Today we have our first Custom Paint showcase featuring an immaculate Road Star owned by Al Soares. The debate will always rage about what color is fastest, but you have to admit, the red on this baby just makes it look like it would go at light speed. While the fenders might look like a stock paint job, they most certainly aren’t. The best part is Al has done most of the work himself, so is the man a genius or what? Get yourself over to this page to see more pictures of Al’s ride.
Welcome to the first Custom Paint Road Star to be featured in RoadStarMagazine.com. This beauty is owned by Al Soares, and the paint is in its second incarnation. You can easily see that a hot paint job doesn’t mean it has to be complicated, and Al’s personal design is beautiful in its simplicity. You’ll also notice that, depending on the light, the paint job goes from an almost fiery orange to a sunset red. And would you believe it, Al has got even more plans to come!
Name: Al Soares
Location: Kearny NJ USA
Model: 2K Yamaha Road Star
Pain Details: House of Kolors 3 Stage Two-Tone Kandy Apple
I did all the design and labor, My brother did the spraying at his Autobody Shop, AMJ Collision in Clifton NJ USA.
The Paint Job
First we start by stripping all the parts down to bare metal. We then fixed all the minor imperfections and filled all the holes that I was no longer using. After all the body work is done we sprayed 2 coats of primer and wet sanded until smooth. At this point we checked for any faults and put 2 coats of sealer.
Once the sealer has dried we prepped for paint. We used 2 colors of House of Kolor 3-stage Kandy Apple. My brother laid down 2 coats of the first base color, which was a silver metallic. After that had dried I taped up all the parts that I wanted light Kandy and left open the rest for the second base color, which was a gray metallic. After the second coat of gray base was dry we lifted the tape to reveal the design that you see.
After all the tape was off we sprayed the actual Kandy Apple color, which House of Kolor calls a top coat. This top coat is what gives you the red apple look. We sprayed 3 coats of the top coat and let dry.
We then sprayed 2 coats of clear and let dry overnight. After the clear has set we wet sanded all the parts with 1200 grit paper. This will avoid what is called orange peel affect. We then cleaned everything again and sprayed 2 more coats of straight clear and let dry overnight.
We then wet sand everything again with 1200 grit paper and then buff and polish all the parts with a 3-stage process.
And that’s about it, nothing to it.
Somewhere In The Swamps Of Jersey
It all started out as a standard black 2000 Yamaha Road Star from Motorcycle Mall in Belleville, New Jersey. The makeover began on the first day I got her home. I took her apart down to the engine and frame and first installed 18″ 180 rear and 130 front Spokester rims from RC Components. I then sent out the entire front fork assembly and a ton of other parts to Chromemaster’s and Ultimate Imports for chroming and polishing. All the chrome add-on bits came from Baron’s Custom, Kuryakyn, Planet Cruiser, Lindby, Arlen Ness, Pro-One and Yamaha Accessories purchased from A1 Sports Center of New Hampshire. The pipes are BUB’s Big Willies and a 2 and half inch dropped rear using the “Flip” method. I have installed Dyna coils, wires, a Barnett clutch conversion and a Dyna 3000. I added a custom designed Speedo from Alien Faces for the perfect finishing touch.
The S&S cover you see is not a fake cover over a stock carb. It is a “real” true American Super E S&S carb fitted. This setup in my opinion is the best available for the Road Star today. I hope to install a set of HC Pistons and cams in the coming months.
The bodywork and paint was done by my brother John’s auto body shop, AMJ Auto Body of Clifton, New Jersey. The Tank is stretched 3.5 inches using Baron’s steel stretch kit and the paint is a two-tone 3stage House of Kolor Kandy apple.
All tips, tricks and vendors that I have listed above came from the great people that I have met on the Road Star Forum at Delphiforums.com.
I hope to install a set of forward controls, a 250-rear tire and swingarm kit from Metrixconcepts and HC Pistons and cams next winter.
Al Soares