Painting over factory finish?

[Scott Gardner]

I'm going to repaint my Ducati, and had a question about whether or not to strip off the factory basecoat/clearcoat. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to strip the tank to remove the factory decals under the clearcoat, but that's no big deal, since the tank is metal. The fender and seat cowl are plastic, however. Can I get away with just roughing up the factory clearcoat? If so, do I still use primer and sealer over the scuffed clearcoat? (I'm planning on using House of Kolor paint, if that matters.)</cr>
Lastly, if I need to remove the factory paint, is there a good chemical stripper that's good for plastic parts?</cr>
Thanks,
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Scott Gardner

 

[rex]

Are you sure there's paint on the plastic parts?Usually they're molded in color.If they're painted just sand them and seal them but if they're not sand them with something really fine and use a plastic primer before sealing them.Stripping the tank is personal preference.You could just sand the hell out of it down to the base or primer and seal it,the decals are probably stuck on top of the base.I like to start from steel but it's alot more work.