Getting Ready To Paint Advise

Your painter is telling you the truth IMO. This points out why most car painters shy away from painting motorcycles. Basically the parts move around Re- assembled the bike and the paintwork is still movable but not nearly so as when you have pieces of plastic that weigh more or less a pound blowing around.

Sounds to me like you are getting good service from this guy. Any glitches can still be "hidden" with graphics.

None of my biz particularly but what was the total cost? Just being nosy..

 

$320 was the total cost, he also cleaned up some road rash on the front fairing for me. I got some quotes from around town and they ranged from 600-1000. However I think that most of them where not really interested in painting a bike. I think they are more interested in painted insured cars, or other damaged cars. I also asked a custom paint guy, however he never got back to me so i didn't think he was interested. Do you think that was a good price I thought for the effort he put into it, it wasn't a bad deal. This was the first time I actually got something significant painted.

 

You got a deal IMO. The paint was probably around $100.00.


Another reason the car painters shy away is that many of them have the idea that when a person comes in with a bike, they want some HarleyCharley showbike dayglo skulls and swastikas with ten miles of striping, and they don't know how to do the work..

The bad news is that this painter has chalked up your job as a learning example and next go around he will be more expensive.

 

Hahaha your probably right about the experience idea. He was a really nice guy so I would hope that he wouldn't raise the price that much. I was starting to look at some wrecked bikes on the internet since I seem to be able to put them back together for reasonable prices. I think my total for this one was about $1300 with paint, I am sure they would have totaled it if I had full coverage at the time (I do now). I don't think he really like the process of painting though, he is used to painting muscle cars which being all metal might be easier for him.

 

newbie question....im planning on painting my vfr DIY...and painting the forks and frame...any advice or suggestions on how im going to tackle this?....

 

It would be good to know which VFR (year) you have. In general, this can be done. Lots of prep and some careful masking are in store.

Only the parts of the frame that are exposed with the fairing on need to be painted. Any color of automotive paint can be used. You might want to have a less than high gloss on the frame and forktubes. Prep is essential. If the clearcoat on the frame spars is spotty, the aluminum will have to be primed with an etching primer. Same with the forktubes. Do not even attempt to paint the inner fork parts. They are stainless steel.

Best IMO to dismount the wheels and paint them too. With careful masking the wheels can be painted without dismounting the tires.

Plan on taking your time and spending some bucks. If you skinch on paint or prep you will end up with a mess. Buy a book on automotive painting. Nothing fancy like you see in shows, just the basic stuff.

If you try this with rattlecans you will be in FUBAR land.

 

i have a 92 vfr....so for the fork tubes dont touch the stainless steel part but i can paint the buttom forks where you attach the wheel.....and for the paint it self....thinking of getting a heat resistant paint...the frame seems to get really hot sometimes.....

 

Yep, paint doesn't adhere to stainless very long.

Yes the frame does get hot but you don't really need to paint the whole frame, just what is exposed with the fairing parts mounted. There is a small pic of my 91 on the pix page. Painted frame parts, painted forks and painted wheels. Total repaint of the entire bike.

If you are going to do a total repaint, one trick is to shoot your fairing parts and when done and very carefully with again lots of masking off, shoot the inside of the fairing parts with a flat black.

Remember, these automotive paints are toxic like a mofo so ATGATT is the byword. We want ya riding, not drooling in your oatmeal..

 

Most less-than-bigbucks painters have a dozen standard excuses at the ready, and more they can invent.

They seem to have some degree of mental misderangement or strange personality due to long-term excessive over-exposure to acetone, alcohol, all manner of aromatic hydrocarbon-derivatives. various opiate and non-opiate pain killers, Budweiser, meth, Ambien, prescription Myopraxidol, the porn-Viagra-badwimmin syndrome, Jack Daniels and high-fructose fizzy drinks like Mountain Dew or Pepsi.

So they're just a fraction more reliable that a cheap lawyer.

 

im running a street fighter style on the bike...bought the bike with no fairings so everything is showing LOL....but planning on re wiring and hiding all those so the frame is expose...but thank you for all the advice...will post picture of her once done with painting...thanks again!

 

You just described half the population of my town... or maybe they are just rednecks haha.

 

True. and that's just the good shit..

 

Someone with photoshop and design talent, please paint my VTR 250.....