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Ms Piggy
12th May 2004, 18:50
I have been seriously thinking about redoing the paint job on the bitchin' mobile. As much as I love the originality of the paint job there are a few of reasons for changing it:
1/ Before I bought it off my flatmate it got stolen & scratched a little.
2/ It seems to be getting a few more chips of paint coming off.
3/ I'm a social work student & it's a little dodgey having a bike that says "Bitchin' Mobile", "Killa Pussy", "Lik Me" on it.

My flatmate originally did it with cans & that worked ok but I'm just wondering how many coats of laquer to apply and how far back do I sand it...and wot sort of sand paper do I use?

Also is it really a better idea to wait until summer when it's warmer?

wkid_one
12th May 2004, 19:20
First Cut for you without the Names on it as requested

Motoracer
12th May 2004, 19:28
3/ I'm a social work student & it's a little dodgey having a bike that says "Bitchin' Mobile", "Killa Pussy", "Lik Me" on it.?

Firstly :lol:!!!


My flatmate originally did it with cans & that worked ok but I'm just wondering how many coats of laquer to apply and how far back do I sand it...and wot sort of sand paper do I use?

Also is it really a better idea to wait until summer when it's warmer?

Heres what I'd do.

1) Take apart the bits to be painted away from the bike.
2) Take off all the stickers etc.
4) Pick an easy part like your front mud guard to start the work on.
3) Sand it down with a 150 grit sand paper. Some people use paint thiners to remove the old amature paint job but due to different chemical reactions, I'd stay away from them. Since you don't know the quality of the paint that your mate used, its a good idea to get rid of all of it. If you leave some patches of the old paint, it can still react with the new paint later on and kill your whole job. :cry:
5) So you'v done all the hard work of sanding it down. All you have to do before you start spraying is cleaning the surface. Once its throughly clean, dry it proplerly.
6)Now comes the joy of using primers. Depending on which is going to be your final colour, you should pick the primer accordingly. Red primer for any colour with red in it or grey for blue colour etc. Ask the paint guys, the'll sell you the right one.
7) Spray the primer on your Mud guard and do about 3 - 4 coats leaving the recommended time between them. .
8) Leave a day for it to dry properly.
9) Go over it with the 800 grit sand paper lightly
10 Clean the surface again.
11) Let it dry properly.
12) Then you do your painting. Spray it a few times until your happy with it.
13) Let it dry again for a day.
14) Use laqure on it as much as you want again.
15) Let it dry for a day.
16) Buff it to a showroom finish.
17) Now if every thing works, you can work on the rest of the bike. This way, if you mess up, your only messing up a tiny part of the whole job and can learn from it easily.

I have only coverd the basics in here. Painting is really really hard work as you'll know if you haven't tried so best of luck! :niceone: I was gonna go crazy when I spent little over 3 months painting 1 of my ZXRs and 4 more months painting the other one.

P.S. if you have humid or cold condtions, you'll get the most horrible cloud like white formation in your paint job that wont go away. Meaning, paint it again! :argh: So definetly do it over hot sunny days. Best time to paint is at noon on a hot summer day.

Ms Piggy
12th May 2004, 19:30
First Cut for you without the Names on it as requested

Thanks!! :niceone: I think I want a different colour. Maybe a metallic aqua or silver.

FROSTY
12th May 2004, 19:30
you need to talk to my boarder hes a painter by trade.. Basicly the more prep time you put in the better the finish.
Nowadays with modern paints you need to get a decent key for the primer to bond to. also because sidecovers and tailpieces are plastic and flex you'll need a plastic primer as a first coat.
As I recall It went
1) sand all the area to be painted with 400 grit wet and dry paying particular attention to the edges of any stone chips which need the edges well smoothed off.
2) fill any small dents and sand totally smooth
3)spray on primer coat and walk away for 24 hours
4)with 600 grit wet and dry used wet sand the entire surface again
make sure at this stage you have a blemish free surface.
if not repeat steps 2 and 3 untill its perfecly smooth.
sand again with 1200 grit wet n dry --wet
5) at this point wet down the floor where you are a going to paint--this reduces dust
6) apply a dust coat of paint and allow to dry for an hour
7)apply 4 more coats of paint -thin is best- let dry48 hours sand with wet n dry 2000 grit -used wet
8) apply 4 coats of clear coat
9) let dry 48 hours
the alternative is to buy a second hand tank and sidecovers and put em on the bike
theyll probably be as cheap as the paint job but nowhere near as much fun

Ms Piggy
12th May 2004, 19:34
Firstly :lol:!!!

Yeah I think it's halarious but I'm always just a little nervous that someone may take it a bit too seriously and then it's the ethics of it for me in my chosen profession.

Cheers for that advice! Yeah I think it will be a summer job then.

wkid_one
12th May 2004, 19:40
Thanks!! :niceone: I think I want a different colour. Maybe a metallic aqua or silver.Try these on for size

FROSTY
12th May 2004, 19:47
try the blue--its the same color as the tailpiece ive got for ya

wkid_one
12th May 2004, 19:56
Now let's Bling the fucker out!

Two Smoker
12th May 2004, 20:17
Now let's Bling the fucker out!LMAO :killingme but wheres the titanium coloured exhausts???? With initial sanding i find P150 to harsh and P400 not harsh enough, i prefer to use P200-240 :niceone: but thats just for initial sanding.....

KATWYN
12th May 2004, 20:26
Ohhh I like that aqua bluey green that wicked has posted a thumb pic of.

Killa Pussy....lik me :laugh: you are brave, I would blush just taking it
out- if that was me I woulda scratched or stickered that one off right from the start

I qualified (well second qual- finished up before trade cert) as a car painter in Wellington in the late 80's, am a bit rusty on it now, but can answer some questions on painting cars & bike tanks. Hard to say with out seeing it, also the best thing to do will depend on how thick the origional paint job is. It might be worth stripping it right back in acid and starting again if paint is half an inch thick and chipping off....just had a look at your bike in your profile, doesnt look too bad probably feather the stone chips back and undercoat. 80 grit dry if the chips are bad.

Holy Roller
12th May 2004, 22:57
Best colour is black Black BLack BLAck BLACk( i'll just stop short of shouting at ya) :Pokey:
but worst for prep work it has to be just right before paint is applied. :sweatdrop :sweatdrop :sweatdrop :sweatdrop :sweatdrop :sweatdrop
after the paint job may be time to apply some of that 3M film protector that is being put on bikes these days.
Not sure how well it polishes up tho. but stopes those annoying chips and scratches.

Ms Piggy
12th May 2004, 23:26
try the blue--its the same color as the tailpiece ive got for ya

Ahhhh ok - yeah I like the blue.

Thanks again WKID :)

matthewt
12th May 2004, 23:28
Now you just need to find a micron can, powercommander, crash bungs, k&N filter and supercorsas to fit it ;)

Ms Piggy
12th May 2004, 23:32
Now you just need to find a micron can, powercommander, crash bungs, k&N filter and supercorsas to fit it ;)

Do I? Why? Heh heh. Will they make her even more bitchin'?

aff-man
13th May 2004, 00:25
do as suggested above. I am about to spray my bike but the thing to remember is that the paint will take heaps longer to dry now that there is no humidity in the air so once painted be prepared to leave the fairings drying for a couple of days. I made the mistake of trying to put them on after like 24 hours and the paint was still soft.

Posh Tourer :P
13th May 2004, 07:51
You will find as many different methods as prep as there are people to advise. Next door used to be a car painter, did the BM, tho we did all the prep. two important things: firstly, prep is all important. If the paint on there is shit, get rid of all of it first. The paint you put on is only as good as how well it sticks. it will be bad if it is only sticking to crap paint and not a better surface. Secondly, get good paint.Dont get warehouse paint, it will chip and scratch like mad. Go to repco or something if you can afford it and get automotive paint. It is worth it. Looks much better and lasts longer (harder finish etc).
I was told to sand down at about 180grit, as anything finer is a waste of time - the paint fills up the cracks anyway with 180. Do a good primer, especially if you go down to metal which I suspect you will have to do if it is chipped badly and repainted badly. Make sure this primer will adhere to the surface you want it to: metal on the tank, plastic on the rest. Get a primer of similar shade to your topcoat if you can, dark for black/blue (dark colours) and light for light colours. This will stop scratches being so obvious. Then if you are really keen for a good paint job that will last, do a clear coat or two. Not that these coats, being clear are hard to see when you've put the damn stuff on, and if you miss bits it will look a different colour where there is less thickness of clearcoat (as we found out on the beemer). To do areally good job you need a compressor and spray gun, but I'm sure cans will do ok for the CB250RS....

riffer
13th May 2004, 08:56
Now you just need to find a micron can, powercommander, crash bungs, k&N filter and supercorsas to fit it ;)
Oooh ooh - do they make a power commander that will control carburretors now?

Count me in :D

jrandom
13th May 2004, 09:03
Best colour is black Black BLack BLAck

Yup. Black. A Proper Colour, that is.

I redid my old white Valiant in a (white) laquer job. Many coats and much colour-filling and re-sanding the surface it took. BIG job. Urk. I suppose it wouldn't be such a big deal on a bike but it *would* be somewhat more fiddly in parts.

Just take the tank and fenders etc off, get them acid-dipped and spray them matt black. Job's a good 'un ;)

vifferman
13th May 2004, 09:27
Ooh! Ooh! I used to ahve a CB250RS, and I stripped it down to a bare frame and all the parts, and repainted the whole thing including the engine, frame and mufflers, so I've been there, done that!

CSL, you asked about waiting until summer. Well, you don't necessarily have to do that, but if the weather is damp and humid it will affect the ability of the paint to dry properly, and also if you've got things back to bare metal, you don't want rusting to start before you get the first primer coat on.

I sanded mine back with fine-ish sandpaper, going as fine as 800 or 1200 grit for the final sanding. Sandpaper scratches show through the paint, as contrary to what people believe (or perhaps hope), the paint doesn't fill in the scratches but accentuates them. As others have said, the key is the preparation, which is the hardest and most boring part, but which pays dividends.

I painted mine with spray cans from Repco, and it looked good when I'd finished. Unfortunately, I screwed something up, and the paint developed a crackle finish after a few months. According to stuff I read afterwards, this may have been due to the primer coats not being allowed to dry sufficiently. I suspect the primer and paint may not have liked each other much either.

If you're not a great painter, it may pay to do all the prep work, and pay a shop to throw the final paint on for you. However, the painting is the funnest bit, so another alternative is to go to an automotive paint supplier, who can supply the colour of your choice in aerosol cans. There's one near us who do PPG and other paints in a bewildering variety of colours and finishes, and who will have all the other bits and pieces required. There's bound to be at least one in Wgtn too. Then the trick is to supply very thin and even coats, and allow each to dry thoroughly before applying the next one.

As for power, my CB250RS had an XR500 engine in it (the lower part of the engine is the same as the CB250RS, so the bolts all line up), and custom pipes (Cycleworks, IIRC), and a K&N filter. I had to monkey around with it a lot to get the jetting right, as the previous owner had got it all wrong.

Good luck, and have fun!

FROSTY
13th May 2004, 10:01
why not buy some spare panels and then ya can change your bikes identity in a moment or two.

pete376403
13th May 2004, 10:12
There's an automotove paint supplier in High Street, Lower Hutt, just a bit north of where Motorcycle City used to be. (North of the roundabout coming off Melling bridge)
They were able to match the paint on my GS and provide a sample in a spray can (Original Suzuki paint matches Harley Davidson Wild Berry, wouldja believe?)

What I'd like is that cool purple colour that shifts to gold but I doubt if that would be a spray can jobbie

matthewt
13th May 2004, 10:18
What I'd like is that cool purple colour that shifts to gold but I doubt if that would be a spray can jobbie

I think it's called hariquin and is mega-expensive.

Ghost Lemur
13th May 2004, 10:25
I think it's called hariquin and is mega-expensive.

You're right on both counts. But yeah I've thought it would sex up a bike too.

vifferman
13th May 2004, 10:34
I think it's called hariquin and is mega-expensive.
Standox Harlequin, and (IIRC) it's around $1000/litre. It also isn't a one-pot paint; it requires a base coat, and several layers plus clear lacquer over the top. It works by having very fine metallic particles in the paint that refract the light as different colours depending on which angle you're viewing it at.

Personally, while I like the concept, I think it's a bit over the top, and I'd prefer something more subtle. The VFR had "Granite Blue Metallic" paint, which looked black, but which actually had blue metallic flakes in it, when you looked at it in the light. In some lighting, it looked sort of bronzey. Something like that, changing colour between a couple of colours only would be nice.

riffer
13th May 2004, 10:54
Union Hardware in Newtown are pretty good at making up automotive paint too. Especially matching colours and making up a colour to manufacturers spec. In the past they have done both aerosol cans and touch up bottles for me.

DEATH_INC.
13th May 2004, 13:27
Most decent auto paint shops can put anything into a can if needed (except 2pac of course....).don't bother with anything finer than 180grit before priming,just a waste of time.A decent primer,or primer/filler if needed will fill anything that 180 will leave,and you sand the primer flat anyway.
If you want a really good job(and have the breathing gear etc)you really need to use 2K primers and clears,laquer just can't compete.

R6_kid
13th May 2004, 16:33
I'm assuming you guys are all talking about the painting of metal parts. How does this compare to painting plastics? I am thinking of respraying the ZXR if need be to save money.

Posh Tourer :P
13th May 2004, 17:59
Pretty similar, you just use a different primer. Also plastic may flex more so a really hard coat of paint may crack. You can add a thing to make the paint a bit more flexible if you like. The CB250RS is a plastic everything except tank, so CSL will be doing both. If you are going to get an automotive paint shop to mix some paint for you, it may be worth pointing this out to them that you will be painting onto plastic.

Ms Piggy
13th May 2004, 18:22
Best colour is black Black BLack BLAck BLACk

Nooooooooooooooooo - I want something a bit more...ummm, well I dunno but not black anway. I had a fleeting idea of hot pink but thought that resale may be a little tricky :shifty:



What I'd like is that cool purple colour that shifts to gold but I doubt if that would be a spray can jobbie

That is great stuff! Very sexy. I actually saw a bike parked in the Mercer St m/bike parking area the other day with that paint - a small cruiser type. It looked great but was in the process of being issued with a ticket. Ooopss.

Thanks for all the info guys & gals. :niceone:

FROSTY
14th May 2004, 11:01
seeing as were looking at paint colors. Im going to paint the zxr all one color
or maybbe taink/tail one color ,fairings another
Any ideas on color?

DEATH_INC.
14th May 2004, 12:23
There's only one colour for a Kwaka

dss3
14th May 2004, 13:27
Some very usefull info on this thread. I'm repainting my bike at the moment so very relevent to me. I work for a company that produces large trailer transporters, so we have a paint bay and access to all the gear/discounts... Managed to get the formular for suzuki black that they use on the TL (2 pack) and will be getting our painter to do the job over the next few weeks. Will let you guys now how it turns out

Ms Piggy
14th May 2004, 13:55
Some very usefull info on this thread. I'm repainting my bike at the moment so very relevent to me. I work for a company that produces large trailer transporters, so we have a paint bay and access to all the gear/discounts... Managed to get the formular for suzuki black that they use on the TL (2 pack) and will be getting our painter to do the job over the next few weeks. Will let you guys now how it turns out

Can't see your pic, it's showing as an R Rated image...unless that's wot it is? :gob:

RiderInBlack
14th May 2004, 14:13
Can't see your pic, it's showing as an R Rated image...unless that's wot it is? :gob:Ya, a "sexy", big, "nude" trailer:msn-wink: Very discusting. Better remove it before too many truckes start perving over it:crazy: :laugh:

FROSTY
14th May 2004, 14:32
There's only one colour for a Kwaka
yea but everybodys bike is that color---good point though