How I paint a Motorcycle Tank
I have been painting motorcycle tanks and parts for a few years and I often get asked about my process. Here it is.
If the tank is bare metal like you see here, the first step is to prep the metal and remove any rust. I like using a knotted wire wheel for this step.
After that, I like to finish up with 600 grit sandpaper over the bare metal. Not only does this give a nice consistent finish to the metal, but this also allows me to really get to know the surface of the metal. As I sand I am feeling for any imperfections or flaws in the metal that might need to be addressed.
Next is body filler. Even on new tanks, there are always flaws in the metal or stamping that need to be addressed. This tank was in pretty good shape, but the seam along the middle where the tank was welded together usually needs a small amount of filler to give it a smooth transition. I add the smallest amount possible, then sand it down with nice and smooth!
Now that the metal is prepped let's lay down some primer. Since this is bare metal I did a light coat of etching primer (I like SEM), then a coat of 2k filler primer on top of that. I used Feather Fill G2.
Now I wet sand down the primer with 600 grit until I get a nice smooth and consistent surface.
Now it's time for paint. I like Delfleet Essential which is a Single Stage paint made by PPG. It's forgiving and easy to work with which is nice since I don’t have a climate-controlled paint booth. Single Stage paint also has clear already in the paint, so you don’t need a 2nd “stage” of having to clear on top (even though I will for this project, more on that later). the picture below is just after painting, but since I’m laying down graphics I will wet sand the paint with 600 grit. The ensures some “teeth” for the graphics to stick to when I lay it down.
For this project, I am going to be laying down some graphics. The customer sent me an image of another tank he liked along with an idea of what he wanted. In this case, I started out with some layout tape and some printouts of what I envision and send that to the customer to sign off on.
Once the customer signs off on the mock-up, I lay down the graphics. In this case, I used more Single Stage Paint for the graphics and airbrush work. Again, it's easy to work with and stick with the same brand of paint ensures everything works together with no bad reactions.
The final step is clear coat and polishing. I like UPOL Universal for clear. I usually lay down 3–5 coats then wet sand starting with 600 grit and working my way through 1000, 2000 and 3000 sandpaper. Final polish is with a DA sander and waffle foam pads.
The Tools
Here is a breakdown of the tools I use to paint:
DeVilbiss Starting Line (primer or flake) and Finish Line (final color and/or clear)
Master Airbrush — this is a low-end airbrush and I’ll probably upgrade to a better gun soon, but for now, it does what I need it to do.
I run a pretty small compressor (26 or 22 gallons) along with an inline filter to keep the air dry and clean.
That's it! I hope this gives you some insight into how I paint and maybe helps out others and their process.
