Topic: 1978 CB750K gas tank original paint, was it cleared?

[denward17]

Curious as I am thinking about wet sanding and buffing my tank.

I had to replace broken side covers and painted them with a rattle can from automotive touchup, they look good to me and are a very close match.

I do not want to re-paint the tank.

From the factory was a clear coat applied on the tank and over the decals?

[newday777]

Those side covers came out good.
I've read that there wasn't any clear put over through paint or decals.

[Stev-o]

Yes, on the later K models, they did use clear, and I've seen many that have failed and the clear started to flake off. 

I had a tank that the paint was was good but not the clear, I had it wet sanded, re-cleared and buffed, looked a lot better.

[ekpent]

Agree with Steve as far as seeing the failed clear on 77-78 750 tanks,especially it seems the black or there is just more of that color.

[jlh3rd]

Curious as I am thinking about wet sanding and buffing my tank.

I had to replace broken side covers and painted them with a rattle can from automotive touchup, they look good to me and are a very close match.

I do not want to re-paint the tank.

From the factory was a clear coat applied on the tank and over the decals?

there is no factual evidence of Honda using a clear coat on painted parts of these vintage bikes....except anecdotal...
there is deductive, or "evidence by omission " that there was no clear coat.
The Lubritech paint schedule you see here shows the paints used for Honda...and the "coats".if someone wanted to re-paint....but there is no clear coat shown.
Lubritech was the only officially licensed Honda paint maker/supplier back in the day...
I have never seen a 3oz. Honda vintage touch up can of clear..anywhere.....doesn't mean there isn't..but, well...
Honda's factory candy paint jobs back in the day were an excellent, deep, translucent final coat...decal edges appeared to have been done so well , they look overcoated....I think Hondas' decals were also probably excellent quality...compared to today...and not all year tanks were decals....
I don't wax around my unrestored, '75 550F's "supersport" decal because the edge shows signs of lifting. That decal comes on the tank from the factory...no part #. There is no clear coat....( be careful with polish)..
I have seen a 350F's tank that looked like a clear coat was peeling, but it was actually the vinyl clear layer over the tank decal that was peeling.....

[denward17]

I lightly wet sanded today with 2000 grit, buffed and polished.

I never did see any red paint come off, so I assume there was a clear coat.

Before and after pics.