Tank Badges / Emblems (again)

[Shuriken]

I've searched the threads and have come up with bits and peices of information about the tank badges.

1. It is evident that the golf cart emblems can be used. Are they silver or chrome?
a. What is the part number and does it have to be a golf cart Yamaha shop or can the regular Yamaha shop get them?
b. Does anyone have a picture of them mounted to a standard gas tank or just a pic of the emblem?

2. Are the gold oem emblems still available? If so, what are the part numbers for gold?

3. Are the chrome oem emblems still available? If so, what are the part numbers for chrome?

4. Is it best to just ask the local dealer to get chrome badges for such and such bike and let them try and get it right?

5. What is this part number for, OEM or golf cart?: JN6-F4161-01

6. The guy on e-bay isn't selling anymore?

Ben

[Jeff]

I can't find my old invoice or package for the part number but I can tell you that I got mine from the local Yamaha motorcycle dealer. I knew the golfcart badges fit and simply told them that I needed the front badge for a late model Yamaha golfcart. They were about $4 each. There is an old thread here that has the numbers listed.

I don't know if they are still there or not since eBay has been offline for about 24 hours.... but there WAS a guy just yesterday selling the new chrome ones and a fair looking set of gold ones that had some plating peeled off.

The new badges are the same dimensions as the old. The biggest difference besides being chrome instead of gold is the outline. The new badges have a smoother line top and bottom whereas the old badges cut in a bit around the upper and lower edges of the letters. If I can get my tank redone in time I will post a picture of the badges on it. They look great on a dark gray metallic tank.

[dragxs11]

Jeff is right, the Yamaha dealers can get the chrome ones. Don't know about the gold ones, but they will likely ask you if you have a standard or midnight special. If it's gold you want, then see if they can get the midnight special ones. The chrome was fine for me cuz I've chromed lots of stuff so it matches. For me the gold wouldn't look right.
Matt

[Shuriken]

Well if the golf cart emblems are chrome and not just painted silver, that's what I'll try to get. I suppose I could try ordering the 15.99 oem versions from powersportspro, but I have a feeling they would be n/a. Do I have to hack up the golf cart badge or tank mount to get it to fit?

Ben

[Jeff]

As I said... the golf cart emblems are nearly identical to the originals other than being chrome. They cover the exact same area on the tank side, the screw holes are the exact same size and spacing and they use the exact same screws that mounted the original badge. Other than being chrome... the ONLY other difference is a slight difference in the cut in around the top and bottoms of the letters. The lack of cut in is better IMHO in that it gives less on the badge to snag on things and break.
They are a DIRECT screw on replacement with no modifications needed to either the bike or the badge.

[ratbyk]

Tank Badges

I acquired my chrome badges from a golf cart dealer in the Carolinas.
The contact was; John Triolo, golfcars@skybest.com. Price seemed fair at $5,95 each plus shipping. They bolted right on with the original screws and mounting points.
I have pictures but have never been able to figure out how to post pics on this site.
Ken/Sooke
78E Ratbyk

[Shuriken]

Thanks guys, and thanks Jeff for the reiteration. With all of this in mind, I'll now go try to find some.

Ben

[nashville_bill]

I bought mine at: Boswell's Golf Car Sales - 403 Fessler's Lane - Nashville, TN 37210 - (615)256-0737. They were $2.83 each and the part number is JN6-F4161-01-00.

[Shuriken]

Thanks again guys. I think this thread is complete.

Hey Bill, do you ride "numb in the ass" very much? My first road bike was a 650 special. Great little thing, bullet proof motor, easy to work on.

Ben

[nashville_bill]

Ben,

I don't ride it very much anymore, but I can't get rid of it either. I bought it when it was new and it only has 10,000 miles. I guess my son will ride it in a few years.

[Shuriken]

You almost have to sell to the collector or first timer. I was a member of an XS650 discussion group - that's a good place to start.

Mine only had 15k miles. They just vibrate too much.

Ben

[Shuriken]

Well, I just placed an order for the emblems from Boswell's in Nashville. They seemed courteous enough.

I'll repost with the order total when it arrives and do some before/after pics of my tank/panels restoration. I'm going to try House of Kolor gloss black paint and a clear coat on the panels and tank. I can't stand any longer how ugly the bike looks - it's time to do something about that.

Ben

[Shuriken]

Okay, just a few things about painting and House of Kolor Paint .

If a pro can put a really nice paint job on your XS11 gas tank and side panels for around $200, let them do it.

I purchased from House of Kolor some really expensive paint - you get what you pay for. This is the best looking paint I have ever used.

I bought primer, primer activator, gloss black, reducer, clear coat, and clear coat catalyst from HOK. I used a cheap Harbor Freight air gun and compressor to apply the primer, paint, and clear coat.

The primer is really great stuff. The black paint is really, really glossy. But it's all about the clear coat. The clear coat I put on turned all of the flaws in the black base coat into a shiny shell-like surface. The panels and gas tank have the prettiest gloss I have ever put on my own bike parts.

The downside is that I'm an amateur. I've found that the angles and shape of the gas tank make it very hard to paint. To get the best gloss finish with the paint, you have to keep your spray pattern constant, without dull spots or too wet spots. It's nearly impossible with cheap tools and little experience to get a flawless paint job.

I did everything well and didn't realize the clear coat was the most important thing. I got a really glossy finish - but also got runs. Don't we all hate the runs? So now I get to figure out if there is any way to buff out runs in the clear coat. Other than that, HOK paint is the best I've ever used. It should be - it cost me $150 dollars.

I'll send pics of the "before" and "after" pics.

Ben

[Shuriken]

As a simple update to my painting project:

I worked on the clear coat runs by sanding them down and eventually wet sanding the entire tank with 400-600 grit paper. Once I got rid of the runs/ripples and had sanded the clear coat, I washed the tank. I then simply resprayed it with a new batch of clear coat.

This time I applied about 3 or 4 coats very lightly and then tried for the gloss "wet" coat on the final application. This approach worked much better and I didn't cause any runs this time. I have one or two dull spots in non essential areas and the bottom of the tank is really hard to paint, but overall, perhaps I got a result I can live with for a little while. I find that a paint job with runs looks far worse than a duller paint job with no runs.

It's hard to paint as an amateur with little or no equipment (lights, booth, masks, etc). But I think it has been worth the time to learn and get a decent result.

My "decent" results here are far better than my "perfect" results I had with rattle cans because of the paint durability and gloss and clear coat protection.

For future practice and painting of less critical items, I think I'll practice with acrylic enamel paint.

Ben

[tommystinson]

Another idea using golf cart badges. I've noticed that crap-ola ceiling fans and light fixtures that try to look like brass are actually chromed with a yellow tinted clearcoat. Looks pretty crummy on poorly polished surfaces, but I'm thinking it might look pretty darn good on a new cart badge.