Painting fenders....good idea or not??

[patblkwell]

Hey guys, I was wondering if painting older fenders could bring some life back to them? I have a big red and the fenders are in decent shape and can look good after a wash and armor all coat, but they quickly lose their shine and luster as soon as I go riding again. Have yall ever painted your plastic fenders to make them look new and if so, what kind of paint did you use?? thanks

[RideRed250R]

well rustolem i think mad a paint just for plastic which i have never used but that would prolly work but ussaully when u paint a fender the paint never sticks and then it flakes of and looks bad on the site some one put a tech thing up about sanding your fenders and the fender turned out GOOOD! hope you find something out
adam

[patblkwell]

Yeah, I heard you can sand them down and all....I was trying to avoid all that. I think that the paint probably will flake off somewheres on the fender since they are flexible and all.

[83185s]

use fusion paint..i think u can get it from www.denniskirk.com or try the local hardware stores or even wally world fusion is almost the closest thing you can find to the original and it shines..make sure if you sand to use at least a 3000 grit paper

[MTS]

i wouldent paint..it still looks like trailprotrailprotrailprotrailpro i would sand down and re-coat with some clear coat for plastic...it takes more work but will look 100 times better than paint ...it dont pay to be cheap..lol

[BigGreenMachine]

I've got an old Maier low profile rear and stock front fenders that I've race cut and plan on painting them flat black for the winter so I dont bugger up my new Maier plastic. I'll try it, I've seen my friend paint his original plastic on his XR100 and it last quite a while but he had to touch it up after a certain amount of riding.

Go ahead and sand your plastic then paint so it has something to adheare to instead or just smooth plastic. IMO painting plastic isnt the best solution but its a good band-aid.

[TrikerR]

i got some flexible paint primer...its made by watyl

[GreenLightening]

i wouldent paint..it still looks like trailprotrailprotrailprotrailpro i would sand down and re-coat with some clear coat for plastic...it takes more work but will look 100 times better than paint ...it dont pay to be cheap..lol

I could not disagree with ya more man. I think paint looks pretty damn good.

Painting definately brings life back into old fenders, But you have to do it right. its the really half ass jobs that look bad. I dont know anything about the fusion paints, so I can not say yes or no with them. I have heard good things. To get paint to stick to plastic you have to know what you are doing, and use quality products. (quality products = expensive products) good sanding and scuffing and a quality adhesion promoter are the keys to success. Theres no quick sanding and painting here. you have to have that plastic totally scuffed so the paint has something to grab to. Its a lot of work but the results are totally worth it.

Just remember, dont paint it with anything if you are just goin to go beat the hell out of it and roll it over every time you ride. not even plastic renew will stand up to that treatment, It would be cheaper though.

[83200e]

I bought a yellow 225dx for a parts bike and all the plastic except for the rear fenders were dull and faded.The fenders had been painted with the Krylon fusion and they looked new.I couldn't even hardly scratch it off with my fingernails.I was really impressed with it.I've used it on some rubber parts as well with good results.

[atctim]

but when painted, doesn't it crack if the plastic bends???

[timex69]

Hey
You can paint them if you cant or dont want to buy new fenders. Here is how a guy that works in the body work dept at a ford dealership told me to do it.

Step 1. Clean sand down deep scratches
Step 2. Get something called flex coat. Its a primer and you apply it to flexable material before you paint. Im not sure if it just comes in white but try and get a red flex coat primer.
Step 3. Apply 2 coats of paint. Make sure it is for plastics and not metal or else it definately will flake off in a short period of time.
Step 4. Apply clearcoat to give a nice shine. It will really brighten anything up.

Thats it...but i reccomend leaving it for 24 hours in an area that is room temperature or above.

Good Luck and tell me how it works out

[hadar]

My experience with painting fenders is that it's cheaper than new. Gas tanks however, seem to allways bubble the paint. Fusion paint chips just like all the others.

[GreenLightening]

but when painted, doesn't it crack if the plastic bends???

Automotive grade urethane sealers, basecoats and clears are very durable. It actually takes a hell of a lot to get them to flake. They pretty much have to crease over 45 degrees or more to get the paint to pop. The paint is actually the least of your worrys. if you spend plenty of time prepping the plastic, the paint will stick. ( yes even on fuel tanks.) You can use a flex additive in the sealer, spray your basecoat, then use flex in your clear also. Some people wont spray plastic without it. It evaporates out of the paint after a week or so though, the customer feels better about the paint if you tell them you used flex.

keep in mind, this is for automotive grade base/clear systems the same paint you spray on a bare metal fender or a plastic bumper for your car. not for a can of Rust-O-leum.

as far as prep for the fusion paint goes, i dont know. I have never used it. Im sure most of the plastic prep would be the same. any paint will flake if it can not hold on to the base material.

[MTS]

huh well guess i lernd sumin new today..

[83200e]

My experience with painting fenders is that it's cheaper than new. Gas tanks however, seem to allways bubble the paint. Fusion paint chips just like all the others.

No it doesn't.If you prep it right it works really well.