ghostntheshell
Well-Known Member
Because people asked - I shall answer 
Like the original look of the white lettered Dunlop Qualifiers that came on the Max at some point in it's history?
I sure did - as it really gives it that "muscle car" look.
I was asked by three separate people this weekend at the bike show how I did it - and it's beyond simple - but I too asked the question at one point - so here it is!
1.) Take your set of tires and clean them. It is IDEAL that they be new tires - but it's likely they will be mounted on your bike already. So position the wheel where you have access to the complete area you'd like to paint.
*IDEALLY the tire would be flat on the ground - as it avoids paint run - but I have done this once with the tires on the bike and with some quick clean up, the occasional paint run is manageable.*
I used a "nail brush" to scrub the area with warm water. After the scrub down I patted dry with paper towel.
I cleaned only the area in which I was painting. But these were new tires. So while your at it - you might as well clean the whole thing - otherwise if you have dirty tires you'll end up with "clean spots" which tend to highlight how dirty the bike is
2.) Use the paint pen. I used TRIMBRITE TIRE LETTERMATE that I bought from Auto Source for 6 dollars.
3.) *IMPORTANT* choose lettering that is raised with TEXTURE. Otherwise this pen will do a horrible job on a flat, non-textured surface.
See in the picture the lettering section I chose had MARATHON and ME 880 in raised, dotted, lettering. Very common with most manufactures to have a raised section with texture.
When you have your clean, textured lettering in mind for painting - take the pen, dabbing the tip 2-3 times to get the paint flowing, and start coloring!
Again, I stress, it's SO much easier with the tires off the bike. When I did this with the tires still on the bike, my shoulder and neck were stiff for a day or so
A tip: start on the inside of the raised letters outter wall. The tip WILL cover the top of the ridge - and for the most part, keep it neat and prevent spilling of the paint over the lip.
And voila! This stuff dries pretty quickly - and the instruction advise you can drive with em, while it dries for 36 hours (dry to touch in like 4 hours??)
Like the original look of the white lettered Dunlop Qualifiers that came on the Max at some point in it's history?
I sure did - as it really gives it that "muscle car" look.
I was asked by three separate people this weekend at the bike show how I did it - and it's beyond simple - but I too asked the question at one point - so here it is!
1.) Take your set of tires and clean them. It is IDEAL that they be new tires - but it's likely they will be mounted on your bike already. So position the wheel where you have access to the complete area you'd like to paint.
*IDEALLY the tire would be flat on the ground - as it avoids paint run - but I have done this once with the tires on the bike and with some quick clean up, the occasional paint run is manageable.*
I used a "nail brush" to scrub the area with warm water. After the scrub down I patted dry with paper towel.
I cleaned only the area in which I was painting. But these were new tires. So while your at it - you might as well clean the whole thing - otherwise if you have dirty tires you'll end up with "clean spots" which tend to highlight how dirty the bike is
2.) Use the paint pen. I used TRIMBRITE TIRE LETTERMATE that I bought from Auto Source for 6 dollars.
3.) *IMPORTANT* choose lettering that is raised with TEXTURE. Otherwise this pen will do a horrible job on a flat, non-textured surface.
See in the picture the lettering section I chose had MARATHON and ME 880 in raised, dotted, lettering. Very common with most manufactures to have a raised section with texture.
When you have your clean, textured lettering in mind for painting - take the pen, dabbing the tip 2-3 times to get the paint flowing, and start coloring!
Again, I stress, it's SO much easier with the tires off the bike. When I did this with the tires still on the bike, my shoulder and neck were stiff for a day or so
A tip: start on the inside of the raised letters outter wall. The tip WILL cover the top of the ridge - and for the most part, keep it neat and prevent spilling of the paint over the lip.
And voila! This stuff dries pretty quickly - and the instruction advise you can drive with em, while it dries for 36 hours (dry to touch in like 4 hours??)
