I restore vintage drums on the side, and the mantra there is original is always better, but when trashed, bring back to life with new veneer/varnish/wrap, etc.
Does the same hold true for Mopeds? Would you paint a moped to customize it that doesn't really need paint? I'm not talking about museum pieces here, just in general, a moped that was well loved and used.
Thoughts?
i think there's a lot of grey area. on one hand, i love original paint. the paint on any bike would have to be TERRIBLE for me to strip it down and repaint it. Even if the paint is rusty as shit, its still cool that that is the original paint, and it gives it a cool look.
on the other hand, its your bike, so do whatever you want to it, whatever you think looks good.
Individualize at will....
I cringe when I see original paint job stripped. Even if it's rusty as hell.
However, to each his own.
This is a tough question, I feel stock is pretty cool, but if you can do a nice custom paint job and do it very very well then it would be cool.
But I wouldn't like to see a stock paint job be ruined for a 5 dollar spray can paint job just because somebody was bored some saturday. . . .
haha Yeah, well, I would have it professionaly powder coated if I do it.
This blue balboa I just bought looks as though it was dumped quite a few times and lived outside. So since I already have a really nice green balboa, I was thinking of completely redoing the blue bike custom and leaving the green one stock. It also has 4k on the engine so I think it needs to be town down completely anyway...
only if its well done, i hate seeing shitty rattlecan jobs
The only time Im against painting it is if its so mint it hurts.
i think it really depends on the shape of the bike. I have some that have been painted and one that is getting powder coated next week, then i have some that are the same way they came off of the line.. But its up to you
I've got a red Batavus that's pretty beat up on one side, looks the previous owner took a semi dramatic spill and then just let the bike sit for twenty years. I've been going back and forth on whether to paint, in the end I decided to leave the scratches and dings and just cleaned it up. I also replaced the black pinstripes which were brittle, peeling or missing with clean white pinstripes, which really added a lot of curb appeal.
You can restore something 100 times, but it's original once.
It's gotten really picky with vintage bicycles- some are worth more all rusty if there is a hint of the original paint. I just got a Rollfast bike with a skip tooth chain. It's got a decent, years old, not professional, re-finish. I'll probably do some touch ups and go rat rod with it- new wheels etc, because it's not too original.
I'm all for vintage paint and equipment, but sometimes you pick something up that is so bartardized that paint is the only answer.
I'll be posting a few pix of a 77 Yankee Peddler that I have almost completely painted. Ground up restorations are good if they're done well, ground up mods are are good too. Just a matter of opinion and taste. By the way, mopeds taste better with chili sauce and fries.
I got back and forth.
I am usually in the keep-things-original school of thought, but there is something badass about a ratty ped spray painted black.
Both my Maxis had bad blue rattle can jobs. Have to strip to bare metal to get at the old layers of paint and minor rust. I've restore/painted over 30 Schwinn Sting Rays, all were in bad shape and I've only had 3 Schwinns that I've left the paint 'original' as they only had minor damage. I've always had kustomizing in my blood so I tend to get carried away with doing resto work, not many things stay stock in my life.
http://mywilson.homestead.com/gallery96.html
you should always follow the rule that you should only do a paint job that will be better than the one that is on there.
butnut; those look so good. jees, better than stock!
I cant help but to restore every one of my bikes to original condition. I dont know why. I guess its because they are rare, and there are only so many of them left.
However, I recently found a TRASHED Eagle 2, and I am going to customize that. But it was beyond restoration.
I remember posting in another list to mention that I had painted the exhaust headers on my vintage street bike with flat-black, high-temp paint.
No flames, but some shock - I guess that's what you get on a vintage bike restorers list.
What these restorers didn't realize, I suppose, is that there is a class of objects that are used, daily, as they were originally intended.
My exhaust headers (and the cast-iron cylinder, next) are black because that motorbike is used to take me from one place to another, and the original chrome just wasn't protecting the metal anymore. So, if it's either rust or paint, I pick paint.
Nuthin wrong with black hi-temp, especially if it looks good with the rest of the bike...my first Maxi was chromed out, I went for the black out look with my Maxi II. Hey thanks Jason, you should see my Scion XB...hehe
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