I have a black 97 FLHT that we are going to paint. If there is a paint person on here I have a question. I intend to paint the bike with a basecoat/clearcoat pearl white. What I need is a recommendation on a Good primer/sealer. Sandable and decent fill, may need to set a week or two after spraying.

It's been 25+ yrs since I tackled a project like this
Damn what happened to DuPont Centuri Like I'd try and shoot that after all this time bseg

WP

 

I've used PPG self etching primer sealer with great results. I've used it under PPG base coat / clear coat and House of Kolor Kandy paints (Shimmerin base) . Never any issues. It you have never used self etching primer, make sure you get and read the tech sheets before you start mixing.

 

DuPont Centuri


LOL, I remember that, have not sprayed anything since the very early 80's so cant help you, I would write a check now.... Good luck...


Ds

 

The paints and primers today are much easier to work with. If you take your time and put a good "tack coat" on first, and take you time, you'll be good. The real trick is mixing the correct amount of catalyst in the clear, then bake it to get the clear to flow. I didn't even have to wet sand the lower fairings on my ultra, I painted them in the garage with skylights and closed it up after I was finished. The greenhouse effect from the skylights baked the clear, it flowed perfect!


I am by no means a professional painter, more of a hobbyist really.

 

Bad news is quality comes with a price, everything is catalyzed now, you can still get acrylic enamel that will get the job done but urethane is great stuff. If you have not painted with urethane then it is a learning process, it drys slow and activates the earlier coat which promotes runs but high rewards when done right.

In base coat, clear coat you want a urethane, I used PPG Concept clear and pearl white will be a 2 color system plus clear. Omni is cheaper and works well but slightly less quality finish.

If you go with urethane then a catalyzed primer like K38 from PPG is good as it won't shrink and move around as much. Going to find that paint is alot like which oil to use and personal preference but if you are gong to keep the bike then go urethane, just have patience when spraying it plus use in well vented area, spray it and get out, take some time between coats.

If buffing urethane, will need sanded and buffed within a couple of days or it gets wedding wiener hard and takes awhile to get shined back up

 

I totally agree about the Omni. Its available at all the swap meets around here CHEAP and it's ok, I'd use it more for auto repair. When I paint a bike, I'll spend the extra dough on the good stuff. Seem like with the Omni clear, you have to put a touch more catalyst in it than the tech sheet calls for, and it will flow a little better.

 

The paints have improved so much in the last 25 years, and in all honesty there are a lot of really good paints out there.
I would recommend you shopping around for a supplier, find someone who is willing to spend time just talking to you. Then pick a brand.
I have used Dupont, PPG, and just switched to Matrix because they were willing to work with me. Most paint suppliers do not like to mess with hobbyist, and they will gouge you because they can.
Make sure it has good shelf life, and that they have the base coat that is compatible with the primer.
If you have the time to wait for the primer to fully cure there is no problem but if you are priming then base coating/clear, you need to keep your paint system uniform.
And then there is price. Don't be afraid to shop price. You pay big bucks for those big names.
Do you still have all your equipment?

 

This is my first paint attempt. Its all House of Kolor

 

And it looks darned good!

Sent from my HTC One using IB AutoGroup

 

Thanks. That was many years ago. On the first ride with the new paint, I was riding to a buddies shop to show him, and a tri axle kicked up half a red brick into the fairing....hence the fairing bra. I was sick, but grateful it hit the fairing and not me.