Modern Vespa

My 2009 GTS's calipers have started to look a little worse for wear due to all the salty British roads. I have bought a caliper painting set off Amazon and plan to have a go at cleaning and painting them this weekend.

Has anyone ever tried this themselves?

Any tips or advice before I start would be much appreciated.

Gravy

Surface prep and good brushes will be key to good results. After cleaning the calipers, a light sanding with 220 grti and then 400 grit to prep the surface to take the new paint is a good idea. Then clean again to remove any debris and let them dry completely.

Try to create a dust free environment when applying the paint. A multiple light coats are better than one heavy coat.

Be sure to follow the instructions for the paint. Deviation may end up with poor results.

Be sure to take and share before/after pics. Good Luck!

So, I only had time to have a go at painting the front caliper, and I would say that the results are mixed. See before and after attached.

In hindsight, I think choosing white wasn't the best idea. The photo made it look like more of an off-white/cream, but the actual paint is very white. I'm hoping this will soffen (or at least get a little dirty) over time. I think red (to match the spring) would have been better. Or just to stick with black.

From a distance it looks alright, but close up it looks a bit scrappy. I'll still do the rear when I get another dry weekend, and it's certainly better than the salty/crusty mess it was before.

Let me know what you think.

Definite improvement, though I agree a different color would look better....I'd vote for red.

Yeah, I thought the white would look more classy! It looks nicer in the photo on amazon

It's a definite improvement, I can see why you wanted to paint them, but I agree white wasn't the best choice.

I think you got a really good result. The white at least matches the scoot.

Unless it really bugs you, I'd do the rear just the same and be done.

Thanks, and thanks for the tips too. Yeah, I'm going to stick with the white and I'll post some pics of the rear when I do that too.

I wouldn't say that the colour bugs me, but I guess it just the case of what you picture it will look like in your mind vs what it looks like in reality. I'm happy overall but it's not quite how I imagined.

Doesn't look too bad. Good job.

These things tend to need repainting again after each winter, so you can go for a different colour each time!

Thanks, that's a good point. However, there is enough paint in the tin for about 100 coats! At £30 a pop I think I'll be sticking with white for the next few years at least.