Motorbike Paints

CARS have worked with many specialist Motorbike Repairers and restorers.

We have an extensive library of bike colours, and using state of the art colour tools we can usually mix these colours for you from stock.

Many motorbikes, even very low specification ones use tinted clear-coat systems, and/or special base colours to create the clean bright effect colours that are common place on these machines.

So even though the colour looks like a standard metallic base-coat, it’s very common for this to consist of a first stage (ground colour/base) which is applied to opacity (i.e. applied over the primer colour in as many coats as needed to cover completely, usually 2-4), then when dry (circa 30minutes-1 hour) then the second stage colour is applied in sufficient coats as to get the colour (this can be 2-5 coats). When dry, a clear-coat is applied. Some clears have a special dye to achieve the final colour.

When it comes to plastics, most bikes use multiple substrates including plastics, carbon fibre, aluminium and the like. We have specialist products to enable best adhesion and durability for these surfaces, however, cleanliness is the key, and some substrates need special attention prior to coating.

1. If you’re doing a petrol tank or anything that is likely to be near fuel or oil, then a single pack clearcoat is NOT suitable, and will either wash off, stain or both. We can supply suitable products for this procedure in aerosol form subject to your PPE & conditions being sufficient. If you are a professional body repair shop then it’s a case of what system you would prefer to use.
2. Matt clear-coats are not as durable as full gloss systems, and can be prone to different expectations to their gloss equivalent. Application technique differs and lighter coats need to be built up to give the required barrier. Again 1 pack options are NOT recommended for matt finishes.

Custom effects

We are always happy to give advice on custom effects, and we have House of Kolor colour chips at the branch (Ipswich).
NB. With any custom effect you must stick to a recommended full system to avoid disappointment, these generally entail a specialist primer system, followed by a specific colour ground colour then the colour, then a specific clear-coat. Don’t mix and match Custom Systems!

Be aware that custom effects are not cheap, and it is very common to use significantly more material than normal automotive product. If you choose a holographic flake, then be prepared to finding sparkly bits for months after, as it seems to go everywhere!

If you need to discuss your project then ask away! We are happy to price up in advance!