Paint or dye for dirtbike plastics?

[Ghost Lemur]

Been through all the threads here, and what I've so far been able to find elsewhere regarding this subject but still at a loss.

Situation: Having to strip down my CRM to get the engine welded, so I thought I might do the custom work I was planning on doing to it at a latter stage now.

Requirements: Paint purple and white plastics gloss black. Paint metal tank gloss black. Paint engine silver/aluminium. Powder coat or anodize steel frame (which ever will take the most beating, this is a heavily used bike so painting would look like shite after a week - as it does now). Someone posted a link to the POR15 site, so I'm pretty comfortable as to the tank and (hopefully) the engine side of things. Which just leaves the plastics.

Options: Get new black plastics from Japan with the help of Brian d'marge (thanks for the offer of assistance) or some how paint or dye the current plastics. If the later is an option, it needs to be super flexible and abrasion resistant, as the bike does get hit by branches, dropped frequently, etc.

Anyone have links to info, tips, advice?

[F5 Dave]

Well starting with the frame you can only anodise certain Alloys, so you know where this is going. . .

Powdercoat or 2 pac would be the easy option, but watch to plug threads & earth point.

the plastics would need to be painted with a large amount of flexible paint stuff & . . then not used. It won't last & will look shit-house after the first light fall.

You can get black plastics for bikes, saw an all black CR at a ride a while back. They won't fit, but they might be close. Dye would have course have to be added at the moulding stage.

Metal tank easy as.

[degrom]

Plastic is a bastered to paint...

What you need is a universal primer that will work like etch primer but is made for plastic. Then normal prime and color. Last but not least is the clear coat and to all of this you need to add a plastic additive to make it stretch with the plastic. (The plastic additive is very expensive)

[Ghost Lemur]

Bit more reading done.

Looks like I'm going to have to go with the new plastics option.

Found [/URL=http://www.uzushio-racing.com/]these guys[/URL] a while ago. They seem to do a lot of CRM customising. Parts are anything but cheap but using them as a guide, it appears there's a UFO front fender that fits the CRM. Just finding a part number. So as far as OEM plastics I should only need side panels and rad guards. Tail section I want to go for the one Uzushio have, looks hot, especially with the DRC LED tail light.

I can see this turning into an expensive exercise very quickly.

Back on the frame topic. 2 pac or powder coating? pros/cons?

[Motu]

The blue DT230's are painted white plastic.It's obviously a really good paint as it stays on and doesn't crack - but wiring looms and scratches go through to white,so does leg wear on the tank shrouds.They end up looking pretty crappy,that's why I was prepared to go for a better condition earlier white model than a scratched up later blue one.But I hate a white bike,they are too hard to keep clean.

[imdying]

You could paint it black and use clear and/or coloured vinyl on areas affected by chaffing.