Frame powder coating.

[chowda633]

I want to "murder out" my busa lol. Figuring this is a winter time project? I have a 03 that has the standard aluminum frame. I want to power coat the frame and swing arm black.

Am I looking at a ton of work?

[OB_John Noonan]

No not really, just make sure that you talk to the people doing the powder coating and ask then for a roll of the tape they mask stuff off with so that you can do that yourself.

Mask off where the swing arm mounts inside and out, the neck/bearing races, engine mount bolt holes etc..also take a strip of tape and mask the VIN number on the right side of the steering head, I just saw one done and it filled in the VIN number and it could not be read.

Make sure you do a good job masking it off because most places will never to the good job that you could do yourself, trust me I have been there and done this.

any hole that a bolt go's through or screws in to needs to be masked off or you will have a biatch of a time getting it all back together.

[Revolution]

if im correct you're gonna have to take everything off the frame, engine, etc...

[Nick7]

Let us know how it goes because I have wanted to do this for a while but just settled for a fellow busa buddy to paint the frame with several layers along with the swing arm. I will post the pictures as soon as I get them!

[tmpowdercoating]

everything has to come off the frame. it needs to be bare. a good powder coater will take care of all the masking.

[Nick7]

Anyone have a round about price on this? My painter did the swing arm and back pegs for 100 but I really want to get them powercoated.

[chowda633]

Let us know how it goes because I have wanted to do this for a while but just settled for a fellow busa buddy to paint the frame with several layers along with the swing arm. I will post the pictures as soon as I get them!

Will do! Not sure if there is a write up on how to strip down a bike any where anyone know of one? If not I will wing it I guess and do a how-to on it. This may turn into a "after riding season" project. Looks like it may get quite involved stripping down the bike. Have build many cars just never messed with a bike

[chowda633]

No not really, just make sure that you talk to the people doing the powder coating and ask then for a roll of the tape they mask stuff off with so that you can do that yourself.

Mask off where the swing arm mounts inside and out, the neck/bearing races, engine mount bolt holes etc..also take a strip of tape and mask the VIN number on the right side of the steering head, I just saw one done and it filled in the VIN number and it could not be read.

Make sure you do a good job masking it off because most places will never to the good job that you could do yourself, trust me I have been there and done this.

any hole that a bolt go's through or screws in to needs to be masked off or you will have a biatch of a time getting it all back together.

Thank you for the awesome info!

[powderpusher]

I powder coat several frames and swingarms per month. Mostly H.D. The frame needs to be stripped of all bolt ons, bearings,seals,plastics and rubbers. Allraces, threaded holes and any close tolerence areas need to be masked. Any good coater will strip the frame to bear metal before recoating. a lot of coaters will coat over the existing finish and that can lead to peeling and chipping in the future. Find a coater that will do it right, and do it one time for good. You should be able to get your frame and swingarm done in the $250.00 range. Find a custom coater that comes recommended, or shows his work. Don't use an industrial coater or one who is the uncle of a friends brothers girlfriend, who does it in the garage in his spare time. I rework job these two have done all the time. Get it done right, pay for it one time, ride happy.

[dadofthree]

Good luck with it. I agree that the masking is extremely important

[LGBUSA]

I just had my swing arm done. The powder the guy used has a fine texture to it to make it look like the blacks frames from Suzuki. Im no expert but when he used a regular flat or matte black powder it filled in the finish on the aluminum and made it smooth. I don't if thats what your after but I like the textured look myself.

Im Doing my frame this winter on my 2006. That silver drives me crazy on a black bike.

[chowda633]

:O Sick! Anyone know of a good recommended powder coater in the New England area around RI? Don't mind driving an hour or 2 for quality work either

[cipher5791]

Thinking of doing my frame and swing arm this winter. Good luck

[showtime]

Entire bike has to be disassembled.

[Smak]

You can buy the silicone tape and plugs (for the bolt holes, much easier than trying to mask a hole) from various companies. Personally, I use Eastwood out of Pa. They are a tad more expensive than some others, but their customer service and shipping is amazing. I bought their home powdercoating gun about 7 years ago and loved it. The only thing stopping an ordinary joe from powdercoating is the oven. I had a friend that even built a custom oven to do frames in, but I usually just used an ordinary oven I had specifically for powdercoating.

The biggest problem with coating is the prepwork. everything from making sure the part is clean and masked the way you want it. I would say its a lot of work to do to a bike frame, but worth it in the end.