AFE Graphics Match - What would you do?

Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 11:06 pm

Rebuilding a 1980 750F and was lucky enough to score an NOS gas tank from an 82 900F. The NOS tank is silver with blue stripes and my body work was repainted blue. So I purchased the side cover and tail stripes for a Silver 1982 750F from AFE Graphics and handed everything off to my painter. He did a perfect match of the silver paint on the tank, but the light blue stripe on the AFE Graphics is several shades lighter than the NOS stripe. Here is what it looks like:

What to do? Here's where I see my options:

1. Buy the tank stripes from AFE and have my painter repaint the tank with the new stripes. I hate this option because the tank is PERFECT.

2. Sell the NOS tank, pick up a used tank and new stripes and have my painter redo it.

3. Use it as is and stop being a picky whining bastard.

What say you? Any options I'm missing?

Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 11:15 pm

Maybe several coats of wax will make it look better?

Looks fine to me...

Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 11:41 pm

spartan8ball wrote:

Maybe several coats of wax will make it look better?

Looks fine to me...

Wax won't help and you need a new monitor. That looks like hell. I would contact AFE and tell them their decal is off and they need to make it right. Tattoo

Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 12:06 am

Since the blue stripes never actually butt up against one another, I would say it is fine. Unless, it is going to bother you every time you look at it, then sell the tank and do another tank. You would be crazy to redo that tank because of what it would fetch on Ebay, if it truly is mint and NOS.

Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 12:49 am

Bumbstead wrote:

Since the blue stripes never actually butt up against one another, I would say it is fine. Unless, it is going to bother you every time you look at it, then sell the tank and do another tank. You would be crazy to redo that tank because of what it would fetch on Ebay, if it truly is mint and NOS.

You know if it didn't bother him he wouldn't have said anything? The tank is blue the covers are baby blue. Why should he sale the original tank when the decals on the covers are the wrong color? I don't understand? Tattoo

Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 12:56 am

AFE are a stand up group of folks...
Take close ups of both the tank and the side covers...side by side..
There is no doubt in my mind that they will make it right....

Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 1:00 am

CowTownBiomed wrote:

AFE are a stand up group of folks...
Take close ups of both the tank and the side covers...side by side..
There is no doubt in my mind that they will make it right....

That's what I would think. Tattoo

Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 1:08 am

The technology on the production of factory decals 27 years ago is not what it is today. I would bet that if you took ten new bikes back then and put them side by side, you would have a range of colours on the decals. Notwithstanding that this NOS tank is probably not the exact same colour as IT was when it left the factory. If AFE helps you out that's great, but you cannot expect them to guarantee that their decals will perfectly match production decals that have been on a bike for 27 years. It's unreasonable to expect that. The only way to guarantee a uniform set is to redo the tank, and I just think redoing a mint NOS tank is not the thing to do.

And what would you ask that AFE do? "The decals you sent me are baby blue, please send me medium blue ones to match my old tank" (?) The only way they could try to match the colours, is if you sent the tank to them. I just think try to match new decals to old is tricky and you may never be satisfied. The decals from AFE are a very different decal than the ones made in 1982 in several ways, not only colour. They are great decals, I used them on my bike, but they are not the same as the 1982 factory decals.

Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 3:45 am

I have talked to AFE before and the guy there said not only would
he split up decal sets or print just what I wanted....he would do them
IN ANY COLOR I wanted.....take a high quality photo(s) of your part(s)
and send them to him.......They will print up what you need. the only thing
that sucks.....did you bury the stickers in the clear?
Me I would run what you have.....your damn legs are over the sides
anyway ridin'....... Wink

Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 3:59 am

Jebbysan wrote:

I have talked to AFE before and the guy there said not only would
he split up decal sets or print just what I wanted....he would do them
IN ANY COLOR I wanted.....take a high quality photo(s) of your part(s)
and send them to him.......They will print up what you need. the only thing
that sucks.....did you bury the stickers in the clear?
Me I would run what you have.....your damn legs are over the sides
anyway ridin'....... Wink

He might be like me. That would drive me crazy. Laughing

Tattoo

Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 4:05 am

I dude at a car show awhile back told me that my drivers door on the
Stingray didn't fit right......I asked him if HE had a Corvette..and he walked
away.....maybe I'm harsh on people...but I think if you gotcha a nice bike
Kudos to you and if the stickers don't match it won't matter when the cam chain
breaks... Laughing

I'm more picky about how the damn thing functions I guess....bling is a bonus Exclamation

Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 4:17 am

I think AFE uses a lighter shade of Blue on the Silver 900F stripes. Whenever I've seen pictures of bikes that have been sprayed and used AFE Graphics it always looked like the Blue was a lighter shade than the OEM decals. Becasue of the size of the horizontal tank stripe it is pretty noticable on the '81 tank decal.

Sounds like your painter is good. If you don't come up with a better solution you might have him remove the sidecover stripes and paint them to match by hand.

Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 1:32 pm

Jebbysan wrote:

I dude at a car show awhile back told me that my drivers door on the
Stingray didn't fit right......I asked him if HE had a Corvette..and he walked
away.....maybe I'm harsh on people...but I think if you gotcha a nice bike
Kudos to you and if the stickers don't match it won't matter when the cam chain
breaks... Laughing

I'm more picky about how the damn thing functions I guess....bling is a bonus Exclamation

I guess you show your Vette? I don't go to car shows anymore. After restoring Vettes for 34 years it's no fun anymore. His Silver skins look damn good. I don't know how picky he is? Tattoo

Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 4:10 pm

Tattoo wrote:

Jebbysan wrote:

I dude at a car show awhile back told me that my drivers door on the
Stingray didn't fit right......I asked him if HE had a Corvette..and he walked
away.....maybe I'm harsh on people...but I think if you gotcha a nice bike
Kudos to you and if the stickers don't match it won't matter when the cam chain
breaks... Laughing

I'm more picky about how the damn thing functions I guess....bling is a bonus Exclamation

I guess you show your Vette? I don't go to car shows anymore. After restoring Vettes for 34 years it's no fun anymore. His Silver skins look damn good. I don't know how picky he is? Tattoo

Yeah....I just go to street machine stuff,hang out and drink beer.....although
it's getting to be a PITA because b ored old people will always fun nazi any cool
thing with too many rules and politics.....If I want politics I'll stay at home on
"The Great Beyond".... Laughing

Hawk Joined: Feb 21, 2008 Posts: 334 Location: mobile al

My question would be, it's a 900 tank and the decals are for a 750. Were the factory decals the same color or were they different as you have now?

Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 5:01 pm

Thanks for the replies. Maybe I am just being picky, but I think this pic better shows how different the shade really is:

I considered contacting AFE to see what they coud do, but the parts have several coats of clear over the stripes, and while I'm not a painter, I believe it would be a real pain to change them.

I could use them as is, but I know every time I look at the bike I'll think "damn, those don't match".

Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 5:03 pm

bamaf wrote:

My question would be, it's a 900 tank and the decals are for a 750. Were the factory decals the same color or were they different as you have now?

Yeah, I asked myself that question too when I ordered them, but they sure looked the same on their website. I know, I shouldn't have assumed...

Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 6:15 pm

Paulj wrote:

Thanks for the replies. Maybe I am just being picky, but I think this pic better shows how different the shade really is:

I considered contacting AFE to see what they coud do, but the parts have several coats of clear over the stripes, and while I'm not a painter, I believe it would be a real pain to change them.

I could use them as is, but I know every time I look at the bike I'll think "damn, those don't match".

I would email them this picture, explaining the NOS tank and their (AFE's) side panel / tailpiece decals, and ask them what they suggest. Use the last line of your quote.

Sometimes you can be pleasantly surprised.

Steve

Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 12:58 am

Whatever you do, don't F with the tank! NOS tanks are rare enough.

If you decide to strip the tank, take mine, and send me your NOS one! Wink

Work with the side covers and tail, but not the tank. That said, it would probably drive me crazy too.

Is it possible to get NOS stickers for the side covers/tail these days (which may match better for you), or is AFE our only option?

I ask because I'm only a fairing short of a set of bodywork, and I'm planning to have it painted blue, to go on the red 1100 I'm buying, so I can switch back and forth from one set to another (can't decide which color I like better).

Sorry for the hijack, brother.

Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 1:06 am

Since you have three pieces freshly painted....I think the
most logical thing to do is get a decent tank...order the
tank stickers from AFE (since you know they match) and
have your painter dude do up the tank (since you know
he can match the silver) Idea

I still don't think it looks that bad...because the tank stripe
follow any of the other lines......

Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 4:03 am

MB-5 Joined: Oct 28, 2009 Posts: 8 Location: Orange County

run it!!! I too am a fan of performance over beauty, my truck is a prime example, $4k worth of suspension and I've got green fiberglass fenders on a blue truck... for over 2 years lol

Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 5:46 am

I'm with you Steve, that would bug the crap out of me! If the tank really is NOS condition I would sell that to finance another tank purchase/paint.

Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 8:50 am

Jebbysan wrote:

Since you have three pieces freshly painted....I think the
most logical thing to do is get a decent tank...order the
tank stickers from AFE (since you know they match) and
have your painter dude do up the tank (since you know
he can match the silver) Idea

I still don't think it looks that bad...because the tank stripe
follow any of the other lines......

Agree, get another tank and have it matched, the nos tank is too rare to strip, i would store the tank and look for nos panels to match or sell on the bay to offset your paint costs.

Daz. Very Happy

Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 9:50 am

cojonesdeloro wrote:

Agree, get another tank and have it matched, the nos tank is too rare to strip, i would store the tank and look for nos panels to match or sell on the bay to offset your paint costs.
Daz. Very Happy

Yep. That's what I'd do too Wink

I would be wary of trying to match decals with OEM. Apart from anything else, they're a different *type* of decal. Heck, you can even have trouble repainting a single panel and have it match the rest. Do everything as a set and remove the variables.

cheers
ian

Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 9:51 am

I'm with bikeboy