Spray painting my bike, sanding and painting questions

[BananaLover]

I've never spray painted anything.

I read that I should sand down all the previous colour.
I plan on buying a cheap one like this, would it do the job?

1) What grade sanding paper do I need for this part of the job?
If someone could list all the grades with all the steps you'd be my hero.

2) My tank is metal, I can't tell about my fenders. They feel more plasticy, bend easy on a wiggle. Should I sand them too?

3) How many coats would you recommend? And do I need to worm the paint (like I had to with plasti dip) or will the coat be fine?

4) I plan on painting lines over my bike exactly like in this picture , any tips how to do those lines straight on a curved surface? I fear that tape would look pretty straight and the offset would be noticeable only after the job.

Thanks!

[Baffler186]

This guy is fairly nooby and fucks up the paintjob, watch all his videos and you;ll see he has plenty of enthusiasm, some good skills but cut corners on the paint (not waiting for it to dry enough). Worth a watch though as he shows how to do the type of stripes that you want. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daT7MtKxnAM

You should also watch Delboy's garage. personally I think he is overly anal about a lot of things, but the finished stuff he produces is top notch. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOXDrrwQRZqOQ3iUCXN12rw

In short, you don't need to take the paint down to the metal unless it's thick with rust. The factory paint job makes a very good base layer, just prepare, primer, paint, clear coat.
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Current: 2009 SV650 S, 1990 Kawasaki GT550
Previous: 2009 CBF125, 1998 GSF600, 2004 FZ6 Fazer, 1978 CB400a Hondamatic

[rpsmith79]

^^^ As above

I'd also suggest practising on something else first, before you go all guns blazing on your bike, it's not an easy skill to pick up

I have been spraying automative parts for 10 years or so on and off (mostly car alloy wheels and the like) and i still get it wrong more often than i'd like, and it is difficult to get a high quality finish, but i suppose it depends what sort of finish you are after

But yes, preparation is key, if you start off with an uneven/scratched base, you end up with a shit paintjob

As for grade of sandpaper, you will want something in the x000's range 1000, 2000, even 8000 grit to get the best possible finish, and you will also want to sand it down again after several coats of paint, and i would suggest doing it by hand

It is also a very good idea to warm your paint cans too, especially when the weather is as cold as it is now, as basic physics will tell you, heat ^, pressure ^ (given a fixed volume), so will create a higher pressure within the can, and also help atomise the paint much better. The easiest way to do this is to pop them in a bucket of warm water before you start, and between each coat
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Current Bike: Honda CG125 ES4 // Honda CB600FS Hornet // Triumph Street Triple R

[dansp1]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpD4bmewQXk