2 New Motorcycles. Coating Using HVLP Spray Gun.

Anyone use an HVLP spray gun to apply opti coat (or whatever their newest version is called), or any of the long term coatings? I want to try it on a couple new motorcycles. These are brand new and have about 1500 different curved and sharp lined surfaces that would take me as long as an escalade to do by normal application so I want to try the spray, especially on the spokes which are susceptible to corrosion on one of the bikes.

I`ve been out of the game for about 5 years but when I was detailing I was using opti-guard and then opti-coat 2. I was never really impressed with it and thought the capabilities were far over stated. On my truck, which does hit dirt roads from time to time, the coating and water beading was undetectable after 3 or 4 months, except on the glass for some reason it was still barely detectable at 3 years. I noticed you only get 10CCs now, bummer I`m sure it used to be 15cc.

Any new coatings that are just as good? Or is everyone using something else now? Any particularly spray application friendly ones? Looking for zero visible change here, one of the machines is matte black. Lots of black plastic parts on one, lots of gloss plastic parts on the other, vinyl decals, etc.

I never heard of this brand.

Do your research as if it`s not been posted or discussed here on an open forum by a poster with some Autopia Cred (more posts and regular contributor) I could be snake oil. Coatings are not liquid wraps. Wraps are ppf and those are paint protection films. Two different animals.

As for coating application I have used gloss coat and it`s good and protective. I`ve always applied by hand. There of many other good coatings available here and elsewhere.

Read and look at post count and contributions. I would not buy Nano pearl simply bc I have not heard of it and I am involved in this industry as a serious hobby.

You can airbursh gloss-coat, but I have not done it myself. You may need to go to the Optimum forums site to get much better advise on the how-to.

For the bike with the matte paint I would look for something made for matte paint like Dr. Beasley`s Matte Paint Coating. I have never used this coating, but I know you do not want to make that matte paint "shine". McKees has some stuff made for matte paint also, but it is not a coating. I have never used an air gun to apply a coating, but Pinnacle Black Label and McKees both have an atomized spray coating that works great. Just remember you have to prep the surface before using any coating. On the wheels you could use CarPro Hydro2lite which would give you 3-4 months protection just by spraying on and rinsing off without all the headaches and waste that would occur by applying a coating by air gun, just a suggestion.

I found a couple old syringes of opti-coat 2 in my pile of old detailing gear. I`ll spray that on and see what happens. I looked into some of the new stuff out there and it just seems like the same old song and dance to me. I figure if it will work anywhere it should work on vehicles that never see dirt, or rain, or sun, or cold lol. Cheers.

Check out threads for Anthony orosco

I`ve used CQuartz before on a matte motorcycle helmet and it came out great. I`ve seen Opti-Coat applied with an airbrush and small compressor, but never with a HVLP gun. I`m sure it`s possible, you`ll just have to play around with it to dial in your process.

Post pics please!

Black_Sunshine- Just chiming in to say "Hi!", glad to see you posting.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by rlmccarty2000

For the bike with the matte paint I would look for something made for matte paint like Dr. Beasley`s Matte Paint Coating. I have never used this coating, but I know you do not want to make that matte paint "shine". McKees has some stuff made for matte paint also, but it is not a coating. I have never used an air gun to apply a coating, but Pinnacle Black Label and McKees both have an atomized spray coating that works great. Just remember you have to prep the surface before using any coating. On the wheels you could use CarPro Hydro2lite which would give you 3-4 months protection just by spraying on and rinsing off without all the headaches and waste that would occur by applying a coating by air gun, just a suggestion.

---

IMO all these new "matte" specific coatings coming out are nothing more then marketing at work to get more money out of you. Matte paint is still clear coat, just with a matting agent added to it. Detailers (myself included) have been using all kinds of normal paint coatings on matte paint, stripes, wraps, and PPF for years now with no added gloss, they simply add a slight darkening to the paint, some more than others.

OP, I`ve sprayed Opti-Coat in the past as well as a few other coatings but I really only do it on really intricate parts where it`s too difficult to hand apply.

Q- When it`s time to redo the coating, how do you go about it? I thought it was necessary to abrade the old stuff first and on gotta-spray intricate bits I`m at a loss.

Rasky I`m with you on the matte coating stuff. I first saw the matte paint on a Mercedes many years ago and at that time I never thought about trying to maintain the matte look. The matte paint is not supposed to shine anyway, so normal waxes, sealants, and coatings that are glossy and would not be what you would want to use (imho). I have heard (not experienced) that polishing matte paint will cause it to shine and ruin the finish. I figure it is similar to the camo paint we used in the military which was also not supposed to shine, although we had some eager beavers that tried to wax their HUMVEEs much to the chagrin of the company commander. Matte and satin finishes are nice to look at but I`ll skip them for my vehicles.