Ariel Owners Motorcycle Club

Goodmorning I am in the process of renovating my sq4. The question is what to use on the mudguards and forks. Paint or powder coating. I am not trying to restore to new or concours but to make sure that the bike has a long usable life. Any opinions mutch appreciated.

Hi

For a concours finish I would use paint, you can get a much better finish than with powder coat and it's easier to repair in the case of damage. That said, I have a very good powder coater near me who's process includes a primer and clear lacquer coats which result in an excellent hard wearing finish, (though still not as fine as a competent spray painter can achieve).

My FH finished in RAL 3007 powder coat:
Regards Mick

thanks think I will be going with paint.

hi if you need the paint to last a long time i would use powder coating but if it is going to get knoctabout i would paint it so you can repair i have got a 600 that has sat outside for the last ten years that is powder coat and the paint still loos very good and no rust paint work

I now use powder coat on the small areas such as frame, forks, mudguard stays, etc but paint on the large areas such as mudguards, tanks, headlamp, etc. My Red Hunter is the only bike I will take out with salt on the road so that has powder coated mudguards. The powder coating is done by Redditch shotblasting and powder coating who I can thoroughly recommend. The painting, including lining is done by me in the garden using cellulose. All of my bikes (apart from the LG250 project) have won at least one concours award. And yes, I do use them seriously.

Didn't I read in these very pages that Redditch Powder Coating had folded?

I had missed that but have just looked at the Companies House information and they have indeed gone into liquidation.

It’s worth noting that there can be a difference between paint and powder coat for the same colour. Even black can be different between the two.