OK, took the tank off and finally sealed the gas leak from the inside so it's fixed once and for all (cheap G-D welds!). Then got to thinking, why not fix that paint chip some lughead put on it while I was parked amongst the cretins at Sturgis a few years back (I thought it was someplace all motorcyclists should go, I was wrong). Then got to thinking, why not just paint the whole damn bike. Can't be rocket science, can it?
Problem is, I don't have the foggiest idea where to start.
What kind of prep so I get a smooth finish?
What kind of paint, and what is the best application method? Someone mentioned Dupla in a rattle can.
I think I'm going to lose the front turn signals in favor of a mirror mounted set, how then best to fill the void left by the removal of said ugly front turn signals, so it is not visible?
I definately want to try this myself.
Now what?
__________________ 1999 900 Supersport We bought 'em to ride 'em, right?
I am actually doing the same process for the same bike 99 900ss (Black!!!). Also painting my 996 track body work (haven't decided what color). Also doing a GSXR for a friend in Plum loco (Don't really like mentioning other bikes but oh well its for learning purposes). Damn didn't even realize how many painting projects I had. Don't rattle can it, even if your really good it turns out looking mediocre IMHO.
To start out, if you've never done any painting before there is a learning curve!!! If your not willing to mess up a couple times and starting over I suggest letting someone else do it.
If your up to the challenge and willing to learn from your mistakes its actually a very good learning process that in the end is extremely rewarding.
Every painting project is different, but this is how I go about most of them.
1)Wet sand the clear coat off with a sand paper in the range of 400 grit.
2)When all the clear coat is off and your down to just the base color, spray high build auto primer (This can be rattle can primer) closest color to the color you want to paint your bike, on all your panels.
3)When the panels are dry you should be able to easily see flaws such as chips, scratches etc. If they are deep (can't cover them with a couple more coats of the high build primer) you will need some light weight body filler (I use a product called ICING but any light weight body filler should do)
After filling the flaws wet sand down using sanding block (600grit range), making sure everything is smooth and contoured.
4) Another coat of primer, inspect everything again repeat step 3 if necessary.
5) After your satisfied with your prep job and on the final primer coat I usually lightly wet sand primer with 600grit to get it nice and smooth. (I don't think this is necessarily needed if your decent with the primer, but I do it anyway)
PREP WORK DONE
For painting I would greatly suggest a HVLP paint gun with a tip either 1.3mm or 1.4mm. You don't need anything real expensive, unless you can see yourself doing this a lot. I have done excellent work with a $60 Harbor Freight special(a kit with a main gun and also a touchup gun).
There are a couple of different kinds of paint.
Lacquer
Acrylic Enamel (Usually the standard in OEM Cars) Single stage or Two stage )
There might even be more, but these are the ones that I am familiar with
If you want a really good long lasting paint I would go with Acrylic Enamel
Single stage is you mix it with reducer and harder and shoot it, when it dries your done, all you have to do is buff it out.
Two stage is a base coat you spray on and depending on the quality you can sand and fix (to a certain point), then you have to clear coat it with a Urethane clear coat.
If you are interested in going the Lacquer way let me know and I will give you the details on that also.
I'm sure you will have about a million questions, the internet is a decent resource, but I found it only gets you so far. I will be happy to answer any of your questions and I'm on here fairly often.
I'm sure it seems like an overload of information, but it actually not that difficult.
The turn signal thing will be tricky. The problem is that its really hard to get anything to stick to plastic. If it was fiberglass, there would be no issues. Personally I would probably get some plugs and just plug the holes after it was painted, that way if you wanted they could be taken out if need be. I think some carbon fiber ones would look pretty decent
I did pretty much everything you said, and also took some advice from the guy at the paint store. I used single stage paint and related products.
Tore the bike apart and sealed the gas tank from the inside to get rid of that pesky leak. Sanded everything down. Due to 10 years of pits and scratches, I sanded almost to the plastic on most of the bike. Filled a few of the larger scratches. I used an epoxy two stage filler for the voids in the fairing left by the front turn signals. I sanded them completely out and left it pretty rough inside. Filled them up, let the magic stuff cure and sanded it out. Looks great.
It was a good decision to get rid of those cheap looking things, the overall bike looks much cleaner. I have ordered some mirror/signal combos from Speedzilla and will install them when they get here.
When it came time to paint, I shot the tank and top fairing sections in red. Not bad considering I don't know what I'm doing! One problem however. My shop is basically a barn door style, and even though I cleaned it and sheeted the whole thing in plastic, there was no way I could keep the dust out! Oh no!! Another problem, the paint needs 17 hours to cure, and the temp needs to be 70 degrees F. My shop has no insulation and it was cold. So I get space heaters and have them going all night. Those damn things use a lot of juice. I kept blowing circuits. My backyard looked like a spider web of extention cords as I was trying to find plugs that weren't on the same circuit. Stressful night! Bottom line, I was able to keep the temp barely in the safe zone, and I had unacceptable dust specs on the parts.
The wife, god bless her, said, "You've done all the hard work, take it in and have a pro shoot the paint for you." Can't argue with the logic. So I took it to a local guy I use for other projects and it looks great.
Did a tri color scheme, red on top, white in the middle, green on the bottom. Found old school logos. Looks really cool. I can't figure out how to include a picture but I'll try and get one.
__________________ 1999 900 Supersport We bought 'em to ride 'em, right?
Last edited by ironbuttduc; 03-31-2009 at 03:29 AM.
Props for giving it a shot!!! That's how I started out years ago.
I think I know what I'm doing now, got all the equipment and a "kind of" clean place to paint...AND...I'm still learnin'
If you want to see my work, check my Blog.
It was a lot of work but it was worth it. Question, it's single stage paint. Can/should I put clear coat over it, and how long before I can safely apply wax to the paint?
The pics you posted look great. I checked out the blog a few weeks ago from another link and you have obviously figured this thing out!!
__________________ 1999 900 Supersport We bought 'em to ride 'em, right?
You shouldn't have to clear coat if is a single stage. If you buff it, you should be able to get a nice shiny finish. That being said, you can definitely put a clear coat on this and it will be more durable, it should also add some depth to the paint. If this is done, it usually takes a while for the clear coat to set up properly(especially if you live in a cooler climate). I would wait about a week in 70's degree climate (just so that the clear coat isn't soft/gummy) before buffing the clear coat("buffing" which I recommend, but may not be necessary). You should be able wax immediately after your done with the buffing.
Use the same type of clear coat you did with paint ie. acrylic urethane, use acrylic urethane clear coat.
IMHO, if you put a clear on a single stage (not needed)you will loose most of the benefits of using a single stage, ie, Distinctness of image. It's sort of like a front surface mirror versus a standard mirror. A front surface mirror has the reflective surface on the front of the mirror. A traditional mirror has the reflective surface on the back side of the mirror. A front surface mirror reflects the light back immediately and very distinctly without much distortion. In a traditional back surface mirror the light has to go through the glass to hit the reflective surface, then back out through the glass which tends to diffuse the light a tiny bit. If you don't have decals or graphics that need a clear coat I personally would just buff the single stage.
All of the good reflective telescopes use front surface mirrors only.
IMHO, if you put a clear on a single stage (not needed)you will loose most of the benefits of using a single stage, ie, Distinctness of image. It's sort of like a front surface mirror versus a standard mirror. A front surface mirror has the reflective surface on the front of the mirror. A traditional mirror has the reflective surface on the back side of the mirror. A front surface mirror reflects the light back immediately and very distinctly without much distortion. In a traditional back surface mirror the light has to go through the glass to hit the reflective surface, then back out through the glass which tends to diffuse the light a tiny bit. If you don't have decals or graphics that need a clear coat I personally would just buff the single stage.
All of the good reflective telescopes use front surface mirrors only.
just my 2 cents.
Marvin, I do agree with what you said. It's really a personal preference. I do however think that a clear coat will help the overall toughness and durability of the paint, with a possible loss of "pure surface color".
IMO light colors are more subject to this "loss", but darker colors seem to embrace it and look even better.
I am far from being a professional, so when I shoot single stage, I usually take into account a few factors; the color, my spraying quality (usually the deal maker), quality needed, and how its going to be used.
I personally like the depth in dark colors, but I also like the true color that the lighter colors make without clear.
I single- staged my frame after Marvin's recommendation about reflectiveness (is that a word?) and am happy with the results. Everything else, I clearcoat.
I would like to post some photos for you guys to see what we're talking about. It asks for the http location when I try to post, and it won't let me "copy and paste." I don't have a web page to reference...any suggestions?
__________________ 1999 900 Supersport We bought 'em to ride 'em, right?
I would like to post some photos for you guys to see what we're talking about. It asks for the http location when I try to post, and it won't let me "copy and paste." I don't have a web page to reference...any suggestions?
I hope I'm not just reiterating what your trying to do, but go to the "Attach Files" section and go into "Manage Attachments" This is all just below the response window. There you can upload photos from your computer, I hope that helps.
Marvin, I do agree with what you said. It's really a personal preference. I do however think that a clear coat will help the overall toughness and durability of the paint, with a possible loss of "pure surface color".
IMO light colors are more subject to this "loss", but darker colors seem to embrace it and look even better.
I am far from being a professional, so when I shoot single stage, I usually take into account a few factors; the color, my spraying quality (usually the deal maker), quality needed, and how its going to be used.
I personally like the depth in dark colors, but I also like the true color that the lighter colors make without clear.
Would love to see some pics!!!!
heres a link to a forum i belong to here in sydney austraila
its my pics page NSW RATs
heres how you do it properly.....
these are a few track bike i have painted
i spent 18 years in the trade and this is what you can do in a garage when you know what your doing
all thes bike were sprayed in clear over base 2 pack
except for the blue zxr which was done with spray cans (wasnt my choice it was the customer)
if your going to give advice please give the right advise
pm me if you need help
muzz
Need painting advice!
748 Frame- Dupont ChromaBase single stage.
999R Bodywork- Dupont PPG base coat-clear coat.
Helmet painted with waterbased paint (acrylic) and clearcoated with Urethane enamel.
Linear Mode
