Newb Paint Question

[Silverback]

I'm looking to get my bike painted (all the plastics, hump, and tank) but I know nothing of what to look for in a paint shop.

I live on the central coast in California so anything from SLO county, Santa Barbara county, Ventura county, or even LA county would work if anyone has recommendations.

What I'm trying to find out is what should I expect to pay for a simplistic (in my mind), quality paint job and what questions do I need to ask?

I'm thinking of going with all white (maybe with some sort of metallic flake).  When I speak of quality (previous paragraph), I'm talking about a nice looking paint job where the paint looks "deep" and shiny instead of "flat" and dull.  I want one that obviously won't crack or chip and takes road abuse as well as, if not better than, factory paint.

Lastly, I would want the shop doing the job to sand off the old paint and remove the decals.  I obviously would need to provide them with replacement decals but would an '05 "S" need to be placed over or under any clear coat?

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions...



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[Ludicrous Speed]

Any paint is going to chip, especially along the edge behind the front tire, but I don't think the tank will scratch as easily with a Dupont/PPG/etc clear vs stock.

THe deep look is achieved by wetsanding and buffing the orange peel out. The dull look is from a poor application of the top coat, as my stuff shines like glass before wetsanding::