I'm looking to paint my lower fairings red to match the rest of the bike. I plan to get black "HONDA" decals to replace the factory 'HONDA". My question is mainly about the process to paint the fairings. I have heard I need to use a special primer first and then base coat, then put the decals on and then clear. Some tell me I'm fine with just scuffing it up and spraying the base right on. There's no damage at all, the whole bike is MINT. Anyone have any input?

Here's a pic so you can see what I'm talking about...

 

69 views and nothing? someone has to know something

 

im not a professional painter nor do i claim to be even mildly educated on the subject so take this advice with a grain of salt because its just info ive gathered from my own research.

fill in any knicks/scratches/dents and smooth/sand the bondo until the surface is smooth. primer will help the paint adhere to the surface and help create a smoother job. paint first coat, dry, second coat, dry, as many coats as you want. spray clear coat, wet sand under steady stream of water with very fine grit sand paper(not sure what grit to use but has to be very fine). spray second coat of clear and repeat steps. id recommend doing 3 or 4 coats of clear for good effect and protection.

also, i dont think it will look good to have the wing stickers, bare red, then honda stickers. id recommend taking the stickers off and doin just red. it may also look better to repaint the entire bike so the color matches perfect. even if you buy the paint from honda your bike's paint job may have faded some by now. hope this helps and if anyone sees anything i missed or said wrong please speak up.

 

The only decal i was going to clear over was the silver "Honda" on the bottom right side. It's not that important but I figured while i was painting it I might as well make it look somewhat OEM with the decal. I'll prob end up getting lazy and just painting it red and forget the decal

 

I'd say all you need to do is get some good primer, I used some stuff made for plastic parts because it's more flexible than regular primer (and I was spraying it on plastic ). Primer and sand it until your happy, then spray your paint. Wet sand really good, down to 1500 or 2000. Apply your decals, then clear over. Or take it to a shop and have them spray it for a few hundred and save you the trouble

 

arnt u supposed to sand the clear coat. otherwise itll be uneven and create orange peel?

 

Since it is a painted item from the factory you dont need any primer. Just scuff and shoot. If it was a bare plastic item you would need to go through a few extra steps. Also, with some paints that have decals on them over time the decals with "pull up" the paint. You won't see it removed and wont see it until you spray the base on. Best advice is to sand the area decently around where you removed any graphics.

 

I just went throught his, all but psraying over the decals. Wet sand it with 1000grit untill it is smooth, make sure not to go through the plastic. Spray it. Then my bro-in-law who painted the bike said to spray over decals, spray a coat or two of clear, wet sand, lay downt he decal, and another layer or so of clear.