Disappointed with the paint

kismetcapitan said:

There could be some truth to this; ever see a Ferrari F50 up close, like REALLY close? Worst paint ever - it's almost like a joke. The carbon fiber texture is visible. But Ferrari saved a surprising amount of weight by going with this thin cheap-ass paintjob.

One question comes to mind though - if the paint is so fragile and crappy, how is Antihero's bike still looking so good? He once posted that all he did was wipe it down a bit before taking pics of it in whatever stunning location he had ridden to.

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I havent seen the up close nitty gritty photo's of his bike. Its the things you see like the scratches, swirls and other abrasions in the light that only the end user can see. My bike looks great from 10 inches away. Of course like I said earlier, I take care of everything I own very well.

I carried a handpolished blued 1911 for 2 years almost everyday that has less scratches that this paintjob.

fzr100098 said:

What do you think of BMW? The cars are good

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My S1000rr and my BMW cars have been outstanding. Especially my 328i which was my DD and saw 78k in 2 years. It went through every type of weather and only had a few knicks.

paint does suck. I was getting scratches in random places on my tank, I had to get it wet sanded on 2 different occasions. I decided to just xpel the entire bike (most of the bike) and now I have no more issues with it.... Sadly it cost me more to do this, but it also makes cleaning the bike a breeze

regulations regarding paint has changed over the years for environmental protection. I think ducati may be doing their own reductions to protects their pockets...
But you'll notice in cars, the paint these days isn't as smooth as the paint of the past because they have to use LVHP systems. These systems, AFAIK, use less paint, more air and have less overspray... Less overspray means less wasted paint and less in the air to pollute.
Which I guess is a good thing because the chemicals in paint are pretty bad for us to breath.
Yah, the paint on these are damn near not there...but I think it's money and weight saving their after.

Weight savings? You gotta be kidding me - I don't think paint adheres as well to these plastic panels for one thing

krissrock said:

regulations regarding paint has changed over the years for environmental protection. I think ducati may be doing their own reductions to protects their pockets...
But you'll notice in cars, the paint these days isn't as smooth as the paint of the past because they have to use LVHP systems. These systems, AFAIK, use less paint, more air and have less overspray... Less overspray means less wasted paint and less in the air to pollute.
Which I guess is a good thing because the chemicals in paint are pretty bad for us to breath.
Yah, the paint on these are damn near not there...but I think it's money and weight saving their after.

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That may be true in the USA but I dont know what regulations Italy has with airborn paint particles. Saving money is the issue here.

My paint was flawless until it got a few road chips. Best looking red I've seen yet. Ride, scratch, repaint.

Forget about bra's and covers and such. That just makes you ride an ugly bike. Could have saved $8,000 and bought a Kaw if I wanted an ugly bike.

Buliwyf said:

Forget about bra's and covers and such. That just makes you ride an ugly bike. Could have saved $8,000 and bought a Kaw if I wanted an ugly bike.

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LOL - +1

I love the ZX-10 but sheesh the current model is just hideous

The paint on the Panigale isn't too thin. I have measured the depth on a few models and found the clear coat to range in the 100+ micron range, which is quite thick. The clear coat on the tricolor is around 120, which is way too much, but is very thin over the decals, around 40 micron.

The problem when thick paint is applied is that the surface hardens like a crust, but underneath is very soft. Think of crust on top of pudding. This is the most difficult type of paint to live with because the it will still chip (harder paint chips easier as it has no give on impact) but too much pressure will leave an imprint in the soft layer underneath.

This type of paint quality is most often seen in bodyshops were they argue like crazy to get the cost of a gallon down by a dollar, then apply 3 times too much paint, far too quickly. Anything over three coats should be block sanded to flatten the paint and open it up to out gas.

On the Panigale's I have seen with a more manageable 60-80 microns of paint, paint hardness and scratch resistance is much better and the clear is far more transparent leading to the true richness of color shinning through.

Note: Clear coat is nothing more than uncolored paint, so I tend to use the terms interchangeably. Sorry for the confusion.

WE all want a nice looking bike, but I bought mine to ride hard and put away wet.


I could care less in it being not perfect. Mine is dirty most of the time, pay more attention to the chain then the paint lol


But it has held up well and 2 years later its still in great shape and is sharp.




We had these threads 2 years ago, and mots have learned to live with the sub par quality on some of the bikes. Others have no issues what so ever.

Paint protect film on contact area like the knees and rear of tank. Then use Klasse everywhere else. Its very good acrylic protection and blocks UV. Get a touch up bottle and use that if u get hit by rocks and such. That's about the easiest way to care for the paint, otherwise get paint protect film on all areas and that is about the most u can do. Your choice.

I must have one of the better paint jobs. I've got a couple chips, but the rest of it polishes like a red mirror, especially the tank which remains dead mint perfect.

And if it didn't? I'd have to consider - how do these paint imperfections affect the performance of my bike? oh, they don't? I will therefore not care.

kismetcapitan said:

I must have one of the better paint jobs. I've got a couple chips, but the rest of it polishes like a red mirror, especially the tank which remains dead mint perfect.

And if it didn't? I'd have to consider - how do these paint imperfections affect the performance of my bike? oh, they don't? I will therefore not care.

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Deep down, you care. If not and you truly dont care, key your bike. Post the pictures.

Human nature dictates that nobody buy things that look like ..... Unless its one of those funky hipster ........ projects. Nobody likes hipsters, especially females...they are hairy.

i just barely touched my finger nail to my tank and you can clearly see the mark through the clear coat. That's pretty disappointing. Don't get me wrong, I ride fast and that's why i chose this bike but i also expect it to look good for a long time...anyone have good experience with the 3M clear protection film?

No issues with paint on the R, I assume the panels come from the same factory.

I use Meguires on mine, qick clay, then tech wax 2.0. Like glass every time

Once a month I hit with Meguires ScratchX then I apply their ultimate polish and wax. Stays in mint condition. For the the tank and Nose fairing I use carnauba wax (hardest wax) to help prevent scratches. For tough scratches I get on the nose from road debris I will hit it with some Meguires M04 MIRROR GLAZE heavy cut. Comes out show room condition.

THANKS scrapperx, ive never tried carnauba but i'm gonna give it a try

Grayson said:

This isn't my first rodeo with Ducati but I have to say the 1299 has the thinnest paint and clear coat of them all. I ordered the same microfiber towels that I used on my previous Duc's and Porsche's. (They are bad too for comparison) Has anyone else noticed it has gotten worse?





I will accept being flamed however everything I own is a tool. (Firearm, vehicle, motorcycle, etc) I keep all my tools in good working order and in a presentable appearance. I don't know about everybody else but I do expect a certain quality without having to spend $$$ to fix XYZ. Your mileage may vary.

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why would you accept flaming? you pointed out a fact that this bike paint job sucks. you are entitled to your opinion (and its a fact not an opinion that the paint sucks)
i know this forum has become nothing but a fan boy forum with nothing worth reading anymore. Almost seems like the new people are ducati plants just to say good things but its people like you and myself that bring up what is actually wrong with the bike.

kind of like being 35k for a bike that cant beat a 16k bike except in looks.

yes i echo your concerns
the paint is super thin kinda ridiculous to be frank.
c

mark419ny said:

why would you accept flaming? you pointed out a fact that this bike paint job sucks. you are entitled to your opinion (and its a fact not an opinion that the paint sucks)
i know this forum has become nothing but a fan boy forum with nothing worth reading anymore. Almost seems like the new people are ducati plants just to say good things but its people like you and myself that bring up what is actually wrong with the bike.

kind of like being 35k for a bike that cant beat a 16k bike except in looks.

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Being completely honest. I havent rode my bike in over a month for several reasons.

1. It took me about 2 weeks to heal from the steam contact burn from the 400 mile ride I took in late June.
2. I had to build a new deck and move my fiance into my house and we had so much going on.
3. Rain, Rain, Rain.
4. I've honestly been thinking about getting rid of it. I dont care what anyone thinks. Ive had my fair share of Duc's. I make plenty of money to "fix" things. I am not spending money like I have before to pay a "termi tax" or in this case the akra tax to fix the heat, the paint is far worse that on my previous Duc's. From what I am seeing, its a hit or miss issue. I can spend $500 dollars to have it detailed and sealed or have the bike repainted. I shouldnt have to do that with something that is a non essential item or a toy. That is my take, I dont love this bike enough to dump thousands more on issues that shouldnt be an issue to begin with.