What would you do - decal looks wrong

Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 11:48 am

Hello everyone.

My restoration of my CB900F2 has been going extraordinarily slow due to work commitments. I have found a great painter that does great work, and does it in less that 6 months! He has just sent me a picture of his work. Paint and pinstripes look great, but he has used a decal that to me looks like it has the wrong colour. I think looking at it would bug me every time i got on the bike. I did not supply the decals and the painter has apologised for overlooking the decals he sourced. I have offered to cover he cost of repairing it as I think there may have been a miscommunication that was not entirely his fault. Would you accept the job as is or bite the bullet and get the colour right?

Top photo is repainted tank, lower photo is original.

Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 12:24 pm

If he had the old tank he should have matched the new decal to it, brought any discrepancies to your attention, and got your sign off on it before applying it ESPECIALLY since he sourced the decal. Not your fault at all IMO ....

Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 12:36 pm

I think you're picking at nits. However, it is your bike and I'm sure you paid good money to have it done right. I can't tell if the new one is a little oranger or more copper colored than the original. Sometimes going back to fix something like that opens an entirely new can of worms.

Hope it turns out the way you want, though.

Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 2:07 pm

It should be yellow, not orange. I get mine from CB Decals.

Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 3:22 pm

That looks good JR. I had a quick look at the CB decals site, could not see a winged honda for the CB900. Do you remember what model your decal is from?

Regards,

Chris

Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 4:37 pm

It means a complete strip and redo. Your call. My opinion, orange is not bad at all and looks quite good

Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 4:45 pm

Considering what Hondo57 just posted, I'd accept it as is - the slight difference in color to me is inconsequential. However, if I were going to be "aggravated" every time I looked at my bike afterward - then I'd get it changed. Up to you.

Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 4:54 pm

From the XL600R, clear coat friendly:

https://cbdecals.afegraphics.com/view_product.php?adminshopping=&product=83xl600r-TNKLG-CB00576

Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 5:44 pm

I think it looks richer and better as is. Tell anyone (including yourself) who complains that you specified it that way on purpose!

Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 6:00 pm

Agreed!! If you're not entering your bike into Concours judging, I sure wouldn't worry about the wing colour.
My vote would to "Let it Be"!!

Cheers!
Chris

Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 6:21 pm

It certainly looks Good now, but if it bothers you and isn't EXACTLY what you wanted and what your vision was for the bike , I say fix it now.

Life is too short to live with regrets when you have the power to fix the problem.

It's Probably more the painters fault since he sourced the decal, so he seems to have more culpability for the mistake, so he should fix it ...

Is it possible to have him scuff the clearcoat, apply new decal and shoot more clear over, then sand , and polish?

Good luck, judging from what I see, your project will be nice either way

Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 7:05 pm

If you plan to show this in some concourse-type environment where the judges (and you) care, then get it fixed. The painter messed up - not you. He should have noticed the difference and contacted you before he made it permanent.

If you don't care if it's right, then don't waste your time doing it over. But if it bothers you, then have the painter fix it at his expense.

The tank looks great and I like the way the logo looks. If it were up to me, I'd enjoy it as is.

There are perhaps one or two people that I can think of that would know the difference and care. If they want to nitpick, then tell them to go "F" themselves! Laughing

Hawk Joined: Oct 12, 2014 Posts: 380 Location: Virginia

Is it possible that the original tank decal faded? I understand that the new decal is much brighter and oranger than the one you started with. But even the one you started with does not look yellow like the one JR posted.

If this is a resto-mod with other slight changes then I say it looks like the paint job was well done and I'd accept it. However, if this is a restoration that demands 100% accuracy, then it should be redone. Like others have said, this is something that should have been discussed prior to him using the new decals.

Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 10:52 pm

Thanks for the input everyone, I appreciate it. I think what I will do is ask if a repair is possible. If so, then use the CB decals logo that JR posted. If it requires a complete strip and repaint, then leave as it and move on. I will let you know what happens.

Thanks again!

Chris

Hawk Joined: Aug 17, 2013 Posts: 302 Location: Devon. UK

This was mine shortly after being painted and using OEM decals (it was many years ago when they were still available)
It matches your original perfectly, the new decal is definitely darker.

I think you're making the right decision to have it re-done as I know it would bug the hell out of me having spent so much getting the rest of it spot on.

Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2018 11:14 pm

Just spoke to the painter. He says he can correct with another decal. The decals were made locally, so he can get one printed to the same size and shape with yellow instead of orange and he says it will look good.

Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2018 4:02 am

Stueecat wrote:

I think you're making the right decision to have it re-done as I know it would bug the hell out of me having spent so much getting the rest of it spot on.

+1

Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2018 4:39 am

Turns out the decal maker insisted to the painter that he correct colour for the bike was orange. I just said to the painter to check what was on the bike when it came in. It had the original paint and decalls. Looks like the issue has been identified and a plan in place to fix it without too much drama.

Thanks for the input.

Cheers,

Chris

Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2018 8:21 am

the original may have faded over time, leave it as is!

Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2018 12:34 pm

I expect they will do more than what I did, but it is possible to trim around the decal with a scalpel, remove decal, wet sand, and then apply new decal in same spot (provided it's the same size, and re-clear.

http://www.cb1100f.net/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=56172&highlight=tank

Hawk Joined: Jun 05, 2017 Posts: 330 Location: New England

FCMike wrote:

the original may have faded over time, leave it as is!

Nope, those color wings are from another bike, like a Magna. I would fix it, as I imagine that the extra cost is not much compared to what you have into it. I had a Husky tank painted and it came back with a slightly crooked decal. I thought I could live with it....but it sticks out like a sore thumb every time I see that tank.

Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2018 8:05 am

Bone wrote:

Just spoke to the painter. He says he can correct with another decal. The decals were made locally, so he can get one printed to the same size and shape with yellow instead of orange and he says it will look good.

Good news. That paint looks really nice by the way Wink

Gonna look good when it's finished.

Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2018 5:36 am

All sorted. New decals. They are bit more 'yellow' than original, but much closer than the orange.

Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2018 10:51 am

Looks great Chris, personally I didn’t mind how it looked in the first photos. But really the money you have to spend to get a bike painted it needs to be right. Kudos to the painter for fixing it to be what you wanted.

Mark