best engine paint

Top 5 Best Engine Paints: Which One Is For Your Motorcycle?

You might think that painting a motorcycle engine would be the last component to be designed upon but for motorcycle enthusiasts, it’s actually one of the parts that need design. Painting a motorcycle engine may be and intimidate hobby, but with gradual effort and dedicated time, everybody can learn how to perform a decent paint job.

When done properly, this will give you much pride in having all of it performed by yourself. Not to mention the savings it has got you by steering away from professional services. If you are interested in DIY motorcycle engine painting, you need to a lot about 70% for preparation; only 30% goes to the actual spraying of paint onto the engine. A large amount of time is also needed to cure and dry the paint.


To help you get the best choice quickly, in this article, we will show you the best engine paints in the market. I’m sure it’s helpful for you.


Quick Comparison: Top 5 Best Engine Paints

Engine Paint

Features

Price

Quality

My Rating

best-engine-paint

Dupli-Color DE1613

Can resist temperatures up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit
Durable ceramic formulation
EZ touch nozzle
Superior high gloss finish

$$

A+

best-engine-paint

Rust-Oleum 248903

Durable
Long-lasting finish
Resists oil,grease, gas, rust, salt, solvents, and humidity
Any-angle spray technology
Reduction in exhaust smoke
Reduces fuel oxidation
Improves lubricity

$

A+

best-engine-paint

Dupli-Color MC201


Anodized color effect
High gloss
Heat resistant to 500 degrees
Good braking
Fahrenheit intermittently
EZ touch fan spray nozzle

$$

A

best-engine-paint

Brite Touch BT29

Resists temperatures up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit
Fast drying
Resists rust oil and grease
High gloss finish

$

A

best-engine-paint

PlastiKote 223

Up to 500°F
Fuse engine enamel to increase bonding strength
Fully resistant to oil and gasoline, and will not weaken, crack, lift or peel
Color choices are exact matches to original engine manufacturer standards
Easy to use, dries to an extremely rugged, high heat resistant finish

$

A+

**Below, you'll find my more detailed reviews about the engine paint, but you can also click the links above to see current prices or read customer reviews on Amazon.

Read also: 

How To Clean Your Motorcycle Chain In Just 25 Minutes
How Much Does It Cost To Paint A Motorcycle?

What Is Special About Engine Paints?

best-engine-paint

Well, aside from the fact that they are dedicated to engines due to the nature of how they are called. Engine paints withstand high temperatures. Obviously, your motorcycle will get super hot when used so if you are new to painting engines, do not use ordinary spray paints. Engine paints are formulated so that they will not come off, or worse combust, during the operation of your engine.

Cleaning Is Needed Before Applying The Best Motorcycle Engine Paint

Your motorcycle engine can be a mess, this is why you need to tidy it up before using the best engine paints you can buy online. Though a first road bump to an awesome bike engine, it’s nothing to worry about.

best-engine-paint

Simple kitchen cleaning agents and some used toothbrushes will do the job. You need to get rid of that bulky dirt and grime and gradually scrub your way into a shiny engine. Soda blasters also work fine but you need to suit up for it for proper protection.

There are also other gadgets that can get the cleaning job done before you can ever spray on the best engine paints available online. Steel and brass spiral tube brushes are perfect cleaning tools but you might need to buy it, so it costs more than what is lying around the house.

Here’s a video on how to clean your bike engine:


Preparations Before Applying The Best Motorcycle Engine Paint

The most important step in applying the best motorcycle engine paint is proper preparation. If you wish that your paint job will look professionally done or at least decently done, then preparation is the key.

After degreasing your engine and removing all the dirt from it you will need to scuff the entire surface that you wish to be painted. This is because fresh paint does not stick well on shiny surfaces. Scuffing also helps in removing unwanted leftover chemicals or cleaning agents left on your motorcycle engine. The magic number for sandpaper would be around 400-grit. Get any lower, and you’ll risk scratching, get any higher and hard to remove substances will be hard to come off.

best-engine-paint

If you wish for some parts to be polished, it is much better to polish them before applying the best engine paint rather than putting the paint on and polishing afterwards.

You will also need tons of masking tape, a range of widths, stickiness, and brands. Masking tape helps out in avoiding the paint to stick to areas you don’t want the paint to be on.

Here’s A One-by-one Review Of Our 5 Best Engine Paint

Dupli-Color DE1613 Ceramic Gloss

Pros

Resists temperatures up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit
Durable ceramic formulation
EZ touch nozzle
Superior high gloss finish

Cons

Dries slower

Produced by Dupli-Color themselves, this engine paint is one of our best picks. Although it dries a bit slower, perfection takes time. Personally, I wouldn’t mind the extra hours of drying.


The tolerance can get as high as 500 degrees Fahrenheit which is the standard for today’s engine paints. It has a durable ceramic formulation that helps resist heat.


The EZ touch nozzle really made it convenient for me as I can still spray with just a simple push. Had a great time using it on one of my bikes. The glossy effect is an added bonus.

Rust-Oleum 248903 Automotive High Heat

Pros

Durable
Long-lasting finish
Resists oil, grease, gas, rust, salt, solvents, and humidity
Any-angle spray technology
Reduction in exhaust smoke
Reduces fuel oxidation
Improves lubricity

Cons

Doesn’t stick well sometimes

One of the best benefits for Rust-Oleum 248903 Automotive High Heat 2000 Degreespray paint for engines is that it is formulated to withstand up to 2000 degrees. It is indeed durable and cheap for its calibre. It also has a long lasting finish so you wouldn’t have to repaint for a very long time.


This spray paint for engines is also resistant to gas, rust, solvents, grease, oil, and even humidity. The any-angle tech is very convenient as you can spray it even if the bottle is upside-down. One downside is that it leaves a powdery leftover after painting, and sometimes it doesn’t stick well if not properly cured.

Dupli-Color MC201 Blue Metal Cast Anodized Color

Pros

Anodized color effect
High gloss
Heat resistant to 500 degrees
EZ touch fan spray nozzle

Cons

Thin Coverage

The Dupli-Color MC201 Blue Metal Cast Anodized Color’s best feature is its anodized color effect. This gives your engine a bit of an ‘effect’ compared to just applying a simple coat.


The usual 500 degrees Fahrenheit resistance applies to this engine paint. It also has the EZ touch fan spray nozzle for convenient spray painting.


One drawback is that it has very thin coverage. This means you have to give it a go for several times to get a satisfactory coat.

Brite Touch BT29

Pros

Resists temperatures up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit
Fast drying
Resists rust oil and grease
High gloss finish

Cons

Color is darker when applied

This spray paint for engines is really astonishing when it comes to drying time. I observed that it dries fast compared to other spray paints which make it one of our best engine paints.


On the other hand, it can only handle up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit so this is not recommended for bikes that usually do very long trips. The color is also much darker when applied so proper testing is needed, do not spray right away to your motorcycle engine.


PlastiKote 223

Pros

Up to 500°F
Increased bonding strength
Fully resistant to oil and gasoline
Color choices are exact matches
Easy to use

Cons

None

This spray paint made its way to our best engine paint because it can resist up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Its resistance to gas and oil makes durable, not easily cracked, peeled, or lifted.


Another great thing about this product is that it produces accurate color matches to manufacturer standards. Preparation is still recommended, though, before spraying the paint to the engine. When dried properly, this will not fail you.

My Pick For The Best Motorcycle Engine Paint


best-engine-paint

I would obviously pick PlastiKote 223 for the best engine paint. It has less to no drawbacks and is durable when cured correctly. The heat resistance also made me decide to make it my pick since it can go up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.


The color mixing from their factory is also accurate since it perfectly matches manufacturer engine color specifications. This makes it the perfect engine paint for restorations. It is also resistant to grime, oils, gas, and other icky stuff that could get into your engine when used.


Overall, this would be my choice for the best engine paint for my motorcycles.

Engine Paint

Features

Price

Quality

My Rating

best-engine-paint

Dupli-Color DE1613

Can resist temperatures up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit
Durable ceramic formulation
EZ touch nozzle
Superior high gloss finish

$$

A+

best-engine-paint

Rust-Oleum 248903

Durable
Long-lasting finish
Resists oil,grease, gas, rust, salt, solvents, and humidity
Any-angle spray technology
Reduction in exhaust smoke
Reduces fuel oxidation
Improves lubricity

$

A+

best-engine-paint

Dupli-Color MC201


Anodized color effect
High gloss
Heat resistant to 500 degrees
Good braking
Fahrenheit intermittently
EZ touch fan spray nozzle

$$

A

best-engine-paint

Brite Touch BT29

Resists temperatures up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit
Fast drying
Resists rust oil and grease
High gloss finish

$

A

best-engine-paint

PlastiKote 223

Up to 500°F
Fuse engine enamel to increase bonding strength
Fully resistant to oil and gasoline, and will not weaken, crack, lift or peel
Color choices are exact matches to original engine manufacturer standards
Easy to use, dries to an extremely rugged, high heat resistant finish

$

A+

Applying The Best Motorcycle Engine Paint

Painting your bike engine is fun. It also has benefits such as protection and aesthetics. Before trying it out yourself, you should watch videos online like this one below and learn. After that, you need to prepare as much as you can. Clean your engine and scuff it so that it would be easier to paint on. Test spraying on similar surfaces is also recommended to get that perfect color.

Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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