I've coated the matted high heat paint I sprayed one a while back, with some clear high heat clear engine enamel in the hopes that the dirt my engine accumulates during the rain, will wash off easier instead of integrating with the black paint
So far so good!
Looks like the engine enamel is holding up so far.
I've been cruising around for about 3 hours today, and the paint seems to hold up.
Tomorrow I'll check to see if the dirt washes off easier.

Hi SavageWahine,

WOW!!! nice shiny case,   looks really great. Love that heat shield also.

You win, hands down, for prettiest bike  

Take care...Dennis

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 01/27/08 at 21:33:11:

Very funny!!!  

Looks nice.  Good job.

skrapiron -FSO wrote on 01/28/08 at 04:50:27:
I'd be very reluctant to add any kind of paint or coating to the factory anodized finish on the cooling fins.  

Many air cooled bikes came with black paint on the fins from the factory, but that coating was always very thin and the manufacturer factored it into the way the bike was built.  I've played around with Z900/Z1000s and you'll certainly be more limited on bore size for overheating if the barrels are painted.

So-called heat-dissipating matt black paint loses heat because it's black, and black surfces release/absorb infra red at a much better rate than other colours.  However, while a black painted surface will cool a whole lot better than white, it's still insulation compared to bare matt metal.

That paint looks to be on pretty thick compared with traditionally used motorcycle black barrel paint, and with the clear enamel on top as well you're going to have insulation from the thickness of the two coats, and reduced cooling from the surface being shiny.  That would be fine for painting an engine block when most of your cooling comes from a water system, but really could cause problems.

Best to be careful on hot days, especially in slow traffic.

thumperclone wrote on 01/28/08 at 07:51:32:
Is that a factory finish on the 06?

150f seems quite low, just 66c oil temperature, stationary in 100f air - if the motor can run that cool, it's a work of genius!  Surely it can't have been fully warmed up?

I'm used to getting worried in tuned cars if the sump oil temperature gets up towards 120c (248f), at that level you can worry about oil evaporating off the bores underneath the piston.

If the little Savage can really keep to 150f on a hot day in traffic with coated fins, I guess it doesn't matter what you paint or coat it with.

SavageWahine wrote on 01/28/08 at 10:43:10:


Get one of those cheap infared temp guns (when on sale of course) in auto part store and monitor the head temp under different riding conditions. BTW it is a beautiful paint job, I wish you live next door so you can do mine too. Wait the minute, my is black coated from factory already. It is a little bit thinner than what you have there. I wouldn't be too concerned.

You definately have to monitor your block temps at more than one location.  Around the header, it is going to be hottest.  Around the carb will likely be the coolest.

Getting back to the original point, the several layers of paint that are now sealing the aluminum are acting as an insulator and are definately affecting the ability of the engine to cool.

The factory anodized finish (the original matte black) does not seal the engine case like paint does.  It is less than 3ml thick and does not affect the cooling.  Once you added paint, you sealed the engine.  With additional layers of paint, you are increasing the insulating properties of the paint.

On the surface of the paint, the temps may feel normal, but under the paint they are likely much higher.....

It looks good, but is likely to lead to problems down the road.