I'm waffling back and forth. I can get my frame, swingarm, and wheel hubs/rims powdercoated for a decent price. It's durable, but if it does chip, well, it's kinda hard to touch up.
I can spray bomb them with appliance epoxy for a really decent price, and easily touch up, but not nearly as durable.
What else do I need to consider here to make a decision. What are you guys doing?
All my shit is black powdercoat with clear powdercoat over it. It's damn near indestructible. My guy charges "half again" for clear on top. Meaning if it's $100 to do the stuff just black, it's $150 to do black and clear. I'm happy I did it this way.
Powdercoat all the way. 1000 times more durable than the best rattlecan I can ever hope to do. If you want to avoid chips, put the bike on a pedestal in the house under glass. You can touch up powdercoating with rattlecan if need be.
Powder coating has held out extremely well on my sportster. I powder coated the frame, tanks and fenders. Its super durable and reasonable priced. Just my .02 cents though.
Powdercoating is a million times better, how many bike frames you see chipped up, even old ones? very few. depending on the color chosen, easily touched up with a toothpick and paint if needed.
Powder coat is how the factory does it.It's durable and unless you plan on skidding down the road,hazards are minimal.I'll spray bomb parts when I fabricate(just for design),but even with the bike on a stand they get scratched like nobody's biz.
The clear over the black makes it that much more durable, just like clear over paint. If there's a scratch or a chip, it will be in the clear and unseen.
Rattlecan! Depending on the build. Nice resotration then nice paint/powdercoat. Rat bike or rattletrap bike then rattle it!!! My last build is a 49 Pan and I rattlecanned it, no worries. I have a 56 Pan that is painted nice but it is my 49 that I seem to ride all the time. It is nice to have decisions like this and that is why we like the process of building them.
Go for the rattlecan. They make real good spraypaint these days, and if you're so inclined, you can keep the can in your saddlebag for touch-ups as necessary. As above, unless you're planning a trailer queen, just spraybomb it. I have a buddy who even used rustoleum brush-on paint on his FLH frame, and it looks great. Nice and glossy. He used a $15 artist brush from a school supply store, and just painted it right up.
If you go low-tech and DIY, you can always do it again if you don't like it. I don't know if that's a ringing endorsement exactly, but if it looks good you'll be real proud of it, more so than if you just had it powdercoated by the shop.
A good PC job withstands alot of abuse. Any paint will pop off without much force. Need for touch up is extremely minor. IT shouldnt even really be a consideration.
I'm a big fan of spray bombs but I'm uber cheap so take that FWIW
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