Taken from
www.soundrider.com
Painting
As you tear down, you may be inclined to start restoring some painted parts. This will mean
either bringing them back to their original paint color, or shooting them with a new tone
especially selected by you and your alliances.
Rattle Can or Pro Shop
Some people choose to paint everything at home, others send it all out to the paint shop. In my
experience, I’ve found you can paint most of the parts at home and get about the same quality
as a pro shop. When it comes to the headlamp housing, side covers, fenders and the tank,
you may opt for the pro shop since those typically require finer finishes and a dust free
environment to achieve the luster of the original surface or better.
But parts like frames, bar mounts, various guards and other mounts can all be shot at home
using acrylic or lacquer paints from your local hardware store.
Be sure if you decide to go with lacquer that every layer you shoot including the primer,
color and clear coat is a lacquer base. Lacquer and Acrylic don’t like each other.
Prepping
Begin with getting your work space ready. Drape drop cloths where needed. Again, be kind
to your neighbors by working far away from parked cars and structures, or else create a four-sided
tent that will help contain the residual spray.
Sand, or at least clean, the part you plan to paint. The use of a wire brush or scotch pad is highly
advised in order to be sure you’ve removed any dirt and rust from the item.
Primer Coats
Begin by shooting on a single coat of primer to the part. Most hardware store bought primers dry
in 30 minutes or less, so once you’ve completed one side and it's dry, flip it and shoot the other.
Then repeat until you’ve shot on a total of two coats.
Final Color
With most parts you’ll be using black or silver paints, but you might choose to do something
crazy like paint your frame purple. Have at it! Hey, it worked for Eric Buell, when Buell
introduced the X1 Lightning, and maybe it will work for you too.
Whatever color you select, shoot at least two coats onto each part. Allow the part to dry the
recommended amount of time the can says before adding the next coat.
Clear Coat
Recently, clear coating has become quite popular. It adds an extra layer of shine and luster to
most things as well as puts an extra layer or two of protection between a hard object and the
part. Frames get hit with rocks all the time, so consider shooting a few layers of clear coat onto
the frame once you’ve put on your final color.