HP4 Race Black

HP4 Race Black, a black to go with exposed carbon

A black shade carrying the name of the BMW HP4 Race circuit motorcycle. On this machine the black does not belong on the bodywork but on everything around it: on the engine, the exhaust system, the seat section and the stays that frame the exposed structure of carbon fiber.

Why black is essential on this subject

The main frame of the motorcycle is made of carbon fiber and BMW left it without a top coat, as it did the wheels. A model therefore stands and falls with how the dark parts around the carbon meet its structure: too cool a black suppresses the structure, while too warm a one blurs it instead. The answer usually lies in dividing by surface, as black looks one way on the smooth engine covers and another on the rougher plastic under the seat, even though it is the same shade. The same difference works between the exhaust routing and the load-bearing parts close to it.

The parts the black belongs on

• covers of the engine, the gearbox and the clutch on a circuit motorcycle
• frame stays and brackets that sit next to exposed carbon
• the seat section, the backrest and the trailing edges of the bodywork
• braking and steering gear, where a dark tone brings out fine photo-etched parts

Which models the black is meant for

For circuit motorcycles in the scales where the individual parts of the power unit are separately visible and telling them apart makes the whole impression of a build. It is also useful with conversions, where exposed carbon is combined with dark parts and all of them have to fit together. The real subject adds sections that are not black in themselves: the brake discs, the suspension springs and the fasteners stand out only when the dark parts around them are graded.