Anyone Rattle Can Their Bike Before?

[JoshAFJ]

I'm looking at sprucing up my bike a bit. It has some road rash on one side. I might get new fairings, but they can be expensive so I think I may try to sand down and spray my current fairings. If you've done it before what kind of paint did you use? Any tips?

 

[Captain]

Have you thought about vinyl wrapping instead of spraying the panels, or the whole bike?

 

[JoshAFJ]

I have, but I was thinking about having my buddy who is a tattoo artist do some designs with sharpies or paint then paint a clear coat over it. Something similar to this:

 

[MotoFletch]

I used high heat Rust-Oleum on some of the plastics and that has held up for the last year with no cracking. Or if your looking for a temporaryish solution without sanding go with Plasti-dip.

 

[JoshAFJ]

I used high heat Rust-Oleum on some of the plastics and that has held up for the last year with no cracking. Or if your looking for a temporaryish solution without sanding go with Plasti-dip.

Plsti-Dip did run across my mind, but I think I'm going for a more permanent solution. If I end up selling the bike later I'll either paint it back to a normal color or get new fairings. The left side is ruined anyways lol

 

[MotoFletch]

Plsti-Dip did run across my mind, but I think I'm going for a more permanent solution. If I end up selling the bike later I'll either paint it back to a normal color or get new fairings. The left side is ruined anyways lol

Can't go wrong with regular spray paint, just takes a bit of work to sand and prep. Took me about two and a half hours to sand/prime the 8 smaller pieces on my bike and about an hour to spray the black. Make sure to do it before it gets cold! It won't bond as well in cold weather.

 

[JoshAFJ]

Can't go wrong with regular spray paint, just takes a bit of work to sand and prep. Took me about two and a half hours to sand/prime the 8 smaller pieces on my bike and about an hour to spray the black. Make sure to do it before it gets cold! It won't bond as well in cold weather.

Ahh man I didn't think about the cold weather. I was hoping to make this a winter project. I think my buddy might let me use his heated garage for this though!

 

[BehindBars]

Haven't painted my bike but I've sprayed a lot of car parts with cans before, bumpers, grilles etc. It's all about the conditions, absolutely no dust, no wind, no moisture and the right temperature. Get that right and you can pull off some professional looking jobs

 

[BlakShadow]

I had a car that was half rattle canned at one point. It was great. Anytime it faded or got scratched I'd just spray a bit more on.

When I replaced the tank on my GS1100L it didn't match the rest of the bike, so I sprayed it in bedliner. I like how it turned out! Looks all Mad Max like, and I could grip the tank with my knees real well.

 

[JoshAFJ]

I had a car that was half rattle canned at one point. It was great. Anytime it faded or got scratched I'd just spray a bit more on.

When I replaced the tank on my GS1100L it didn't match the rest of the bike, so I sprayed it in bedliner. I like how it turned out! Looks all Mad Max like, and I could grip the tank with my knees real well.

That does look awesome. A buddy of mine did his bike in bed liner as well. I don't think it would look good on a sport bike though lmao

 

[Scootnfool]

The big caution with spray paint is that it can look like total crap if done poorly. Also, make sure you remove the parts and don't try to spray them on the bike.

 

[JoshAFJ]

Other than actually taking the plastics off and putting them back on the sanding is probably going to be the part I dread the most. Although I just got a circular sander the other day so it might be easy! haha

 

[BehindBars]

Other than actually taking the plastics off and putting them back on the sanding is probably going to be the part I dread the most. Although I just got a circular sander the other day so it might be easy! haha

Worst part for me is sanding and buffing after clearcoat. Takes 10x more work than the prep, especially if you burn through the topcoat applying the topcoat is quite enjoyable though, watching a deep shine develop is satisfying

 

[JoshAFJ]

Worst part for me is sanding and buffing after clearcoat. Takes 10x more work than the prep, especially if you burn through the topcoat applying the topcoat is quite enjoyable though, watching a deep shine develop is satisfying

I feel like I'm going to get to antsy and mess up. My patience will be tested.

 

[BehindBars]

I feel like I'm going to get to antsy and mess up. My patience will be tested.

Prep and paint is easy, the hard work is with the clearcoat.

Apply the first coat light, so the second layer has something to adhere to. A thick first coat will run. First layer should be about 50% of a normal layer.
Make sure each layer dries enough before the next coat, layering over wet clearcoat will cause solvent pop, bubbles on the surface.
Remember that wet clearcoat will look exactly the same when it is dry, if its smooth and glossy, leave it to dry and do the same for the next coat.
Clear should be left at least 24 hours to harden before sanding. This is a minimum, depending on temperature.
If you sand/buff the clearcoat, use high grit wet and dry paper with light pressure. Start with 1500 and finish with 2000 grit if you have a good coat, lower grit may be needed for imperfections.
DO NOT sand any runs, you'll burn through the base coat before you level it out. Use a razor blade and scrape it till the run is almost level with the clear, then finish with 1500 grit.
Finish with a rubbing compound (Meguiars Ultimate, G3 etc.)
Be patient

Oh and wear a mask or you'll end up high as a kite

 

[JoshAFJ]

Prep and paint is easy, the hard work is with the clearcoat.

Apply the first coat light, so the second layer has something to adhere to. A thick first coat will run. First layer should be about 50% of a normal layer.
Make sure each layer dries enough before the next coat, layering over wet clearcoat will cause solvent pop, bubbles on the surface.
Remember that wet clearcoat will look exactly the same when it is dry, if its smooth and glossy, leave it to dry and do the same for the next coat.
Clear should be left at least 24 hours to harden before sanding. This is a minimum, depending on temperature.
If you sand/buff the clearcoat, use high grit wet and dry paper with light pressure. Start with 1500 and finish with 2000 grit if you have a good coat, lower grit may be needed for imperfections.
DO NOT sand any runs, you'll burn through the base coat before you level it out. Use a razor blade and scrape it till the run is almost level with the clear, then finish with 1500 grit.
Finish with a rubbing compound (Meguiars Ultimate, G3 etc.)
Be patient

Oh and wear a mask or you'll end up high as a kite

Oh I already made the mask mistake. I was spraypainting tables with my gf the other day. Got all woozy and the insides of my nose hairs were all coated in paint lmao