DoubleRR

I may be taking my bike to a shop as soon as finish stripping the stickers and the paint and get it repainted. I also have been thinking about learning how to paint my own bike a solid color. I went by a few hobby shops today and looked at some air compressors and air brushes but I do not know what is needed to paint plastics. Does anyone paint now? Is there a certain brand of equipment that should be used? What type of airbrush? How much would this cost and also where can you order paint? I am looking for the house of kolor paint?

GSXRChris

First off you do not want to paint with an air brush. That is for small detail work. If you are wanting to paint your bike you need a paint gun. Either a siphon feed or gravity feed gun. Most of the guns out now are gravity feed. Meaning the cup where the paint is held is on top of the gun instead of below the gun. You will need to rent or buy a compressor. I know you may be tight on a budget but renting or buying a small compressor will not do you any good. You will spend all your time waiting for it to build up enough pressure to spray.

There is alot that goes into painting plastics. You can shortcut some of this and still get a decent paint job. If you have raw plastic showing meaning plastic that does not have any paint on it you will need some plastic adhesion promoter. This is a step you can skip and still get a good paint job. Adhesion promoter helps the paint stick to plastic.

If you are painting your entire bike you will probably need a quart of paint at the most considering this is your first time. You can either buy single stage paint meaning the gloss is already built into the paint or you can buy two stage paint. Commonly refered to as base coat clear paint. You have a base color that you spray on first and it is dull. Then you spray the clear on last. This is the technique most cars today use and is very durable.

Here is a small list of things needed to paint.

1 qt of paint (single stage or two stage)

1 qt of clear (only need this if you are going two stage)

1 qt of reducer

1 pt of activator (you will be using this if you go 2-stage or single stage. your clear will require this also)

mixing cups

paint stir sticks (these are free)

respirator (you don't want to breathing in fumes. most likely you don't have a paint booth to paint in so that will be very helpful)

sand paper (depending on how ruff the plastics are you will need to start with a heavier grit maybe 320 grit to start off and finish it with some 500 or 800 grit)

tack rags (these are used to wipe down the body to remove dust form the surface before you paint)

surface cleaner or prep-sol (this is used to clean the paint surface to get rid of oil and dirt. Use the tack rags after you clean it)

Mixing the paint:

If you are using 2 stage paint it will most likely be mixid 1:1. Meaning one part paint to one part reducer. So for every amout you use paint you have to use equal amount in reducer. This is why having a mixing cup comes in handy. It will have the differnent ratios on there.

The clear will mix the same way depending on brand. Read the label to find out to mix it. Some clears only need activator or hardner and some use reducer also. It will say on the can what it needs. (Ex.= 3:1:1 for mixing clear. 3 parts clear to 1 part activator to 1 part reducer.)

That is pretty much it. If you are going to paint in your garage. Sweep the floor as best as you can. Wet it down with water to help keep dirt and dust away and if you have an old fan place it somewhere near an outside door to help draw the fumes out of the garage. It wont take long before you will not be able to see.

As far technique when painting you want to hold the gun 6-8 inches away from the surface and spray from side to side. Your air pressure should be around 15-20 psi if you have a HVLP gun. HVLP stands for High Volume Low Pressure. These are the best guns out and also the only legal ones to have. Old conventionnal guns are not longer allowed but I'm sure OSHA will not be coming knocking on your door to see.

If you are using 2 stage paint spray a lite tack coat and let if flash for about 5-10 mins. depending on air temperture. You will have to get the appropriate reducer for the paint. If it is 80 degrees outside them get medium temp. reducer. The guys at the paint store can help you with that. After the 1st coat, spray a 2nd coat with a little more coverage and and allow it to flash the same amount of time. I forgot to tell you "flash" means until the paint looks dull. If you are using 2 stage paint the paint will spray on wet and it will dull out in 5-10 mins. If you are using single stage paint the paint will not dull out. I will stay shiney the whole time. Continue this until you get complete coverage of the area. If using single stage paint then that is the end of the process. Don't hold the gun to close your you will get a run in the paint. This can be fixed afterwards but does require the skill of color sanding and buffing to remove it. You may want to practice on something before you do the acutual bike.

Next if you are using 2 stage paint after the last coat has flashed mix up your clear. You will be spraying your clear at a higher psi. Probably around 30-35 psi depending on your gun. Spray one coat medium wet and allow it to flash for about 10-15 mins. depending on air temp. You can take a finger and touch it lightly and if you get stringy feeling then you can proceed with the next coat of clear. Two coats should be all you need but you can use more. Note that the more clear you put on the longer it is going to take to flash off.

As far as brand of paint to use there are many to choose from and I like DuPont. You can use there cheaper brand Nason. It very easy to use. I don't know what is in your area but you may have PPG, Sikkens, Spies Hecker and so on. Stay away from the expensive stuff since you don't have any experience. You will only be wasting your money.

This should conclude your painting. Let it dry overnight and then you can put your bike back together.

All in all it is alot for a new person to do this without having at least seeing anyone else paint before. I can tell you this you will spend less money letting a pro do it, but it is nice to do it yourself. Sorry about the long post. Hope this helps and not confuses you.

xraycatj

Hey I'm doing the same thing. I'm pretty smooth with a spray paint can so I'll do that and go over it with clear enamel a few times. How do you get the stickers off anyway??

I was looking at Krylon plastic paint, it's supposed to bond to plastic w/o primer. Either that or Wal-Mart sells cans of auto paint with metallic flake and other cool stuff. I'll probably have to go with the primer anyway since I'm painting the tank too.

GSXRChris

You can get the stickers off by using an eraser wheel, a heat gun or by soaking them in a solvent like lacquer thinner or some other cleaning agent. The cleanest way is to use a heat gun or eraser wheel.

DoubleRR

Thenaks alot GSXRCHRIS! That's the information I was looking for. In between the base coat and clear coat what kind of cleaner do I need to use to get the paint out?

GSXR750RYDER

GSXRChris gave you a perfect rundown of what to do....Just try not to do it in a very dirty or dusty environment..... cleanliness is godliness when it comes to painting... If u are interested in sending it out somewhere to paint it for a fair price, let me know... otherwise good luck, follow his directions to the "t" I am a estimator/painter and it couldnt have been explained better...just my . Oh and by the way 3m makes a good "erasr wheel" for removing decals...it attaches to a high-speed drill and doesnt hurt the clearcoat at all if usede correctly... ALso try to stay away from the Krylon

GSXR750RYDER

Paint thinner will clean the spray gun up ....it feels great if u get it in an open cut on your hand too

DoubleRR

GSXR750RYDER, Why do you say stay away from the Krylon paint? What kind of paint do you recommend?

GSXR750RYDER

automotive....we use dupont in this shop and they sell an aerosol clearcoat that is very user-friendly for someone who hasnt used a spraygun before...

xraycatj

Sweet! Thanks!

Then I'll just sand it all and paint.