Cheap paint jobs. Pics please.

[JimmyR]

Funny story about that fender. Well, sort of... I tried getting it blasted and then anodised because I wanted a satin anodised sort of finish like my bars, but it just looked like grey primer. So then I went to the powder coaters and chose a metallic silvery/grey gunmetal colour in a texture like my frame. Couple of days later I get a call saying it's ready. But we chose a different colour because we thought it looked better.. What??

They did say that they would redo it the original choice for free. So I thought what the hell - I'll stick it on the bike and see what it looks like. And although it's darker than planned I like it enough to leave it. So as of today I am tidying up the tank and front fender to get coated the same finish. First a close-up of the finish:



And the whole bike. Use your imagination and try to see it with a gunmetal tank and front fender! I do like the reddish brown of the tank but it's a bit tatty. This is a crappy phone pic as I am not taking good shots 'til it's finished:



Thanks for the kind words guys. This has been a lot of work for me, and it's my first real "build" so it has been nerve wracking.

[Steel Toed Tank]

Wow look at all these great rattle can jobs!! These bikes ALL look fantastic!
My bike needs paint in a major way but only after I tackle everything else it needs.
Knowing I might be able to do a great job with rattle cans would make it cheaper and much much sooner!
Thanks for posting everyone.


Tank

[ValorSolo]

So how many cans of 2k should I order? How many cans per tank?
I have two tanks to paint at different times, not within 24 hours of each other.
I may also have a fairing to paint, not sure yet. Still trying to decide on one.

I think I'll order three cans, and if it takes more than one can for the first tank, I'll order more after.
I should be able to get three coats out of one can, right?

Edit: forgot to mention what I was ordering. 2k clear

[steveu812]

Find a local highschool that has a vocational body shop program. I had my local school paint a Factory 5 C0br@ replica and 2 bikes so far. They only charge for the material. One bike was front fender, tank and side covers - $50. Last one was tank and side covers - $40. With today bc/cc paints, it turns out great.

[MisterCinders]

Latest rattlecan job:

[MadCapsule]

Latest rattlecan job:

Dude, you've been busy.

Looks good!

[big block]

Auto paint but still low buck.

Sheldon

[big block]

Other side.

Sheldon

[Tuner Automotive]

Rattlecan:







what year and model is this bike ?
I have a82 GS550L and want my seat , rear tail and rear fender to look like this.
Am thinking of buying these parts and then giving them to my fabricator for him to fab up to my bike.

[lonerider00]

What I have learned the hard way....
DupliColor is unacceptable for a gas tank. But looks awsome.
Enamel covers anything. enamel washes off with gas.
urethane covers anything. 2 part urethane is gas-resistant.
lacquer will {ruin} anything but lacquer or "primer sealer". lacquer melts at the sight of gas.

Wish I would've known that a year ago... spent over a month doing prep and another month or two shooting and striping, only to have it ruined on my second fill up after I got back on the road (happened last week, I am still mad). I used Rustoleum acrylic lacquer in black, used the vinyl pin stripes from Pep Boys, and sprayed the same Rustoleum lacquer in clear over everything... wet sanded between coats and polished with McGuire's after final wet sanding the top coat (3 or 4 coats of black and about 8 coats of clear). It looked great until last week (see above). I'll take some pics and post them of how it looks now, how it looked before is in my sig.

I'm really glad I did it myself this time (for the experience) but next time I think I'll just pay someone to do it for me. It was a LOT more time consuming and labor intensive than I was expecting it to be (in order to make it look right)

[Spyder]

Hmmm, I have all my skins off and primed. Still debating color, and not much inspiration here. Most of these spray jobs look fantastic, but not many color ideas. I'm planning on going with a solid color for now. I'm kind of leaning toward silver. I was thinking of a deep burgundy but not too sure how it would look on my bike. Hmmm...

[metalman]

Por-15 applied with brush and top coated with por-15 BlackCote rattle can. But first tank brushed with vinegar.

[Spyder]

Brushed with vinegar? You must explain that one...

[kerrfunk]

I bought a fairing from gs_scott.
It was a little dinged up and didn't match the bike's custom paintjob (from a PO)



So I took it apart, cleaned it up, and spraypainted rattle can) it.





And, voila!

[metalman]

Brushed with vinegar? You must explain that one...

Kills and eats rust. Protects metal form rust while waiting for ya to get to it.