painting a gs 550

[beatlejuice]

I want to paint the bike, is there any tips for this? Sand the original paint down, then prime then paint? I have never done this before so any tips would be loved.

[beatlejuice]

I also can't upload images, why is that?


Thanks
Ian

[ned37]

my thought is; if you are asking the questions that are in this thread, then you need to practice on something other than your bike. it takes a fairly good spraygun to get a decent job. the original paint is clearcoat and depending on the year, may be lacquer. today's paints are tricky to apply right without practice and also are very toxic. you should do some research on how to paint before ever starting.

[beatlejuice]

I am not worried if it looks really good. I mean I can get the tank painted by a pro for a hundred bux, i just thought I would try it on my own for fun to see what it looks like. I was just gonna use spray cans and no clear coat or maybe one clear coat.

I know its not pro but whatever, i will get painted if i don't like it.

Thanks
Ian

[sonnygs1100]

for a good paint job the paint , clear coat , hardner and the reducer will cost more than 1oo bucks

[po-boy]

First off, don't let the nay-sayers get you down. Second, rattle can jobs can look really good, durability is where you may have issues. I am painting my entire bike (frame, wheels, tins, etc,) w/ rattle cans and prep is THE key to success. Take your time and don't even reach for the can of color until the surface is level and smooth. If you are starting w/ the factory finish, a good thorough sanding w/ 320 then a couple coats of primer may be all you need. If you have dings, scratches, multiple layers of paint, etc. more elbow grease and time are in your future. This is not a fully detailed"how to", google up Motorcycle painting, or go to the library(don't laugh, I'm old school) and there are hundreds of well written articles to be found. Good luck and keep us up to speed w/ pics and post's. Here's a pic of what started out as a chrome, dinged up fender. $10 and some elbow grease is what I have in it. Still needs striped and wet-sanded/ buffed.
Go for it...

[TheCafeKid]

Just use some 400 grit on the original paint to rough it up. You may want to sand out the pinstripes so they dont show a raised edge under the new coat, but really, the stock paint is a better primer than primer, so no need to take it down to bare metal. the rattle bomb will stick better to the old paint when its roughed up anyway.

Rough the paint, take out any of the pinstripes you can. Wash the tank down in alchohol or carb spray or the like to remove any oil, dirt, grease etc. Be sure to use gloves or something when you handle it from this point on to paint, so you dont get any finger/hand oils on it. Shoot it with your rattle bomb, lightly, barely leaving any colour on this coat. Let that flash up (get slightly tacky, but not dry) this should take about a minute or so. Then spray on your next coats, a little wetter, and try to be even. Two or three coats like this, then let it set up for about 30 mins. Sand again with the 400 to knock down the "orange peel" and then shoot a WET COAT with your colour again. let that set, knock down the orange peel again, and then shoot your clear if you chose to use a rattle bomb clear. There are a couple of manufacturers that make an actual two part rattle bomb clear coat that has a hardener in it. You will have to order this stuff, as I dont know of any store that currently carries it. Do a search on the web for two part rattle can clear coat or something like that. basicly, you smack the can, it releases the hardener into the clear, and you shoot. A couple coats of clear the same way you did the colour. Then knock the orange peel down again. One more heavy coat with the clear, knock the orange peel, then allow to set up for a couple of days. When its done setting up, sand with progressively lighter grits (go from say 400 all the way to 2000 grit) then hit it with the buffer and compound to bring it up to a nice shine. If you dont use the two part clear, as long as you dont get gas on the tank, it should look decent for a long while. I did that with my cafe bikes paint, till i can get it pro painted, and i just use a rag i carry on the bike when i filled it up to keep gas off the tank.