QUALITY MOTORCYCLE PAINTING AT REASONABLE PRICES

I just want to take the opportunity to sing the praises of Brent Budgor (Vintage-Vendor). Not only is Brent a very talented painter, he is a true gentleman who takes pride in his work and is committed to working with the customer until he/she is happy. I am one of those customers. I found Brent through Access Norton. I live in Hawaii and own a 1973 Norton Commando. I contacted Brent and shipped the tank, side covers and both fenders off - the tins. He worked with me on color selection as the bike was originally black but I decided to repaint it a candy apple red like some of the CNW bikes. Brent was also very accommodating on the sizing of the Norton lettering and pinstripping. He then went the extra mile for me when I decided that I wanted the fenders pinstripped too - even though he had already finished painting and clear-coating them. Brent also worked with me on shipping which is very expensive coming from/to Hawaii. Needless to say, the photos he sent me of the finished product did not do the tins any justice. I just received the tins and cannot believe how fantastic they look. Cannot wait to get them on the bike and go for a ride. His prices are very fair!! If I ever figure out how to post the photos, I will

The Vintage Vendor Strikes again

Brent I cannot say THANKS enough. Here are my pics: http://www.accessnorton.com/jerry-mk3-commando-update-t20481.html

I highly recommend Brent.

Cheers- Jerry

You are more than welcome Jerry. I always enjoy doing your bikes, especially because I used to live in So Cal and know there are a lot of talented painters there, and yet you ship them 1500 miles to little old Vermont for me to do them. I'm honored. Thank you!
Brent
www.vintage-vendor.com

I just received the tins for my 1969 BSA Firebird Scrambler back from Brent aka The Vintage Vendor today and as usual they were outstanding. I had him replace all the decals, which were done perfectly, and the tins painted a gorgeous BSA Candy Red.

Typical Brent quality, in addition to step by step photos as the work progressed, included in numerous e-mails and even a couple phone calls. This is not the first time that Brent has done paintwork for me as he completed a breathtaking re-do on my 1973 Norton Commando Roadster in 2012, which looks as good today as it did when he completed it.
Brent's prices are very reasonable and his communication is excellent.

A lot of us have their "paint guy" who is probably local and convenient but Brent Budgor is that guy for me and although I live in Michigan and he lives in Vermont I'll send him all of my future work.

Ray Chudo

Well I just got my tank, side covers and fenders back from Brent. Wow. As everyone has already said = excellent communications, meticulous work, lots of progress pics and all done at a reasonable price in a timely fashion. I don't think you can ask for anything else. I too was a bit hesitant about sending everything across the country when I could probably find someone local. I'm glad I didn't bother with it - Brent made the whole thing pretty painless.

-- David

I just got my tank and side covers back from Brent and I am another satisfied customer! Brent provided just what I asked for with fast turnaround, just like all the prior posts.

I sent Brent an original side cover for color duplication and two NOS covers and tank from E-bay to paint (he also did my tail light fairing). Matching color is one thing, but when you add flake matching, its another ballgame. But the result is really outstanding color match, flake size, gloss, etc -- except I might add that Brent's has a more polished shine and the flakes are a little more uniform than original (i.e. better job than original). Look at the comparison picture and from the camera distance, the best way to tell them apart is simply that the original tank was fiberglass. Up close, Brents is even better. I'll let you guess which is the original side cover.



Ted Lang

Like almost everyone on this forum my Commando is the best thing I have ever owned (original owner of a 74 Commando). I just received my tank and covers back from Brent and this is the 2nd time he has painted them for me. Opted to change from black to candy apple red and, based on the work he did for me in 2010 he would be my only choice. Absolutely gorgeous work, essentially flawless. I wouldn't consider anyone else to do the paint. Price was reasonable based on the high quality of the product. This should be your first stop. Consider no one else.

Brent painted two Atlas tanks for me. The work was beautiful, done on time and for the quoted price. He had me send him the tank badges so that he could check that the tank contours were correct. He even touched up the paint on a set of badges for free. His level of professionalism was a step above. I got a kick out of his explanation that "polychromatic," the term Norton used to describe their 50's and 60's tank paint, was just a fancy way of saying metal flake. I recommend him without reservation.

Domitwin said:

I got a kick out of his explanation that "polychromatic," the term Norton used to describe their 50's and 60's tank paint, was just a fancy way of saying metal flake.

Click to expand...

Thats dangerous talk !!
I'm doing an early dommie in Nortons early version of polychromatic blue, and was advised that this paint is essentially pre-metallic paint era.
The metal/crushed glass is sooooo fine in it that its about invisible to the naked eye. The paint guy called it a pearl or pearlescent type paint.
Metalflake paint as such - in bikes - is later type paint, and would be plain wrong on bikes this early.
Triumph silver sheen type paints are apparently similar. And Enfields used poly paint prewar. Again, the flake is too small to be visible.
Cars may be different, and YMMV.

Someone on a Triumph forum mentioned that he'd had his 52 Thunderbird painted in metallic blue,
(everyone said Woooo, thats early for metallic paint on a bike)
and got treated to a detailed history on paint types....

P.S. If you try and photo polychromatic paints in different lights, it comes out as near completely different colors.
Poly blue in low light comes out as a bright shiny blue, but in sunlight as an almost whitish shade of blue.
Thats where the "poly" in "polychromatic" comes from = many colors.
Plain ole metallic paints don't really do this....

In my defense Rohan, I would guess this was a lighthearted discussion I was having with Domitwin when we were initially discussing his Altas tanks. And for that matter, was probably making a joke as I often do.
Brent
The Vintage Vendor

I bought an “Emgo” steel gas tank to replace the “Fireflake” blue fiberglass gas tank on my 1969 Norton Commando. The fiberglass resin had been dissolving due to the ethanol in gasoline and it was too late to coat it with the “Casewell Plating” epoxy tank lining.

A friend of my had his 850 Interstate tank and side covers painted by Brend Budgor of “Vintage Vendor” a few years ago, and the bike looked great. A few other people also spoke highly of Brent, so I gave Brent a call. After discussing the possibility of reproducing “Fireflake” blue in paint I looked over the “Vintage Vendor” website and changed my mind about the paint I wanted. I chose a “Candy” blue with a silver base coat and silver lettering, and sent my tank and side covers up to Burlington Vermont.

Brent did call me once to just confirm what I wanted and told me he would be painting my parts that day. He sent me pictures once the paint was done, and more after he polished the tank and sidecovers. I was very impressed with the first set of photos, and stunned by the second. They looked so incredibly beautiful. I could hardly wait for delivery of the actual parts. I was afraid to open the box, but the photos did not do justice to the work. I am so happy with this paint job. I had to touch up the black paint on the frame and spend an afternoon with a can of “Mothers” aluminum polish just to get rest of the bike worth of the paint. I would high recommend Brent to anyone who is looking for a top quality paint job. I am posting a picture of the bike today.


Chuck Contrino
President, Tri-State Norton Riders

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Brent recently finished a very nice job of tank and side covers for me which required exchanging ideas through email and telephone. This wasn't a straight-forward repaint to factory standards. I had an Atlas tank with Commando base which I wanted to color using the silver paint scheme from works racing Nortons of years ago. I wanted to carry more fuel than I had in Roadster trim, and I prefer the shape of the Atlas tank to that of an Interstate tank. As has been mentioned many times before, Brent's communications were great. Frequently he sent pictures throughout the process...both for approval and as eye candy. The finished result is outstanding in every way! I am pleased to strongly recommend his experience to produce work in this class, his attention to detail really shows. Great job, Brent!

Brent had previously painted the tank of my 60 Mercury and my 75 Roadster. His work was meticulous and his communications beyond belief!
So I decided to repaint my British racing green 74 Roadster in Norton silver with black graphics and asked that the graphics be sized as per those done by CNW. I also asked him to shoot a coat of clear onto the tank bottom and inside of the side covers. He did all that for no extra charge and even overnight shipped it back to me at his own expense beyond parcel post ground. Of course the work is absolutely perfect!
Brent will be my painter of choice for any work I have done in the future.

Brent did my 1969 Norton Commando. Very nice work at a reasonable price, and he has all artwork necessary.

Brent did my son's 1979 T140E and matched (surpassed) the original paint scheme perfectly. He will send pictures at every stage and the final product is stunning.

I've recently received my Emgo tank from Brent. I got the bare steel tank Colorado Norton Works. I sent it right to Brent. It is black with gold trim and lettering. I am very happy with the results, the lettering looks amazing and has really made my bike look a lot better.

It's time to post another rave review for Brent Budgor, the Vintage Vendor. I've lost count at this point, as to how many bikes he's painted for me over the last several years. My most recent was another Norton Commando MK3 tank and side covers. Absolutely stunning. It's like perfectly still water. Wet, lusterous and flawless at the surface. I don't know how he does it, but he continues to amaze me with his talents. I am still just as excited to open a package from him today as I was all those years ago when we first started trading. The proof is in all of the testimonials and attached photos. If you haven't used his services yet, or are considering anybody else to do your paint work, don't be foolish. Use Brent Budgor. Period.

Thanks, Brent. You're a rare breed.

Okay, I could have paid significantly more and had (hopefully) a concours finish ready for the Pebble Beach Show. However, the quality of work that Brent did on my yellow 1974 Norton Commando 850 Roadster exceeds the original factory paintwork. My bike is a rider, not a living room queen. It is bound to get scratches and nicks, otherwise known as "patina."

So I'm very pleased with Brent's communication in emails/photos throughout the painting process, work finished in a timely manner, reasonable price, and downright great attitude in his desire to please his clients!

I do recommend his services and would not hesitate to employ him in the future.

Kim Z. Turtenwald

Laguna Niguel, California

Hello, I am new to the forum but have been a Norton owner for 40 years. I bought a Black Mk III Interstate in California when Norton Villiers stopped doing business in the states in 1975. About 18-19 years ago I had a run in with a deer which bent the frame ( and me) and the Norton has been resting in the garage ever since. I recently started looking at beginning repair/restoration. The big Interstate tank had a few small dents and I contacted Brent on his ability to repair and paint the tank versus getting a replacement tank. I sent Brent photos and he said no problem. I live in Southern New England and drove the tank and side covers up to Brent so I could meet him and review the work required. He had a JPN fairing in process as well as 2 other tanks. At every step of the process he sent photos of the dent repair, priming, base coat, stenciling and finish up photos. It came out very nice and his method of using the decals as stencils makes it look better than new. I would not hesitate to recommend him for your painting needs. At the time of the crash I do not think that there was a Norton focused website such as this. Looking forward to mining this global pool of information and experience.

John H

Just received the bodywork back from Brent for my wife's '73 Honda CB500. Brent did a great job, working to match the candy green to samples I had sent. Like a Norton paint job, these Hondas varied a fair bit in shade when they were new. The end result turned out great, matching the color we had in mind and look great.

Turnaround time was quick and communication was thorough throughout the process. I got the NOS emblems installed yesterday and had to get the bike out in the sun to really appreciate it. Very satisfied!

I've got another tank in need of paint for my Velocette, it'll be sent to Brent for paint as soon as I get it ready.