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Painting bike

BostonG

New member
Thinking of having my 2015 r1200rt repainted to a new color (from ebony to white). Would be the bike and cases (including the large top case). Any comments about the do's and don'ts with painting. Not planning on doing it myself. Would have it done at a local shop. Thanks

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It's an expensive job and it takes a specialty painter to do good work with the small curvy parts. Bikes that aren't stock colors get less money when trading. I'd trade bikes for the color I wanted IMHO.
 
#1 on the "do" list: Bring lots of money. My local body shop wanted 500.00 to spray the lid of my 49L topcase arctic white. Have you considered a wrap? Lots of colors and prints to chose from, and it may preserve the value of the bike. It can always be removed to show the original color.
 
I had my white 2017 R120RT painted Granada red to match the color of my 1967 R60/2. I had it done by a professional painting shop selected by my BMW dealer, who disassembled and reassembled the bike.

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If you want a colour change, then go for it, but get it done by a professional spray painter at a body shop. I had my Top Box lid resprayed in Arctic White to match the bike, and it cost me about $200 Aussie dollars ($135 USD). Take the bike to get a quote and tell them that you will take the body panels off the bike.
 
You should make the bike the way you want it, other wise why have it. If you are worry about selling it or trading it it them leave it along
 
First thing i did upon recieving my new to me 2017 RT. My BMW dealer recommended a great painter. He took care of some minor scratches, plugged up the antennae hole and painted the clear windshield parts that are off to the sides. Hoped in going to a safety yellow the bike would be noticed by cars. No help.....

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First thing i did upon recieving my new to me 2017 RT. My BMW dealer recommended a great painter. He took care of some minor scratches, plugged up the antennae hole and painted the clear windshield parts that are off to the sides. Hoped in going to a safety yellow the bike would be noticed by cars. No help.....

View attachment 76264

Nice!
Welcome to the forum!
Gary
 
Thinking of having my 2015 r1200rt repainted to a new color (from ebony to white). Would be the bike and cases (including the large top case). Any comments about the do's and don'ts with painting. Not planning on doing it myself. Would have it done at a local shop. Thanks

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

What others has stated ... painting a bike usually reduces the resale value. Now that may or may not be a concern for you if you are planning to keep the bike for many many years. But any color change is a personal thing and like any customization limits your future buyers. The wrap suggesstion is a great option and something I would consider if I wanted a color change. That way you can always go back to stock if you ever wanted to sell or if you got tired of the new color.
 
Paint it, by happy, have fun!

Let's face it, 95% of us probably don't ride our motos to work as our daily rider. This is a hobby, a lifestyle, a calling, a non-drug prozac, a fulfilling and passionate endeavor, difficult to explain to the uninitiated. One may consider future value with a home, or perhaps the resale of a car, but when it's time to throw your leg over (or stab it through like me) and take off on your motorcycle, you want to be happy. For me, like Jeff Dean (he inspired me to alter the colour on my bike), making the bike my own has made me very happy. The painting was the 1st non-functional Farkle I spent money on. Every time I look at the bike, I'm thrilled with how it looks. Make it your own, and if you take care of it, there will always be a buyer.

"Red" is below:

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Paint it!

I agree with the comment about "making it your own." I had mine painted (thanks Jeff!) and it now looks like a red bike coming at you.

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I may in the minority here but on the Red RT I really like the contrasting gray trim. I think it compliments the graphics very well and adds to the overall attractiveness of the bike. But hey ... that's why Baskin Robbins makes 31 flavors.

Also, I keep my bikes 8-10 years and have seen selling a non-standard color bike is even harder than selling a stock color bike. I agree ... you buy a motorcycle to make you happy and if changing the color is what really makes you happy go for it. But the option of doing a wrap is a great way to make it totally your own and then go back to stock when selling. I've seen a couple of bikes posted on the BMW sites that have been wrapped and man they look great. In addition the cost of a wrap should not be any more than a paint job and probably less.
 
I agree with the comment about "making it your own." I had mine painted (thanks Jeff!) and it now looks like a red bike coming at you.

The nice thing about painting the RT nose is a lot of people, even BMW riders, will not realize it's not stock.
For me it's no different than painting the top box lid.
 
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