I'm getting my 12 year old tank repainted since it has a couple of good size chips in the clearcoat. It's vivid black and I'll be painting it the same colour. Can anyone tell me how many coats of clearcoat harley puts on new tanks or how many I should put on this one???

 

They probably just put 1 heavy one on. On my old paint set I had a few clear coat drips in spots you will never see. The nice thing with todays clear is you can add a bunch of clear and sand to the desired finish. I am not a painter but I know a very good one. Are you doing this yourself?

 

No I'll have it done professionally. My skills are limited to a paint brush and rattlecan.

 

Typically, a good painter will do at least 2-3 coats of clear with the vivid black. When I have my bike touched up every 2-3 years, that is what my painter tells me he does.

 

++ on the 2-3 coats, depends on the brand and quality of the clear. 3 good coats gives you the ability to match the texture (orange peel) of the rest of your bike. Especially black.

 

Totally depends on the paint system used.Most modern urethanes are 2-coat. If you want it deeper,you let it dry overnight,wetsand it,and put on 2 more coats.That shouldn't be necessary with black.

 

The painter should put as many coats as the paint manufacturer recommends for that particular clear. If he's a good painter and can lay the clear on right, 2 should work fine. If he needs to do a lot of buffing and sanding to make it look good, then 3, maybe even 4.

Personally, whenever I get around to painting my bike, I'm going to use a scratch resistant clear - the type that "heals" itself with heat.