So after receiving my Competition werks Fender Elimintaor in the mail, the whole raw stainless look just didn’t seem to fit my bike. In fact - The Ninja is mostly black, with the only real splash of chrome coming from the exhaust… (And I still don’t think Chrome and Stainless Match very well…)

So after considering having the piece powder coated (Quoted ~50$ Locally) I figured that this was best left to the ol’ Ball and can approach. After searching through my paint collection I have built over the last 10 years, I found a can of some of my favorite stuff — Duplicolor Engine Enamel. If you can find this paint (Available at most major auto parts store, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. etc. ) It’s great to have on hand for painting parts. I last used it on Stainless Nitrous Bottle Clamps after 100’s of latching’s and bottle replacements there wasn’t a scratch or nick on them..

I just finished painting my fender eliminator, and while I was taking pictures of the process, reader Brian sent in some pictures of the Finished product. So I mashed the two together for everyone to Enjoy!

Step 1: Prep.

First, take some steel wool, and go over the all the parts to be painted. This will help scuff up the metal and help the paint adhere _MUCH_ better. Take your time here and go over all the edges. If you have any Spurs left over from manufacturing, just take a file to it. But this piece looked to be laser cut, so that shouldn’t be an issue.

Next, clean the piece with a heavy duty Cleaner. I used Denatured Alcohol because It cuts through pretty much anything. You never know what chemicals are left on these during manufacture, so getting nice clean raw metal really helps to make the paint job look extra clean. If you don’t have denatured alcohol Windex or warm soapy water will work just as well. Just make sure the piece if dry before you continue onto paint.

Step 2: Mask Tail Light

The kit comes with an LED tail light in silver. Take your time, and put some tape over the clear part of the light. You can use Painters tape, Scotch Tape, etc. In this case I used Electrical tape. I actually use it quite a bit when masking Plastics. It does a great job of sticking, and comes off really easily. Just use an Exacto knife or razor blade to trim around it. Once you have it cut, press around the edges to get a good seal to help keep paint from bleeding.

I didn’t sand this piece because I didn’t want to scratch up the clear lense. The paint stuck to it really well regardless, so skipping the sanding on this guy should be ok.

Step 3: Paint

Take your time. Remember: Thin coats. Long spray strokes. Let Dry. With the Duplicolor 3- coats seems to work best, with a very light sanding with the steel wool after the first coat. Letting the part sit over night to dry is always recommended so, really you shouldn’t try to paint and install all in the same day.
(Remember this piece has 2 sides to paint… So 2 Days would be ideal)

Step 4: Install

Here is how this piece looks installed. (These are pictures from Reader Brian — Not sure of the paint used) This looks Super Sharp! I think it fits the bike much better than the plain stainless…