Total Motorcycle Community Forums

i was toying with the idea of having someone paint my bike. i want to go for a simple paint scheme(3 tone irish flag) but wondering what that will cost? just for the paint. ill rip the plastics/tank off my self cause i know the labor usually is as much as the actual paint job.

any ball park figures would be helpfull

The labour of disassembling the bike is only a tiny fraction of the labour reguired to do a decent refinish. However it is still labour that you either do yourself or pay someone to do. So do it...........

BTW your simple paint scheme reguires three colors of paint. spraying the tank four different times (once for each color and then for a clearcoat over top). That means masking three seperate times, sanding any overspray as well as other prep between colors. Probably the minimum amount of paint will be a pint for each color plus the clear (unless the shop has total mixing capabilities - something the guy down the street -- back alley painter -- won't have). What I am saying is that it may nearly double costs for each separate color. Just thought you should know... Then you might understand why the cost is high.

THere is always the option of doing it yourself...

hm a few friends who were planning to get their tanks done told me the guy was wanting about the same to take the tank off and back on as he did for the actual painting....

i was planning on the tank being solid white, and the side plastics 3 colors....

i knew it wasnt going to be Cheap, like i said just looking for ball park figure; )

cant do it myself, no where to spray it in my apartment.

iwannadie wrote:hm a few friends who were planning to get their tanks done told me the guy was wanting about the same to take the tank off and back on as he did for the actual painting....

i was planning on the tank being solid white, and the side plastics 3 colors....

i knew it wasnt going to be Cheap, like i said just looking for ball park figure; )

cant do it myself, no where to spray it in my apartment.

So spray it outside. You're only limited by your imagination.

Yes. I just recently sprayed a tank outside and yes I did get some krap in it, however by using some 1200 grit wet paper I sanded it out and buffed it up. AND BEST OF ALL, I used Varethane paint from Home Depot (black) so the total cost was about $15 for paint but I have enough left to do 10 more tanks, which breaks down to $1.50 for this tank. And as for the gloss? every bit as good as automotive paint. The only thing that remains is to see how well it stands up over time.

I could also spray a coat of clear over it if needed (but not IMO) and I checked the resistance of the varethane to gasoline spills and it seemed a lot better than fresh automotive paint.

theres no where to do that king of job outside. and i have no painting exp. i dont want to screw up my plastics and have to buy new ones they cost a fortune. thats why i was wanting to look into how much it would cost. paint is low on my list of prioritys(i care more how something runs than looks).

I painted my bike last year and it came out O.K. I have no painting exp too!
The paint came too about $100 and the decals were $214 I have a older bike so I hade nothing to lose doing it myself and I learned something.

iwannadie.... here's a primer on painting outside. i did my bike and am very proud of me work.

1) while painting outside, dont be under any trees, preferably a backyard/frontyard with a lawn, so that dust and s**t doesnt fly up and stick to your paint job.

2) you can *sandblast* plastic parts do not worry I did so. That is the best way to get the paint off them without altering the geometry of the parts, and you *need* to get the old layer of paint off. You can probably barter something for a quick sandblasting job... or the local college machine shop usually has a sandblaster where you can DIY it, provided you know just about any student going to school there. you can even do the same to your tank, but make sure all the orifices to the tank are sealed. or if you get sand in there, prepare to wash it out with water and then cleaning alcohol to get rid of the water

3) Prime the completely sanded parts. You may use adhesion promoter for the plastic parts, but thats not really necessary. Apply my multiple light coats of primer and let them dry between coats. Same with the paint.... for a good durable finish you should apply at least 2-3 thin coats, and let them dry to a tacky finish between coats. In fact outdoors you probably reduce your drying time.

4) if you're paiting outdoors there probabaly a lor of crap folating in the air. one w ay to prevent it from sticking is to keep fans around the tank to blow the stuff away. remember to staple a bedsheet or something to the opposite side of the fan so it doesnt suck any crud in. I painted my tank white too,, outdoors, and not a speck of dirt on it . good luck.

i wanted to know how much it would cost to have someone else do it. i cant do it here at my apartment ha theyd freak out. its a 'resort' style place they dont want someone painting a motorcycle outside. i wouldnt want my neighbor doing that kinda thing either so....

sure id like to try it but i just cant.

well im getting my nsr full plastics and tank resprayed at the mo, cause im a graphic designer and sprayer i designed what i wanted on them and im gonna spray em myself at my friend/boss' spray booth...

Aye, I hear ya. Well depending on the kid of paint you want, probably $300-400. Thats if you let the guy do the prep, priming and paint. which is probably recommended anyway. I think most shops here in upstate NY charge about $55 an hour for labour, the paint itself really does not cost much, NAPA guys mix a pint for 14.95, so you should not pay more than 400 bucks, which still in my books a little on the higher end.