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Who is THE R90S smoke paint dude?
- Thread starter ebeeby
- Start date
pauls1150
MOA #24991, south of Los Angeles
One of them was Holt BMW / Holt Design Organization in Athens Ohio, but I believe they've closed.
Just a potential lead to chase...
Bob's BMW in Maryland does some paint work.
There are several custom paint shops around here (Los Angeles) but I don't know anything about them.
Try Googling "BMW motorcycle custom paint jobs".
Just a potential lead to chase...
Bob's BMW in Maryland does some paint work.
There are several custom paint shops around here (Los Angeles) but I don't know anything about them.
Try Googling "BMW motorcycle custom paint jobs".
stevenrankin
Active member
2 cents
So, I am aware R90S owners in some cases want to paint their bikes exactly as the factory did back at build. I see nothing wrong with this and I felt the same way when restoring my short owned R90S.
But to be honest, any good custom or decent motorcycle paint guy can do the job. Not only were the R90S bikes painted in a smoked or blended fashion, some of the RT bikes in the early 80's were as well.
I have two local painters who are not nationally known, I found by a little bit of calling Harley shops. They do as good and in some cases are pickier than the factory guys. The added benefit is I don't have to ship parts, and to be honest, the cost was far less than what I got quoted by Holt many years ago.
So my point is, if you are not going to be entering in the Beverly Hills concourse bike show or some grand show, a local paint shop can do the job just as well with a lot less messing about. A good paint shop will have a lot of customers to ask and talk to in order to show off their work, if they don't LOL, avoid them.
The biggest bug a boo would be the tape pin stripes, finding someone to apply them. LOL, if the painter is good with a steady hand, he might even do them himself. St.
So, I am aware R90S owners in some cases want to paint their bikes exactly as the factory did back at build. I see nothing wrong with this and I felt the same way when restoring my short owned R90S.
But to be honest, any good custom or decent motorcycle paint guy can do the job. Not only were the R90S bikes painted in a smoked or blended fashion, some of the RT bikes in the early 80's were as well.
I have two local painters who are not nationally known, I found by a little bit of calling Harley shops. They do as good and in some cases are pickier than the factory guys. The added benefit is I don't have to ship parts, and to be honest, the cost was far less than what I got quoted by Holt many years ago.
So my point is, if you are not going to be entering in the Beverly Hills concourse bike show or some grand show, a local paint shop can do the job just as well with a lot less messing about. A good paint shop will have a lot of customers to ask and talk to in order to show off their work, if they don't LOL, avoid them.
The biggest bug a boo would be the tape pin stripes, finding someone to apply them. LOL, if the painter is good with a steady hand, he might even do them himself. St.
ebeeby
Member
Good advice! But where would my local Harley painter get the paint codes? Where are the photos showing the fade that he can copy?
Eric
No two are the same!
The beauty of the R 90S beast is no two paint jobs are the same. The factory paint was applied by a skilled painter (s) not a robotic painter. It would be impossible for the paint jobs to match, they obviously settled for close enough. All you need for a good color match is an original piece and a skilled painter who will take the time to match the paint as well as do a good job of fading the paint without splatter. I heard there's a guy in N.C. that can do it and the pinstripe, he has a waiting list as well.
The beauty of the R 90S beast is no two paint jobs are the same. The factory paint was applied by a skilled painter (s) not a robotic painter. It would be impossible for the paint jobs to match, they obviously settled for close enough. All you need for a good color match is an original piece and a skilled painter who will take the time to match the paint as well as do a good job of fading the paint without splatter. I heard there's a guy in N.C. that can do it and the pinstripe, he has a waiting list as well.
stevenrankin
Active member
Fender
The paint scheme number I believe was on a sticker on the rear fender under the seat. Decoding this gives the paint color and pinstripe colors. BM bikes is one source of information for color codes. The information is on the net.
The paint used in the 70's is not what you are going to get these days. It will be close. I imagine you could contact Holt and ask what the color code paints are. A good paint shop might have them in their stock or, you can order the paint from Glasurit.
If you have original body work with the paint, a good paint shop can computer blend the paint to match.
As for the paint Job itself, sorry, there are thousands of pictures available on line of R90S bikes in either silver or orange. Any good painter should be able to replicate the factory using good pictures. LOL, if your paint guy tells you he can't then for sure don't use him.
The biggest problem is finding a paint shop that will do motorcycles period. Car shops don't want to mess with the handling and fiddling fairings, gas tanks and side covers involve. I had a motorcycle paint guy do my R80RT over the winter and he flat out told me compared to the Harleys he had done, my bike was a big pain and if he were to do it again he would charge more for labor. A R90S is slightly less involved as there are fewer fairing parts than an RT.
So I am sorry I have not given you a phone number for a paint shop. Good luck, St.
The paint scheme number I believe was on a sticker on the rear fender under the seat. Decoding this gives the paint color and pinstripe colors. BM bikes is one source of information for color codes. The information is on the net.
The paint used in the 70's is not what you are going to get these days. It will be close. I imagine you could contact Holt and ask what the color code paints are. A good paint shop might have them in their stock or, you can order the paint from Glasurit.
If you have original body work with the paint, a good paint shop can computer blend the paint to match.
As for the paint Job itself, sorry, there are thousands of pictures available on line of R90S bikes in either silver or orange. Any good painter should be able to replicate the factory using good pictures. LOL, if your paint guy tells you he can't then for sure don't use him.
The biggest problem is finding a paint shop that will do motorcycles period. Car shops don't want to mess with the handling and fiddling fairings, gas tanks and side covers involve. I had a motorcycle paint guy do my R80RT over the winter and he flat out told me compared to the Harleys he had done, my bike was a big pain and if he were to do it again he would charge more for labor. A R90S is slightly less involved as there are fewer fairing parts than an RT.
So I am sorry I have not given you a phone number for a paint shop. Good luck, St.
Darryl Cainey
Sir Darby
ebeeby
Member
Got any top views of front fender and rear tail top?
Darryl Cainey
Sir Darby
No I don't, he is away right now. When he gets back I will take more pictures.
ebeeby
Member
Thanks, not many top views available on google images.
gregfeeler
Dances With Sheep
There is a body shop owner close to me who has done all the BMW bike painting here for decades. He has spotted in that metallic Champaign color BMW put on some K1200LTs so well that it's undetectable. He has also done a number of R90S restoration paint jobs - both Silver Smoke and Daytona Orange - which are show winner quality. He's not "cheap" but also not expensive - in my opinion - for the factory grade quality you get.
Jay Portner
https://www.yelp.com/biz/portner-auto-body-garden-city
Jay Portner
https://www.yelp.com/biz/portner-auto-body-garden-city
ebeeby
Member
View attachment 89873
Back when I traveled the US, I got the opportunity to stop in for several visits to Holt BMW. Really enjoyed seeing their painted bikes, absolutely stunningly beautiful. All I could afford was a T-shirt.
They have not returned email or voice mail.
