1989 Honda Shadow VT1100c
Summer 2017 project
After
Before
After my daughter was born, I lost my appetite for my motorcycle. She had a maturing effect on me and suddenly I was aware of my mortality for the first time. Anyway, I did not ride it or start it even once for 15 years. Also I lost the key, so that was probably part of the reason too. After I got into auto mechanics and custom body finishing, I took this on as my second project. The goal was to sell the bike, so as much as I was tempted, I had to keep things as stock as possible. (I really wanted to do a bob-job with it.) The tank was dented on the right side from when I dropped the bike while pushing it out of someones parking area during a bachelor party. Yes I was drunk. This meant I would need to paint it, so I decided to use the stuff I bought for my car project that was on hold.
It's a 14 coat paint job using House of Kolor all the way. Galaxy Grey with metal flake is what they call it. Three coats of hybrid 2K epoxy black primer, two coats of polyurethane silver sealer, four base coats of galaxy grey metal flake, and finally three coats of urethane clear coat, then after 24 hrs, wet sanded with 800P grit, and finished with two flow coats. No cut & polish. The finish is right out of the gun. The HOK clear is rock hard and very tough to scratch. It also has the highest UV protection of any clear on the market. The paint should not fade for over 40 years. I could not get a photo that really does it justice, especially in the bright summer sun. This is the best automotive paint that money can buy. The frame is painted as well. I disassembled the bike, and hand sanded every nook and cranny of the frame, visible or not, for three days. After painting, every part was cleaned and polished as it went back together. The project took me about eight weeks.
I found the key code under the steering lock so I was finally able to get a key cut. I changing the oil, flushed the radiator, cleaned out the fuel system, and sprayed WD40 all over the inside of the cylinders. One shot of starting fluid in the air box, and it fired up perfectly on the first try, as if it had just been started yesterday! Honda makes amazing machines.