Painting System cases

[type_259]

Has anyone ever painted their BMW System cases? I have a plan to paint the lids of an R1150RT's cases white, but having never painted anything before i'm not sure how to go about it. I need advice on preparation and what kind lacquer to seal it.

Thanks in advance.

 

[MikeP]

It can be done but the paint needs to be mixed with a plasticiser otherwise it will flake off. That goes for the primers too.

Best you find a decent body-shop locally, show them the lids and discuss the options.

 

[Dutchman]

We do mail order custom paintwork for BMW bikes......

A pair of system case lids painted a single colour will cost £95.00 inc VAT plus shipping.......turnaround about 14 working days.

Fell free to phone me to discuss.....0131 663 1012

Cheers

Dutch

 

[Deleted account 220427002]

Not that easy to get a good finish if you haven't got a spray gun the textured finish is the problem...

just asked a mate who sprays Bikes for a living...

he says

1/rub down gently with grey scotch brite pad or 500 wet n' dry paper

2/clean with pre-wipe

3/spray with plastic primer... he says the aerosol tin you can buy is about as good as any

4/prime with a 2 pack high build primmer 3 coats

5/let it harden for a few days

6/flat it down with 800 wet n' dry paper

7/clean with pre-wipe again

8/and spray with whatever colour you want of paint,... 3 coats

9/ flat it down again

10/then 2-3 coats of lacquer...and buff it down

i think thats all

now thats for to leave the lid perfect and smooth with no texture.... and the lacquer will reduce greatly the scratching possibilities
he said about £70 a lid because of the length of time and coats to be put on.. no quick drying agents are added... he says it makes a better job
I've seen Panniers he's done and they have a brilliant finish to them..better than some of the finishes on the bikes they we're going on.
job

Not everyone who sprays will do all the steps my mate does... but thats why his jobs are so good.

He should know what he's talking about he sprayed for BMW for 15 years
any mistakes is my fault not remembering what he told me exactly

for a quick diy job and keep some of the texture

do parts 1 to 3

then buy aerosol cans and give them 3 coats
and finish off with 2 or 3 coats of Lacquer from a can too.

 

[Dutchman]

All of the above is fine.....except for the sanding smooth.......

BMW have told us that they deliberately make the surface textured in order to key the first layers of primer.....the real important thing is ensuring the surface is completely degreased and, clean & dry....

Brand new cases have a silicone releasing agent on them and used cases have god knows what on them........

Cheers

Dutch

 

[type_259]

Thanks everyone - I didn't think (in my limited wisdom) it'd be so complicated! I'll take 'em to a grown up I think.

 

[type_259]

....... used cases have god knows what on them........

Damn straight! One of mine has a red pinstripe down it where I scraped past a London bus a few weeks ago. But yeah - they do have the ability to collect all kinds of shite.

 

[Deleted account 220427002]

All of the above is fine.....except for the sanding smooth.......

BMW have told us that they deliberately make the surface textured in order to key the first layers of primer.....the real important thing is ensuring the surface is completely degreased and, clean & dry....

Brand new cases have a silicone releasing agent on them and used cases have god knows what on them........

Cheers

Dutch

Comments from my mate when i said the above to him .."Total bollocks about the textured surface"

This from a man who has worked for BMW and all he did was in the spraying end for 15 years in Holland,GB and NI.
He said B*w can say what they like about the textured finish but the only reason it is textured is that it looks better when unpainted on the bike and is easier to manufacture than a smooth version... any scuff at all will show up on a smooth piece of plastic and more people would send them back as scuffed or damaged.
He said look round your house at unfinished plastics they all add textures to hide the difficulties in keeping a surface smooth and scuff free... computer monitors, tv's,phones etc.

Also he said the texture makes it harder to key the thing you can't get in the indents too well and the reason for the grey scotch brite and rub gently is if you try to rub with more abrasive stuff or lean too hard it brings out small hairs or tufts of plastic.

At no point did i say he said sand it smooth just flat down the primer to remove nibs and and dust particles that you might be unlucky enough to have.

As for degreasing... thats what the Pre-wipe is for.... he also said any silicone that would be on it from new would be harder to remove than some road grime.. any trace of silicone could cause "fish eye"

Well thats what my mate said

 

[DavidHale]

Not that easy to get a good finish if you haven't got a spray gun the textured finish is the problem...

just asked a mate who sprays Bikes for a living...

he says

1/rub down gently with grey scotch brite pad or 500 wet n' dry paper

2/clean with pre-wipe

3/spray with plastic primer... he says the aerosol tin you can buy is about as good as any

4/prime with a 2 pack high build primmer 3 coats

5/let it harden for a few days

6/flat it down with 800 wet n' dry paper

7/clean with pre-wipe again

8/and spray with whatever colour you want of paint,... 3 coats

9/ flat it down again

10/then 2-3 coats of lacquer...and buff it down

i think thats all

now thats for to leave the lid perfect and smooth with no texture.... and the lacquer will reduce greatly the scratching possibilities
he said about £70 a lid because of the length of time and coats to be put on.. no quick drying agents are added... he says it makes a better job
I've seen Panniers he's done and they have a brilliant finish to them..better than some of the finishes on the bikes they we're going on.
job

Not everyone who sprays will do all the steps my mate does... but thats why his jobs are so good.

He does all that for seventy quid? He obviously enjoys doning what he does rather than trying to earn a living

 

[(RIP) Bin Ridin]

I gave mine a few coats of bumper paint, came up good!!

 

[Deleted account 220427002]

He does all that for seventy quid? He obviously enjoys doning what he does rather than trying to earn a living

He does take pride in his work... you know this when you call in with him and find him sealing with special mastic the brackets and fold lines of the edges you find underneath the likes of old 70's mud guards so that water can't find it's way in.
It took him half an hour doing the one i seen... and the guy who was getting the job done never knew he was going to do this... he also sprayed the underside of the mudguard with special chip resistant coating too.
All stuff the the average punter would never notice but makes for a really good long lasting job.