So my bike is currently that "Harley Teal", and although it is a nice color, it is definately not me. I have a friend in the powder coat industry who said he could do my fenders and tank for $300 if I wanted. Which do you prefer Powder coat or paint? Which looks better? How much would painting cost?

 

I have yet to see a powder job look as good as a liquid coating job and I'm in the coating business both powder and liquid. Just my opinion.

 

Paint looks better. If your going Flat Black maybe then Powder Coat.

 

You are working with the wrong coater(s) then

Powder can be wet sanded and buffed just like paint..smooth as a baby's butt. We do this here with every fender and tank we coat since powder will orange peel a bit over large flat surfaces just like paint will.

Couple quick examples of some stuff Sean coated and he and I then wet sanded and buffed. We just buffed out a tank Sean coated last week, he didn't put the pics up yet though. You can see yourself in the powder from across the room on it.

 

powder coat hands down. Its alot more durable in the long run than paint. Resists scratching, peeling, and everything else better too.

 

If you want one color and can find a powder coat color you like I'd powder coat. It's bullet proof. If you want something more custom colored then I would paint it. It's a bit less durable, but you can do so much more.

 

I don't mean to hijack this post, but are pipes able to be powder coated, or do they have to be ceramic powder coated? I found a guy who said he has some "high heat" powder coat (NOT ceramic) that can take up to 1200 degree heat. How hot do the pipes generally get, and is this a possibility? BTW, I would totally powder my bike instead of paint, unless you're looking for some house-mixed custom job. Just my 2 cents. Ride Safe.

 

one color? man you can do custom powder coat jobs.. multiple colors are used alot! even ghost flames bud...
oh ya Doc you are fine powdering heat shields we do it all the time! hell mine on my bob have been done for over 2 years now and still look like i did them yesterday

 

Effing saweeeet! My wife gave the go ahead to powder coat my new Hookers. It's gonna be a slight gloss black on my Iron. I'll post pics when it's done!

 

As JRK said, there are some beautiful powders out there. $300 seems a bit steep IMO for tank and fenders, I have some friends in the biz and they told me $100 for my tins. They even have mirage colors, and the chrome black is bitchin.