Painting Plastics

[450god]

I am in the middle of tearing my banshee down, what iam going to do is pc the frame a nice midnight blue color, plastics right now are blue, is there any way that i can rough them up and re-paint them white, and make the paint last instead of having it chip off everytime i bump it.

 

Also, what color A-arms and swingarm should i go with the blue frame and white plastics.......chrome.......?

[278]

I havnt tried this myself but Krylon makes this stuff called Krylon Fusion and its suppose to work well on plastics. Many people on here have tried it and said it works good, because its suppose to bond to the plastic instead of just covering it.

[450god]

I havnt tried this myself but Krylon makes this stuff called Krylon Fusion and its suppose to work well on plastics. Many people on here have tried it and said it works good, because its suppose to bond to the plastic instead of just covering it.

 

 

So do i need to clear coat over everything or will just painting them be good?

[Building my First]

The krylon Fusion is good stuff but I wouldn't use it to change colors. You'll get a big nick or scratch one day and have a big blue spot on your white fenders. I used it before and was very nice, I repainted white fenders white again.

You would probably be okay on cut front fenders and rad and tank covers. I think the rear just flexes too much.

[450god]

The krylon Fusion is good stuff but I wouldn't use it to change colors. You'll get a big nick or scratch one day and have a big blue spot on your white fenders. I used it before and was very nice, I repainted white fenders white again.

You would probably be okay on cut front fenders and rad and tank covers. I think the rear just flexes too much.

 

Well the backs are cut to so I guess it wouldnt be that bad!

[dans4x4]

I used tha Krylon Fussion on mine and it looks good but the rears seem to scratch easy but its an easy touch up.

[robert.b.west]

The problem with the krylon fusion is if you spill/splash/drip any type of solvent on it like gas it takes away the glossy finish there and looks like crap.

[papa_smurf49319]

The problem with the krylon fusion is if you spill/splash/drip any type of solvent on it like gas it takes away the glossy finish there and looks like crap.

 

True that, i spilt a little fuel and im not sure if it was the clear or the color that made it dull, but you have to get it off asap.

[too_fazt]

first branch that comes your way is goin tear holes in the paint. if u spill brake fluid on it, instant flaking off. i had mine candy orange, looked good until i took it on trails. last pair ill paint.

[KickStartMyHeart]

WRONG WRONG WRONG!!!!! I took my plastics which were white and sanded them. I started out at a 220 grit and worked all the way up to an 800 grit. I wet sanded every step. After I sanded each step, I let them dry, wiped them down with a towel soaked in some carb cleaner to get all the residue off the plastics. After I got done sanding I bought 4 cans of Kryon fusion. I started out with a light coat and ended up with 5 coats of paint on the plastics. I used the Krylon gloss clear coat, but I was not happy with it due to it being splochy. I ended up taking them to a painter and having him spray em down with a lacqure (mispelled) finish and I think he put 3 coats on. I have spilled gas on the tank cover and have never had any problems with them flaking, bubbling etc.... The only scratch I have in the plastics is on the nose piece where I was in a hurry and pulled the nose clip off and wedged it in between the headlights and scratched one side. Your final product is only as good as the time you take to prep the plastics. If you hurry through the sanding process, you'll have a shitty end product once you put the paint on. Take your time and get your elbow full of greace and start sanding.

[robert.b.west]

I am going to try an automotive paint that you have to mix that has a hardener which makes it resistant to these solvents. first tho you need to put down an adhesion promoter to make it stick to plastic. The only thing i am worried about is if it will be flexible enough to be on plastic without cracking. i will report back when i am done.

[KickStartMyHeart]

I am going to try an automotive paint that you have to mix that has a hardener which makes it resistant to these solvents. first tho you need to put down an adhesion promoter to make it stick to plastic. The only thing i am worried about is if it will be flexible enough to be on plastic without cracking. i will report back when i am done.

 

 

 

mix a flex additive with your paint. My crotch rocket has flex additive mixed in it and has never had a problem. WIth that being said, quad fenders flex a lot more than a crotch rocket plastic.

[Doddy]

Unless your going with a custom paint job Krylon works just fine. And you do not need to sand it first unless you want to. Really I can't think of any reason to sand it down unless your going for a show finish in which case you should go ahead and have them custom painted. If all you want is to change the color just clean the plastics really well, freakin spray them down with like 5 coats and keep a couple extra cans so that you can do some touch up when it inevitably does scratch.

[sheefreak]

This bike is a duner/dragger so it never sees branches, woods, etc. I did this paint job 5 yrs ago w/good Dupont Chromabase paint and a good clear coat and I used an adhesive promoter and sanded the plastics just enough to lose the shine. Those plastics look really good still and have taken some abuse(mostly from transport, strapping, etc.) over the years. If you do it right and don't skimp you won't be touching it up every time you go riding.

 

Now if you are talking about a trail/mud bike, all bets are off. Might as well use the cheap paint and keep plenty on hand for touch up. As a matter of fact, I plain wouldn't paint the plastics on a trail bike.

 

[wannashee20]

have painted a couple pairs of plastics. one set i only used the krylon paint with out the fusion, the other I used the Krylon fusion plastic adhesion promoter with regular can paint. the first set will dull and whipe off when gas is spilt on it, but so far trail riding is not a problem, gravel is also not a problem. the other has not been ridden with the new paint, but gas is not quite as an issue. both were clear coated.