im about to paint my buddies ninja and have a few questions. for most of it ive just sanded down the factory clear with 320 down to the color but there are some spots that needed some scuff and crack repairs so it is sanded down to the base plastic in those area's.

first question, ive never painted a bike, is the factory paint a normal automotive paint (is it compatible, i'll be using a system from ALSA) or is it something special for abs plastic.

second, will i need an adhesion promoter and/or primer for the parts that still have paint or just for the bare plastic?

third, would i need a sealer since the abs is not porous

and i should use a flex additive for all steps correct?

 

first question: i dont see why the paint would be any different then automotive. has no reason to be. i cant say from experience.. but i know someone who is big in antique/classic bike restorations and he uses the same paint that you'd buy for cars. same with these superbike customizers i know.

second question: adhesion promoter would be for areas that are bare plastic.. but for the areas that still have paint you should be good. considering factory paint has the best adhesion

third question: im assuming you're painting it a different color... sealer would be preferred. it doesnt depend too much on the abs being porous or not, thats what primer surfacer/color build is for... sealer is usually to prevent bleedthru wit any color/primer underneath and also helps with adhesion for the base coat

and with the flex additive im not too sure lol... but hope i've helped some with everything else

 

well you confirmed most of what i was thinking. i just wasnt sure it the bikes paint would be different cause some of the pieces are really flexable and ive never painted anything that really needed a flex additive.

bleed through is usually a problem when using a light color over a darker color correct?
ill be painting the bike black over the factory blue, will bleed through still be a problem?

anybody else have info on the flex additive???

 

you should be fine since its a dark color over another dark color...