created a wind turbulence that shook me like a rag.
I finally put on a set of adjustable clip ons & those worked great.

When I bought the Griso I put a pair of the adjustable clip ons on her also.
The difference in length changed the whole character of the bike.
With the OEM wide bars the bike is much easier to put into a curve but with the shorter clip ons it takes more effort & at speeds above 70/75 I have to plant my chest on the tank. It's actually a lot of fun.

 

[usedtobefast]

Ok, another mention for http://cycle-ergo.com/ . They have lots of bikes ... so you can compare something you are thinking of buying to something you've had before ... like a Ducati Monster, or Griso, V7 Racer, Stone, etc. and look at seating positions. And adjust bike features (like modified bars, etc).

As for painting a Racer's red parts black, whew, that would be a big job (if doing it yourself) or very expensive (if paying a shop to totally disassemble and re-assemble your new motorcycle) ... I mean, I was quoted $540 for my first service that takes 2 hours of labor.

Another thing to consider in all this is the Racer's rear set pegs vs. the Stone/Carbon's more mid placement (and lower) pegs. Personally I like the rear sets, feels very good to me, but I don't have any knee problems (yet).

 

[Mayakovski]

Thanks Trout;

Really appreciate all the information.
So far I have only been able to sit on the bikes, not ride. The dealer does not get his demo license and insurance until April.
Soon my precious, soon.
Both felt good, but the racer was too hunched over for me, which I know can be remedied easily with risers and a bar. But I also found I did not like the peg position being farther back. And do not know if that can be resolved or not.

I think I will go for the Carbon Shine as it is the bike I "really" want, and although the Racer would save me money, it just would not be the one I want.

April 15, test ride day, I cannot wait, someone please speed up time.

Maya

 

[Godfrey]

Having done this many times, the only way to paint a motorcycle frame and make it look good is to *completely* dismantle the motorcycle, stripping the electrical system and every other bit from every painted component of the frame, and then have the frame prepped and professionally painted. Any other way always ends up looking like a bodge job to my eyes.

The Racer model includes different assemblies for the foot pegs and foot controls (they're repositioned about five inches further rear wards to complement the clip-on handlebar position), and different mufflers, crossover pipe, and muffler hangers (the Racer mufflers are more upswept for improved ground cornering clearance; the stock Carbon Shine mufflers might fit with the racer controls and footpegs however).

Personally, I find the Racer's sporting riding position a thousand times more comfortable than any sit-up-and-beg standard or laid-back cruiser riding position. The sit-up bikes make my lower back hurt ... I have a long torso and longish arms. Racer centralizes my hips over the footpegs and puts my arms and shoulders forward so I can control the motorcycle better too; I always feel slightly out of control on a sit up bike. Getting onto Racer, it fits me just right, just naturally, the same way my sportified 850T and LeMans V did oh so long ago. I'm old now and likely can't do this the way I once did, but on the old T and the LMV I used to hop on and ride 150 miles, stop for breakfast, then ride another 600-800 miles in a day without even getting tired. Crossing the country back when, I'd do that every day for weeks as I zigzagged all over the place.

Ah, Youth! I'm probably lucky if I can do 400 miles in a day now on a consistent basis like that. My brain gets tired out long before my body does, and I don't see as well at night anymore. Such it is.

But there's no question for me what bike I find comfortable ...