Topic: Painting sidepanels

[rhinoracer]

Is there any special prep or paint needed to paint plastic panels?

Will regular paint stick?

Will it crack with flex or with heat expansion?

[TwoTired]

Will regular paint stick?

What do you consider regular paint?
lacquer, acrylic lacquer, enamel, acrylic enamel, Alkyd enamel, polyurethane, and latex are all regular paints by some standard.

Whatever you apply to the actual plastic surface must not have solvent carriers that attack the plastic.

[neil young]

I applied bondo.to fix up the scratches.sanded,cleaned off the dust with an automotive prep wipe,applied primer,lacquer paint and a 2 part clear coat.
no problems to report

[UnCrash]

I used a spraypaint designed for plastics that I picked up from Lowe's.

5 coats with wetsanding in between and they look great!

I've put about 2,000 miles on the bike since spraying the sidepanels, my legs rub against them because I sit so far back on the seat.  No problems to report.

[tmart]

I used dupont base coat (automotive) and coats clear

[KB02]

Proper Preparation is Pertinent to Perfect Paint.   

Even the best paint won't come out great if your prep sucks.

[rhinoracer]

Will regular paint stick?

What do you consider regular paint?
lacquer, acrylic lacquer, enamel, acrylic enamel, Alkyd enamel, polyurethane, and latex are all regular paints by some standard.

Whatever you apply to the actual plastic surface must not have solvent carriers that attack the plastic.

By regular I mean the same paint I get for the tank or do I need something different or special?

I used dupont base coat (automotive) and coats clear

That's what I had in mind for the tank but I thought I'd ask here first 'cause the feedback you get at paint stores here in Tijuana is not always reliable.

[TwoTired]

Lacquer thinner and acetone will attack the base plastic.

Enamels should be okay as long as not thinned with the above.

Two part epoxy or polyuethane paints are good too.  But, you really need breathing a other personal saftey equipment especially for these, and for that matter any paint vapors, if you value your kidneys, liver, and lungs.

If you first coat the plastic with an epoxy type primer/sealer and let it cure properly, this will protect the plastic from just about any overcoat you wish to apply. 

Cheers,

[neil young]

ditto on what two tired said

[ColinMc]

If you are going the aerosol route...or even pro spray route, make sure you use a flexible primer and like was previously mentioned nothing with any chemicals that will compromise the plastic. Then basecoat em, then clear em. Don't bother with laquer anything...even in a spray can. There is a reason laquer isn't used in the automotive field anymore, not just because of environmental issues lol.