mangocrazy
Italian V-twin nutjob
- Messages
- 1,162
- Location
- Sheffield, UK
I'm currently cleaning up and fixing my old Honda VFR750 and realise that I need to do something about a number of the fairing panels. The original nose fairing has been involved in a prang at some point (before I owned it) and a lot of the mounting points are cracked or damaged. Fortunately a few years ago I managed to acquire a NOS nose fairing but in a different colour (white) to the rest of the bike (red). The new white part also has a couple of transfers on it that will need to go.
What is the best way to prep the fairing for re-painting? Would it be possible to just spray straight on top of the existing finish, or (as I'm expecting) will I need to key the surface first? If so, what would I use to key the surface?
The belly pan also needs attention - it's had some plastic welding done on it to halt some cracks that were forming, but more work needs to be done on that. It's taken quite a hammering from stone chips on the front so that will need sanding off, filling and flatting down. For this section of the fairing I'm seriously thinking about forgetting the red paint and going with some kind of flexible rubberised/plasticised coating that will resist further chipping. Ideally this would be black/anthracite/dark grey. Is anyone aware of a coating of this nature I could use?
And lastly, what materials should I stock up on for sanding (i.e. grade and type of abrasive material) and do people have any recommendations for filler to use with GRP. Whatever I use will need a fair degree of flexibility and should adhere well to plastic.
And lastly, is anyone aware of a good spray painter who does bikes in the Sheffield area? The guy I used to use has stopped doing bikes as they're too fiddly and time-consuming. I'm happy to do the prep work, but need someone who knows what they're doing and has the kit to apply the paint.
What is the best way to prep the fairing for re-painting? Would it be possible to just spray straight on top of the existing finish, or (as I'm expecting) will I need to key the surface first? If so, what would I use to key the surface?
The belly pan also needs attention - it's had some plastic welding done on it to halt some cracks that were forming, but more work needs to be done on that. It's taken quite a hammering from stone chips on the front so that will need sanding off, filling and flatting down. For this section of the fairing I'm seriously thinking about forgetting the red paint and going with some kind of flexible rubberised/plasticised coating that will resist further chipping. Ideally this would be black/anthracite/dark grey. Is anyone aware of a coating of this nature I could use?
And lastly, what materials should I stock up on for sanding (i.e. grade and type of abrasive material) and do people have any recommendations for filler to use with GRP. Whatever I use will need a fair degree of flexibility and should adhere well to plastic.
And lastly, is anyone aware of a good spray painter who does bikes in the Sheffield area? The guy I used to use has stopped doing bikes as they're too fiddly and time-consuming. I'm happy to do the prep work, but need someone who knows what they're doing and has the kit to apply the paint.