Chopper Society Paint, Motorcycle Custom Painting Specializing in airbrushed art, graphics, & flames for Helmets , Motorcycle , Choppers , Harley Davidson , Iron Hoarse , Big Dog , Arlen Ness , Harley,Davidson , Iron Hoarse, Flames , any make or model. All art by Premiere painter Bruch Koch.
How do I get my sheet metal to you?
Make sure the gas tank is completely emptied and leave the gas cap off the tank a day or two prior to shipping to air out any residual fumes.
Payment?
We need a deposit of 40- 50% before work begins. We will send digital pictures to you as the job progresses for your approval. We will return your items to you in our own strong boxes.
How much does shipping cost?
Shipping cost may vary, depending upon the size and weight of the package. The usual cost is $95 to $150. We ship items worldwide, handle and process all customs documents and all jobs arrive without a scratch fully insured.
How long will it take you to paint the designs?
Upon receiving your items, it can take 3 to 4 weeks to complete the artwork.
Book your job as soon as possible as soon as you are committed to a paint job so that we can schedule you in.
Do you do body work if it is needed?
Usually bodywork is no charge as long as it’s minor, as in dents and dings. Don't expect it to be free if it looks like its been pounded on with a 5 lb sledge hammer, rivets are shaved off.
Minor dings, scratches and chips are repaired with the cost of your custom paint job. This applies to factory sheet metal. Harley, Honda, ect… but on any after market or custom made sheet metal there will be additional charges for repair and body work.
Any after market tanks will need a sealer inside the tank. We will charge by the hour on any after market tanks and fenders. Get hourly rate from Bruce!
Do you seal the tanks?
Yes, we do $45.00 each (split tanks), $70.00 for a one-piece tank.
We have a proven method for sealing tanks.
How long until I wax it?
We recommend 6 Weeks. Use Carnauba wax.
McGuire’s and 3M liquid waxes. And Harley glaze works well too. The paint manufacturer recommends 90 days.
What about the area around the gas cap?
We have our special epoxy, a tried and tested method, never had one bubble yet. You still must use a vented gas cap (one with small holes ).
We have developed a technique that has been proven again and again that will prevent any bubbling around the gas cap. Pop up gas caps seems to be the worst about this happening.
How do you finish under the fenders?
3M Rubber undercoating black matte , also helps in stopping chips from developing from rocks coming off the tires and hitting the underside of the fender.
We offer this upon request.
Do you paint fiberglass and plastic and repair it?
Yes, we do. We approach fiberglass and plastic the same way.
What is the average number of clear coats I get?
Usually, it's 8; 4 before the pin striping / art, then 4 after. This gets the art/pin striping buried before it gets buffed to a glass finished.
4 to 6 coats depending on the different layers of artwork. It will be finished to perfection. You will have no edges from graphics pin stripes or any artwork. It will be completely smooth. It will be like a wet glass like finish
How should I make payments?
We require at least one third of the estimated cost before starting work. The second payment of one third during work and the final payment before releasing the finished product. You can pay ahead, but be sure to pay in full when work is completed. Your product will NOT be released until the total cost is paid in full.
We do the same thing. We will send digital pictures of the finished product and we stand behind our workmanship and the products that we use.
The paint job processes:
Factory:
The surface is thoroughly cleaned top and bottom under sides of fenders are degreased. Cleaned again with lacquer thinner to remove any wax. Then it will be thoroughly sanded so any pin striping lettering is completely removed and primed with an epoxy primer and then block sanded and then primed a urethane primer/sealer and again wet sanded and then based and cleared wet sanded and then any art work is then airbrushed onto the clear coated surface. Then cleared again if there is graphics or flames anything that is taped or masked that’s laid out then its cleared again wet sanded completely smooth cleared a third time to make sure that there are no edges usually airbrush art leaves no edges so it can be once it’s based and cleared we can do the airbrush art work and then do 4 more coats of clear on it then san and buff it. If there is graphics after the base color then of course we clear it then sand it smooth then clear it again then buff that.
Raw sheet metal:
It’s thoroughly sand blasted to remove any rust from the surface. Then the inside of the tank is etched and sealed then the outer surface is etched for a skim coat of filler if it’s an after market tank or fender. Requires a skim coat of body filler. We use as little as possible but enough to obtain a smooth surface. No waves or anything like that. Then it is epoxy primed and then it is block sanded then it is primed with urethane primer then wet sanded then based then cleared then it ‘s the same process as above If it’s air brushed cleared and buffed refer above…
Repair work:
Small job:
Rock chip ding in a tank of fender that requires a minimal amount of filler – sanding then filling then I’ll prime it then wet sand the entire surface then spot that area then I’ll will re-clear that component.
We do deal with insurance companies and we do give repair estimates upon request and we can also send repair estimates directly to your insurance company and deal directly with them if that’s required.
Medium job:
It can vary from $150.00 for a simple chip and/or scratch repair to depend.
When is it not fixable?
When it would cost more to repair then replace from our experience an insurance company will go as high as 60% to 70% of the value of the component to repair it therefore if a tank cost takes $1000.00 to replace and I can fix it for $600.00 which is 60% then the insurance company will go ahead and fix it. Also with Harley Davidson depending on the shop your working with sometimes there is a 6 to 8 week turn around on replacing a part so we can repair it for less then the replacement value and get you back on the road in two to three weeks then that’s cost effective just form the stand opoint of time. We do repair on a regular basis for quite a few shops located in our area. And we can always offer references upon request.
Guarantee:
Our work is backed by a one (1) year limited warranty against material defects from the delivery date unless otherwise specified. Proper storage, cleaning and handling will surely protect the paint. Reckless driving (hitting objects) or unsafe cleansers can damage the paint. If you have any questions about the proper care of your paint job, please ask us. If you take care of it, it will last a lifetime.
Shipping and handling charges are the responsibility of the buyer and will be assessed to each order. Shipping charges vary and are determined by the weight of the box, value of the shipment, delivery address, special handling charges and shipper fuel surcharges, when applicable. Shipping carrier is the sole discretion of Bad Ass Paint. Expedited delivery service is available, at the customer's expense.
You will be responsible for the cost of shipping and insurance. Original shipping and handling charges are not refundable. We are responsible for filing claims with the shipper in case of damage or loss incurred by the shipper. You must take photographs of damaged items and request return authorization before sending damaged items back to us. We are not responsible for packages lost during return shipping.
International Orders: PLEASE NOTE - The shipping amount will not include any duties, taxes, customs fees, UPS brokerage fees, etc., that may be incurred on International Orders. These fees, taxes and/or duties are not levied by Bad Ass Paint, and are beyond our control.
Our guarantee - If there is a problem that is OUR fault or responsibility, we will fix it at OUR expense. If there is a problem that is YOUR fault or responsibility, we will fix it at YOUR expense.
Ours:
The first and last section of this guarantee We will warranty it for a specific amount of time It’s a limited warranty against any defects that was a result of our labor workmanship or products. Anything beyond that we don’t. Guarantee.
If you lay your bike down or a rock chips the paint then those are examples of your expense. We use the most durable products on the market as far as adhesion and durability to try to ensure that you have a very durable paint job taking in to consideration the amount of abuse a motorcycle can go through.
Please Read First
We welcome your business and will make every effort to provide superior quality work to you, wherever you are. Bad Ass Paint is one of the very best of the best in the custom paint business. We have been painting professionally for many years.
We will send you electronic snap shots of your work after each step via email. If you decide to make changes at any time, you can choose to do so. Additional work requires additional payment.
PHOTOSHOP RENDERINGS
If you are not sure what design you want, we can design artwork on the computer, so you can see how the design would look. We design murals, graphics, flames or other artwork that will become your property. This service generally costs $300 to $400.
TANK MODIFICATIONS
We have extensive experience in welding and relocating the position of gas filler holes, pop up, aircraft, stock, and more. We seal all tanks and pressure test after all modifications. Call Bad Ass Paint at 1-310-594-6730 for more information.
SHIPPING
We will pack your painted product in a very hard box to protect it from damage. We ship via UPS and insure it for your protection.
Why should you do business with us?
We're honest and straightforward. Our jobs our very detailed and clean and will last a lifetime with proper care. We answer all calls and emails as soon as possible. We take care of you, the customer. We do what YOU want, not what WE want. If you want a Bad Ass bike or design, then contact Bad Ass Paint now!
Deposits:
Your deposit is to reserve a time slot and to get us started on sketches and preliminary design. If you back out of a job for your own reasons then your deposit is non refundable. We do not refund deposits because you back out you’ve had a hardship or don’t have the money or whatever. If you make a deposit your making a commitment to us and we are in return making a time slot commitment to you and to come up with the preliminary designs and ideas that we have already began moving forward on your project. If you back out of your commitment then we are not responsible for that and your deposit is non refundable. We will not charge for any work we did not do but we do not refund deposits. If you have made your decision to get a paint job for us then at that time you have entered into an agreement with us and it is a binding agreement a contract of sorts.
Pricing:
Distinguishing price differences when it comes to factory Harley, Suzuki, Honda sheet metal versus custom chrome sheet metal or any after market sheet metal. It raw and the tanks need to be sealed and it needs to be sand blasted a skim coat of body filler and it needs epoxy primer and then it needs to be blocked. There is a whole lot more work involved in after market sheet metal then there is in say a stock Harley set of custom tanks and fenders. We can give a close estimate as far as getting after market sheet metal ready before the paint job but we can’t know exactly what it’s going to take until we get the parts here and evaluate what our time will be and material costs in getting this stuff ready for base coat. We will charge by the hour. We estimate our prices on time and it varies bodywork is a different rate than graphic layout and graphic layout is a different hourly rate then airbrush and buffing is a different hourly rate as well. So when we get the parts here we try to estimate it as a whole and we estimate a price based on material cost and the time involved in a job and sometimes it’s impossible to know exactly what a job will be until we know exactly what we will be producing. How much artwork do you want? How much detail do you want? Do you want something on the tank? Do you want it on the fenders as well?
Please Note that Ultra’s or Dressers are three to four times the painted surface area of say a soft tail or your average motorcycle obviously we can’t charge three to four times the amount of the paint job but please note that a paint job even a basic paint job for an Ultra or Dresser is significantly higher then a soft tail for that reason. A lot more paint material, buffing, wet sanding. Three to four times as much work time material and actual space it takes up in the booth.
All prices are based on a gas tank and a front and rear fender.
Pricing go to price guide:
All prices are based on a gas tank and a front and rear fender such as the size of a
Softail standard or a wide glide.
A heritage is going to be a little bit more because the fenders are wider.
A road king is going to be more because it’s go saddlebags and side covers.
Site examples of paint jobs around $1500.00 to $1800.00sell this!!!!!
Ones where we can remove the emblem and wet sand it and just add some basic graphics to the basic paint job. Some as low as $1200.00 especially if we can get a lot of airbrush work clear and buff. If we are talking about not having to repaint or rebase the bike. If we are just adding graphics then we can offer it for $1200.00. Over existing base coat.
If we have to re-base it then we can offer you that same job for $1600.00 that’s for re-basing and to add those graphics.
Try to show some different example other than those in the price guide of some skulls and stuff because we were keeping it real basic because we were marketing to the dealerships.
Tell customers we can really add some very cool artwork over an existing base coat for not that much money.
We will base their bike for only $400.oo if they are committing to the artwork.
To re-base a bike a solid color without the commitment to the artwork will be $600.00 to $800.00.
If you don’t see what you like then we will come up with something that is more appealing to you our customer that we want very much to be happy.
Pricing on a few examples:
The blue job:
Tank and font and rear fender on an existing vase coat would be $2100.00 $2500.00 to rebase it.
Steps in creating the blue job: Process and involvement
It was on an existing Harley Davidson sportster it was already a medium color blue it was wet sanded thoroughly cleaned and wet sanded airbrush work was done and then it was sprayed with three coats of kandy and four coats of clear. The tank was wet sanded again and addition artwork was added to the top of the tank. Then the tank was again cleared and all the peaces were buffed.
Red Job:
Brand new Harley Davidson sheet metal primed from Harley Davidson sanded reprimed, blocked, based cleared art four coats of clear and then buffed. There was a little more time involved it the red job even though there was more art work on the blue as far as surface area. There were more colors and layering of colors in the red job. So as far as airbrush time there is more time in the red job. Basically the price is the same for the red and the blue because of the time. Same price for existing base and rebase.
Same price.
Ghost Flames on an existing paint job?
On an existing paint job we can put ghost flames on your tank front and rear fender for $700.00. To $800.00 depending upon how elaborate you want it to be.
Thoroughly clean the surface wet sand the existing clear coat (not breaking through the clear coat but just sanding enough to etch the surface so it’s smooth so that anything that we will be applying to it will stick. Layout the flame pattern mask off the base airbrush around the edges of the flame pattern un-tape it and then four coats of clear wet sand and buff