September 2015 - This below is how our tank looked when we bought the bike. It came with a large ding on the right side but no dramatic sign of rust. The tank pad though is one ugly thing that looks so 2001.
And these are the scuffs on the rear cowl. Again no drama, no broken lugs, just a few scratches here and there.
So both of these parts have been added to the paint list ... though no painter had been contacted at this time yet. We ended up calling a friendly guy that was starting his own business and needed some references. I must say that was a bit of a gamble and we didin't know what to expect, but the guy looked trustworthy and we shook hands.
Then we had two stress calls. The first when the painter said he couldn't find the proper paint that would match the provided color code. The second one when he said he did know the technique required by the specific 3-layers Haiti blue paint. He later said he'd learn on our parts ...
Fast forward, the parts came back in a new deep and shiny blue dress. Stickers were sourced from Bike Stikers (or The Image Works, if you like) applied directly over the paint and varnish, but that will be ok and I'm rather happy with how they look.
In the end, there is a sign that I should never have worried in the first place : the amount of care the painter would put when handling the parts from his car to mine. He even sent a satisfaction survey a couple of days after delivery. Who does that ? Contact saved for future use.
