Out for a ride on Sunday and managed to break the zipper on my jacket. I have a brain wave and twist a paper clip into the zip and feel a bit smug as I can now undo the zip when we stop for a break. Anyway, I must have left the zip half open and managed to scratch the tank quite badly. Gutted! What are my options? They're a little too deep to polish out. Would the whole tank need to be resprayed?
I'm assuming the scratch is at the front of the tank where the seat meets the tank? What about a tank protector, they do some big carbon fibre ones that look good if the scratch is bad and runs over on to the top side, a lot cheaper than a repray!.
To get a full respray you'll be looking at well over £100. I would take some photos and contact some local automotive body shops. I have, in the past, just used a Sharpie marker pen, but both my car and Ducati are black :smile:
If it's not damaged the paint underneath and only the lacquer then you might get away with just lacquering the tank. You could try rubbing down the scratches with 2000 wet and dry used wet. I have successfully removed scratches using this method before but you have to be careful not to break through the lacquer, paint thickness here is the key and from what I have seen Ducati's are not that thick. My 998 top fairing was diabolic and I had to have that relacquered it was so bad. You will need a good rubbing compound to get the shine back after rubbing with 2000 but it will come up quite easily.
If you have broken through the clearcoat, your only option is to flat it out, spot repair the basecoat and probably re-clearcoat the full tank for the best job. You may be able to spot repair the clearcoat and fade it out though depending on where it is. If the clearcoat isn't broken through, flatten with 2500 and polish back up. However, you can run the risk of breaking through the clear if the scratch is deep. Then it's basecoat time again. If you have no experience of painting, just bite the bullet and get it done professionally is my advice.
Get a touch up brush / paint match thingy..................get a smaller brush and lay some touch up paint into the deeper scratches..........let it dry, then do it again, and again if necessary until the touch up paint is just proud of the tank surface. Leave it a month approx. Then get a small cube of hardwood (say 1/2" cube) with flat sides......and a very fine thin cloth.....a worn handkerchief might be OK, and some T-Cut.........wrap the cloth onto the cube so you can see it is tight against one flat side and away you go. Keep it on the new paint as much as possible and don't push too hard.......laborious for your fingers and time, but cheaper than a respray. I have had more success this way, than blowing it in. AL
I bought some of that touch up paint which comes in a small plastic bottle with a tiny brush DUCATI RED TOUCH UP PAINT 1199,1198,1098,999,998,996,916 15ml ALL MODELS | eBay the red matched perfectly and could work if you use Arky's suggestion
Thanks for the suggestions guys. I think I'll get a quote from a professional first before I try to repair it myself. If it isn't 100% it will only bug me whenever I look at the tank
I can tell you how much £250. Had mine quoted. It niggles me every time I am on the bike and I know it has to be done. Will live with it till this winter and have it done then Regards Steve
