Has anyone ever re-painted their side engine covers before? What kind of paint did you use to get a close match?
Bump, did you experiment with any color?
What year of bike? What color: black, silver, or ?
I have an 04 with silver engine, black frame. The LH cover is bubbling and I scraped some of it off to be smoother, but it looks like crap.
I just want to rattle can it, but I am bringing my tank and tail in for professional painting soon.
You might consider buying a used cover. The left front cover is hard to find but they do show up. I've found left covers virtually brand new for $20. Left sprocket covers are a dime a dozen. The front part is harder to find but they are out there for $30-$60. You have something wrong if the paint is bubbling off. Did someone previously paint it? Did brake fluid get spilled on it?
To properly paint it you should remove it. You need a clean surface for the paint to stick. You need to sand edges of old paint or remove all of it. Then the paint needs to be heat proof and fuel proof.
I'm not sure what paint matches the engine silver. I have touch up pens for 4 different Suzuki silvers so I could compare and at least get a color code. The WIKI might have a color code. I know it has codes for fuel tanks, taping sets and tail plastics.
A couple on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/149-2005-SUZUKI-GS-500-F-lt-engine-cover-stator-MOTOR-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem4aa82b5dd1QQitemZ320648994257QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/06-Suzuki-GS500-GS500F-ENGINE-STATOR-GENERATOR-COVER-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem2c5a160740QQitemZ190489954112QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories
(Pinwall is a really good dealer. You can ask them for a better one or have them find one for you. I've bought a lot from them. )