Your Tank Striping is Wrong

[kp]

I thought I would share this "your tank striping is wrong" story with you.
In Australia we have paint shops that are as good as any. The painter I used last time I had a job done has retired (he was an artist) and finding another was on my to do list. A good friend and fellow Sandcast enthusiasts put me on to a great painter of sandcast tanks etc who's work was right up there but on making an enquiry this guy was so busy he's decided to concentrate on custom Harley paintwork. No more Honda candy paint. Buggar So find another painter. All very well. The truth is that most qualified spray painters are generally very very good otherwise they would be out of a job. BUT! Finding someone who specialises in small jobs and if possible, motorcycle painting, is not so easy however, I was given a contact who does mostly motorcycles and early bikes is a particular specialty with him.
So I drop around to his shop to have a talk and to see his set up and was impressed both with his setup and the quality of his work, Now there are few early Honda SOHC motorcycles in a particular area so his experience in painting the 69, 70 and 71 models is limited to less that a half dozen bikes but he had loads of experience with candy paint. He was up front when I spoke about painting the stripe on the tank. He'd done a few but was more into using decals which is fine but I want my stripe painted, otherwise I will feel the wrath of Gerard for not doing something in keeping with the original Honda method.
I get to see his album of paintwork of early SOHC 750s and straight up spot a real problem. Tank striping I say to him "Your tank striping is wrong"
Now this is not the first time we've be confronted with stripes that are off after a repaint. The problem as I see it is more about follow on in that someone such as a painter is told or given a copy of how a stripe should be. After a few years, that incorrect stripe becomes the norm and gets accepted as the correct Honda stripe. Guess what, the largest seller of painted K0 items is Yamiya in Japan, and also guess what, Yamiya's tank stripes are wrong. Mr Yamiya, "your tank striping is wrong" Do not pass go, do not collect your $100, go straight to jail. If you don't agree with what I've just said, then you also need to also go to jail 
Now what chance have we got if the biggest seller of the repainted tank stripes has got it wrong 
Getting back to my initial tale; I tell the new painter, who is maybe in his early 30's and isn't so familiar with the early SOHC 750 as we collector folk, I'll either bring you a correct original painted tank with correct stripe or I take him a pre-made decal stripe from on of the most respected decal makers on the planet.
Dead f'n easy yeah!  No, not so f'n easy yeah! 
I find my elusive pre-made tank stripe in an obscure packing crate, in an unopened box, in an unopened bag. Oh good, a template for the painter, But wait, there's more. On inspecting this finely crafted reproduction tank stripe that I bought from some shady seller at the beer, beef and burgundy bar - SHOCK - I immediately say to my self "Hey Mr tank stripe reproducer, "your finally crafted, you-beaut tank stripe is also f'n wrong" Not only is it too wide (should be around 45 to 46mm wide), it's also way too long
So I dig out 2 unrestored tanks I own, and also compare with an original tank on one of my own bikes. Three original tank stripes in all, so I do know I'm good here. I photo the tanks with stripe on stripe and send them off to the decal maker who I'm sure is going to totally ignore me. Oh well, at least I've tried
Here are my very quick and dirty photos for you to see what I'm saying. Do we all get what I'm saying here
Now there is a moral to this War n Peace story.
If members don't take the time and contribute their findings to this site, how will we learn, how will we know
Enjoy the read
Later fellas.

[Steve Swan]

i don't recall there being a white stripe as the outer border around the black stripes. that must be for a prototype unit, very rare.

[kp]

Indeed! Very rare Only seen on the first 100 bikes or so. In fact the Yamaha of 1970 copied this white border style from Honda. Finding a company to do this stripe is rare in itself.  Too bad the company got the width's wrong I'm sure they'll respond in kind

[4pots1969]

I like what you had said dear friend Kp,
Are you sure the first tanks had painted stripes? Because frankly I do not see the painters mask the tanks several times for industrial production, there would have been too much irregularity in my opinion ...
The tank stripes sold for the original are never correct, so why make them manufacture if they are not correct?
They are much too wide and the final tail and always curved when they must be straight (photo 1) ... It should be made tank stripes in real decal that is soaked in warm water before placing them, rather than stickers, already for the thin thickness and also for the ease and precision when placing...

[Sam]

I recently did the paint on sandcast #538 and filmed the entire restoration. I'll publish the video in the next few weeks. Anyway, my solution to this was to bring in an original, unrestored wrinkle tank with original paint, measure every aspect of the stripe with a micrometer and transfer the design to the masking for the tank I was restoring. The result was a near-perfect copy of what I am 100% sure is an early original painted stripe. I was schooled a year or two ago about these stripes being painted (thanks to this wonderful forum!) and began to pay much closer attention to them. Indeed, most repaints you see out there are incorrect. Thanks for the story KP!!

[Joe K]

Yes this is a good topic.  Now I am going to measure my decal stripes to see how off they are. 

Joe K.

[kp]

Are you sure the first tanks had painted stripes? Because frankly I do not see the painters mask the tanks several times for industrial production, there would have been too much irregularity in my opinion ...
It should be made tank stripes in real decal that is soaked in warm water before placing them, rather than stickers, already for the thin thickness and also for the ease and precision when placing...

I will check again my friend but I am sure they are painted
The stripes you see in the picture are as you suggest. They are very very thin and applied using water, but nevertheless incorrect
Thanks for the photo

[kp]

I recently did the paint on sandcast #538 and filmed the entire restoration. I'll publish the video in the next few weeks. Anyway, my solution to this was to bring in an original, unrestored wrinkle tank with original paint, measure every aspect of the stripe with a micrometer and transfer the design to the masking for the tank I was restoring. The result was a near-perfect copy of what I am 100% sure is an early original painted stripe.

Thanks for that feedback Sam. I was just talking with Steve last week about doing a video of my upcoming restoration which will feature the strip down as well as the rebuild. I'm looking forward to you publishing that video. If it is anything like your previous efforts it will be very good to view and one may learn something about video production as well as your resto processes.
I would love you to publish the measurements of those stripes  I'll try and do the same

[kp]

Will this idea work?
I bin thinkin of getting some of that magnetic sign material, the stuff refrigerator magnetic business cards are made from, and cutting out a few stripe templates. The material comes in various thicknesses and will give a guide for the striping. Thoughts.

[Sam]

Could work. In my experience, that stuff is usually too think to easily stretch over a curved surface. Perhaps I have only had experience with thicker gauge stuff.

 Another idea would be to get some tracing paper, attach it smoothly to the tank, trace the stripes and then scan those stripes into a computer.

[motormark]

I sent my sandcast tank to a painter a couple of weeks ago. I took along an original paint wrinkle tank for layout and technique. I'm not sure what others are seeing, but with no prompting my painter said, "Sure. We paint it red, then put on the black base stripe. Next we mask for the gold." But as he looked closely he said, "That gold stripe has subtle brush marks, it's put on with a wide brush! And there's no clear coat on the gold" And I said I agreed as I'd been staring at how the gold had a sort of "coagulated" look to it I have seen in brushed on metallics since I was painting stuff over 60 years ago.. Anybody see what I see? Anyway, that's what I'm going with.....