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If you don't want to or can't bake the wheels after painting you could get some 2k acrylic made up to Honda colour code YR-112 M-U. Or just go for an acrylic or water-based base coat in this colour and cover it with a couple of coats of 2k clear - would probably be cheaper and definitely be easier to maintain.
That code is for the colour of the wheels on my hornet:

Thanks for all the comments guys, there's so many shades of gold the more you look , the harder it gets, then the gold really changes with differing light too. Thanks for the color code calum, I like that honda gold, its a little darker than some i've looked at. Nice bike too...!!

Wow! Very nice restoration. This is along lines on what I want to do with my 650. Now after spending an hour I have many more different ideas.

I assume you had to strip and work with frame separately because it wouldn't fit into your blast cabinet? I was planning to take my frame to the shop to get it blasted and powder-coated but now I am not sure.

Which cabinet do you have? I kind of want one and have good compressor already but feel like now is a time to pull a trigger on compressor. With so much work coming in with this bike looks like it's going to be needed.

On a fence with plating kit. Probably going to use 3rd party for that..

Can you share ballpark $ figure (if you don't mind) for all of the parts and supplies (not counting tools and time)? I paid exact same $700 for my bike and it looks exactly the same (corrosion-wise). I estimate about $3000 spent on parts/materials. Is it close or ?

Cost you say? Cost? I was in the process of adding up all the receipts but the + key on the adding machine busted so I took this as a sign!

My blast cabinet is a craigslist special. It's an old all metal hobby level jobbie that won't win any prizes but gets the job done. The dust filtration system uses a squirrel cage motor w/sock hanging outside.

For $3k you should be able to do quite a lot of good. Remember, you can deduct $ from both the transportation and recreation budgets at the same time...and it's easier to get forgiveness than permission (if you have someone looking over your shoulder regarding your spending habits!)

Nessism wrote: My blast cabinet is a craigslist special. It's an old all metal hobby level jobbie that won't win any prizes but gets the job done. The dust filtration system uses a squirrel cage motor w/sock hanging outside.

Need pictures!!
And link. Did you do wheels in a cabinet as well?
Does it move easily? I have pretty clean garage and wondering how much dust will be there or maybe I should move it outside for when in use.

Do you use one kind of media in cabinet or switch depending on use? Feels like steel needs something stronger and engine/carbs need soda?

This photo is not my cabinet but it's very similar. It's made by Dee-Blast, which interestingly enough is still in business. USA made. I use glass bead on clean parts and aluminum. Aluminum oxide to strip steel parts. I've tried coal slag but it's a little too coarse to shoot through the nozzle. Soda is not good in the cabinet either because it denigrates on contact and creates a cloud that you can't easily see though. Both of these medias have great uses though; I used coal on the frame and soda on the head. Anyway, I can't imagine restoring anything old without a blast cabinet. Nor can I imagine not having the zinc kit. You can get away with a more minimal kit than what Caswell's sells with good results. The key thing you need from them is the chemicals.

Edit: oh, and I put wheels on the legs and wheel the cabinet outside when blasting. It leaks dust so I wear a mask and do it outside to avoid too much dirt inside the garage.

Nessism wrote: I use glass bead on clean parts and aluminum. Aluminum oxide to strip steel parts. I've tried coal slag but it's a little too coarse to shoot through the nozzle. Soda is not good in the cabinet either because it denigrates on contact and creates a cloud that you can't easily see though. Both of these medias have great uses though; I used coal on the frame and soda on the head. Nor can I imagine not having the zinc kit. You can get away with a more minimal kit than what Caswell's sells with good results. The key thing you need from them is the chemicals.

Sounds like soda is great for carbs too (to clean outside). Since you use different medias (and I haven't done any blasting so sorry for stupid questions) - do you collect it back and reuse or just throw it away? I know soda is not reusable, but what about others? And since you change them, do you have to clean cabinet somehow every time?

For plating - I did experiment once. But I made chemicals myself. I know that probably was my main issue. But results weren't that great. But I do have buckets, power supply with V/A regulators. I checked their kits is like $500. What kit do you use? And how do you store those solutions? I don't have much space, so I have to get rid of fluids when I'm done. Can't keep those buckets indefinitely.
Is this what you have? caswellplating.com/copy-cad-zinc-plating-kit-3-gal.html

P.S. Sorry for off-topic, let me know if there is better place to ask those questions

Nessism wrote: Also cleaned up and clear coated the fork sliders and footpeg brackets. Bead blasted off the corrosion and rubbed them down with gray scotchbrite before shooting the clear.

How does it hold? Do I understand correctly you just sprayed clear on bare aluminum?

Amazing build! Just came up on a 78 KZ650 C- it's in pretty good shape. Not sure when it ran last, the laundry list keeps piling up. First thing would be try and get it running and actually have working brakes. What diameter hose did you use?

KZNOOB wrote: Amazing build! Just came up on a 78 KZ650 C- it's in pretty good shape. Not sure when it ran last, the laundry list keeps piling up. First thing would be try and get it running and actually have working brakes. What diameter hose did you use?

-3 size

These guys are a good source... www.anplumbing.com/hose-ends/speed-seal-steel.html

A great job.

I love the phrase at the start of this thread "Remember, it's only a "mistake" if you do something wrong TWICE." I have not heard that one before. Rings so true.

So I saw a photo of the tank here in another thread. Then discovered this project thread and wanted to comment.

In 1982 I was in the Air Force stationed at George AFB. There was a small Kawasaki shop nearby in Victorville, they had maybe 5 new bikes there. One was customized by them, a 1981 KZ750E. They had painted it "pearl blue metallic", had a Kerker 4 into 1, low handlebar, pod filters/jet kit, and a small fairing painted to match. The paint looked black in the shade and a sparkly dark blue in the sun, just like was done here. Also, light blue/dark blue stock-looking pinstriping (including on the fairing) just like this.

I bought it for about $3,000 as I recall. I rode the wheels off of it, didn't even own a car back then. Ended up giving it to my younger brother prior to getting stationed in Japan where I bought an FJ1100.

So I recently got a low-miles silver '81 KZ750 that I'm going to get running. Just need to clean up the carbs at this point. But I thought to eventually paint it up like my old one. I was pretty amazed to see someone has already done that!

The paint on this silver one is really nice so what I did was buy a used set of all the body parts and I'll get those painted up in blue eventually. I'll keep the silver parts stock. I'm really interested in the pinstriping that was done here. Specifically, what colors of 3M tape were used? It looks just like my old one did.

Nessism wrote:

More clear, sealing over the stripes.

The paint laid down plenty smooth for me, just some localized polishing needed. I don't like to color sand the final clear other than to remove dust pimples.