Modern Buddy

Has anyone had their scooter painted? if so how much?
I looked at scooter lounge online and guestimated it would cost about $700 for all the panels.

2wheelNsanity wrote:Has anyone had their scooter painted? if so how much?
I looked at scooter lounge online and guestimated it would cost about $700 for all the panels.

$700 seems a bit much to me but dont really know.

A lot of people on here just paint it themselves and they still come out really well.

You might try posting up a panel swap in the for sale section. Personally, I think all of the new 170i colors are fantastic and I'm sure there others on here who would jump at a chance for a swap.

Learn to paint it yourself. For a single piece you would be looking at close to $15 for a great finish. You just need to remember to use very light even coats. If the first coat does not cover up the old color, you are doing it right. Use 1000 grit sand paper in between coats to ensure you don't orange peel your finished product. It takes about three full days for a proper cure, but the end result you will be proud of and can say you did it yourself.

Use 500 grit sand paper to scuff up the current part. Clean thoroughly with a degreaser (obviously while wearing gloves). Thoroughly dried, use a good plastic paint such as Krylon Fusion going over in a very light coat. Set to cure for a minimum of four hours. Lightly wet sand with 1000 grit after each coat. Do a minimum of three coats of the color you want to use. Go over the final layer with 2000 grit wet sand. Over the top of that, two coats of clear gloss, wet sand each time with 2000 grit... final wet sanding with 3000 grit. After the part has fully cured, use a buffing compound and an orbital buffer to get the final high gloss shine. The final product will look better than it did when you purchased it new. Just take your time.

For parts that are textured plastic, there is no need to perform any type of sanding... My only recommendation is to use an adhesion promoter prior to the first layer.

My friend's girlfriend got sick of the girliness of her light blue Buddy so he tore it down for her and painted it "flatinum." It's a flat charcoal, looks pretty cool, personally I preferred the light blue though It's way easier to do a flat color too.

There are a number of how-to paint you own Buddy threads around here. The results I've seen are pretty dang impressive. This is one of my favorites simply because it goes all the way from black to white. But then there is this show stopper ...

You could also wrap your bike.

Howard had Iron Buddy wrapped at a Vinyl Sign shop, It turned out good and it's holding up pretty well to the elements.

JohnKiniston wrote:You could also wrap your bike.

Howard had Iron Buddy wrapped at a Vinyl Sign shop, It turned out good and it's holding up pretty well to the elements.

It's nice to hear that John's wrap is holding up. Given the Arizona heat that is really saying something!

I have to say painting is not my cup-of-tea. Over the years I have tried to paint with disastrous results. My first try was a '77 Datsun 280Z, the orange peel was so bad the neighbor asked if I did that intentionally . So at this point I am way to scared to paint anything, but thanx for the suggestions and links .
I am picking up my wifes car from the body shop next week so I'll ask them how much they would charge to paint the panels.

Where about in Kansas are you btw... there's quite a few scooter clubs in and around the larger cities. Perhaps they could give you a hand to make sure you get it right without orange peeling.

scootavaran wrote: $700 seems a bit much to me but dont really know.

No so.
An average motorcycle tank alone runs about $600 if you want it presentable, show worthy.

Skootz Kabootz wrote:There are a number of how-to paint you own Buddy threads around here. The results I've seen are pretty dang impressive. This is one of my favorites simply because it goes all the way from black to white. But then there is this show stopper ...

Updated pics