I kind of like the black myself..If you do decide to paint it white I have the best solution for protection.  I can't believe that no one knows about this stuff called "Helicopter Tape"  It is used on every racecar I have driven. If you can imagine an indycar wing runs about $9k.  At 200mph little tiny rocks become bullets. So in order to protect the paint and the carbon surface, you apply clear helicopter tape and it saves everything.  The stuff lasts over a year, and its typically what is used as a "clear bra" for cars.  Just do a google search for helicopter tape and you will find hundreds of results. Then apply and no more destroyed paint!

SCHWEEEEEEET!!!!!! Stay BLACK!!! It blends SO MUCH BETTER!!

Quote from: NekkedChic on February 10, 2009, 06:36:40 PM
AWESOME!!!!!!!  Been staring at that belly pan for AGES NOW....   glad someone got one and is "testing it" for me.  Want to see how it holds up to the heat, but it IS BY FAR the very best in belly pans out there....covers the header pipe that bugs me SOOOOO much.  My alternative ideas for header pipe is ceramic coating or wrap.  

Keep us posted on it and, as far as painting white, I am torn about it.  Woulda thought same as you, since I have seen this "scheme" on SO's white Speed Triple belly pan, which is white....BUT, seeing it on and black, dunnoh, DOES blend and......  tuff one for sure.  It WILL get beat up, but moreso on bottom like SO's is ONLY noticable when off and sitting on end in garage LOL  

Keep pix and info/updates posted THANKS and CONGRATS!

I see a lot of people on here wrap their headers, but I wouldn't recommend it. I've seen this done with cars and trucks, and the wrap retains moisture even if it isn't exposed to rain. This rots the pipes over time. In a couple years they could start rusting through. I would recommend ceramic coating them if you want to make them blend in with the bike. I'm considering it myself.

I don't like stealing other people's ideas and I want to be original, but I ran across this and think I'm going to have to steal Celli's headlight:

http://www.marcelbastiaans.com/gallery/ducatiforum/bikeofthemoment.jpg

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, lol. It will be a little different than his though, because I'll have to make my own fiberglass brackets and mini-fairings.

(I like Photoshopping. It's cheaper than doing the actual mods  )



If I do this, I'd have to get rid of the stock mirrors... they just wouldn't fit with the rest of the bike.

Quote from: ryanracer on February 10, 2009, 06:39:09 PM
I kind of like the black myself..If you do decide to paint it white I have the best solution for protection.  I can't believe that no one knows about this stuff called "Helicopter Tape"  It is used on every racecar I have driven. If you can imagine an indycar wing runs about $9k.  At 200mph little tiny rocks become bullets. So in order to protect the paint and the carbon surface, you apply clear helicopter tape and it saves everything.  The stuff lasts over a year, and its typically what is used as a "clear bra" for cars.  Just do a google search for helicopter tape and you will find hundreds of results. Then apply and no more destroyed paint!

I'll have to look into this. How easy is it to remove and replace if it needs to be done every year?

Quote from: OstOgBajer on February 10, 2009, 11:19:30 PM

(I like Photoshopping. It's cheaper than doing the actual mods  )

That looks nice!

The belly pan looks really good 

It needs something to look less plastic'y, but white is not it - I think.

How about stickers / stripes / partially painted / dark grey?

i think the white looks the best...

Well the pan passed the official melting test. I was going 5-10 mph in traffic for about 5-10 minutes today and not a single sign of goopy or shiny plastic. I guess that small gap between the exhaust and the pan is enough.

I'm getting all kinds of responses on the color... I may have to start a poll or something!

Thanks for the feedback from everyone. Hopefully this has helped some of you make some decisions as well. The 696 and 1100 are very new, so it will be interesting to see what kinds of accessories we will be looking at in the near future. Currently though, I think the Barracuda is the best looking belly pan for these bikes. Despite being plastic, it doesn't melt and it is very sturdy too. I thought there would at least be some wiggle room or flex once installed, but there is none at all. 

I would keep it dark....that thing is gonna get  dirty!  Talk to the guys that have white wheels......cleaning after every ride gets to be a pain.

Do a photoshop with a grey belly pan. Just an idea.

Well, I got back from school today and there was a lot of gunk on the pan from road debris and oil. Soooo.... yeah. I'm leaving it as-is. It matches the rest of the black on the bike. It's not exactly what I want, but I'm going to make it work because I'm not cleaning my bike every day. Once a week, sure. But I can see it looking pretty bad after a couple of unlucky days in a row.

Quote from: OstOgBajer on February 10, 2009, 11:25:38 PM
I'll have to look into this. How easy is it to remove and replace if it needs to be done every year?

It is not that hard to remove. We do it about once a season on race cars and it takes about 20 minutes to re-tape a nose and wing.