HOW TO: Paint OEM/Race Fairings

[illsynd]

Painting isn't for everyone but if you feel like you can do it goodluck it'll make you feel like you have a new bike once you finish. Painting takes lots of time I mean lots so have patience and don't rush it, you can prep the fairings to the best of your abilities and not get the results that you want. Will assume were painting only one color for the whole bike so it will be a 2 stage paint job (base and clear coat). A pint of base should cover a whole bike depending on the spray gun you use and 1 quart of clear. Lets begin...

Find your nearest Paint store and ask or look for the following items:


*Pictures attached on the bottom in-order*

• High Build Primer Surfacer (two options available gray & black)
• Base Coat (choose a color code you want to paint the bike)
• 2k Superflow Polyurethane Clear (KC-310 - Part A)
• Superflow Hardener (KH-311 - Part B)
• Medium Urethane Reducer (KR-70)
• Grease & Wax remover (KW-901)
• 1 Quart Mixing Cup
• Sand Paper or Scotch-Brite Pads

Optional Item's:

• Decal and Adhesive remover

When you finish prepping your fairings use the grease and wax remover to wipe down the fairings. Once finished its ready for paint.



You will need to mix the base and reducer which is a 1:1 ratio look in the mixing cup and it will show you how much to put. Once you have it mixed your ready to spray.



When you finished spraying the base clean out your gun and be ready to mix the clear and hardener which is a 4:1 ratio. I have not finished clearing the image above since decals need to be applied, when I finish I will update this with the final product.

[BradManUWF]

You can also get this stuff, http://www.duplicolor.com/products/psFinishSystem/, which is ready to spray, no mixing required. I'm working on my track bodywork right now with the Deep Blue and Clear Coat. :)

[illsynd]

Theres are a few paint brands out there Dupont, PPG, Omni, Duplicolor, TCPGLOBAL, Paintforcars, list goes on. Duplicolor paintshop is lacquer based, its essentially the same thing thats in a rattlecan, but thicker... lacquer fades quick, its not chemical resistant, and its not scratch/blemish resistant.. its just all around not a good paint for something that will be used to put on vehicles that are used as a daily driver. Lacquer doesn't "Cure" and will shrink up when other products are applied over it. Now imagine what happens when you spill gasoline or another harsh chemical like brake fluid on a lacquer finish, you will get bubbles/lifting.

Here is a little article on the differences:

• "Single component" or RTS (Ready To Spray). This is a product that uses no additional components. Just pour it from the can into your gun and shoot. Examples are: Some plastic adhesion promoters and primers and even some top coats like vinyl colors.
  
• "1K" This is a product that uses no hardener, catalyst, activator, etc. It may have an added solvent, but no hardener or activating reducer. 1K products like RTS dry with the evaporation of solvents and are soluble, meaning that they are could be wiped off with a rag soaked with lacquer thinner. They could in THEORY be scraped off and put in a can with solvent and stirred back to a sprayable condition. Of course ALL RTS products are 1K. Examples: All lacquer products, some synthetic enamel products, and some acrylic enamel products. Because of the low VOC regulations the 1K product options are getting scarce, with most limited to "specialty products" like adhesion promoters.
  
• "2K" or "Two component" is any product that uses a hardener, activator, catalyst, etc. It may or may not use a third component in the form of a solvent. 2K products don't "dry" like a 1K. The 2K product "cures" by molecules linking together to form a whole new compound. Most high quality 2Ks are insoluble after a full cure and will not soften when exposed to solvents like thinners or gas. Examples are urethane under coats and top coats. Epoxies, ISO free products that use a hardener, etc.

[Hokie]

Can you do a how-to of prepping fairings as well? And possibly spraying techniques? Anything extra for a pearl/chameleon/matte/flake/etc type of paint?

Do you do any airbrush stuff?

Like I told you earlier, whatever bike I get will likely be a project bike. Regardless, I'll probably repaint anyways. So, I'm trying to find all the info I can before this winter.

[Triumph The Dawg]

This is going to be a fun thread to follow!

[Neanderthal]

I've painted a few scoots with the AutoAir water-based color coats. This stuff has some neat reasons to use:

If you screw up laying the color, the mistake can easily be wiped off with a wet rag.
You spray it on in very thin, dust-like layers.
It does not orange peel, no such thing as putting it on too thick.
Dries within minutes.
You clear it with conventional poly, but you can do it weeks later! No need to be in a hurry to clear it. (But it needs cleared over before use.)
No smell, non toxic, easy cleanup.

It's been about 4 years since I've painted, it was a neat little hobby.

[llenta]

I posted a thread a few months back [ame="http://www.triumph675.net/forum/showthread.php?t=51676"]HERE[/ame].

It shows a little more detail from step by step each stage of the painting process how I was painting my track plastics. And I used the Duplicolor paint with pearl to match my 2010 SE gas tank. I know its not the best paint out there, but its flippin cheap and they are track plastics. Lets just say, if you take your time, you can make this paint look better then any other paint out there (for the track). Here are some pics of the final product since I never posted them in the thread. ENJOY





BTW, track is Thunderhill Raceway in Willows California

[Ruby Racing]

If it's for a track bike then don't forget the £50 Rustoleum method. Do a search for Rustoleum.

No overspray

No fumes

No mess

No need to be a painting expert

Great finish

Limited colours

All for under fifty quid! Bargain

[BradManUWF]

Originally Posted by llenta

I posted a thread a few months back HERE.

It shows a little more detail from step by step each stage of the painting process how I was painting my track plastics. And I used the Duplicolor paint with pearl to match my 2010 SE gas tank. I know its not the best paint out there, but its flippin cheap and they are track plastics. Lets just say, if you take your time, you can make this paint look better then any other paint out there (for the track). Here are some pics of the final product since I never posted them in the thread. ENJOY





BTW, track is Thunderhill Raceway in Willows California

I thought that blue looked familiar, it looks awesome in the sun doesn't it? How's it holding up so far? I'll be finishing up my Duplicolor Paintshop job in a day or two.

[llenta]

Still looks like the day I painted it. Although its only seen a few days of sun and track so far . The rain finally stopped here and summer finally arrived, so I'm hoping to get more track days in.

I think people get all worked up about needing high quality paint that they forget that even the cheap stuff will last longer then they need. There is so much debree from the road and other bikes that your paint will get chipped, marred, and scratched up from just normal riding in no time. If you don't believe me, look at the belly pan after a season of racing. I bet half the paint that was there, is now gone. Even if you use the most expensive paint in the world, it won't last any longer then the spray can stuff out on the track. When mine gets to that point, I will sand it down and do it again with a different design.

On a side note, if you spill brake fluid on expensive paint, it will probably strip it too, it won't just happen with the cheap Duplicolor stuff. Brake fluid is nasty stuff and you want to take extra care when working with it.