the paint on my bike was already on the tins I bought.. but they cost 2800.00 not including labor (which was 560)

only paid 210 of that 560 on labor and they threw the seat in with the 2600 (so all in all discount I got was about 600.00) paid 2600.00 for labor and tins\\

and I have my old tins still and going to sell them.. for about 900 so Ill recoup that

 

Vertigo, I Love that "skulltrain" paint set. My dealer had it in, but couldn`t get the matching seat like yours, so I passed. From the price you paid, you got a great deal.

 

I just picked up the tin for my Hot Rod Bagger,base coat, clear coat and could not be happier.$350.00

 

Here is the deal, everything depends on your participation and expectations. When I redid my sporty 12 years ago I was agast at the prices I was being quoted by the shops that the H-D dealer was recommending. It was AMF vintage and was spidering and chipping. I had exploded the motor so I was pulling it anyway. I completely dismantled the entire bike and sealed all of the holes. took the frame and tins ( including oil tank)to a local hydralic shop that sandblasts their hydralics on saturdays. complete sandblasting $25. carried it home and primed and sanded it 2x myself. Went to the local automoble paint store and told them that I wanted enough ENRON midnight blue to do the whole thing. While he was mixing up the stuff his boss came over and recognized me as an employee of a friend of his and my boss had just done him a big favor. He gave me the paint for free. I asked him who might spray it for a decent price. He told me about a small indy paint shop down the road whose son rode bikes and they might give me a deal. Carried everything down their and the owner of the indy body shop said that they would do it in their spare time. It was ready in 3 days, cost $50. Now granted it would not have been a featured custom paint scheme on American Thunder but ENRON is one tough paint and the job done was excellent. For $75 and some labor I don't think I done too bad. I reassembled everything and rode it 2 more years then sold it to help pay my way through school. I wish I had never sold it but then again that is why I am here. To scope out enough info to make an intelligent choice on the new or late model I will get this summer.

 

Now for me I like doing the picture lifts from magazine. Go to hobby shop for couple cans of clear spray.
1. Spray couple clear coats on a picture.
2. Peal the paper backing off.
3. Spray area with clear and the back of picture.
4. Put on area. let dry some
5. Spray clear coat over

And I can get some of the best art work out there for pennys.

 

Lets see where to start. First off just because you can paint, doesn't make you a custom painter. A good auto painter can easily make 6 figures a year. Thats a lot of money. Most of them will take every shortcut in the world to kick that job out quickly. Commission means faster work=more money. Quality is an after thought at most collision shops, the tiny imperfections don't show as badly on a large surface, there's too much for the eyes to take in. If the customer notices anything, its usually long after they have left the shop. On a bike however, the customer leaves with the part in his hands, one tiny dust speck now looks unexceptable.
Painting bike parts is also a hands on prep, meaning little on no tools. Cars have large flat panels that long boards and sanders work well on. Bike parts are small and round requiring more hand finishing, which takes a while. And I do spend more time "properly" prepping a bike fender than the average kid at a body shop spends prepping a car. Bike parts require special jigs to hold them for paint. Most bike colors are true candies, which require some expertise to apply properly.
As far as the do it yourselfers, I've seen some do a decent job, and if thats what makes you happy, great.But you did buy a $20,000. plus motorcycle (I got a hell-of-a car for 18 grand) Talk about how much something cost. The paint is the first thing the people see, and usually the only thing they remember about your bike. The custom touches say a lot about you and your personality, do you want to say cheap?
As far as the guy who commented "it won't win any shows"... anything that comes out of my shop is show quality or I don't do it. Am I expensive? if you compare me to the Krylon King, I'm way out there expensive. But if you know how to properly judge quality and talent, I'm the best deal in town. Getting what you pay for and knowing what you are paying for are two different animals. I have 10 year old paint jobs still winning shows.
My shop rate is $50 an hour, and I don't charge 10 hours and do it in 5, I charge only what you use. I challenge anybody to find a lower rate at any bike shop that is not a rip-off. When people start whining about money, I usually ask them this................Think about what you do for a living, how much money do you make for what you do? How many people do you know that could do your job? Now how many do you know that can do mine? All at once, my prices sound reasonable. I am the only game in town and attract customers from miles around, but my pricesare still resonable. I always seem to give more than I charge for.
So before you go off complaining about something you don't understand, find out whats really involved, how many hours does it take? do I want all the graphics completely buried under $150 a gallon clear? Do I want a mirror finish? Do I want $50 a pint colors or $500 a pint colors? Do I want to hire someone with artistic abilities?
I'm not trying to get rich on one customer, I make a lot less as a custom painter than a collision painter, but I love what I do, and it shows in my work. If someone could put a price on passion, nobody would be able to afford a REAL custom painter.

 

Get your head out of the can

 

I gave $1000 for my paint, but that was for me to provide pieces, front and rear fenders and tank, and do my own install after the job was done. I also helped in the shop a couple of days with some basic auto installation labor.

 

I'm not trying to make any enemies here, my head is not in the can. I'm just giving a dose of reality. And the reality is if you equate the words custom and cheap, you will end up with some magazine pictures glued to your bike, and a $1.99 price tag, glad you were happy with that, but hey, I might be wrong, post up some pics so we can all be judgemental.

 

Oh I wish you had some kinda picture that would show that metal through the clear coats....

Beautiful bike btw, excellent eddybo69