Help me with painting my motorcycle.?

Question

I have a 2005 gsxr 600 and Im thinking about painting it black, Should I keep the factory stickers or paint it all black?

Answer 1

While it's very true that a pro can do a better job than most people can. NEVER underestimate what can be done with a couple of cans of spray paint and a keen eye. For example.

Before....

http://ozy.scronline.com/images/bikes/klr/klr650-1-pre.jpg

After

http://ozy.scronline.com/images/bikes/klr/black-assembled.jpg

Of course that's still not finished. And keep in mind it is a rat bike so it's not suppose to look excellent, but you'll notice the quality of the matte finish of the paint? Ignore the dents and dings, please :P

But in all seriousness. It depends on how steady your hand is, if you care if you make a mistake and quite a few other obvious issues. Personally, I LOVE a matte black finish except it makes it harder to see you at night. And, well, the above KLR was painted peice by peice in my driveway with plain and simple rustoleum spray cans.

If you want to try it yourself. Grab one of the smallest pieces you can maybe the lower fairing (chin scoop whatever you want to call it) and maybe mask off all but maybe 3 inches up from the bottom and test it there. If you like it go for it, if not don't.

Helpful pointers...
1) Use a hair dryer and a razor blade to remove decals first.
2) If you want a really nice clean finish, be prepared to spend a lot of time wet sanding.
3) use a light grit sandpaper (around 400) to scuff up the plastics before you paint.
4) If you want a really nice paint job be prepared to spend a lot of time wet sanding (yes, I know I said it twice, you WILL be wet sanding a lot)
5) No matter what, take slow and deliberate and regular hand movements as the paint flows. Follow the contours as much as you can.

There's probably a bunch more helpful tips I could give you but they are escaping me at the moment. I've been meaning to do the write up on that KLR for my site for awhile and I can never seem to find the time.

Answer 2

Bluto needs to try it before he goes making such stupid remarks. Yes you can and you can use ordinary spray paint. Five years ago I bought a used driver backrest for my old bike. It was brown (there were a few bikes with brown seat covers in the mid-80's) while my bike's seat was black. I spray painted the backrest cushion with common, cheap, 99 cent black Wal Mart paint. I've used the backrest for approximately 30,000 miles in all kinds of weather from cold to 110F heat. The color has never once rubbed off and it would be very easy to see if it had when wearing a white T shirt in 110 degree heat. And it looks exactly like it was that color when it left the factory.

Answer 3

One thing no one else has pointed out that you may already know is that if you want to keep the stickers you will have to mask over them since you will never be able to remove them in one piece and get them to go back on. The guy who said that black shows everything is correct, I had the same problem in the past. Take it to get painted in order to get a lasting paint job. If you use a spray can you will just be wrecking a good bike since it will bubble and peal in weeks. I have a buddy who had the kids at the local tech school paint his bike for cheap after he dumped and got new fairings, two years have gone by since then and everything looks good.

Answer 4

While I do agree with "Kris" that a pro can do a much better job, I have seen some excellent paint jobs done right at home even with spraycan paint. Using a paint gun is much better though.

If you are going to be painting a solid colour, you shouldn't have much trouble doing it yourself.

Take the time to do proper prep. And if you haven't spray painted before, practice a bit till you are comfortable with the results.

Patience is important.

Answer 5

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Help me with painting my motorcycle.?
I have a 2005 gsxr 600 and Im thinking about painting it black, Should I keep the factory stickers or paint it all black?

Answer 6

Do NOT try to do your own painting, but take your bike to a good 'car paint' shop for your black paint. Even if you want it 'matte' and not 'shiny' you can get a MUCH BETTER job done there, and one that will be protective, and won't start to flake off as even the best spray paint or 'canned paint' will do. I do like the idea of a nice matte black bike, though, with no stickers ... and if you want to really 'do it up nice' you could have the shop remove any lettering and fill that in so the bike looks like a 'phantom' when you are riding it down the street. You can even get the 'chrome' painted matte black if you go to a paint shop ... think about it. It would look really 'mysterious' and 'cool' in the BEST sense of the words.

Answer 7

Just my input, I have owned, and currently own a black bike. It shows every bit of dust, and the tiniest scratch stands out in the paint. I'd stay away from black if possible.

Answer 8

Go all black. Several layers of the best black paint money can buy. That's cool. No stickers.

Answer 9

black is good but why not wallpaper it?

Answer 10

flat black, rattle can