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Bodywork and paint for new bike


jacobhawkins

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I want to get track bodywork for the Triumph.  Don't know shit about track only bodywork, quick search led me to Hot Bodies, they currently have a 2 for 1 sale.  Sounds good if the product is ok?  Also need paint.  I've seen folks here talk about Paul Finn, Attack painter.  Facebook page seems old for that, anybody have current contact information for him?

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From what i read up on when looking for track plastics is that hot bodies are very hit or miss. Some people had no issues, others basically threw them away and bought a better brand. So do some research on your specific bike and see what others have said about the fit. Also, hot bodies are known to explode during a crash. As in they break/crak instead of bending. But for the price, you can replace them and still be cheaper than buying a set of sharkskins. 

I ended up with armour body. I haven't crash tested them yet but the fit is good. Looking back i wish i would have spent the extra though and got sharkskins. Drilling the holes were a pain and i had issues getting the windshield in but that was my fault. The sharkskins come predrilled. 

Since it is a trackbike, i just used spray paint. It looks good from 10ft away and that all i wanted. Since there is a good chance of it going down at some point, i didn't think a $1,000 paint job was worth it to me. Others love the look of a professionally painted bike. 

Just my 2 cents in all this. Good luck in whatever path you choose. 

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My personal opinion is stay away from Hotbodies. I had some on my Triumph. Fit was terrible, finish was marginal at best. Tons of holes in the gel coat that needed repaired. If you're spending the money on a paint job, give your painter a little better canvas to start with. They also didn't hold up for shit during a crash. They were destroyed in a low speed low side. 

I've had excellent results and nothing good to say about Optimal Racing, however I'm not sure if they have fairings for the 13+ 675. Last I checked it was 06-12 only. They were about $480 shipped, which is not that much more than the "2 for 1" hotbodies. 

I also think Armour body makes a good product too, but never had them on my bike. 

And of course Sharkskinz are supposed to be top notch, but you'll pay for it. 

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hotbodies is a crapshoot... sometimes they fit sometimes they don't... they  put a shit gelcoat on them so prep and paint is a nightmare.... Optimal is very good for the money I've owned 5 sets of them now... 4 different bikes... all were great.. including  crash and repair. Sharkskins is on my 1199 right now and the fit is amazing... armorbodies is good too honestly

paul finn is still around and still painting as he is honestly great... he has painted all of my track bikes (except one done by AMA/Motoamerica painter Andrew swenson)

depends on how much you want to spend on a paint job.... paul is cheaper and good but takes a little bit... Andrew is amazing but it will cost you around 700-1000  and there are plenty of people on the WERA boards that paint as well single and multi-colors for the 400-700 range

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I happy to give Paul a call and talk about it.  Do you have his number or email?  

Getting the pretty strong feeling Hotbodies are not the way to go!  haha  Paul may have a preference.  I'll check out the others tonight.  I don't really mind waiting to have the work done, not like I'll be on the track any time soon...

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Then armorbodies or sharkskins imo.

I have armor bodies on the R6 and they are very nice. But I'm also used to really patched together body work so they would probably all be real nice. 

Edited by Jester_
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+1 for Armour Bodies.  They're a little bit more expensive though.  
Granted, they didn't make an SV1000 set, so I specifically asked the distributor if the SV650 would fit, since the body is essentially the same, but I really wanted to make sure I didn't miss some silly detail.  Was told yes, but in the end, the bodywork didn't account for the larger exhaust headers on the SV1000, so I have a burnt hole in the bodywork. :(

Fitment was pretty good, except for the tail section - which was quite the bear to get on.

Regarding paint -- I tried to get 5 different shops in the area to quote, no one returned my calls or e-mails, so for $250 including all the tools, I bought some vinyl and did a wrap myself.  There's a video on my YouTube page of the process I went through to vinyl wrap it and my Armour Bodies review if you're really inclined to have a watch.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Awesome, thanks guys.  Looks like I'm getting Armor Bodies.  I've painted quite a few things (in a previous life I built guitars) but just hate sanding...  I'll give Paul a call when I get the bodywork fit and see what he can do.  Otherwise, I'm going matte black and I'll find a spare set of wheels to powdercoat green.

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  • 2 weeks later...

On the way...  Power Commander is in, Ignition module is close, block off plates are on their way along with the air filter.  Dad cleared out a spot in one of his cabinets for the bodywork during the build.  I couldn't believe how light the bodywork is.  I don't know what was on my CBR but it seems so much heavier then this.  The primer looks good, should be easy to prep for paint.

 

 

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Edited by jacobhawkins
I can't do photos...
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Not sure if you looked into this, but I would also get the carbon fiber tank sliders. They look good and are functional. Hopefully you won't need them, but just in case.  There's a guy that sells them on the Triumph675.net forum.

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