to use a paint gun, you just have to have an air compressor right? if so then i will get or rent a gun and use that instead. If i go with that what pain is best?

I know ima prime the plastics, and then should i do some kind of rust stuff for the tank? (metal) and then i was gonna do about 3-4 coats of stealth black and then 3-4 coats of clear.

Sound Good?

 

Yeah, you should just need a compressor and gun w/ regulator is nice. If you're gonna gun it, I'd get a 2k urethane paint. 3 or 4 coats of base sounds ok, but you may want to do more coats of clear to make it deeper. Remember many light coats.
If your tank isn't rusted, just scuff it real well just like you would the plastic. If it's rusty, you'll have to take it to bare metal (strip it). Hit everything with a primer then paint and clear. Read the directions on the paint and primer real well, too, for recommended mix, flash times, etc.
So you're painting the fairings white and tank black?

 

nah...ive gone back and forth about colors..from white to getting new fairings with repsol....so...i want to do something of my own...if it looks bad...ill just do it again....getting it painted and then new fairings is just to much....but why do that...our bikes are supposed to be our own right? but im thinking of doing the whole thing stealth black with the big white honda stickers or possibly do a FOX theme....I will probably be doing it in the next couple of weeks, so i will post some pics....if i do stickers i can just put them on the paint and then clear over right?

 

If you paint your bike with spray paint it will not look like you got a professional paint job. Here's the deal man... if you "rent" a paint gun you might not run the crap out of the primer/base coat... and most importantly the clear.. but there is a great chance that you will since this is all reliant on air pressure, distance from panel, and speed at which you move the gun. Not to mention if you put more than 3 coats of clear on if it's 90 degrees out you'll have solvent pop in the clear... or lil white bubbles in your clear. Not to mention you need an air compressor that won't drop to 20 pounds of air pressure in the middle of spraying. Most clears recommend at least 40 pounds of pressure or more while spraying clear coat. Spray paint and rattle can clear will give you an okay finish for a month but will not hold up to everyday use as it's not really scratch resistent. If you do decide to try to find a gun and spray it yourself the best way to proceed if you want a "deep" looking clear as another member suggested is to clear it with 2-3 coats of clear.. let it dry completely for like a day with no booth.... wet sand it with 800 grit and apply 2-3 more coats of clear and then probably buff it. Gun method... sand any panels being painted with 400 grit sand paper if you plan on using a sealer. 600 or finer if you plan on spraying base with no sealer. If you have primed parts and just want to scuff it.. use a red scuff pad.. not gray. Gray is for blend panels. Or if you can find a super fine pad use it. each of those products are made by 3m. PPG paint is great. You can use their cheaper Omni plus line if you can find it. BASF makes diamont or glasurit.. both are good but not that cheap. Crossfire is a Napa brand if you can still find it.. cheap and okay. If you're in central Indiana you can PM me and I can help you out with a paint job. I've painted at a body shop for the last few years.

 

the tank by the way has no rust, so ill just primer it...should be good with 3-4 coats? i think the hardest part of doing this will be the tank...getting the clear coat off and filling a scratch i did with a screw driver...my mistake...but i hope it turns out good.

 

On your tank are the stickers on top of the clear? If so get them off and then you wont want to take the clear all the way off. Just sand it so new paint will stick. Yeah 3-4 coats of primer will do the trick, just make sure the scratch is all the way sanded out and paint edges are smooth so that you can't feel a bump when you go from metal to primer to base to clear.

 

On the tank the stickers are the stock honda stickers under the clear coat....so when i am doing the tank i can go ahead and start priming when i get all the clear off? Ive never painted before so i know i will make some mistakes...im ready for it...i have an idea of how to do it...ill practise on a few things....so what if i did spray can for the primer, paint...and then did a spray gun for the clear? I just want it to be as easy as possible...but deff want to do it myself....I would appreciate some handson help, but im in Charlotte, NC

 

@rob02f4ikaos gravity feed guns dont need 40 psi do they?
Thought it was only like 18-20.

@new06f4iowner If your clear coat on your tank is not chipping or pealing off you do not need to
take it completely off only scuff it.

 

let me know for sure about the pressure for the gun....we have a huge one at the shop so i highly doubt it would even drop below 60...but let me know

 

Applying the clear with a gun is going to be your most difficult part of the whole job, so unless you're just trying to save money by using a rattle can for the primer and base coat you really should do all three steps with a spray gun. Rattle can paint just won't hold up to UV rays, so the paint will fade quicker than if you bought legit paint. Using a gun to spray the clear will provide more protection for whatever is under it though, so if money is an issue that's an option for a cheaper job. You can do your tank two ways. Option 1. You can sand through your clear and sand off the stickers and then prime the tank. Option two. You can sand the clear until you don't feel an edge when you run your fingers over the stickers and then prime it and sand it. If you use a rattle can primer... make sure it is a high build primer.