Hey guys, painting newb here. I have a little Suzuki SV650 that I have some track plastics (no lights) for. The fairings were damaged, so I'm doing the repairs on them now. They're painted blue.

I have a small compressor with a HF detail gun. I shot rustoleum enamel successfully out of it last weekend. It was used for a little dirt bike frame and parts I'm doing for my son. Compressor ran it fairly well, and I'm all setup with filters and protective gear.

The tank on the bike is an OEM metallic yellow. This fairings will only be used at the track, but if the paint comes out good enough, I might redo the tank and street fairings to match.

I'd like recommendations on an inexpensive brand of paint, and even color, that will be forgiving for a new painter. I've always heard white is easier than metallic black for instance. Would be even better if something would work well without clear, as that would save me a stage and the bike is garaged. Rustoleum is tempting to use again, but I'd like to try "real" paint if it's in budget.

This isn't a show bike by any means, but would like it to look better than bedliner spray paint!

Nice little project. Best bet is to go to your local jobber (auto paint supplier, not a retail car parts store unless it's NAPA who does sell a line of 'real' paint). Ask them for a recommendation. Kirker, Limco, there are others...low cost and decent products.

I also am a newbe and have spent a lot of time looking at paint products. Although the project I am doing now is a bit bigger than yours, may I suggest you look into both Eastwood and House of Kolor products on the net. Both companies boast of products that are designed for first timers and the hobbiest. I do not know your definition of "cheap" but I would imagine it would take only about a quart of paint to spray the bike. A quart of HOK paint would run about $100 and offer a wide variety of custom colors. Both also offer paints that do not need to be clear coated to look good and are easy to touch up if indeed you got a run....so they say. Like I said since I am also new my advice on this forum is worth about 2 cents but figured I would give you the benefit of the many hours I have spent searching the web. HOK also has many videos that explains their paints and applications.

Anything with no metallics in the basecoat will be a good place for a newbie to begin. If you do want metallics, black is actually one of the most forgiving colors (if you spray it too wet the blotchy will usually clear out).

If you only want one step, single stage is an option, but it can also be more difficult to spray than base clear.

As far as cheap paint options, you get what you pay for. I have heard horror and success stories from about every brand (Sikkens, PPG, Diamont and so on). I am from a Diamont shop, but we use Martin Senour (basically Sherwin Williams) IPC15 Clear for a quick clear and have had good success with it. Bottom line, if you want something good that will last, go with a reputable paint line. If your just looking to put fresh paint on the bike and safe money, spray bomb it.