If anyone has any black side panels/covers from an '04 that they want to sell I am interested.

I have tried to find them as OEM parts, but have had not luck.

I had looked for the same thing for a while. I broke down and decided to paint mine. The black covers only come on the yellow 599's

I'm going to paint mine cause I'm cheap and broke right now but a Honda dealer or website should have 2004 OEM side panels.

GuyD

I would have thought the same thing, but all of the websites I have looked at for OEM parts list the color for the side panels (for a 2004) as either "CYNOS GRAY METALLIC" or "MAT RAY SILVER".

Doesn't sound like black to me.

I'd call around to some local Honda dealers, the parts dept may be able to help or locate them for you.

GuyD

I would have thought the same thing, but all of the websites I have looked at for OEM parts list the color for the side panels (for a 2004) as either "CYNOS GRAY METALLIC" or "MAT RAY SILVER".

Doesn't sound like black to me.

The gray metallic ones I believe are what come on the yellow 599's. There were never a true black side panel. With the correct prep they are really eazy to paint. I can tell you that from experience the panels are actually white underneath the gray/silver.

I painted min asphalt to match my bike. One of mine had a crack in it that I needed to fix, and I figured it was just as easy to color match it at the same time.

http://www.colorrite.com/ is where I got my paint from and it was a perfect match.

Let me know if you need any tips on painting the panels. It is really simple.

Let's hear it IT. Probably save me $100+ to paint them.

Let's hear it IT. Probably save me $100+ to paint them.


Well heres a quick how-to.

1. First get the color spray paint that you intend to have, whether its just a black spray paint or color-matched whatever your heart desires.

2. Take some automotive grade (wet/dry) sandpaper, and sand the surface, what I did was start with 200 grit, which will take off all the original color, then work my way up to 400, 800, 1000, 2000. You may be able to start directly with 800, I had to fix a crack in one of my panels so I started with a lower grit.

3. Once sanding is complete, I washed the panel to get all dust off. Then I took some 2000 grit sandpaper and sanded with a wet surface to make the panel smooth and defect free.

4. Move the panels to where you intend to paint them, once the next step is complete you don't want to touch the panels until they are finished.

5. Then I wiped the panel with some paint prep, this can be purchased at any automotive store, or even Wal-mart, I don't remember the exact name of the stuff that I bought but it was from Wal-mart. Wipe the panel and let the surface dry. This will get any grease from your hands off the panels.

6. Paint the panels according to the directions on the can, smooth/even movements, 8-10 inches away, in a warm/dust free environment, yadda yadda yadda.

7. You can choose then to clear coat the panels if you wish, this will provide a shine to the panels, as well as protect them from scratches and whatnot.

8. Let everything cure for a day or so before handling the panels.

Hopefully this helps a little. I did this and my panels look great, they match the bike perfectly. Feel free to pm me any more questions as I don't check the for sale forum regularly.

...sorry to pull this thread back up, but I just had to say Thanks to IT_guy!

I ordered color matched paint for my 2006 599 from colorrite.com. I got the base and clearcoat (cool name, heh "Interstellar Black"). I prepped with 400 wet, primed, and hit it with 1000 wet, then painted base X 2, then clear X3. The results were awesome! I did get a tad of overspray/orange peel, but nothing a bit of polishing compound/wax cant fix. Now, my sidepanels look exactly like the tank and tailpiece... as if they were painted like that at the factory! I'm going to wait 3 days for the urethane to cure, then polish, so it looks fabulous. I'll post pics later :)

...sorry to pull this thread back up, but I just had to say Thanks to IT_guy!

I ordered color matched paint for my 2006 599 from colorrite.com. I got the base and clearcoat (cool name, heh "Interstellar Black"). I prepped with 400 wet, primed, and hit it with 1000 wet, then painted base X 2, then clear X3. The results were awesome! I did get a tad of overspray/orange peel, but nothing a bit of polishing compound/wax cant fix. Now, my sidepanels look exactly like the tank and tailpiece... as if they were painted like that at the factory! I'm going to wait 3 days for the urethane to cure, then polish, so it looks fabulous. I'll post pics later :)


No problem. Glad I could help. With doing it yourself it also means that if they do end up getting scratched or something you can then fix it easily as well.

Ya know, I was going to paint my panels with some krylon satin black paint because shiny rattlecan looks kind of crappy sometimes. I had some nice coats on and then one hour later the garage door blew in and ruined them with sand and bits of leaves. I did a quick sand and respray and they need to be done again. Now, I could either buy black panels from someone's 2004 or do the colorite thing. I didn't think I wanted my panels to match my tank and tail but I could see how that would look cool if done right. On the other hand for the same price and no effort I could have black panels from an '04. Tough to decide which way to go but the colorite and the effort seems as if it might be best. When you wet sand are you just making sure the surface is moist when you sand or are you running it constantly under water?

Ya know, I was going to paint my panels with some krylon satin black paint because shiny rattlecan looks kind of crappy sometimes. I had some nice coats on and then one hour later the garage door blew in and ruined them with sand and bits of leaves. I did a quick sand and respray and they need to be done again. Now, I could either buy black panels from someone's 2004 or do the colorite thing. I didn't think I wanted my panels to match my tank and tail but I could see how that would look cool if done right. On the other hand for the same price and no effort I could have black panels from an '04. Tough to decide which way to go but the colorite and the effort seems as if it might be best. When you wet sand are you just making sure the surface is moist when you sand or are you running it constantly under water?

See the thing with the panels from an '04 is, only the yellow '04's had the black panels. I painted mine to match my asphalt colored 599, black would have helped with the contrast in color, but you would have been able to tell that the panels didn't match the bike.

As far as wet sanding, people's opinion varies. I personally like to soak my sandpaper in water for 5-10 minutes, and then when I sand I make sure that I have some water on the panel as well. After a little bit of sanding, I will wipe off the panel, and re-soak the sandpaper. This helps to ensure that the surface is always clean. Some fresh water on the panel and re-sand as needed.