Whitewalls in Singapore?

Some of White Tyre Paint users gallery:Honda Airwave 1.5cc that stands out from the rest.TW200 with whitewallsSUPER4 aka CB400 with White Letterings using White Tyre Paint
2nd picture of SUPER4 rear tyre
Honda Steed with whitewalls & white seats.

Honda Phantom TA200 with whitewalls facing an open road.

Dragstar Custom with whitewalls.

Honda Slasher with whitewalls & Chopper emblem.
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Gimme dat Classic tyre look !!

Welcome to my Classic WhiteWall Tyre blog.

As you all know, white-wall tyres are expensive unless you're living in the States.
I've tried lotsa method to achieve that classic look for my tyre. You name it, I've tried it. From....
1. paint marker pen

2. latex paint

3. white rubber slip-on etc etc

all of these material will show signs of "cracks" when applied to the tyres due to the harsh treatment of the elements like rain, uv-rays from the sun, dirt, road grimes and so on. As for the rubber slip-on, it will make your wheels imbalance. Thus, that is something dangerous. Not recommended at all.

Now, there's a better way to achieve that !

TYRE PAINT by Orn Sigurddson

NOW IN SINGAPORE !!
Orn Sigurddsson and his Chemical Engineer friend managed to make a white rubber-paint which is elastic enough to be painted on all kinds of tires and does not crack or peel off.

The paint was developed and produced in Iceland by Orn Sigurddsson himself with the help of a chemical engineer friend. There is a liquid in the paint which makes it softer and easier to paint which is partly made of thinner. But the main secret behind the formula is a fluid we put into the rubber which keeps it from getting completely solid. Actually the paint gets only 50% solid-hardness, preventing it from cracking on the moving tire. If you apply a small amount of the paint on a plastic film and peel it off after it is dry, you can stretch it like a balloon. That is why it tolerates the fast rotating radial tires, which will destroy all other paint. We also put titanium into the paint to minimize the effect of sunlight on the colour.
PERFECT for all types of tyres. Be it bicycles, trucks, motorcycles, cars, aeroplanes etc etc.

THINGS YOU NEED TO PREPARE

1. Rags
2. BlackMagic Tire Cleaner spray (can be bought at any Shell Petrol Kiosk or Hypermarket in S'pore)
3. Paint thinner or turpentine with a small sponge to use for cleaning the tyre

4. a 3/4" paint brush from the local hardware store
5. a stick or pole to stir the WTP paint
6. a plastic container to soak the brush with thinner after use
7. x1 can of WTP (white tyre paint)
8. flat-head screw-driver to open the WTP can
9. a copy of WTP manual
10. Goo Gone (a multi-purpose cleaner I use to scrub away dirt & grimes off the rims - OPTIONAL)
11. x2 car-jack (if you have a main-stand, then you need only one)

Firstly, I wash the tyres & rims off the grimes and dirt beforehand using BLACKMAGIC TIRE CLEANER. Let them dry.

Next, you need to lift both tyres off the ground. To do it, place the car-jack under the bike front & rear. If you have a mainstand, place only one car-jack either the front OR rear to balance it. Idea is to lift the wheels off the ground so that they are free to turn. Very useful when we start to paint.

Use the paint thinner to clean the walls of your tyre.
CAUTION: THINNER ARE FLAMMABLES SO DON'T SMOKE!!

Take note of the tyre "border" lines as shown by the white arrows. These will be your outline boundary to assist you while painting. (if there are couple of lines on the tyres, decide which one will be your outline boundary). Like mine, it will have a WIDE whitewall look. Alternatively, use Masking Tape to tape the outer edges and the rims before painting.

I start to paint the tyre outline (as shown) then I paint evenly on both sides of the tyre. Always stir the paint whenever you dip your brush. This is to ensure the paint does not harden up.
Keep rotating the wheel bit by bit while painting.
REMEMBER:
You have to wait 24hrs in-between coats to let it completely dry before the next coating or even riding !!
If you feel the paint is too sticky to brush, dip your brush into the thinner first before you dip into the paint. This will help you brush smoothly. BUT NOT TOO OFTEN AND NOT TOO MUCH THINNER!

After the first coating you will notice a colour change - a "browning" effect. Do not panic as it is
just part of the curing process. Paint over another two coatings and it will solve the "browning" problem.
Do remember the 24hrs curing time.

For me, a total of 3 coatings was needed. After that it was all fabulous.

Final look after 3rd coatings

CARE & MAINTENANCE

Having a whitewall tyre is like wearing a white shirt. You need to have proper care or else the whiteness will be blackness. Same goes to whitewalls you need to clean it as often as possible due to the road dirt & grimes that will make it look dirty.
Here is how I do it.

First these are what you need:

1. Black Magic Tire Cleaner

This Black Magic Tire Cleaner is suitable for both blackwall & white wall tyres. Its the only tyre cleaner available in Singapore. You can buy it from most Shell petrol stations island-wide, any hypermarket or car accessory shop.
Spray the Tire Cleaner to clean dirt grimes etc off the whitewalls. (you can actually see the dirt comes off)

Clean the whitewalls once a week or whenever it gets dirty.

For enquiries on the White Tyre Paint please contact:
suhaimbo@yahoo.com.sg or
sms: +65-96862298