Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Hi all,

I'd like to repaint the frame on my '81 kawasaki 250. I'm going to stick with black, which was the frames original color. My question is, what kind of paint should I use? I'd like to use a spray can as much as possible. A friend of mine suggested BBQ paint because of the extremely high temps near the exhaust and muffler, but I'm not sure if that would look right or stand up to the elements. I'm also thinking of using Rust-Oleum high performance enamel spray. Would either of these work, or is there something else you would suggest?

P.S. I'm not looking for a professional paint job. Just something quick and dirty to cover up the fading paint and rust spots. This bike isn't worth investing a lot of money in expensive paint.

Thanks in advance.

I'd use Rust-Oleum high performance enamel but I'd brush or roll it on. Spraying is tricky and requires a bit more equipment and effort. Spray cans suck because they don't have the right hardeners.

Powder coat.

Thanks for the replies.

Sev, please excuse the stupid question, but what is powder coat?

Couple hundred bucks, they heat up the metal to fairly hot, spray on some special paint and cook it in place. Much harder and longer lasting then other paints.

If you don't want to pay for that look for PJ1's flat or gloss black. Very good, very strong paint comes in spray cans.

Thanks for the explanation.
This bike is not worth spending much money on, so I will stick with something cheaper.

Powder coating is a type of dry coating, which is applied as a free-flowing, dry powder. The main difference between a conventional liquid paint and a powder coating is that the powder coating does not require a solvent to keep the binder and filler parts in a liquid suspension form. The coating is typically applied electrostatically and is then cured under heat to allow it to flow and form a "skin." The powder may be a thermoplastic or a thermoset polymer. It is usually used to create a hard finish that is tougher than conventional paint. Powder coating is mainly used for coating of metals, such as "white goods", aluminium extrusions, and automobile and motorcycle parts. Newer technologies allow other materials, such as MDF (medium-density fibreboard), to be powder coated using different methods.