Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

1980 GS450 Budget Paint Job

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    1980 GS450 Budget Paint Job

    Apologies, had some image hosting issues and had to delete my previous thread.

    I thought I'd throw this back up in case anyone was interested in the project.

    To Recap..... I purchased a 1980 Suzuki GS450ET last year for $700. It is my first motorcycle and was not in the best of shape. Broken piston, starter was shot, it looked like someone found it in a barn, hosed it off, and uploaded it directly to Craigslist. Being a novice I didn't really know what I was getting myself into, I just thought that it was a neat looking bike, and being a college student with only part time employment the price was attractive. Fast forward a year, all mechanical problems have been remedied, and I decided that I would try and update the aesthetics a bit with a small amount of extra cash I made selling some items on Ebay. I decided to take the bike apart, clean up everything I could, and with $30 worth of spray paint see if I couldn't make it look a little better. This was by no means a professional undertaking, just a kid, with an old bike, and some incessant insomnia.

    These are the original Craigslist photos:




    Here it is after I rode it home and cleaned it up a tiny bit. (Yep it still ran with a busted piston, I thought it just needed the carburetor cleaned...)



    The thing was a mess, starter barely worked, someone had installed a scooter battery for some reason, and due to budget issues it spent most of the next year in pieces rather than on the road.

    #2
    Year later, mechanical issues all addressed, decided to take it apart one more time in an attempt to clean it up a bit.

    Before:







    Primer Stage:

    (For the plastic parts all I did was wipe them down with a moist rag, then shot them with white spray can primer. For the tank I did some light sanding and prep work.)





    Comment


      #3
      "7770 Almond" (Tried to rotate this pic, gave up, so it's sideways.)


      Paint Stage:








      Comment


        #4
        Reassembly:






        Decided to update the handlebar with a $25 clubman while I was at it.....



        Girlfriend seems to like it....

        Comment


          #5
          a dignified colour
          good job

          Comment


            #6
            Finished Product:

            Pinstripe!



            Final Product.








            So for less than $100, did that. Is it perfect? Not even close, but I'm pretty happy with it.

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by JEEPRUSTY View Post
              a dignified colour
              good job
              Thank you sir.

              Comment


                #8
                now polish the cases

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by JEEPRUSTY View Post
                  now polish the cases
                  They certainly could use some attention.........

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Definitely a bit "different" on the color, but it looks very good.

                    You have any plans to protect that paint with a 2K clear coat?
                    Spill a couple drops of gas at your next fill-up, your nice paint job will be wasted.

                    .
                    sigpic
                    mine: 2000 Honda GoldWing GL1500SE and 1980 GS850G'K' "Junior"
                    hers: 1982 GS850GL - "Angel" and 1969 Suzuki T250 Scrambler
                    #1 son: 1986 Yamaha Venture Royale 1300 and 1982 GS650GL "Rat Bagger"
                    #2 son: 1980 GS1000G
                    Family Portrait
                    Siblings and Spouses
                    Mom's first ride
                    Want a copy of my valve adjust spreadsheet for your 2-valve per cylinder engine? Send me an e-mail request (not a PM)
                    (Click on my username in the upper-left corner for e-mail info.)

                    Comment


                      #11
                      I like it and YOU did it.
                      1983 GS 1100 Guided Laser
                      1983 GS 1100 G
                      2000 Suzuki Intruder 1500, "Piggy Sue"
                      2000 GSF 1200 Bandit (totaled in deer strike)
                      1986 Suzuki Cavalcade GV 1400 LX (SOLD)

                      I find working on my motorcycle mildly therapeutic when I'm not cursing.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Looks good. The white is unique and a nice choice.

                        May I recommend a few videos I saw on Youtube that show the steps in getting a bit better finish with spray can painting.

                        A little rubbing, clearing and polishing and you'l have a nice long lasting shine that will hold up better to fuel, washing and the sun.

                        But nice job; certainly motivated me to tackle a bike spray can job.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by Ecklund View Post
                          Looks good. The white is unique and a nice choice.

                          May I recommend a few videos I saw on Youtube that show the steps in getting a bit better finish with spray can painting.

                          A little rubbing, clearing and polishing and you'l have a nice long lasting shine that will hold up better to fuel, washing and the sun.

                          But nice job; certainly motivated me to tackle a bike spray can job.
                          Thank you! I will certainly check Youtube. Someone else mentioned clear-coat, didn't even think about the fuel + spray-paint issue. In the meantime I'll just have to fuel up VERY carefully.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by shinjiikarii View Post
                            Thank you! I will certainly check Youtube. Someone else mentioned clear-coat, didn't even think about the fuel + spray-paint issue. In the meantime I'll just have to fuel up VERY carefully.
                            I just really like that you went ahead and did it and it came out pretty good looking too.

                            There were quite a few videos on spray can paint jobs but the common thread seemed to be wet sanding the color coat, clearing and wet sanding and then using liquid polish to finish.

                            The more 'accomplished' can sprayers also advised patience to let coats completely dry in between.

                            Cool bike. Nice job.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by shinjiikarii View Post
                              Thank you! I will certainly check Youtube. Someone else mentioned clear-coat, didn't even think about the fuel + spray-paint issue. In the meantime I'll just have to fuel up VERY carefully.
                              You used enamel though so maybe it's better than laquer per gas resistance...fingers crossed! I did a paint job similar ,with enamel and put so-called "spar varnish" over it.(strictly speaking, it ain't -it's modern) It has tested gas resistant so far. Not me telling you to do this- just another "experiment" running parallel to yours...but if you applied some under the cap with a brush where the gas is likely to "get started " under the paint, well, it might be insurance.

                              "varathane" is also gas resistant, but is for interior flooring etc and doesn't do well in sunlight. But under the cap?
                              Last edited by Gorminrider; 05-20-2015, 12:37 PM.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X