Midnight Virago

In 1983 there were blacked-out versions of the 750 and 920 Viragos available. The entire bikes were gloss or matte black with gold highlights. I don't really recall the chassis, but I think that they went so far as to even plate the fork tubes in black chrome. I could be wrong.

The engine parts were black inside and out, including the gasket surfaces. Apparently they were "painted" by dipping, and any machine work done after the fact. The cylinder deck and head surface were bare, but all the windows and passages were black. The ports were black all the way to the seats.

Over time, the exteriors of the cylinders and heads -- and to a lesser extent the cases -- flaked clean of paint. Opening the engine found one with large bare areas. Apparently the pigment slowly dissolved in the engine oil and got drained out. The engines and transmissions showed no more wear than was typical of the series. Indeed, the painted gasket surfaces were less prone to leakage than their bare aluminum cousins. It could be that the paint at hot junctions softened and improved the seal.

So -- if you use a high quality heat-proof paint, it is probably no crime to let over-spray to the interior, the sleeves, or the gasket surfaces go. Provided that you heat-cure the parts as per the paint's instructions before assembly.

More to come . . .

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