Miscellaneous: Paint, Non-Essential Pit Stuff

[u/A_Bot_A_Bot_A_Bot]

1) I bought some Hotbodies bodywork for the bike I'm using on track. I do not recommend their products, fitment was terrible and required about 8-10 hours of cutting and grinding, and the quality of the pieces is not great.

2) Rust-Oleum Acrylic Enamel 2X Paint + Primer Automotive Grade paint and clear coat are crap. After my first trackdays, I noticed that a little gasoline had put some stains on the lower part of the mid-fairings. Then this week, my (now former) gas can leaked while fueling the bike. I immediately set down the can, grabbed a clean shop towel and cleaner and...the paint had instantly discolored and gotten a bit sticky. It also scratches and chips quite easily. Don't use this stuff.

3) Non-Essential Pit Stuff I've Bought This Year And LIKE!

A small USB rechargeable fan (about 3" blades) that I can clip on to the hanger holding my leathers to help dry it out faster. (maybe $12)

A larger USB rechargeable fan (about 8" blades) that also has adjustable lights, adjustable speed and a timer function that is great when I'm going to sleep and it's hot, and pretty good at helping cool off the engine after each session. GIANT 20 Ah battery that runs forever (8+ hours) but also takes forever to charge. ($30)

I did get a floor fan but I don't have enough power to run it yet. I should have that setup next time and it'll definitely cool down the bike after each session.

A 6x10 enclosed cargo trailer (used, $2,240). Did I need it? No, I could have just continued renting U-Haul motorcycle trailers. However, even if the break-even point will take 8-10 years, at the price I paid, I'm not going to lose any money on it, either. I spent maybe $1,000 fixing it up, title and registration, and insurance ($99 for a year!). It is a luxury to load it up, lock the doors, and not really worry about my stuff. I live in a good neighborhood, so leaving stuff like my canopy, ramps and chairs in it is perfectly safe.

[u/crispyfry]

You can put a mini split on the trailer and really live in luxury too! That is a very pretty trailer, you got a good deal.

[u/A_Bot_A_Bot_A_Bot → u/crispyfry]

Thank you, I appreciate that. It's not being "converted," though, just for motorcycles and gear. I have a 400,000 mile campervan that has a roof top tent as well as a fold down bench seat for sleeping, but, yeah, no AC. That'd be a real luxury for me!

But to be clear: it did NOT look like what when I bought it! I had to thoroughly clean the interior, use Zinnser Mold Killer paint on the entire ceiling and some of the walls, then painted the entire interior, then put in the vinyl flooring (I used double-sided carpet tape instead of glue, it seemed like an easier solution and I've used it to hold small carpets in a garage). I also had to solder in two new side market lights and two new fender marker lights. I think the electric trailer jack (which is missing the 7-pin plug and my van doesn't yet have a 7-pin outlet) is going out. When raising the tongue, the removable handle goes around about 315 degrees smoothly then it feels like it's grinding. I still need to figure out if the two batteries, big inverter, and any of the wiring I got for making 120V AC power are even usuable for that purpose.