minor paint question

[motociclista]

OK, I've never painted anything in my life except my grandfather's house, so I'm turning to the wiser minds here for some advice on a very small question.

On my Daytona 675, there's a place on the swingarm for a lower chain guard but they want like $100 for a carbon fiber piece. I have no carbon fiber on the bike, so one piece just would look stupid, IMO. So I'm taking the cheap and easy route and buying a used right-side heel guard, which bolts right in place, no problem.

The heel guard is bare aluminum. I want to come close to matching the swingarm, which is non-glossy black.

It seems way over the top to powder coat a small used part I'm buying for $10. So my questions:

If I rattle can it, will the paint stick? How do I prep the surface of the aluminum? Any other tips? It doesn't have to look perfect, because a flat black part under the swingarm is not exactly the focal point on a red sportbike, but I'd rather do the job once and be done.

Thanks in advance for any tips for a paint noob.

[JStump]

Just sand it with some 600 grit sand paper, spray some automotive primer and then paint, make sure the first few coats of each the primer and paint are light cuz you don't want runs then finish it with some matte clear coat.

[Hoblick]

thats all well and good, but a heel guard is a high wear part.

so if you rattle can it, it will come off fairly quick with the amount of contact it has.

just get it powder coated and youll never have to worry about it again

[Earache]

Send it to me and I'll powdercoat it in matte black - free of charge.

PM me for address if ya want to do this.

[motociclista]

@Hoblick: It's a heel guard I'm repurposing as a lower chain guard, so it should get no wear, just maybe an occasional road pebble bouncing off it.

@Earache: Thanks for the offer! As soon as I get the part, I may take you up on that offer. I'll PM.