cosean

I've been in the same boat myself. I picked it up in October with cracked, scratched plastics. fiberglassed the back of the cracks, filled and sanded. They're primed and ready for paint. You painted them yourself? What did you use and did you find any issues/problems that you ran into before I start painting? I have a buddy in the business so he took my seat cowl, had it "photographed" as he calls it and they came up with a paint to match (also red). Any reason you didn't paint the lower? I'm looking at the sharkskin myself.

Brother J

Its all in the prep work -- the most tedious and time consuming aspect of a paint job. The actual painting is what I live for. Its such a joy to see the paint flow out and the glassy smooth finish set up. The real trick is to get the clear coat on thick enough but not too thick that it runs. I'm still having problems with runs with the clear coat. My painting experience is rather limited. I've laid down stripes on my car and my brother's car, painted my S-10 (in the background), painted a streetfighter project bike and about 5-6 solid body guitars. Each time it turns out a bit better. I use a professional quality spray gun and an industrial size 2-stage air compressor with a 60 gal. tank. I usually use Martin Senour paint materials from the local NAPA dealer. I spent a bit of time with the paint man, getting ideas and tips. I found that you naturally get more skillful as you lay down the primer/sealer, base coat then the clear coat. Primer is very forgiving. Base coat you can wet sand any imperfections after about 15 minutes, then recoat. Clear coat, well it either lays down smooth or it runs. You can always wet sand out the runs later on, but if they are too thick there are small air bubbles that will stand out. Every gearhead should try painting. Its good experience and will surely give you an appreciation for what the pro's do. The only problem I ran into was that I should have trial fit the fairing before painting. I had to trim the upper portion above the mirrors to clear the new bar/risers. Now, I have to touch up the area where I cut. Doesn't look too bad in pic's, but up close? Not so good. Had I checked for clearance, I could have made the cuts and rounded the edges, making it look like factory. I also missed a very small dent (hardly noticeable) in the tank. Had I used different color primers (light and dark guide coat), I would have noticed the small imperfection and filled it. Oh, well. There's always something to be learned.

Re the lower fairing, I am inclined to paint that and the seat cowling red to match the rest of the bike. I also want to powder coat the wheels gloss black and add red reflective striping around the rims. Polished rims are nice, but require too much maintenance.

cosean

Thanks for the tips. I purchased a prof. spray gun, have a compressor and had a little previous introduction/eperience helping prep and paint my boat. I got extra paint and will practice on something before the real thing. I decided to go with a couple cans of clearcoat from NAPA. The guy said it's the same stuff without the hassle of prepping and cleaning the spray gun. If this comes out good, I have to fill a dent on the tailgate if my truck and repaint. Did the lower come ready for paint or does it need sanding? Bike looks good!

Brother J

The PO painted the lower and the seat cowling matte black. I believe the lower comes already primed and ready for paint from Sharkskinz. Good luck with your painting project. I've never tried the canned clear coat. I like to mix my own and use the right hardener for the temperature range I'm working in. Have fun!