Have You Resprayed Your Bike?

If you are talking about using aerosols to paint your tank, frame and wheels. Why don't you save yourself the expense of having to do it again when it turns out poorly, and have it painted by a local bodyshop. You aren't talking any kind of custom job, so it may be cheaper than you imagine.

 

If you have no experience, I'd practice on something other than your bike, to be honest.

 

As it's a trellis frame, then you really would be better off either powder coating or painting with an electro static gun as they kind of wrap the paint round the frame using opposite electrical charge to frame and paint. For the wheels, my best guess would be 2x primer cans, 2 or 3 top coat and 2 cans lacquer. For the tank and cowl, my guess would be 3 or 4 of each again, but obviously depends how deep and good a finish you require, but most important is the prep work. Just as a guide, I've just painted a belly pan on a multi, took 1.5 cans of primer, and nearly 2 cans of satin black, but even for such a small item, it took 2 days as I let it properly dry between coats, and used 2500 grade paper after each coat. Good luck and let us know your progress.

 

if you are not looking at Concours result and you have an eye for it then definitely go for it. I can't help with the quantity you will need but a complete 748 side fairing took 2 or 3 400 ml cans before I was happy with it. Depending on the type of plastic and the paint already applied you may not need to primer and have even found that the primer is the very thing that has caused problems in the past.

 

I want on a two week custom paint course at Paint My Ride a few years ago, it cost about £2k and covered everything from dent repair to cudtom airbrushing, but was definitely money well spent. You would waste that much in time, materials, finding out the many pit falls of spraying and then getting someone else to put it right!

Don't get me wrong, providing you've got stacks of patience, read up on the subject and get a proper spray setup (compressor and spraygun NOT rattlecans!) then it is perfectly possible and you'll use FAR less paint and you'll have far more control.

I resprayed the whole of my 900ss using about half a litre of basecoat which cost about £15, you'll probably spend about £50 on basecoat rattlecans alone for a whole bike.

However, you'll also need to use 2k laquer to get a proper finish and that's got Isocyanates in it (NASTY), so proper masks (NOT decorators ones!) and ventilation absolutely required, or send the bits to your local spray shop for that stage is probably easier.

As had been mentioned before, if your still set in doing it (and why not), then I'd definitely get an old scrap tank from the breakers and have a go on that first before you launch into you price and joy.

It's very satisfying when you get it right, but be prepared for years along the way too! I'd done a brilliant repair and respray of my Monster's tank, flatter the laquer off nicely, used the polishing machine to bring up the shine, then at the last second, caught the edge of one of the tank creases and burned straight through to the primer .
Nothing for it but to flat it all down, respray the area and laquer the whole tank again!

 

Take your point re: cost but modern 2 pack aerosols can create a finish that is as good as many amateurs will achieve with a proper set up if you take the time.

 

2nd that mate, I remember back in the day when rattle cans would spit constantly and needed turning upside down every 5 seconds to clear blockages. I was pleasantly surprised this week, when spraying my bellypan using acrylic rattle cans from halfords. I warmed them in a sink full of hot water, shook them well, and they then sprayed with even and very flat coats for the whole 3 cans, no golf ball effect, no runs, no spits and definitely no turning the can upside down to clear it all the time. I'm not saying they would be great for a large panel, like a car bonnet or something, but for smaller stuff, they did a very reasonable job. Personally I would not use them for the body of a bike, and would invest in compressor and gun, but for the odd occasion like bellypan, or a mudguard etc etc, they are fine, and much better than years gone by.

 

Crap photo but the inside and outside of these three parts (Multistrada bellypan) took 1.5 cans of 500ml grey primer, and just shy of 2 cans of satin black. I think I could have got away with 1 can primer and 1 can top coat and would still have looked fine. Each part is approx 12-15 inches long

 

I'm not sure but if check out SGS engineering or machine mart, they both do compressor set ups for many budgets.

 

I have bought loads of these guys, very good gear and very good service.

https://www.sgs-engineering.com/air-tools/spray-guns

https://www.sgs-engineering.com/air-compressors

 

I'm no painting expert (far from it) but you'll be wanting a more powerful compressor with a much larger receiver/tank for anything requiring more than a quick blast.

 

If you are going to invest in a compressor you ought to get a big one you will never look back
I have a lot of air tools now and they are invaluable. They are a lot smaller tha equivalent electric ones and get into small spaces that electric ones can't
Best one is 1/2" drive socket ratchet followed by the air powered impact gun
The worlds your oyster when you've got a compressor