I read through ___z___'s "not a rattle can job" method to painting a bike, but that's a bit more involved than I want to get. I wouldn't mind doing the clear coat bit, but I only want to paint my bike solid black. Just wondering if there was a less involved write up out there. something more along the lines of [sand plastic, use this primer, then this paint, then this clear coat... lol] I also had a question about my tank. there is a spot that has a chip in the paint that does not go all the way though and is out of sight kinda. Can i just sand that down even and rough it up like the rest and then prime and spray it? i do not see the need to fill it or build it up because of where it is. And what about decals. What is the best way to remove them before painting? I do not want the OEM decals on there at all, but I do not want to do a ghetto spray over of them either. My bike has never been laid down, its just got black marks all over the tank from something that I cannot get off, and a few minor scrapes that are only surface deep [bumping up against parking posts etc at school] And its it that ugly gray and red color.... So i wanted to paint it black.

Any info help. Pain types, brands etc. I do not mind doing a rattle can job, z's $200-300 just seemed a bit too much for what I was trying to accomplish.

 

i just got done repainting...and then wiped out about three wks later just last night. the best way to get the decals off the fairings is with a blow dryer. Heat them up pretty damn hot and then once you get a corner keep it hot and they peel right off. As for the tank, those suck and i ended up using strip ease and then sanded it all the way down to the metal.

good luck man. make sure you paint in a very clean area. water the floor down to keep dust from kicking up. mine turned out great heres a few pics

Login | Facebook

 

Painting a bike is an involved process so if you want it to look good it takes time and patience. I prepped my old bike to get sprayed by my uncle who does autobody. It took first stripping all of the rattle can off, several attempts of wet sanding, including any filler on any gouges. You can just sand your chips and you will be fine. I think prep work alone was around 12 hours.

 

This one doesn't have any paint on it I think, as far as what the dealer said, its colored plastic of some kind? so don't I just need to sand it? the tank itself is the only part actually painted. I guess I never mentioned what bike it is. I wanted to color my Honda CBR 600 F4I

 

Sanding won't be to bad but even so, if you can do all the prep work and find someone to spray it cheap, you will be much happier.

 

I am going to try Testors spray lacquer. I have used it on models and it gives a better finish than any professional could do. It also works out to be cheaper than the cans __z__ was talking about!