What is MS Re~Cycle?

MS Re~Cycle (MS hereafter) is a small business that specializes in sport motorcycle body repair as well as custom painting and fabrication. While we also provide body repair services for standard cruiser style motorcycles, our area of focus and expertise is in the repair and modification of ABS plastic commonly used on all sport motorcycles. We can repair, customize and fabricate ABS body panels and mild steel fuel tanks. Most of our day to day routine consists of repair and restoration; however, we also perform customizing and fabrication. Examples would be fairing stretching to match stretched bikes, fabricating air ducts for turbo cooling or aesthetics, fusing front ends from different machines for a unique or more modern look, etc. There is nothing that we are not interested in doing when it comes to custom motorcycles.

What kind of damage can MS repair?

Typical repairs include road rash, cracks, gouges, holes, reconstructing missing fasteners such as tabs/dowels that are molded into the body. We have experience fusing two or more broken panels together to form a single usable fairing. As long as roughly 60% of the fairing remains we’ll have no problem reconstructing voids; meaning we can replace areas of missing body material regardless how complicated or large that area may be. Fuel tanks can be straightened. We often use resistance welded studs, also referred to as hole-less dent removal but in extreme cases we can cut, straighten/replace and then weld the tank. We also do paint-less dent removal on gas tanks when appropriate.

What can I expect my motorcycle to look like when it has been completed?

We guarantee that you will not be able to see any defects of any kind in the final paint product. Repairs will not be visible. The quality of the finish will be at least as good as the original factory paint. We offer a few different options regarding the look of the finish. The introductory level paint process is our factory replication product and the quality of the finish rises from there. All paint used here at MS are high quality automotive enamel urethane. All of our paint work is done using a two or three stage paint system. "Two stage" refers to a separate color and clear coat application process. "Three Stage" refers to an intermediate coat, commonly referred to as a pearl, which usually contains a metallic flake mixed into a clear coat like emulsion used to add color depth and additional protection.

I would like to receive a quote/estimate. What do I need to do?

If you have the ability to email pictures of the entire motorcycle, especially the damaged areas and you know what you want the paint to look like, then we can provide you with an accurate estimate via email. Emailed estimates are very reliable and it is seldom the case that they are not the final price. You may also bring the vehicle to us for an on-site written estimate or for a fee we can come to you and write the estimate. The fee for off site estimates within a 20 mile radius of zip code 19029 is $25. For locations beyond 20 miles the fee is $1.55 per mile one way. We encourage you to use email.

How long will you have my motorcycle?

Turn around time is typically one week. However, it can take upwards of two weeks for an entire repair and paint process to be completed. Custom work timelines depend entirely on the planned design and will be determined when MS has received all the necessary parts.

Do you offer towing services?

Yes. We can pick up and deliver your motorcycle for locations within 20 miles of zip code 19029. There is a flat fee of $50 for each towing session.

My friend had his bike painted and he was not happy with the result. Do I have to take a leap of faith or can you promise results?

MS guarantees all of our plastic welds and all of our work in general. What is negotiated prior to the work beginning is exactly what you can expet to see at the end. We always have at least one fairing on hand which illustrates the art of plastic welding, what the welds look like on the inside of the fairing and also what the final paint results look like. Our work always consists of the substrate (Meaning the body work itself), a high build epoxy primer, a layer of base coat (color) and several layers of clear coat.

What is "orangle peel"?

Orange peel is the term given to the charastic of clear coat when it lays unevenly over the painted surface. If you look at the reflection of near objects in the clear coated surface of most vehicles you will notice that they are not exact representations of the object itslf, this distortion looks like the texture of an orange; therefore "orange peel". Most factory paint jobs have some level of orange peel.

How is orange peel removed from the clear coat?

Orange peel is a natural part of the painting process. Very talented painters can reduce the amount of orange peel almost entirely just by practicing proper spraying techniques. However, to get an absolutely perfect finish that reflects images as they would appear in a mirror (often referred to as a glass-like finish) you must sand and polish the clear coat. First the clear is sanded with very fine sand paper, starting somewhere around 1000 grit and working up to as high as 3000. Usually this is done using a "block" which levels out the surface so that it is flat as glass without leaving deep scratches or sanding though the layers of paint. Once that has been completed, the paint is then "polished" either by hand or with the assitance of a power tool. This process involves using a liquid abrasive that removes the scratches left by the sand paper, returning the surface to its original shine. The new surface will be free of imperfections of any kind and will reflect images as they are; without distortion due to paint flaws.

 

What is the difference between a factory finish and a show finish?

While this topic may be somewhat subject to opinion, it is pretty safe to say factory finishes contain a fair amount of orange peel and perhaps some other mild imperfections such as "picture framing" which are never sanded or polished out. A show quality paint finish has no imperfections what so ever and looks as if the entire surface is covered in glass. The over all effect of a properly sanded and polished finish is quite noticable and striking especially on darker colors.

What else should I know about the repair and paint process?

Striking paint jobs are an art that must be executed without flaws from start to finish. Short changing any part of the process has a dramatic, negative impact on the end result. It is not human nature to execute many subtle procedures back to back without error. Which means that in order to achieve a perfect end result, occasionally a step in the paint process requires repeating. Trying to cut corners or expidite these processes inevariably backfires. Many shops will just bandaid the error and move on and this is always visible in the end product one way or another. MS promises our customers a flawless finish and we will properly repair all imperfections. The important ideas to take from this are: Completion date estimates are not hard set dates. Sometimes a panel must sit idle while the paint on it dries, just to have it sanded off the next morning. We do our best to hit our targets and provide realistic completion dates. We will not release any bodywork before its time. Occasionally delays do happen - we urge you not to schedule your paint job too closely to an event in which you intend to participate with your motorcycle. Attempting to expedite the paint process at any point almost always results in an error causing the process to take longer than it should have in the first place. Consider a delay free labor. It is our gift to you along with the knowledge that the job is being done right.