Home-made paint job

[TechTMW]

Actually not quite homemade - Had a friend who worked at Maaco and we did this after hours. Was last year but just dug up this pic of my bike.

Not bad for my first paint job, eh?

[DivideOverflow]

I like it. I think it would be fun to do a paintjob... especially a cool one with a bunch of drawings and other stuff I have absolutely no idea how to do.

[HypeDOG]

Looks awesome

I'm gonna be tackling this project on my Seca as soon as I get the other stuff worked out.

Does it still look just as good?

[Sobereality]

looks nice gonna have it pin striped ?

[MASHBY]

Not bad...Very nice

[varenka]

I like the idea of flames that wrap up the bike, to look like the thing is on fire. But I have yet to see a bike that has pulled it off.

[Keyoke]

Not bad at all - you available to do an XJR in a couple of weeks??

[NorthernPete]

Im going to be repainting the gas tank on my bike when I get the time, maybe the fenders, have to see what time and wallet alows..

[TechTMW]

Looks awesome

I'm gonna be tackling this project on my Seca as soon as I get the other stuff worked out.

Does it still look just as good?

Haha Funny you should ask. No, it doesn't look as good!!!!

I did a really quick job and only did one coat of each color and didn't clear coat. (it's what my friend calls a "preservation paint job" ... don't want to spend for a proffessional job but you want to stop rust) Anyway, I filled up the tank too full one day and left the bike out in the sun. The gas expanded and dripped out past the cap and baked into the paint. So now I have nice brownish streaks down the one side I knew i sould have just painted it Flat Spray-can black!!!

Tried rubbing compound, but nothing doing. With only one coat, I can't go at it too hard or I'll take the paint right off. Oh well - It's just another "theft prevention device"

[old-n-slow]

I think this might be good thread to add these particular comments to. Anyone who has the interest, the ambition and persistence can paint their motorcycle and do a reasonably good job. One of the biggest drawbacks is the cost of automotive paint. So here is a suggestion. Don’t use automotive paint; use an alternate product.

Sounds like a bad idea hey? I’m not sure that it is. Here is the scoop. I have an old Yamaha XS650. I don’t really want to sell it but I do want to buy a dual-purpose bike. Being married, there is one whom I must convince I should get another bike and by her reasoning a man cannot ride more than one at a time so more than one is to many. Okay. I have gotten her to understand that the dual-purpose has a different function and that makes having two reasonable. I also have a sportster and THAT stays.

I need to sell the 650, however to get top price for it, I reasoned that the fuel tank needed painting. The chap I had bought it from had painted it himself and whatever product he used was affected by fuel spillage. You can see where this is going. The tank looked like crapp. The rest of the machine, great.

Now then automotive paint (1 quart) with catalyst so that fuel won’t affect it when spilled on it, plus the necessary reducer is going to cost about $100. That is pretty hefty, just to paint a motorcycle tank.

Solution: I know there are many household paints that are great quality. Home depot carries a product made by Varathane called “Colors in plastic” available in several colors. I needed black, that made it easy as black (or white) is the most readily available color. Cost of one quart? $12 Canadian. However you still will need to thin it (reduce it – official term) so you still require some automotive paint reducer. (there may be other similar products but I am familiar with automotive reducers so I used that. The automotive reducer will kick the price up to $30 or so. Quite a difference, from the cost of automotive paint.

Prepare the tank by giving it a thorough sanding. First with some 400 grit and then with 600 grit paper. Be certain that no sanding scratches show and that you have feathered out all chips etc. (I’m not going to get into detail on how to thoroughly prep the tank.

Wash it down with soapy water then again with clean water and dry thoroughly. Buy a “tack” rag (sticky rag designed to lift all loose dust and dirt from surfaces about to be painted. Wipe the surface with the tack rag just before painting.

This product is GREAT. I was able to equal the gloss of automotive enamel and best of all (I tested this) gas does not affect this product so it seems (once cured) so no concern about overfilling or accidental spillage.

If it doesn’t work out the first time sand out any runs or orange peel and respray. When you are finished, there will be sufficient paint left to spray at least ten more tanks. You can go into business Ha ha.

My qualification? Sprayed over 3500 cars during the five years that I owned a Maaco automotive paint shop. I believe from what I have learned with this experiment, that this product will equal that or exceed that of good urethane automotive enamel (as it happens, it is urethane). The only thing I cannot vouch for is the long-term durability but I suspect it will equal that of automotive paint for a fraction of the cost. One limitation is the relatively few colors that it is available in.