Hello
This is my first time on here, I just bought an 02 gs500e and I am thinking about either Repainting or Powder-coating the frame.. anybody have any insight on what would be the better choice?

also how difficult it is to tear down a gs to the frame?

Thanks

Stripping the frame isn't hard. If you're not familiar or if you're going to have it apart for a while, take pics of it togetheror while yyou're taking it apart to help reassemble it.

Powder coat over paint. Generally, powder coating costs more though.

+1 to what weed said. I stripped one of my bikes down to a frame and completely repainted it with a rattle can, went very well. I would definitely recommend just rattle canning it unless you have the necessary equipment or the will to spend the money and take it to a shop to have them do it.

Yeah but unfortunately, painting with rattle cans isn't going to hold up long either and will scratch more easily.

Stripping down to metal means you need an etching primer, then base coat, then clear coat

Ya, I didnt use the primer, but I coated that baby with like six coats of clear, along with everything else on the bike.

Etching primer is made for bare metal so it "bites" into the metal to give better adhesion for the base coat. Without proper adhesion, the paint will flake off you would have been better sanding the original paint with 400 to scuff it and then painting it.

I would like to paint my frame a gunmetal gray (currently rattle can black ), but figured it would probably be a better project for next winter. How long would you guess it would take a first timer to completely tear the bike down to the frame and reassemble?

I think doing vein in powder coating is hot on a frame

Yea i made sure to sand the original paint before hand. Stripping down the bike could take you upwards of a week depending on your schedule. Could only take a couple days if you have a lot of spare time. Make sure you have the manual too.

Powdercoat for sure looks better and tougher finish