Performance Coatings
Coatings For Every Part Of Your Motorcycle
When my friends and I were growing up we'd eventually drop our bikes in the
dirt, leaving some nasty scratches on the pipes and elsewhere. We'd always
attempt the silliest thing and try to use rattle can spray paint to make them
look nice again. Heh
, within a few laps around the block the new paint peeled
off.
Those who had chrome pipes often experienced bluing of the pipes within the
first few hundred miles.
So needless to say our pipes never looked too good.
Even today the same holds true. New motorcycles leave the showroom floor, and
within a few hours of riding the pipes have gone blue at the header points.
Black pipes turn to brown and rust as quick as the seasons change. So what's a
rider to do?
Technology has advanced greatly over the decades and today there are coating
processes for header and exhaust systems, internal engine parts and just about
any metal part on your motorcycle you'd want to coat.
In the heart of northern Auburn lies Performance Coatings, Inc., owned and
operated by Brad Gua (pronounced Gwaah) since 1997. The shop is a one of a kind for Washington
State, offering high temperature and anti-friction coatings for all kinds of
motorsport parts.
 "Performance is what we're all about", says Gua during a recent
shop tour. "We have customers who come in and want to coat parts to make
them visually appealing, but are using a coating that is not correct for the
application. I try to steer them toward using the right coating for the right
part.
For example, Gua's shop can put a ceramic chrome thermal barrier coating,
called CermaChrome, on a set of motorcycle exhausts for about $150. That type of
coating actually keeps the heat in and it won't change colors over time. It
looks and works very nice. But, for someone who wants to use that same coating
for a cylinder head - "They're asking for trouble because they'll be
raising the internal temperature of the motor, reducing horsepower and chance
having engine failure as a result."
 Gua has the solution - "Instead we have coatings for engine parts that
actually act as a thermal conductor and cause heat to transfer away from the
part that is coated" such as a cylinder head. An anti-friction coating,
called molybdenum disulfide, can be applied to valve stems, springs, pistons
skirts, bearings, camshafts, oil pumps, lifters, push rods and transmission
shafts & gears. This coating greatly reduces friction and heat buildup,
while retaining the parts original dimensions.
In all there are five types of coatings Gua provides and they are each
described in detail at the Performance Coatings website.
The process starts essentially the same for all parts that are coated at
Performance. Customers can either bring in their parts, or request their local
dealer or mechanic to send the parts out to Performance for coating while their
motorcycle is being serviced.
The first phase is to blast all parts free of any debris. In the case of
exhaust systems headers are first sandblasted with garnet and walnut shell
media, inside and out, to ensure the removal of any foreign matter that could
impede proper application, and then re-blasted with aluminum oxide to give the
surface the perfect tooth for the coating to adhere to.
 Parts are then coated with the appropriate coating and cured at high
temperature for a few hours. The final phase for the CermaChrome coating is
putting the cured parts into a vibratory polisher, which is a large tumbler bin,
filled with ceramic marbles of all sizes. After half an hour or so in the bin,
the part is polished and ready for pickup.
Gua lives his work. He competes in 600 Supersport, Superbike and TFS on the
WMRRA & OMRRA circuit and sponsors many other racers in many different types
of racing around the northwest. Part of his sponsorship includes coating exhaust
and engine parts for the racers as they strive for higher horsepower and greater
reliability.
Performance Coatings goes beyond just motorcycle parts, doing car, boat and
even airplane parts. And although they're in Washington, they work with clients
all over the United States. For more information about their services you can
visit their website at http://www.performancecoatings.com.
SR!
TM/Summer 02
Performance Coatings
60 37th St NE
Auburn, Washington 98002
253-735-1919 (mention you're reading Sound RIDER!)
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