to remove the stickers I mainly used a paint scrapper and sanded the edges. if youre not careful you can damage the plastics but there was so much road rash on them that I had to bondo it wasnt hard to add more bondo if I chipped part of the plastic. Ive heard others have had luck with using a hair dryer but I didnt have one readily available. the main thing i would emphasize for someone else painting their bike is be sure you dont half-*** the prep work. dont assume that paint will cover imperfections. i wish i would have spent more time on prep because i rushed it towards the end.

yeah I dont love the way the screening material looks from close up either. but from a bit back I like the overall effect it gives to the bike.

 

Looks good for a DIY. If it was me though, I wouldn't have told the guy I was getting ready to do a re-paint. I woulda bled him like a stuck pig and let a professional paint my bike.
My tips for removing decals: Use 100 grit paper to scuff the clear from the decals. Use a hair dryer on its hottest setting to soften the glue, then use an exacto knife (or similar) to lift the edge up. Slowly peel the decals off, keeping pressure closest to the base of the decal at the fairing. It takes a lot of time to remove decals, but be patient!

 

I painted my bike back in Feb. and the decals are a pain in the A$$ to get off. But the blow drier thing works pretty dang well, especially with some really good razor blades.

 

plastikmelter,

It looks like you did a pretty job to me.

I'm an amateur painter (1 bike & 3 cars so far) and I know how tough it is to get it right.

What type of paint did you use? 2-stage or single stage? enamel or urethane? The black on the tank looks like it was laid down very well, nice depth & reflection. I'm surpised the red didn't come out better, since I find black harder to shoot.