i am thinking about stipping my bike down to powder coat the frame swing arm and some bits and pieces this spring/summer.

i plan on keeping the swing arm and other pieces stock collor.
the powder coater sugested me a black frame.
does anyone have a picture of a green/white klx with a black frame
or should i keep the frame stock?

ps doing this cause rust is apearing on the frame and other iron parts

 

i love my black frame!

 

Google [ klx300 powdercoated ] I come up with a ton of black framed Klx's.

 

hmm starting to like the idea of a black frame and keeping the rest stock (in powder coat)

if i get a new bearing kit for the swing arm that is the only parts i need right? (first time stripping apart a bike for painting )

although 2019 i may powder coat the wheels black also

 

Her is some food for thought.

Be aware, if the frame prep before coating isn't up to snuff the powder coating can chip off. Had a friend that had the power coating start chipping off his Superhawk frame... not pretty. You can't easily just sand it out and touch it up like paint. Ask if the coater will guarantee their prep work will hold the coating. (My friend had a new coater do the work for a low price, he wished he'd gotten someone with better knowledge and skills. Powder coating is simply the same kind of material as paint but melted and baked on in a relatively thick coat and harder than common paint, including the two part mixes.

Same touch up issue if you plan to ride off road. It's going to get nicked and chipped up. Paint is easy to sand and touch up, even to strip to redo, powder coat not so much. Plus paint is seldom a big deal in threads, powder coat requires chasing out with a tap for sure. Then there is the cost. Media blast and painting yourself is definitely less cost, especially with spray cans, which can be done very well if the user knows how to paint. Even the great customizer Jeff Palhegyi has done rattle can work. Like on the cases of this Yamaha custom for Cobra, the Lo Star, that was featured in Cycle World.


In the article in Cycle World he said he could not get anyone to do the coating so he did rattle can. It was not beyond him to use common methods to get what he wants.


On a road bike I'd think powder coating would be great. Off road, aka getting chipped and nicked up, not so great.

Again, food for thought, only my point of view. My truck rims are powder coated, my bike frames have been spray can, my exhausts ceramic coated. So it isn't about new technology, it's about the things I've seen and done to add to your evaluation of what to do.


FWIW, personally I like silver or titanium color frames, but that is kind of a throwback to my early days with the silver frame Bultaco trials bike and flat tracker I rode. For me the silver or a titanium color makes an off roader/dual sport/flat tracker look right. Others prefer black... few prefer purple - the color my 650 is until I get to rebuild it and spray it a darker tint silver.

 

i ride on road all year round and only plan light off road or gravel roads/forest roads.

the powdercoater does alot of motorcycle work and has a good rep.

sadly painting it my self is not realy an option atm, and a paint shop is almost 50-100% higher in price

 

As a hobby powdercoater myself be careful of the prep blasting and coating on the VIN number. It can disappear very easily.

 

i will leave the shop to the blasting, but have them take note of the VIN number area (they have a inhouse blaster )

will buy a new tapping kit for the ocasation the take care of the threads and buy new bearing for the swing arm.

i do not know what else i need to buy atm but some stuff will show up when i carefully tear the bike down and inspect parts

 

Pick up some new steering head bearings and you should be good to reassemble.

Oh and most importantly we need pics along the way!
Good luck!

 

will do before and after pics (i belive that is almost an unspoken law)