Painting for the inept....

[Chiefy]

Am thinking I'd like to paint the swing arm area to match the paint on my bike, instead of  buying the chrome covers.

But I don't know how to paint anything but drywall.  Can someone give me a clue how difficult this would be?  What kind of paint, how applied, clear coat etc....  You don't need to spend a lot of time on the blow by blow, I'm just trying to decide if it's do-able (for me.)

Thanks

[JetDriver]

It's rather labor intensive, but not too difficult.  The swingarm will have to come off.  Then it'll need to be cleaned and prepped for painting.  Then do the paint, at least a couple of coats, with a light sanding in between each coat.  Then rub it out to make it shiny, then a protective coat, rub it out, wax.  Like I said, lots of labor, but very doable if you've got the time and patience.

[DFragn]

My methods are a bit different from JetDrivers.

Pull the swing, clean it up real good and the use a good quality wax & grease remover.

Wetsand the existing finish with say 1500 grit. If it's already orange peeled you'll need to sand the dimples out. You'll be able to see 'em once you start the prep sanding.

Use a urethane color & clear. You should be fine sans primer unless you prep to the metal in spots.

Prime if any bare metal, 2-3 coats of color [DO NOT SAND THE COLOR coats], clear coat 2 coats {3 may yellow or not}, wet sand your finish clear, polishing compound & finish with a coat of wax.

I rattle can sprayed my fairing and pods. Color Rite products.

[PharmBoy]

Painting in its self is not difficult, but the preperation for the correct painting of even a small part is very time consuming.  Each step already outlined is important, but some variations work well for others.  Following the paint manufacturer's directions is always a smart thing.  Although not difficult, I would HIGHLY recommend a little practice with the paint gun or rattle can before attempting to spray the prepared part.  And if the application does not turn out as you would have liked, you can always let it dry, sand it smooth again, and give it another try.  I have done it many times...Jim

[Momz]

Oh the above posters for got to mention,...do not use Latex paint. Save that for the Drywall.

[Chiefy]

Oh the above posters for got to mention,...do not use Latex paint. Save that for the Drywall.

Dang.  How will I get the rollers clean???

[CajunRider]

As stated above... not hard to paint... just time consuming!! 

I recently painted all the tins on my bike... standard black (not gloss) with metal flake top and 3 coats of clear.  Plenty of polishing with compound to bring out a decent shine. 

The reason I used standard black with metal flake over it was to hide a few imperfections...   

Make SURE you allow the paint to FULLY dry before you let any hoses touch the paint!!!!!  (I made that mistake  )  And follow the paint manufacturer's recommendations. 

My paint job is by NO means a professional job (you can tell where I messed up in a few places)... but it looks awesome to me!    

[Brian]

Is your swing arm in that bad of shape that it needs painting? I see a lot of bikes every year and never really remember looking that close to see if the swing arms are painted to match unless it is a total custom with no bling or accessories blocking the view. I just had to ask because this is an area that sees a lot of road grime, small rocks and dirt. Anything other than black would show all this. Just my 2 cents and curious.

[Chiefy]

Is your swing arm in that bad of shape that it needs painting? I see a lot of bikes every year and never really remember looking that close to see if the swing arms are painted to match unless it is a total custom with no bling or accessories blocking the view. I just had to ask because this is an area that sees a lot of road grime, small rocks and dirt. Anything other than black would show all this. Just my 2 cents and curious.

No, it's not in bad shape at all.  And I love chrome.  Just thought painting it Burgundy and Cream would look great, and be a little different.

Thanks everyone for the input.

[tank_post142]

pick up a spare from pinwall for $10-20 and paint it so your bike won't be down for a week or two.