My first time doing any of my own paint/prep work. I've done just about as much as I can sanding wise to the fender to get the paint off.

I'm not looking to get show quality paint, but it still needs to look decent. I'm shooting the same red from the 1990 GS. I still need to wash and prep the piece with a prep cloth etc, but as far as paint removal goes...


Is this good enough to be primered?

i bet you totally killed yourself trying to get all that paint off.  It looks ready enough.  I am sure though that you could of left the paint on and just sanded it abit and then you could primer and paint.  but anyway, yes as far as my knoweledge of painting goes i say primer it. 

Looks good.  Do the same to your primer and you'll end up with a very nice paint job.

What grit did you use? Looks you used lots of elbow grease 

That was ready for primer a couple of weeks of sanding ago. 

It had to be sanded.... The paint was in HORRIBLE shape. He had the fender covered with decals that had been totally baked in too.



Took me probbly 5 hours of straight elbow grease.


The side panels will be even worse because the decal runs from end to end, I can't even get those ones to peel, they just crack, so I'll have to sand through them as well (ugh).

Tip:  To remove the old paint on large surfaces you can use a palm sander and 320 grit sandpaper.  Keep it MOVING on the curved surfaces and use a light touch.  If it's too aggressive you can go up in grit until you're comfortable.  Go gently so you don't create flat spots.   

Put some elbow grease into that primer!  There's no substitute for articulated multi-position conformal sanding pads.  (Of which every human has two.)      

Quote from: GeeP on June 14, 2006, 09:54:57 PM
There's no substitute for articulated multi-position conformal sanding pads.  (Of which every human has two.)      

Very well put

I've got a little makita palm sander... The problem is the side fairing pieces are hardly flat, and the decal sort of sits in its own little channel that i think the sander will have a hard time tackling.


But maybe I'll give that a shot.



Oh, and I was using 400 grit hand sanding the fender.

uhm. acid dip?

Your doing a wonderful job, i hope you were using wet n dry? and a very fine grit. Just prime it and wet sand it to keep it smooth then you should be good for paint.

You said you used 400grit.

My advise is to go over it again with 600-800 grit (wet sand) for a few minutes, then primer.

once  your primer is nice and dried, hit it with 600 (lightly) and then 800.  just a bit.   I went up to 1000grit at this stage but its not necessary.

These little wet sanding steps on the lower coats will make a difference.

If you plan on using rattle cans, the BEST advise is patience. The longer you let the coats dry the better. Be sure to spray light coats and wet sand the color up to 1000-2000grit .  A smooth surface will polish up real nice.

  If you paint the gas tank be use to use a paint/clearcoat that will stand up to petrol products.

good luck.

Quote from: Esih on June 14, 2006, 10:46:19 PM
I've got a little makita palm sander... The problem is the side fairing pieces are hardly flat, and the decal sort of sits in its own little channel that i think the sander will have a hard time tackling.

But maybe I'll give that a shot.

Oh, and I was using 400 grit hand sanding the fender.

power tools on plastic = potential disaster

No plastic bike fairing is large enough to justify using power tools.
Maybe some people do it, but it just ain't smart.

To get the decals off the tail fairings use a knife and slice it off.  I used mine and it slid under the decal but the adhesive was still on the fairing so you just needed some goo gone and also when the adhesive is still on you know your not cutting the plastic.  Its super easy and doesnt gouge.

Don't really mean to hijack the thread....But what's the procedure and the purpose to wet sanding?

wetsanding is simply sanding with slightly soapy water.  regular water works ok too.

You must use sand paper designated wet/dry.  if not regular sand paper will disintergrate within seconds when wet.


The wettness keeps the entire surface of the sheet to the surface being sanded.  As an added plus the sandpaper will last a whole lot longer. With very little practice you can get a super smooth finish. it keeps the dust in check...and many other pro's..

Dry paper is ok for initial prep/removal of paint..whatever.   otherwise wetsand it.

The issue with the decals for me is that if you look at the fairings of a 1990, the whole piece is covered by a giant white decal. Its cracked in so many places that it wont peel off, the grey one does however, and it was easily removed.


I spent the better part of an hour trying to remove the decal with really no progress at all. Its too brittle and just breaks when you try to peel it, even after heating it sufficiently. But the glue itself is still very strong, and the decal rests in sort of a rounded channel so the flat knife cant really even get in there to peel to begin with.


Total PITA thus far for the side fairings.

power tools can cause a bigger PITA.
Most chemicals can damage your plastic or cause issues with the paint in later stages.

IMO (backed by experience) I advise you to sand it by hand.  Do not try to wet sand the decals. use a 60-80 grit and sand the sticker only not the surrounding plastic edges.  TAKE YOUR TIME and do it right the first time.  Otherwise it will take you longer to fix the damages caused by short cuts.

If you absolutely must use a power tool, use something flexible, like a six inch disc on a drill.  Do NOT use a flat stiff palm sander.

good luck and post pics 

So. Tank has been returned from the radiator shop, had him boil it and put in a new tank liner. The boiling process pretty much stripped all the paint too, so my tank is pretty much set to go.


Seat/side fairings are finished now too. 80 grit dry sanded to chew through the decal.


Trying to decide whether or not to take the pieces to a local shop and get them professionally done or rattle can it myself.


Getting anxious to get the bike put back together, I've got some other stuff to finish on it, fuel hoses, etc. So I'd almost rather someone do the painting while I get everything else back in running order.

Boiling a tank will pull the old paint off it?  shaZam! I wish I'd known that!