repainting the seca - Motorcycle-Journal Forums

epoch · 08-31-2008, 01:22 AM

hey everyone- my name is greg.

i currently own a 1981 yamaha xj550 seca. i was planning on upgrading to a newer bike sometime soon, but that has been put on hold for now for a couple of reasons. so in the meantime, i thought i might try my hand at a cheap repainting of my bike. i don't have much in the way of mechanical experience, so the idea of dismantling the bike, painting, and putting it back together again is a little intimidating. i have the service manual, but it isnt exactly the most descriptive thing i've ever read. my big question to all of you is do you think that this is too much of an undertaking for me?

my other concern is that i live in the pacific northwest, and though i have a garage to work in, it is far from dry here. am i going to be able to paint effectively in such a humid area?

in case anyone was wondering, my bike is a dark wine red right now. i was thinking of painting the tank, fenders, and some of the chrome matte black and maybe making some new badges to fit the empty brackets on the tank.

thanks in advance everyone.