So I was out enjoying the weather after work last night and decided I would stop by a coworkers house since he lives like 5 minutes away. It was nice out and he has kids so I thought for sure they'd be outside. I pulled in and sure enough him, his 3 kids and 3 other neighborhood kids were all running around.

The kids all went running at the sound of the twin with pipe since the oldest was probably 7. After I stopped they all came running up fascinated by the bike. Eventually my coworker asked if they could sit on the back while I was on it as well. He held the kids in place and each one was only on for about 5 seconds. The damage wasn't in the sitting though it was by their shoes in the getting on/off process. I guess the younger kids didn't get their feet spread far enough and at least one of them scuffed the left side of the tail under the the passenger seat.

For the most part it's only a very top level scuff but there's one section about 2 inches long where the paint is clearly broken. It's really not that noticable unless it's your bike and your **** about any marks. I didn't even notice it until going out at lunch for a ride at which time I had already been on/off the bike at least twice. It's not that bad really and if it wasn't on the left side staring at me in the face I probably wouldn't care.

All that said, he's offered to pay to fix it and I declined twice just because I don't want to be "that guy". He's insisted that I get it fixed so now I'm looking into options. I really know very little about how motorcycle paint works so I'm not even certain who to go to. I have the name of a really good detailer that fixes car scuffs but I'm not sure I trust them with fairing work. Comments?

 

I would not worry about the scuffs/marks

You paid for it, so enjoy it and not fret over it

 

Take it out of his kid's allowances.

 

beat/throw kids off a cliff, i'm sure what the guy had saved up in college fund's will pay for that to get fixed

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Dragon &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Take it out of his kid's allowances.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Funny!

 

When you say "the paint is broken" are you referring to the clear or the actual base color?

What color is the bike? If you could provide a pic I may be able to help out a little more. I used to work part time at a buddies detail shop years ago, and I also do a little painting on the weekends. I am in the process of painting a spare set of 929 plastics I have at my house.

If the scratch has gone through the clear and has removed basecoat you have three options
1) leave it as is
2) buy one of those touch up kits and make a half a$$ed looking repair
3) take it to a shop and have it sanded, repainted and cleared.

If the mark is just in the clear most detail shops would be able to wetsand/buff the scratches out. However be careful when allowing a detailer to attack your fairings with a high speed buffer. An inexperienced detailer with a buffer can burn the paint or even melt the plastic if they get it hot enough.

Some makes and colors of fairings arent even painted they are actually buffed abs. I know on my f3 the white tail sections are just dyed white abs not painted. When I got some scratches on em, I sanded down the scratches, worked my way sanding back up to 2000 grit sandpaper, then hit it with the high speed buffer and compound and they looked good as new.

As far as recommending a good body shop, check out a few local body shops in your area. Take a look at the vehicles they have ready to deliver to customers. If the clear looks rough like the surface of an orange and they are stating they are ready to deliver to a customer then smile and walk away. (Maybe it's just me but I am very **** about my stuff. Orange peel in the clear sucks.) Once applied, the clear should look as smooth as glass. If not wetsanding/buffing can get it there but most shops do not take this extra step as it takes time. The more time spent on a vehicle = less profit.

Also if you can locate a motorcycle specific painter that may be better. Being familiar with the materials the fairings are made of is crucial. Special consideration needs to be taken into account for certain types of plastics. (Flex agent for flexible panels etc, Adhesion promoters... the list goes on and on.)

Another thought. If you want to have some customization done to it you could always have it touched up or airbrushed. There is a guy locally here who started airbrushing helmets and has now moved over to painting bikes.

Also, I would be weary about sending your fairings off to be painted. I have a horror story about that but that is another topic at hand. That 800 dollar mistake is what prompted me to start painting, well that and the mediocre job done on my crx for 1800.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by cbrman &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">When you say "the paint is broken" are you referring to the clear or the actual base color?</TD></TR></TABLE>

There are clear coat scuffs and then one line where the base color is scraped off. If I get home with some decent light today I'll take a picture of it. Thanks for taking the time to post a well thought out, helpful reply.

 

Sorry to hear about that.. but if you don't really want to accept his money, think about when you're gonna sell the bike, will that scrape depreciate the value of the bike at all? Will someone actually point that out? If yes, you should accept and fix it properly.

I understand that Suzuki paint is usually very prone to chips and cracks. My bro's '00 Gixxer 1000 stood up pretty well for 2 yrs before he sold it.

Touchup: Get one of those touchup paint bottles with a little brush on the cap and dab the paint into the scratch. Repeat the process over and over until that area 'builds up'. You want to do thin layers and let it dry for about 30min~1hr in between coats.
After, get a sanding block, anything flat and palm sized will do. Start with a 600~800 grit Wet-or-Dry sand paper (be sure to let that piece soak for about 15~30min before use so that the paper backing will soften up and not scratch your paint). Slowly and carefully sand just the 'built up' touch up paint. Using a sandblock will help minimize risk of brushing up against the factory paint. When you think you've sanded the 'build up' relatively flat, move on to 1000 grit to smooth it down. Then use a 1500 grit to get ready for polishing. Be sure to keep the surface moist during all the sanding so that the debris doesn't scratch the paint.
Now, use a polish and a buffing wheel attachment for a cordless drill. You can pick these up at a autoparts store or Sears. Do not use rubbing compound! They're too coarse. You can use Meguiars polishing compound for clear coats. Be sure to use very little pressure on the surface with the buffing wheel.
Finally, finish it off with a good wax to bring out the shine and give it a protective coat. Meguiars makes good stuff. Much easier to apply and remove than Mothers.