I took a stab at painting my plastics ala markturbo. I wanted to use Krylon Fusion, but I also wanted them dark gray to go with the graphics on my KLX300 radiator shrouds. I ended up using SEM Bumper Coater plus a SEM enamel coating to provide a gloss finish. I use Bulldog or Bullfrog (I forgot which) as a prep to aid in adhesion of the paint to the plastic.

The good news that I like the look of it. The bad news is that I am already seeing that the finish is not going to be as durable as I had hoped. I did a little single track yesterday and came away with quite a few scratches on the fork guards where you can see the original white.

Anyway, here is what it looked like before my ride. It still looks pretty much the same, there are just a few white spots on the fork guards that only I would notice.

 

Hey that looks pretty good! I wonder if the fork guards are nylon instead of plastic. I only say that because they are partially transparent (translucent?), that might be why they didn't hold the finish as well. If they are nylon you could dye them with RIT dye or something similar.

 

Looks good! Painting plastic is tough, nothing seems to want to bond to it.

 

I will probably end up stripping the gray off and having another go at it with Krylon Fusion in glossy black. I like the gray, but I want the durability of the Fusion. Others (markturbo) indicate that it seems pretty tough. I have also considered leaving the gray and going over the top if it with a large black decal (ala JB1). That way I would have the nice look of a decal without the white edges. My edges would still be prone to chipping, of course, but that would be easier to maintain than the whole surface. Oh well, it's always something.

 

Cwgoff- your bike looks excellent! Hope you are able to get the durability issues ironed out. The 300 shrouds add a look of solidity - or maybe it is the classic style seat . . . at any rate . . . nice twist on our KLX 250s.

Today (and Sat. too for that matter) was one of those outstanding days under the sun. Glad to hear you got some riding in . . . I did about 50 miles myself . . .

 

Looks nice, Chris. Good to see that you've joined the Dark Side!

 

Chris, you could have black decal on the panels without the white trim. The only reason I did it that way was because I like the look of it. With your black seat I think it would look better with solid black or grey panels.

 

looks good chris.

 

I did not realize that you could do that. BTW, did you get my PM or email. I am going to be in Atlanta area later this week and wanted to see if we could hook up and do something with my panels. Now that you I know that you can do full coverage, I want to work something out even more. Give me a shout.

 

Looks good. In regards to your fork gurads, that's why I didn't paint mine and went with the black guards off the KX, they take a beating off road and I don't think any paint would hold up to the abuse.