Honda Spree and Elite 50 Forums

Hey! So, a while back I asked if any of you would like a ÔÇ£how-toÔÇØ on paint jobs, some of you said yes, so here it is. Hopefully it can help some people out.

I'm currently in the process of repainting by 87 Spree and figured I would make a how-to for painting your scoot. The reason I'm creating this how-to is because of the hours spent online without finding a step-by-step how-to on painting. So here it goes...

NOTE: I am not a professional painter and the method I used was just information I gathered from other posts around the net. My paint job wasnÔÇÖt perfect; however I am very very satisfied with it!

Here's what I started with... a perfect running 87 Spree I found on craigslist for $250 (I think)


First step: Obviously youÔÇÖre going to take of the body panels off of your bike. Fairly easy task until you get to the front fender as you do have to remove the front fork to get the fender off... I chose to leave it on and tape around to relieve myself of the headache I knew it would cause. Also, I chose to put back all nuts and bolts after I removed the panels so I knew where they would all go when I was done.

Side Note: While you have all of these panels off itÔÇÖs not a bad idea to go through your scooter and do a tune up. I cleaned the air filter, changed the spark plug, installed a new battery, fixed some wiring issues I was having and cleaned out my exhaust by throwing it on a charcoal fire then after painting with black high heat paint.(I was shocked that my spree was running after I saw the spark plug).

Step 2: Sanding. I used 250 grit the first time around. Make sure and not add to much pressure as you will gouge the plastic which will definitely show when your paint job is done. (I learned this the hard way). Just make sure you get all areas on all panels as you want the paint to really stick.

Step 3: Prime. (WasnÔÇÖt sure if this was absolutely necessary but figured it wouldnÔÇÖt hurt). I used a primer made by Rustoleum. Make sure it is made for plastics as you want the primer to be ÔÇÿflexibleÔÇÖ so it wonÔÇÖt crack on the flimsy Spree panels. I sprayed everything thoroughly and extra heavy on the footboard since I knew that would get a lot of wear.




NOTE: Make sure the panels are clean before you lay down any coat. Any flakes or dust will show through paint job.


Step 4: More sanding. This is where I realized I sanded to hard that first time. So if you do it right the first time you can skip this.

Step 5: Paint. I went with Krylon Fusion spray paint as a cheap solution. I heard good things about it on other posts so I figured I would give it a go. I did 3 coats on everything accept the floor board; I laid it on pretty heavy again.






Step 6: Clear Coat. I still went with Krylon Fusion as they offer a clear coat made specifically for plastics which will allow the plastic to flex slightly without the paint cracking. Another 3 coats of this and again I went really heavy on the floor board.
BTW: This little spray can finger trigger is awesome! Saves your pointer finger from a lot of pain.




Step 7: More wet sanding. Here is where I went through with 1000 grit and smoothed out as many blemishes as I could. Then wet sanded with 2000 grit sand paper. This part is tedious but make sure you take your time doing a thorough job otherwise it will show on the next step.

Step 8: Buffing. I stopped by AutoZone and picked up rubbing and polishing compound. I had never done this process before but itÔÇÖs pretty simple. To apply I picked up some round micro-fiber pads for a couple bucks. After you clean the panels thoroughly with soapy water start with the rubbing compound first then the polish.

I was pretty surprised at the results!



Step 9: Decals. Now this step is optional but I wanted to keep the scooter as ÔÇÿoriginalÔÇÖ looking as possible (even though I didnÔÇÖt keep an original paint scheme). So I ordered some decals off of eBay for $30 and they look great! FYI I am in the process of having some of the original warning stickers made up.




Step 10: Wax and put everything back! Apply a good coat of wax then reinstall all of the panels back onto the scooter and drive away! Here are some ÔÇ£afterÔÇØ pictures I took after my Spree paint job.











BTW: The seat cover I got on eBay for like $20 and I am amazed at the quality!

Like I said it's not a perfect paint job. But I am the perfectionist type and I am extremely satisfied with the results!!

If you have any questions on any of the steps please ask!

Thanks and I hope this helps some of you.

nice post look good !!!!
swimmingfree

Awesome work man!!

Greetings:

Excellent, Wiki-Worthy post, Beno.

Reaaders should be advised that the '87 Spree plastics are of different material than the earlier models. All should have floorboards made of polyethylene, a material for which paint adhesion is particularly challenging.

Looks very good for spray paint job

yeah not to bad for a spray can job but i prefer proper automotive paints like Spies Heckler or PPG

Nice Work, I used krylon fusion on my recent spree paint job too.

66SIX wrote:Another quick question Do you have the name of the place you got the seat cover , I took another look and the black w/ the white pipeing looks great . And really goes with the bike perfect . Did it have the HONDA logo on the rear or did you put that on $ 20.00 bucks great price ... Looks good .

I took a look on eBay and the sellers name is "allseatcovers." The Honda logo is part of the scooter. And I looked back and it actually ended up being $30 with shipping.

As far as the decal stuff, I just wanted an easy solution and had read great reviews on the decals available on eBay. I am very happy with them.

I took a look on eBay and the sellers name is "allseatcovers." The Honda logo is part of the scooter. And I looked back and it actually ended up being $30 with shipping.

As far as the decal stuff, I just wanted an easy solution and had read great reviews on the decals available on eBay. I am very happy with them.[/quote]

Thanks Beno for the info .
You did a great job on the paint how -to
I wish you also did a seat how to .
Do you think you could post the instructions you got with the seat cover and how difficult was it too install ?
Are you happy with the seat cover ? Does it fit well ? Is the Honda logo on the rear of the seat look like it will last as long as the original , I have seen painted on logos wear off and fade ?
The seat price is very good did it take long to do the seat did you put it over the old cover or replace removing the old staples is a pain , I wish you would have done a how too but I guess the seat is finished and not worth taking it off and re-doing it again .
I think I should order some seat covers ...I wish you had an overhead shot of the seat as yours looks like it has the not sure what you call it I guess the indents on the top of the seat ,I put 2 photos of seat covers the bot. 1 looks like its missing the indents Thanks again Beno

The lower pic is the guy I got my spree seat cover and my express seat cover wicked quality B-) he sends great instructions and its pretty easy except you need a pretty baddasss stapler to get in to the plastic of the seat pan. A regular staple gun just won't do it. An air stapler is what's needed. I went down to the auto glass and upholstery shop with the little spring clamps on the seat and they stapled it for free for me B-)

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66SIX wrote:Thanks Beno for the info .
You did a great job on the paint how -to
I wish you also did a seat how to .
Do you think you could post the instructions you got with the seat cover and how difficult was it too install ?
Are you happy with the seat cover ? Does it fit well ? Is the Honda logo on the rear of the seat look like it will last as long as the original

Thanks!

I REALLY recommend these covers... I kind-of expected it to be cheaply made with cheap material but was very pleasantly surprised when it came in the mail and I got it onto the seat. The quality is great and the HONDA on the back seams like it will last for a long time.

The process for putting the cover on is really simple. Take the old one off then the new one slips right over the cushion then make sure its nice and tight and where you want it... then staple it in place. I do agree with patthesoundguy that a stronger power staple gun would be very helpful. I didn't have access to one so I used your average staple gun and while it worked great for me it just requires a bit more muscle to get the staples into the plastic.

awesome write up and awesome paint job. But....why didnt you put another NGK plug back in....there the same price as other plugs but are better for a honda....thats probably why it ran with all that crap...i know an autolite would have never ran in that condition. Im sorry you did a great job and it looks awesome...but if your so worried about the scoot being great then use NGK plugs...NGK are the only plugs to use in honda.....nerd rant done.....