i am thinking about powdercoating my forksliders black on my2001wideglide but the guys around here r trying to talk me into painting them instead wondering if you guys can tell me pros and cons of both and what you guys think

 

If you have the abilities, the time and the funds I would powdercoat them. Very durable finish. A few guys have painted theirs, thats cool but I think ultimately powdercoat is the better move. Mine are on the way to the powdercoater as we speak.

 

thats what i thought but my freinds say that the powdercoat will chip to that the paint is better because if it gets chiped i take the leggs off and redo

 

IMHO,Painting is easier(no disassembly) and probably cheaper.
If the prep work is good the powder will not chip,short of something extreme hitting it. But still more durable than any paint. Except the stuff with the 'rock guard' stuff mixed into it. Like for doing rocker panels on cars and trucks. But that's not a smooth finish.
Just like painting, it's all in the prep work.
Mine are done(black satin powder)now going to pick them up sometime this week.

 

the powder will be a more durable coating as long as it's done right. if you bring them to a reputable coater they will be sure to media blast your lowers before they shoot them. while you're at it are you gonna do your trees to match?

 

Mine are painted with appliance epoxy probably the toughest rattlecan paint you can buy.The advantage of paint is that you do not need to take the legs off to paint.You could probably prep and paint about a half dozen times to the cost of powder coating it once. Powder coat is a superior finish but requires complete disassembly (more down time) and cost more.

 

I just got mine done this week......dissasembly and assembly was quick. The only pain in the butt part was getting the lower leg seals back in.......I went over to the dealer and barrowed thier tool and put them in, in the parking lot.

 

I followed in ed's footsteps and i DO powdercoating! i just did not want to mess with dissassembly of the front forks... trust me the prep work that went into my paint job was just as intense if not more than if i was to powdercoat them... yes powdercoat does chip and scratch even if it is done right... it is not steel! but i am amazed by this epoxy paint... i have 4 coats on mine, and 4 coats of laquer clear it is some hard stuff.... VERY VERY hard... and pretty cheap to do... a bit time consuming but came out great! people ask me all the time to powdercoat their forks "like yours" and i laugh and tell them how i did mine... and then tell them they can do it themselves with some patients and planning! I am getting ready to do my buddies rocket now it came out so well... powdercoating is fantastic and as you can tell from my bike i am no stranger to it... but this was an easy way to get the look in a durrable meathod, without dissassembly of the front forks... just do it right, follow the directions, prep work will always decide the final product.... if you have questions let me know... i got the idea from ED and just coppied him, only i cleared mine as well with a laquer clear, also tough stuff! again, i do powdercoating, i have the gun, oven, whole chi-bang right in the garage... very impressed with the epoxy paint!

 

there are some things i'll paint and some things i'll powdercoat....metal_mike powdercoated my shock hardware.... but i painted my fender strut covers and coil cover.... i sent my headlight out for a professional painting....it all depends on what part, IMHO ....parts that might get more abuse than others should probably get powdercoated

but remember guys, powdercoating hasn't been around forever ....a good paint job can really be durable

 

I've got a queston or two. I personally know nothing about powdercoating. I don't even know of a reputable PC her in Dallas, but i've been painting various pieces and although i've not had much of a chance to test wear and tear, it seems to be holding up fairly well. I'm trying to keep with the "textured" look, so i'm wondering if adding the epoxy will give it a shiny look instead. I'm guessing it might get rid of that textured feel too.

My next concern was the front end as i see you've done by painting. Is prep pretty much like painting a room by masking off the parts you don't want painted? Cause that seems fairly simple to do, albeit, time consuming to make sure you've covered everything you don't want painted. Did you paint uppers and lowers (on either side of the boots)? did you also paint the fork brace?

And finally, (sorry, this has been my latest effort in blacking out, so this post comes at a good time), can i paint the shocks? I know they can be PC, but you have to take everything apart which is a pain. I also know i can go buy aftermarket shocks that are black, but i've got a pretty bad back and all of my options for aftermarket tend to give a stiffer ride and the stock shocks are perfect for me. Can i just take the shocks off and slap a few coats of paint on them? Or will i end up getting paint in places it shouldn't be and Eff them up?

thank, and sorry for the long winded response.