thinking of a good spray job

[FJTillDeath]

So in my quest to renew the Fj I have decided to respray it. First of all I would like some opinions on what colours work best, I know its my personal preference but I would like some ideas as I said.

Secondly should I take it to a professional or do it myself?(i have the machinery - spray gun) just have no idea what paint can be used.

Im looking for something cheap but will still look good.

so what are the dos and the donts of such a procedure?

[andyb]

Good prep makes more difference than anything else you can do in painting.

And that ends my extensive knowledge of paint. 

[DailyDriver]

Im looking for something cheap but will still look good.

Yes, but do you want it to last?

Agree that prep is very important. I'm using ColorRight motorcycle paint on a project I'm currently doing. I've used their products on a couple of small projects before. They have just about every factory color out there and everything you need from primer to clear coat. A bit expensive though. I painted the lower half of my upper fairing and the air scoops on my FJ and a vintage fiberglass motorcycle tail trunk for my cruiser. Can see in my gallery.

I used rattle cans and my project turned out pretty nice IMO. You should be able to do a really professional job if you use a spray gun. FWIW.

[FJTillDeath]

Forgive me for being a noob but what would prep work be ?

I ask because I have never done this before and that why I ask for any hints dos and donts because I dont want to stuff it up.

And colour wise I would like Ideas on anything that looks good but isnt dark as I do a lot of riding at night and generally motorists here are very inconsiderate of motorcyclists

[NJona86FJ]

 Please dont take it as gospel but from what i have learnt ( industrial spraying).... strip it.... get it good and clean, use wax and grease remover before painting, fill any small dents imperfections with a good putty... wet and dry emery cloth...( use wet... lots of water..) clean again with wax and grease remover.... apply undercoat.... wet and dry smooth.... apply base coat of paint you want...( mixing it... hmmm... dunno the recipe but when you dip your stirring stick i n it it should take 3 seconds to drip... but again this is industrial jobs)... when paint "tacks off"..( touch dry)ish)  wet and dry again between coats to make super smooth... wet and dry 1200 to 1800 grit.... and continue until  it gets to desired result... i believe there is an "off the gun finish" where you basically start with a good paint mix and then as you get to each coat you drop the amount of paint to thinners ratio... lets say its a 70/30 mix... paint to thinners... next coat would be say 60/40 then 50/50 then 40/60 etc until your last coat is around the 90/10 mark.... the thinners is the carrier which allows the paint to flow into the grains and grooves of the previous coat.... if all this si too much then maybe ... chuckles.... i really dont know .... as i said this is all i know its the reason why i have never done it.... preparation is the key.... hope this kinda helps... i have to do my GSX 750 ES at some point but as its plastic i will have to use an ETCH primer not a normal primer... good thing to remember... etch primers for plastics... sanding is the same.... maybe someone else will chime in with more info!!!
cheers
neil