For those who can paint

[Mpenner]

Hi everyone! I know a bunch of you guys have painted you bike and I am gonna ask you some questions.

I know as with any painting project the prep is 90% of the project.
-Did you strip the pieces down to bare metal and/or plastics? If so what did you use to strip the plastic pieces?
-What kind of filler did you use on the plastic parts?
-What did you use for a primer? Standard primer or the sandable filler primer?

*When you did get to the painting what did you use for paint? Single Stage? BC/CC? Does it have to be special paint or clear coated to prevent gas from eating paint? Anyone attempted to use Tractor paint from tractor supply? Anyone ever shot Rustoleum from their gun?

*Not looking for any super special candy paint or anything. I just want a nice finish that will look good rolling down the highway and look good from 10 feet away

Any suggestions and shat will be GREATLY appreciated!

[willie]

If you do a search on here you'll find a wealth of info about prepping and painting. Personally, I've painted a whopping 3 bikes so I'm no authority. I like to think I've learned something from each project but know I still have alot to learn. Take that into consideration when you read my advice. I agree that prep is a major part of the project, both in the effort required and in the importance to the finished job. I haven't had to sand the old finish down to the bare metal or plastic except to feather some deep scratches. I haven't had to use any filler on my projects but would use the type with microspheres if I did. I've preferred primer surfacer over standard primer and done lot of wet sanding using a rubber sanding pad before laying down any color. I learned the importance of sanding in one direction on my last project and also, not to sand prior to applying the final clear coats. A good gun with a dialed in spray pattern is, IMHO, essential.
I also made alot of use of a tack rags to remove any contaminants from the surface before spraying. That and I found wetting down the surrounding area before spraying helped to minimize airborn contaminants.
Good luck!
Willie

[Theo]

Alright. So I'm about to paint my bike myself and I've been searching and reading up on this topic for who knows how long. Believe me, I'm almost sick of reading about painting. Everyone has their own opinion of what the right way is that it gets more and more confusing the more I read. Everytime I think I have a game plan, I read something that makes me not so sure anymore. The only thing it seems that everyone agrees on is prep work. Do the right prep and any paint will stick and look good. So that's all I have to say as I haven't painted anything yet. Good luck.
-Theo

[spyug]

Willie covers it off well. All I would add is cleaning prior to paint is crucial. Any contaminants like oils from your fingers can ruin the job. Wear latex or vinyl gloves and wipe down with the recommended thinner for your paint. allow it to air dry.

Humidity and airborn dust can also be big problems so try to paint only on calm non humid days. I think you can usually get away with relative humidities up to about 50% but I wouldn't go much beyond. You should also have a drier in line on the hose from your compressor as water in the line will ruin the paint.

When using spray equipment it is crucial to clean your equipment right after use and that means stripping the guns down and cleaning them thoroughly in the appropriate thinners. Running thinners through the gun is not enough and akin to trying to clean carbs with just a shot of spray.

Good quipment, well looked after will last for years.

Good luck with it now show us what you can do.

[ukilme]

There was a recent thread about paint guns and some useful info there. My first bike the paint was good so I just sanded the paint down with 600 then washed it and clean in with a degreaser.

If you have more then two coats of paint, I would sand it down because to much paint build up can cause some problems.

If you choose to sand you tank, you can sand with 80-120 but then you have to use a good prime. I have used dupli-color filler prime w/o any issues.

With the plastic on my Kat, I used 220 to sand the paint off as I did not want to 'scratch' the plastics.

Now if you have cracks or need body filler, they do sell body stuff for plastics. But you generally have to get it at a auto body shop. They also now sell a good high fill prime for the plactis stuff.

And as spyug says...clean you guns very well. Nothing worse then spraying clear and have it cloudy because of a dirty gun.

[Ogri]

Rather than read the many different opinions of how to paint, you would be better to choose one person that has done painting and has done work that you can see in person. Go to them and ask them to give you guidence rather than wade through all the garbage that varies from the hacks that have only read about painting to the professionals that do it day in and day out.

[sachsaca]

spyug - try to paint only on calm non humid days, I think you can usually get away with relative humidities up to about 50% but I wouldn't go much beyond.

willie - I also made alot of use of a tack rags to remove any contaminants from the surface before spraying. That and I found wetting down the surrounding area before spraying helped to minimize airborn contaminants.

sachsaca - I did alot of wet sanding to prep my tank and side plates. My primer was smooth as glass so no defects in it, I tried to get it as good as the paint job would be.
This is a rattle can paint job, Duplicolor, lacquer. prep, prep, prep

[posplayr]

Any suggestions and shat will be GREATLY appreciated!

Make sure to invert the can and clear the nozzle after each usage

[Jagir]

toothpaste?

I bought my cowling off ebay. It had been painted black, windshield and all.

I stripped off the paint and sanded quite a bit, maybe 6 or 8 hours. I did not sand the windshield. I only used paint stripper on the plexi, but it remained cloudy. I racked the old noodle about gentle sanding solutions that i could wash it in. Toothpaste seemed like a good idea and it worked like a charm. Cleaned the surface and removed the cloudiness (like a 1000 or 1500 grit sandpaper). Now the windshield looks great.

I used a 2 part paint in an air gun. It was my first real paint job with a 2 part paint and with an air gun. The job is now about 3 years old and I sanded and touched up only one area a year ago. Unfortunately, where i touched it up, I also TOUCHED it and 6 months later i have a tiny bubble in that one spot. A few days ago I found the perfect pin stripe. Have yet to decide if I will do a third touch-up paint or just leave the bubble and pin stripe it as is.

I also rattle canned a tank belonging to a buddy's CB 450. 1 coat of primer, 2 coats of matte white and a coat of good quality clear coat. It looks crap compared to the 2 part paint.

+1 on everything everyone else said.

Wash it with soap and water and rinse it well and let it sit in the sun and/or dry it with a clean towel and/or blow dryer just before you paint it. USE GLOVES. Only mix small batches of 2 part paint, clean gun frequently. Well-ventilated clean area. Ensure that you will have no distractions so you can get in the zone on paint day. You will have great results.

[Jagir]

Sorry, no good pics of the 'after' paint job. Most of them have a billion smashed bugs on the fairing, or are pics of places I've gone.