What type of paint do you use for your motorcycle?

When you have plans to restore a bike to its former beauty, or you want to customize your bike with a radical paint job; then knowing the right type of paint to use is as crucial as investing in the right safety equipment. We are not talking about paint brands.

The type of paint that you use to paint your bike can be made by a wide number of paint manufacturers. The manufacturer you choose to use will be dependent on your experiences with that manufacturer and that paint brand.

Painting Your Motorcycle

Before you can choose the paint for your motorcycle to be sure that you have checked the fuel tank and the oil reservoir to make sure that you have no leaks.

Check the entire bike for rust and corrosion. You need to strip away the old paint from the bike. You then need to sand away any rust or corrosion. If there are problematic areas on your bike you may need to use filler or putty to create a smooth surface for painting.

Paint For The Gas Tank

You will likely want to paint your gas tank and make it look as good as the rest of your bike. Experts recommend that you use aerosol spray paint for this task.

Aerosol spray paint can come in cans that have wide spray patterns. The wide spray pattern allows you to cover a greater amount of the surface with each pass.

You want to buy a quality spray paint. Using the spray paint as your base coat will allow you to get solid coverage that shows no brush marks or streaks from the application.

Primer

You are going to need a quality epoxy primer when you paint your bike. The primer goes on first. You want to either have a primer that is in an aerosol can or use a paint spraying apparatus to apply the primer.

The spray can or spray gun allows you to apply a thin layer of primer that will have no brush marks. Thin is a keyword here. It is better to apply several thin layers than to apply one thick layer. If you spray the epoxy primer on thickly it may develop runs that will mar your final paint coatings.

You will need a minimum of two coats of primer to stop any oxidization of the metal you are painting. Priming is the first step to beautifying your bike, and it is the first step to preventing future rust and corrosion.

Base Coat

The base coat of paint creates the color you are trying to achieve. You need to buy a high quality base paint that is designed for use on automobiles.

Each manufacturer will have a recommendation of how much paint thinner you must add to your paint to achieve the best spray results. Follow the manufacturer instructions.

You need to apply a minimum of four coats of paint. The coats of paint will be thin and it will take four coats to create the flawless color you are trying to achieve.

You have to allow each layer of paint to dry completely before you attempt to spray another layer of paint.

Finish Paint

To finish the paint job you need to apply a clear lacquer to protect the paint you have applied as well as to add shine and depth to your paint. You need a minimum of two coats of this lacquer, and people have been known to put as many as fifteen coats of lacquer on their bikes. This detail is dependent on how much shine you want your bike to have.

The manufacture of the lacquer will suggest the length of time that one coat of lacquer needs to dry before another coat of lacquer can be applied. You need to follow these instructions.