Every time I do a project I say to myself "this time I should document what I'm doing" and every time I ignore that advice. Well not today.
So I've been looking to repaint my motorcycle since it got run over and busted up. Or to put it more correctly I needed to fix the broken fairings, and I figured I'd have to repaint it so it doesn't look stupid. I'll try to outline my process.
1. I discovered that the fairings are ABS plastic. Using a mixture of the techniques for using Plastifix as well as the info from ninja250.org I was able to fix all of the cracks and rebuild the missing sections. My exact method was to grind the cracks down, fill them with ABS cement (or ABS cement with ABS melted in it for big holes), sand that down to the original shape, then Bondo for texture.
2. I gathered together all the supplies to do a full professional paint job. They sell paint at Canadian Tire thats ready to spray. I already own goggles and respirator equipment. I built a makeshift poly pray shop in my garage. Everything was perfect. Except that my shop had no means of venting the fumes, nor any place to vent them in my townhouse strip without the neighbours getting high. I was crestfallen and about ready to break the bank for new plastic.
3. Thanks to some wise and crazy motorcycle owners I came up with a new plan. Truck bed liner is and one part paint system, its fairly forgiving, and its cheap. Plus I think it can look good. Some guys use the roll on stuff, or they get the pros to shoot it on their parts, but I think it looks too rough and industrial grade. I wanted something somewhat sleek, even satin. After doing all the research it seems that the Rustoleum bed liner is thinner than most, has no chunks or grit, and is fairly shiny. I'll toss up some pics of my process before I spray up the rest of the parts tomorrow.
If anyone wants a real step-by-step here it is:
Sand away paint from cracked areas
Grind out cracks for better filling and adhesion
Fill with ABS cement or melted ABS
Sand with orbital sander, 220 grit
Repeat filling and sanding until its pretty smooth and as strong as original
Scuff up area
Apply Bondo spot putty
Sand smooth with 220 grit
Scuff whole part with red (320 grit equiv)
Scotchbrite pad
Prime repaired areas
Wipe part with clean rag, water, alcohol, whatever you think you need
Spray Rustoleum bed liner like so:
Do corners and edges first to make sure they get hit at least a little
Then first rough coat of maybe 50% coverage
2 minutes of drying time
Second coat to completely cover
Make sure there are no bare spots
Final touch up coat, very light from 18 inches away to ensure a nice even finish
Let it dry for 24 hours before getting too rough with it.
That's about it. I put a week into it with all my messing around with real paint, trips to the store, playing with the baby, weeding the yard, climbing on the roof, etc. You could probably do it in 2-3 evenings if time was tight.
