Would you repaint your motorcycle for $1500? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Would you repaint your motorcycle for $1500?

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vince492

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I wanted to have my motorcycle repainted since it has 101500km and I dropped it once on each side. The paint shop said it would be around $1500 so I decided not to do it.

I got curious and wanted to know if anybody would pay that much?

Bike is a 2004 vfr 800 that I plan to keep and ride for a long time (hopefully until 200 000km)
 
Good question. My bike has been dropped many times on both sides, so it's shows it's age. I would like to paint it a camo green in matte, but I wouldn't I pay $1500 for it. That's probably about how much my bike is worth if I tried to sell it. If I was going to spend $1500 into some extra perk on my bike it would probably be to upgrade the suspension. Mine is 2011 V-Strom 650 with about 120k on it which I also think should easily make it to 200k.
 
119k on mine. Would spend the $$$ on suspension, tires, chain and sprockets, etc. The great thing about some scratches is I don't worry about scratches.
 
And a bike that looks like it has been dropped is less likely to be a target for thieves (unless it has a single sided swingarm and dual hi mount exhaust)
 
There's no one fits all answer for this type of question. My dad had a 1974 4 door Chev Impala, a treasure at the time, with a deeply scratched trunk lid. He had it repainted to the tune of one weeks paycheque. I never did get that minibike. It's never too late to start making wise choices.
 
inreb said:
There's no one fits all answer for this type of question. My dad had a 1974 4 door Chev Impala, a treasure at the time, with a deeply scratched trunk lid. He had it repainted to the tune of one weeks paycheque. I never did get that minibike. It's never too late to start making wise choices.
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I broke my toe on that minibike, so there's always trade-offs.
 
As others have said seems like a big expense for a 2004 with 100k+ km. AutoTrader has two 2003 VFR's with about 35,000km for $5,500. If you're looking for a pristine bike and would consider spending $1,500 on paint why not just trade it in for an undropped bike similar vintage with much lower km? There will be plenty of low mileage VFR's for sale now to spring if these 2 examples aren't to your liking.
 
You should be able to pick up a same gen VFR, with half the mileage for $3,000.
So yeah, definitely don't blow the money.
If you're really suffering, maybe get some Chinese fairings for $500. You can install them yourself.
If fuel tank is damaged than wrap it to match the fairings.
 
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I wonder if you can take the fairings off & have somebody on this forum paint it?
 
if there is no damage, and it just needs a paint job, why not try yourself, a bit of sanding, some primer, paint and clear coat and it might turn out OK for you, add Decals before clear or after, but it's not all that hard.

This is my first ever attempt at painting, not bad for a first attempt, cost was minimal, more my time, prep is key for best results, them smother and nicer the part the better it looks, and putting on silver is a biotch, it shows everything....

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this was with PlastiDip, could be an alternative, but it's a pain to take it all off.....


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You have to decide if it is worth it to YOU. If you have a bike with 100,000km on it but you are planning on keeping it for another 100,000km, then you have to decide if you want to look at the worn out paint for that long. If you've had the bike since new or nearly new, you know how it's been ridden and how it's been maintained. A well maintained and non-abused VFR will easily do 200,000km so IMO it is not worth it to swap that known history and reliability for another VFR with unknown lineage just to cut down the mileage. Besides, having a bike with 100,000+km is a great conversation starter! When the guy you're talking to freaks out that it has that much mileage, you just play it cool and say it's barely broken in! If you like the bike, want to keep the bike, and it doesn't need other repairs more urgently, it might not be a bad investment.

I know with one of my previous bikes, a Yamaha Virago 1100, when it had 96,000km on it the paint and chrome were still excellent. People couldn't get over how nice it was given the mileage. A freshly painted VFR with 100,000km on it would certainly wow some people too.
 
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vince492 said:
I wanted to have my motorcycle repainted since it has 101500km and I dropped it once on each side. The paint shop said it would be around $1500 so I decided not to do it.

I got curious and wanted to know if anybody would pay that much?

Bike is a 2004 vfr 800 that I plan to keep and ride for a long time (hopefully until 200 000km)
Click to expand...

I just had a dent popped out of my tank and painted tank and fenders for $200.. that was a friend price but $1500 seems crazy high.

I second gatekeeper, painting is soothing to me lol.. enamel paints will be stripped by gas though so use 2k primer and urethanes
 
Like some guys before me have said its really a matter of if its worth it to you...I have a Ninja 250 with over 100k km and love the thing. I've had it since brand new and was actually considering restoring it to like new condition since I just put in a newer engine and it will still be my primary bike for commuting or when I'm doing my 1000km+ rides. A full set of OEM body work will run me about $1000 which isn't too bad but I wouldn't pay that to fix damaged fairings, better off just buying new.

If you do want to fix up the fairings give it a shot on your own...its not too difficult. My dad's buddy let me use the paint booth in his shop and the materials only cost me about $200 for the entire bike. I had to bondo and sand the **** out of some spots and that's where I should have been more patient. It still looks good but right up close especially in the areas that were a little more damaged the finish just isn't as smooth. Then again this was my first time ever doing this and after day 2 I really didn't care as much. Over 40k km later it still looks good for what it is...here are some pictures to give you an idea. Comparing it to the paint job on a brand new Ducati its held up quite well.

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I had some bits and bobs powder coated recently so I can certainly relate. If that's not what these forums are for then I give up.
 
Is the 959 really that small? An optical delusion maybe?
 
I would consider plasti dipping, depending on the colour of course. I did the hard bags for my vfr in plasti dip and it holds up well.
 
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