How Much Does It Cost To Paint A Motorcycle?

Imagine driving down with your loud motorcycle attracting everyone’s attention, just for them to see an old rusty, scrapped motorcycle.

I am sure you would never want to see a sight like that. Therefore you need to get a great-looking motorcycle with an amazing paint job so people can’t stop looking at how beautiful it looks.

Though the whole idea of painting one’s motorcycle is great, you also need to be aware of how much does it cost to paint a motorcycle.

Of course, painting one comes with various choices for custom designs, and the price varies, but if you want a general estimate, it could be anywhere from $300 to $1500 and above.

I’ll be going through everything you need to either do it yourself within a given price bracket while breaking down how and what affects the cost of painting a motorcycle.

Paint Type Of Motorcycle And Cost

Since this question can’t be answered directly with a proper sum of money, I’ll expand on the types of paint jobs and finally go through the cheapest way to paint it.

Type 1: Prep Work

It is immensely important to note that for everything, we need to prepare first, and for that, some may want the dents and scratches to be repaired for a smoother finish.

Some may even want the body to be sanded before the paint is applied, consequently increasing the cost of the paint job.

All of this adds to the cost of the paint job and therefore increases cost. People who opt for artistic designs would even have to hire an extra artist to work on the motorcycle and prep it for themselves, increasing the cost.

Type 2: Regular Paint

A regular paint job is just a standard color on the motorcycle. For a regular paint, the price will be much lower around the starting range of $300.

However, most work and cost incurred is based on the manual prep work that has been touched upon above.

This can even increase the cost up to $1500, depending on the work that is supposed to be done before a paint job is done.

Consequently, if the bike has no scratches and is completely new, the paint cost will be significantly lower, near the $300-$500 price range.

It depends on the person’s decision on how they would like to get it painted.

They could either hire a painter who could paint it for 300 or more, or they could go to a shop that could charge more and yet give a similar or even better result depending on the painter’s expertise.

The only benefit you have for hiring someone is that you can haggle the prices down, but for a shop, it is impossible, and you shall have to paint the bike at the price they give.

Type 3: Custom Paint

You might have sometimes come across bikes with cool-looking art prints of flames or any other design on their body.

These paint jobs cost significantly more than a regular one, almost double the price, and the cost can increase as the design gets more complex.

Sometimes even another artist must be hired to paint that sort of design with an airbrush. The extra prices, however, increase as the amount of paint increases, along with the prep work and the time used.

Since a standard paint job is just one color, a custom paint job with designs might need more paints and extra time.

Some may even recommend not doing this yourself and instead opt for a well-rated shop, which would increase your costs as well, as they have fixed rates and their work is of a better, more costly quality.

Expect the price range to be anywhere from $600 to $1500.

You can get this done at home by hiring someone and lowering the prices. However, due to so many moving parts and more materials, the cost would likely decrease by $100 or less.

You might even have to hire a good artist and get a design made by them, though the idea of customization does arise from this sort of paint job, and you can give your motorcycle a bit of personality as you see fit.

You can even make it look like whatever you want with the types of design you get on it. Though, of course, with such great details comes great cost.

DIY Motorcycle Paint Job

Doing it yourself is certainly something that is cheaper and does not cost much, especially if you are the one performing all of the manual labor, though obviously, the cost would depend on the equipment as well as the type and quality of your paints, though you can go as low as $100.

However, it would depend on your skill level as well. Furthermore, it is also likely that you would not be able to discard the dents and scratches until or unless you already have the proper equipment and expertise.

I will be going through a brief way as to how you can paint your motorcycle to have a better understanding of the process and, therefore, the cost.

• Make sure you have a well-ventilated area that can be used to make a mess with paints and be a big open space, much like an open garage.
• Get the necessary tools and wrenches to disassemble your bike.
• Disassemble the motorcycle and sand each part that is not smooth for a good finish. If it is not smooth, the paint finish will not look attractive. Also, please do not use a sander; instead, manually sand the parts you want to paint.
• Clean off the part for any residual on it.
• Apply fillers for any dents or scratches.
• Sand the part once again to ensure it is smooth.
• Apply two coats of epoxy primer. It keeps your metal shielded from moisture.
• Use 200 Grit sandpaper and lightly sand the surface after applying the second coat of epoxy.
• Make sure the paint spray gun is clean and is mixed well with the amount of thinner needed.
• Do not spray by being close and avoid fast-paced movements.
• Apply lacquer, and you are done!

Though the proper techniques and how to sand and disassemble a motorcycle are beyond the scope of this article, you were given a short yet informative way to do a paint job yourself.

If you feel like you can and have the correct expertise learned, you can do it yourself without incurring any extra costs and have a good-looking paint job done cheaply at home.

Of course, for a custom paint job, you will have to be an artist to paint it yourself or have even better expertise at painting the bike yourself.

If you do not possess artistic abilities, consider opting for a decal or sticker that would give the motorcycle the same effect.

Furthermore, you need to pay close attention to the materials you buy and the instructions they come with.

Again, it is beyond the scope of this article to point you to the right materials needed and the exact instructions you will have to follow for the complete paint job that you will do yourself.

Of course, when you are painting the motorcycle yourself, it would not be as professional and smooth as what an actual painter would do for you, but it would be something that could get the job done and make your bike look newer than before breaking the bank.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. How Much Paint Do You Need?

Some choose to give their complete bike a unique design, while others only paint the oil tanks. The models of the motorbike, the designs, the painting procedure, and the number of parts all have a role in determining the cost of painting.

Q2. How Much Does The Paint Cost?

It completely depends on the color and the brand one opts for; they could be around $50 or higher or even lower depending on the quality and purpose of the paint.

However, you also need materials to be ready for the paint for application, and that comes in the form of a thinner again. The prices vary based on brand and quality.

Q3. How Long Does It Take To Paint A Motorcycle?

Self-painting a motorcycle might take much longer than hiring a professional. It might take one to ten hours to finish painting an area. It depends on the motorcycle’s parts amount, designs, and other elements.

Q4. What Is The Preferable Way?

As discussed above, there are several ways you can get your bike painted, from painting it yourself to going to a proper shop and even getting designs made.

Someone who has a tight budget but would like a cleaner, a good-looking motorcycle can do it themselves as it does not cost as much as going to a proper shop.

People with the budget to do so can opt for a shop and even a custom design for themselves, as they see fit.

Conclusion

I hope that after going through this article, you understand how much does it cost to paint a motorcycle. For your ease, I expanded on the steps and how you could do it as cheaply as possible.

I wish you all the best for your newly painted ride, and I hope this article helped you double down on the amount you will have to spend to get a paint job of your choice done and has helped you choose what sort of paint job you will be getting for your motorcycle.