Painting my '05 - Is local shop OK?

[DragonflyTN]

I've seen a number of bikes on the forum that have been repainted a color different than stock. I would like to repaint my '05 Crystal Red with White Diamond accent stripes (from the 2013 Cadillac color palette). I'm thinking I might just have a local body shop do the work. Anyone have any experience using a local shop to do bike painting work? Should I let them have at my bike?

 

[BkerChuck]

I've had 2 of my bikes repainted. Both were done by small independant shops. I've been extremely happy with the work both shops did for me and the time frames involved. The best advice I can offer is this, ask around your area and find out who your friends and other locals are using. I have a shop near me that specializes in Indian motorcycle restoration. I spoke to them about who they let paint their stuff. I'm also fortunate enough to work part time at a Harley shop and have tons of customers with custom paint work. I spoke with the ones whose bikes I liked. Don't rush into it. Do your homework and you'll end up happy. I also prefer to have something like this done in the off season. You'll most likely be without your ride for several weeks. Take pictures of your bike and play around with Photoshop to determine what you want it to look like so your painter will be on the same page you're on. Having a bike repainted and done properly isn't cheap or fast. Look at it as an investment. The more you as an owner put into it, the more you're likely to get out of it.

 

[garyahouse]

I've seen a number of bikes on the forum that have been repainted a color different than stock. I would like to repaint my '05 Crystal Red with White Diamond accent stripes (from the 2013 Cadillac color palette). I'm thinking I might just have a local body shop do the work. Anyone have any experience using a local shop to do bike painting work? Should I let them have at my bike?

Paint work:

Are you planning to remove the tupperware yourself and give it to them?, or just drop off the bike and let them do everything? Have they done bikes before? Though it costs more, for example - typically all items that are not to be repainted are removed by good quality shops. This method produces superior results compared to leaving things like locks or gas caps or etc... in place and simply taping around them before painting. That said, removing some items from your tupperware before painting can be a bear, like for example your rubber strips that run along the center of your panniers... that have the "Yamaha" ID badge on them. They may find it so difficult to remove them that they might chose to simply tape them off and paint around them. See my point? I would ask, exactly HOW MUCH are you going to have the shop do?

Quality: Do they bake, or sand, buff and polish after painting for that perfect finish? Or do they just paint it and hand it back with orange peel marring the finish?

Lotsa questions to ask...

Gary

darksider #44

 

[garauld]

What did the shops charge for a complete repaint? It took me about 18 hrs to repaint all my parts plus disassembly and reassembly..

 

[BkerChuck]

Garauld, I'm assuming the question is aimed at me, correct me if I'm wrong. One bike was my 95 Buell S-2, I removed all parts, supplied new decals, and reinstalled all parts. Paint work with supplies I was charged $750. Bear in mind that included some minor repair work and was done almost 10 years ago. Other bike is my 77 Honda CB400F Supersport which was only gas tank and 2 side covers. I removed and reinstalled all parts and supplied decals on this one as well. Paint and some body work including removing a dent from the tank set me back $450 and that was just last February. The side covers on the Honda were actually already painted in the correct color. I found some NOS pieces and so they were used for color match. So I guess maybe I shouldn't count them. Shop did install new decals and clear coat all pieces though.

 

[leedavis]

Nothing wrong with using a local shop - in fact, it's your only option. There's no mega-factory where stuff gets sent off to be painted. Vehicle paint is a "hazardous material" so unless a shop is operating off the grid they have a significant investment to conform to environmental plus health and safety regulations. The liability risks are a big deal. Ask around in your area, but you can be reasonably confident a shop that has been in business for years does quality work. They have too much at stake to do otherwise.

 

[DragonflyTN]

I've seen a number of bikes on the forum that have been repainted a color different than stock. I would like to repaint my '05 Crystal Red with White Diamond accent stripes (from the 2013 Cadillac color palette). I'm thinking I might just have a local body shop do the work. Anyone have any experience using a local shop to do bike painting work? Should I let them have at my bike?

Paint work:

Are you planning to remove the tupperware yourself and give it to them?, or just drop off the bike and let them do everything? Have they done bikes before? Though it costs more, for example - typically all items that are not to be repainted are removed by good quality shops. This method produces superior results compared to leaving things like locks or gas caps or etc... in place and simply taping around them before painting. That said, removing some items from your tupperware before painting can be a bear, like for example your rubber strips that run along the center of your panniers... that have the "Yamaha" ID badge on them. They may find it so difficult to remove them that they might chose to simply tape them off and paint around them. See my point?...

Gary...

Gary, I do see your point. I had planned to remove the bodywork myself, simply because I figured they might not be comfortable doing that for a motorcycle. I will ask a bunch of questions; I figure to get it reprinted in December when riding season is winding down, so I have time to research.

Thanks for the great thinking!

 

[DragonflyTN]

Nothing wrong with using a local shop - in fact, it's your only option. There's no mega-factory where stuff gets sent off to be painted. Vehicle paint is a "hazardous material" so unless a shop is operating off the grid they have a significant investment to conform to environmental plus health and safety regulations. The liability risks are a big deal. Ask around in your area, but you can be reasonably confident a shop that has been in business for years does quality work. They have too much at stake to do otherwise.

Lee, this is what I'm learning. Seems like vehicle painting is becoming quite a specialty in itself. I've not had to do any repairs that required reprinting in 30+ years, and back then it just didn't seem to be as much of a specialist endeavor.

 

[LgFJR]

Several years back I got the idea I wanted to get my Valkyrie painted........a tourer model with the bags. Found a friendly midsize custom auto shop.......the guy looked it over and thought he could do it. I left the bike at the shop. A couple weeks went by and I thought its time to check in and see how things are going. Went over and the bike is still in the back room untouched. Started talking with the guy and he was coming up with excuses why it wasnt done, but in the final analysis it turned out he didn't have any guys he trusted to take the parts off and get them back on. Disassembly is a big deal. The bike rolled out of the shop unpainted. You are going to have to find a shop that's used to bikes if you want them to do the total package.

 

[pit0rz]

I just did this with my R100. I disassembled everything and brought the parts to them. We talked it over and agreed on a time frame and price. Cost me $800 for the tank, front fender, front fairing, two side covers and rear seat cowl. There was quite a bit of prep work involved and the parts were all made of different materials which I'm sure added to the cost. (Tank steel, fairing fiberglass, fender plastic, etc...) The finished product came out great and I'm completely happy with it. I also did it in the off season so time was not a big issue, they had the parts for a month or so...