Featured Product: Matte Carbon now Available for V4

[LICHEN]

I've owned my RSV4F for a year and noticed that the satin carbon parts turned yellow! This is especially obvious when I installed the Aprilia Racing tail carbons! The old carbon is so yellow compared to the new ones
Does anybody suffer from the same problem? What to do??

[EricD]

I've owned my RSV4F for a year and noticed that the satin carbon parts turned yellow! This is especially obvious when I installed the Aprilia Racing tail carbons! The old carbon is so yellow compared to the new ones
Does anybody suffer from the same problem? What to do??

I have noticed the same thing, I wonder if there's some cleaning / buffing that could be done to remove the tint.

[twordsdiverged]

I have the same issue. Since I've only found the frame covers in glossy carbon I've decided to gloss the matte carbon to match. Frankly I would prefer all matte but it is what it is. The guy I'm working with is going to tint the resin to make it work. Will report out on how it goes.

[slothfryk]

While I'm here, I'm just going to throw out that in 10 years I've made 3 purchases from OPP and I can't say that any of them were normal or pleasant. However, they have access to distribute things that sometimes others don't. Hence my 3 purchases. Good luck to anyone who makes a purchase, buyer beware.

I have the same yellowing issue with the front fender on my Factory. It doesn't see much sun, but the sun it does see is really intense. There's no buffing that you can do to remove it. The resin that binds all the fibers together will change color in UV, fact. I've tried Protect-all a UV-protection claiming carnauba wax based cleaner and although it stayed matte (I was woried the wax would change that) it didn't provide the UV protection I was hoping for.

Aprilia carbon is the real deal; dry carbon. Therefore it doesn't have any clear coat like the OPP stuff. The question you need to ask of any vendor selling "matte carbon" would be, Is this actually dry carbon? If so, you'll need to ask if it already has a matte-clearcoat applied, and does that clearcoat have UV protection?

If it's not dry carbon, then it's wet-layup, and made in much the same way as a fiberglass part, just using carbon roving instead of glass roving. These parts are usually more of a cosmetic thing, so they have a clear-coat applied. If that clearcoat has a matte-agent mixed in, cool. But it will never be as flat or matte as a dry carbon part.

The common misconception is that carbon is pretty. Sorry to burst your buble folks. It aint. The real deal will yellow like mad. But to a racer that means absolutely zero. Because it's a disposeable part. The whole bike is disposeable to a racer. Taoists understand the impermances of all things, and racers fully embrace this philosophy. They're either going to pitch it, bin it, stuff it, slide it, launch it, whatever. But that part has about a two month life expectancy, in which time it won't yellow appreciably.

Those of us more common consumers mike prefer to have a bit more longevity to the parts our hard-earned dollars have paid for. But that's why we shouldn't be worried so much about the real deal, and get it clear coated, even if this does include a matte additive. Or deal with the yellow, as I do.

[Daryl RSV4R]

Ok, I didn't think I was the only one not impressed with OPP's stuff.

Magical Racing makes some very nice CF.