spring project...

[natedawg120]

OK all.  Here is what i am thinking about doing.  I would like to paint my 05F something other than the factory black/silver/red.  I was thinking maybe a deep metallic blue and then figure what to put over top of it later.  I am starting this thread because i am open to advice on what colors and if anyone wants to throw some photo chops in here to help the eyeballing process thats cool by me.

[starwalt]

If your budget allows, I would get some scratched up bodywork on ebay and use that first. Save your original bodywork for a resale of the bike or a package deal.

This way you can worry less about a bad paint scheme or application and enjoy the process.

Frankly, I like the blk/silver/red scheme. But it ain't my bike so...have fun. 

[Cal Amari]

starwalt makes some great points; repainting will KILL the resale value of your GS, so keeping your original fairings, tank, and side panels intact is good advice. He also mentioned that if your budget allows, you could try to pick up some used pieces on ebay; you could also post WTB ads here on GSTwins, and on some of the local rider boards in your area as well. Lastly, while I'm not crazy about it, I think that the black/silver/red paint scheme was the best one offered on ANY of the GS/F models, so I'd hate to see you repaint it at all.

[Turd Ferguson]

If you are planning on selling the bike in the near future, yes, it could hurt resale.  Some people take that as a sign that the fairings have been dammaged.

I, for one, am not hugely fond of the paint scheme on the 05's.  The stripe in the middle is...confusing.  It seems poorly thought out at best.

Good luck finding fairings, they are few and far between.  I've been trying for a while and it's not easy.  If you are the patient type, go for it.

I have a 2005 GSF in the blue/white combo.  I am having my fairings painted sometime this month.  I am just having the bottom of the fairings painted blue to match the bike as I am not fond of the white.

-Turd.

Enjoy my crappy 1.35-minute photoshop job...

[natedawg120]

yeah, thanks to a misc bike tipper I have a minorly cracked fairing, easily fixable though with some epoxy.  It has minor scuffs on both fairings already from the parking lot "turn and tip" as I have coined it.  That is why i was thinking about repainting it.  I plan to keep it for at least another 2-3 years then trading it in for something bigger but am not all that worried with resale cause you lose out the butt when you trade anyway.  I would be doing all the work myself cause it is fun and it is cheaper to do.

Here was my initial plan for spring :
- fix cracked fairing
- remove stickers
- sand, and prime all plastics and tank.
- paint desired color

Then after all that is done tap off and airbrush accents on it after I figure out what I want it to look like.  I have done this amny times before, just with cars.  I know that i can apply the paint and it will look professionally done, if it doesn't i start over.  I was just looking for some of the boards $.02.  I mean i like the scheme now good enough I am just tired of scuffed fairings and looking for a change.