No powder coat

I am not gonna powder coat my scooter after all for a couple reasons: (1) my front fender is fiberglass and can not go in the oven (2) my body work is not perfect and will require work pre paint and there is no guarantee the prep will survive the over and finally (3) gas tanks with welds don't do well in the oven.

Finally, getting a correct paint match is not possible (with PPG either). Here's what was said on the LCUSA forum regarding matching powder coat color.

This is what my research turned up:

"Greetings. Ramble mode "on." I've got mixed emotions about poweder coating. That said, I've heard good things about Maas Bros. Though I used a joint in Concord for my stuff. The mixed emotions are based on the fact that while powder coating is tough you simply can't repair it. Plus, you'd be hard-pressed to get the powder coat to match the paint you'll use on the FG fender. "Conventional" paint is more expensive 'cause there's just more work involved.

Of the restorations in our fleet some are powder coated, some are painted with "conventional" paint and some are even rattle can. The body work on Anne's CB160 race bike has held up very well over the last few years - it was rattle canned. WCLW did the paint on my Series II about 10 years ago and, for the most part, it's help up well too. Plus, I can touch it up if I ever get around to it.

If you're going for a 100 point restoration I'd go with conventional paint - as much as the powder coated stuff we have looks like "paint" on close inspection you can tell it's not.

Bottom line - I think you get what you pay for in a finish job. Regardless of what route you go, ask lots of questions about the prep work - that's key to a good finish. Ramble mode "off." Ciao." - Dave Stark

"The problem with powder coating.......... Where do I start? Think of it like chroming. The base metal has to be in really good shape for starters. Then you have the heat aspect of it. You can warp a frame pretty easily by heating and cooling it. Grounding issues, it's tough to ground electrics through the powder. Color matching is harder, the finish isn't as good as paint usually and sand blasting removes base metal. Gas tanks, there is another lever of problems, grit. It's bad for carbs and top ends and gets everywhere when tanks are blasted. Anyways that's the short of it. I've had whole bikes coated before and its just not as good one would think.

I'm not anti anything, it's just some things are better suited for certain applications. Depends on what you want to powdercoat. Rims, forks, small bits are good to coat. Big stuff like frames, pannels, bars and legshields just cause more problems than it's worth." - Mike A.

"Labor rates here seem to run from $15 to $30 an hour (in Portland, OR). The paint and bodywork on my TV cost me 2000 in labor. With parts and supplies the total came closer to 3000. It was all 2-stage Dupont, no
powdercoating. Powdercoating is nice and durable but it does not have the same quality or repairability as a good paint job. Should be fine for stuf like hubs and rims though.

I went with a show quality finish so you get what you pay for. There are many other paint/bodywork folks in town but I've really only worked with my guy. He also did Dave's award-winning Starstream. His specialty is classic custom Harley pan-heads and shovel-heads and would rather keep to that level of finish. Rudy has his own paint &
body person as does Mike. Mike's guy does single stage which is nice for vintage bikes and gives them a more period look." - Ming

For those in the Bay Area that want to Powder Coat, the best price I found for a single color was $300-$400 for a Lambretta at Maas Brothers Powder Coat in Livermore, CA.