Painting my old motorcycle...

[CheeseSteakJim]

I picked up an old '76 Yamaha that I'm restoring, and I want to paint it myself. Right now I'm going to paint the frame... eventually the tank, too. Problem, is I don't know the first thing about paint. Can someone give me a quick lesson in the steps/methods to a good paint job. Also, can any autobody guys recommend any specific paints that don't take much work to look decent? Any tricks of the trade that'll help me get paint into those little nooks and crannies of a bike frame without putting way too much paint into one area (or is it okay to do that on something like this?).

[Grand Marquis GT]

Post pics!

I love motorcycles

[CheeseSteakJim]

I'll post pics after someone helps me!

Nah I'm just kidding... I'll post the only picture I have of it pre-resto once I get it from my friend's digital camera. Now it's all the way to the bare frame, and when I say bare I mean the frame has even been sandblasted.

Yesterday I had to use a blowtorch and a screwdriver to pry the slider valve on the carb open, it was so gunked up with old gasoline. The gas inside the carb has become a clay-like substance. Once I pried the valve all the way open, it would just sit in place instead of snapping shut. After I cleaned up the slider valve and the internals, I can turn the throttle easily by hand, and it snaps shut like it's brand new. I can't believe it was that badly gunked up.

[trwp72]

The first and most important thing to remember is CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN... And then clean again! If it is dirty, or the least bit greasy.. the paint won't stick! Second is to use some fine sandpaper, or steel wool to rough up the surface to give the paint something to stick to... Another good thing to use is those soft sanding blocks they make now... try to get in all of the little cracks and crevises... I know it is a pain, but it will look much better... Next thing after sanding is.. Clean again! usually, just wiping it down with some enamel reducer will work for this step... Then let it dry, and look for any shiney spots... this will mean you missed that area... Sand it until it is all dull looking.. then wipe it down again, let it dry, then prime it with some good primer.. (I take it your doing this with a rattle can... get a good brand of primer...) Then LIGHTLY sand the area again... with 1000 to 1200 wet and dry... you can do it wet or dry... I prefer wet.. but you have to go LIGHTLY, or you will just sand all of the primer off!!! wash it, let it dry, then tack rag it with some more enamel reducer, to make sure it is clean, then LIGHTLY coat the entire area with the first coat of the color your painting it... actually, the primer should still be slightly visible if you do it right...
Then keep giving it coats until it is covered... with one final sort of heavy coat... So it will blend in any overspray... Just be careful NOT to get too heavy, and have it run... If it does... let it dry, (a couple of days) and then lightly sand that part down, wipe it down, and give it one more top coat...
For the frame, I would use a good high heat engine enamel like the 1200 degree stuff... since it seems to hold up better... for the tank and tins, any of the touch up factory style spray paint will work... (Duplicolor) but I would clear coat the tank, since you may spill gas there while fueling up... hope this helps... I restored a Honda CB350 in high school.. came out looking like new by doing exactly what I just told you...

Another thing you can do is to get all of it prepped, then take the frame and tins to a body shop and have them shoot it for you... At this point, since you did all of the prep work, they shouldn't charge much to shoot it... Even Earl Scheibs, Facto Bake, or Maaco would be a good option... They can usually shoot paint really good... they just suck on prep... Which you have already done... so see what they would charge to shoot the tins for you...

My 91 paint job is a $250.00 Paint job from Facto- Bake... The 84 was slightly more, since it had to have some body work done... and 91's paint is almost 4 years old now... Went thru two hurricanes, and still looks good.... I did the prep work myself... Tom

[CheeseSteakJim]

Actually I was hoping to do this the real way, with a paint gun. Thanks for the advice so far though... I didn't think about the sanding/cleaning, although it makes lots of sense.

[zwack88]

Yeah Tom hit it on the head. Clean with wax and grease remover, do all prep then wax and grease it again. If the paint on there is fine with no chips or bare metal showing you can go ahead and use some sealer then paint it. For your application a single stage would probably work best. Since this is your first paint job I would suggest a cheaper paint brand cause most likely PPG and Dupont will not be the best for a beginner to use unless you have a good amount of money cause you will probably mess up.

Not to diss you cause everyone does it, runs, fisheye, etc.

What kind of gun you using. I would suggest a gravity feed as opposed to a siphon feed. You will get the best transfer effecency.

[CheeseSteakJim]

Well, after my head stopped spinning from all the different techniques and kinds of paint I decided to just go with plain old enamel spray paint. The frame, handlebars, and fork mounts are all done being painted. Looks pretty good. Pictures when I have some time.

[CheeseSteakJim]

I'm done with the swing-arm and the engine (high-temp black enamel).

I want to paint the fins on the engine a teal color, but I'm having trouble finding high-temp teal paint. Can I paint them teal and just coat them with high-temp clearcoat? Or will that not work? Where could I find high-temp teal paint, either brush-on or in spraypaint form?

[GoodSamaritan]

Jim, you might try calling a local paint supplier. They might be able to mix up a batch for you.

Other than that, you might try getting some spray cans, of the appropriate colors (all from the same maker, and type) to mix and make teal, and a can opener. Shakem up, turn them upside down and keep spraying until all the propellant is out of the can. Then open them like an old metal juice can, and then pour them into some sealable containers. Mix up something that looks right, and then brush some onto something to see how it looks. You should be able to spray it though your gun, but make sure you run it through one of those coffee filter type strainers, and know what solvent to clean up with afterwards.

I haven't tried the above process, but if all else fails it might be worth a shot.

One tip I can give you about mixing paint, that I have learned from experience, is look at it in several different kinds of light. I have seen some colors that look great under a flouerescent shop light look quite a bit different out in the sun.