Custom Paint (got a deal)

[Jamtndll]

What should I have to pay to get a custom paint job on my tank and side covers only?  Place here in town wants $400, (300 for tank and 100 for both covers).  He wants $100 to do my helmet.
Jim

[lragan]

I didn't pay it, but the gal who sold me my Magna (that's right, a woman -- Austin police officer, and tough as nails!) used "Dr. Bob" in Marble Falls.  Did a beautiful job on the whole bike, including the fenders, with ghost flame blue theme, for $800.  He was going to do my helmet for me to match for $75 if he could find the paint from the bike job, but claimed it was gone, and I believe him. 

Since then, I have painted new side panels myself.  The matching paint cost me ~$175 at a local auto paint store.  You don't want to know how long it took, but, hey, I am learning, right?

And yes, the reason for the new side panels is I lost the old ones.  Hard, worn grommets the culprit.  New ones cost less the $5 at the dealership in New Braunfels.  One panel was lost completely, but, lucky me, I found the pieces from the other, so was able to take them in to get the paint matched.

I still plan to paint a helmet to match "someday"...

[roboto65]

Thats a good deal I payed 600 for a repair to the tank and rear fender at the same shop that did it but the candy color and ghost flames cost alittle more LOL

[Charles S Otwell]

What are you considering a custom paint job? Is the painter suppling all the material and the work for that amount? If he does good work, that's a good price, if custom means any kind of graphics , flames , two tone , pearl, etc, then that is an excellent price. I painted Rodney's Magna (single color with pearl) a couple of weeks ago and just the material cost a couple hundred. Just make sure he uses quality paint, preferably a basecoat/clearcoat.. Unless you specify, some shops will use a cheap enamel to save money. Good luck..

[L J VFR]

I had chromalusion added to my bike on the tank and the paint alone was $375.  It was painted for free...(step dad).   Lance

[lragan]

Thats a good deal I payed 600 for a repair to the tank and rear fender at the same shop that did it but the candy color and ghost flames cost alittle more LOL

Now Alan, why would you need to repair the tank and rear fender?

Did some Harley ridin' bad boy biker dude come by swingin' a used chain??

[roboto65]

Hehehehehe nah my fault all the way had just got the bike and it had a different set of bars on it drag bars to be exact and the controls hit the tank and chipped it LOL.
www.milburnscustompaint.com this is the guy that painted it asked about how much it would cost to get this job on another bike and you are looking at 1800 for the whole bike!!!!!

[Magnum Magna]

What should I have to pay to get a custom paint job on my tank and side covers only?

Like Charles asked "What are you considering a custom paint job?"  That could be a fair price.  In Dallas when I was getting quotes it ranged from 100.00 to 2000.00.  The range was a chain discount car painter (no sanding just painting)  to a competition show quality.  I payed something around 400.00.  He was a friend of a friend that was a professional custom car painter that wanting to get in to custom bike paint jobs.  So he did my bike and I sent him pictures of the bike.

[Jamtndll]

He is to remove all the paint and clearcoat on tank.  Paint black with 3 gold tribal crosses on the top. 
One side cover will have an American flag with eagle head that says "One Nation Under God"  the other will have a texas flag with "One State Under God" on it.  He will then clear coat all of it.  Here is the link to his website.  www.splashofkolor.com/Index.htm   I have seen some of his work and it looks good.

[lragan]

Very impressive web site, Jim.  Looks like a good deal to me.  I might ask about the number of coats of clear he typically uses.  Spraying the clear, letting it dry, putting on another coat, letting dry, etc. is time consuming, and where I was tempted to cut corners.  Five is a minimum, in my book, and anything over 10, maybe 15, is redundant. 

Sanding, polishing, finishing to mirror finish also takes some time/effort, but is also well worth it.

Here I am writing like an expert, having painted two side panels!!  I enjoyed the experience, and would like to do more, but don't have the time/place/energy to create the dust free environment that would make it go more quickly.  Was not as difficult as I thought, but I am nowhere near the detail he shows on his web site.  I am amazed that he will do those complex pictures for the quoted prices.  Perhaps the term "starving artist" is not an imaginary hippy somewhere...

[Jamtndll]

he said he would need it for 2 weeks.

[Greg Cothern]

Ahh maybe I found the person to redo my trunk....

[Magnum Magna]

Very nice.  That is a great deal.

I don't know about the painting of the helmet.  I have been reading you need to change them out every 2 or 4 years and it said don't paint them or use stickers with out consulting the helmet manufacture for the proper material to use to paint it.

[Greg Cothern]

The Snell site suggests every 5 years or accident.

[lragan]

The Snell site suggests every 5 years or accident.

I am sure it will depend on the amount of time you have it on your head.  Casual riders' helmets should go further between replacement (barring dropping, accidents, etc.) than commuters' helmets.

Materials technology advances are coming rapidly these days.  Five years on, a better helmet may be available that will tempt me, even if mine is still in good shape.

As for paint, you just need to make sure what you use does not chemically degrade the plastic shell.  If your paint does not soften or attack the polymers in your fenders and side panels, it probably won't attach your helmet plastic either.

It would be nice to know how much of the "education" we receive from helmet manufacturers is based on hard data, what is intended to protect them from lawsuits, and what is intended to sell new helmets.  This whole area is a minefield of misinformation, in my view.