Last winter we powdercoated my sons 300EX and this past spring, we did my other sons LT80.... Quads look good PC'd! :laugh: Anyway, we did that because, like you, we had planned to keep them forever. Which is not true now since I am on this forum... we are switching to DB's. Anyway to answer your question.
I have found that powdercoat does chip more easily than regular paint. Instead of wearing though like paint, it chips and tears away leaving some places to rust since you don't rub in those places. Regular paint would have stayed on in those areas. Now, I am a backyard PC'r so I may not always be getting the part perfect in tempature or for the perfect amount of time. We PC'd everything! Every nut and bolt with the exception of the swingarm and the a-arms. We just didn't want to mess with the bearings and ruin the ball joints with heat. So, we painted those with automotive quality urethane. Honestly, that is the way to go. PC is nice for some parts, but for pegs or places your boots will rub I would consider leaving alone or going with a different paint. We even painted the 300's side case covers! Looked great then looks good now with the usual wear on the side covers from boots.
Will I PC stuff on the dirtbikes. Probably some, but I won't go crazy. I hope to ride more. Some of my favorite colors for PCing are semi gloss black (looks factory) and silver vein. The candies look great, but take more time and double coats...silber vein looks ever better with clear! I hope this helps.
Oh yeah, if you still want to PC, check out columbiapowdercoating.com. They have the best deal on a starter kit and not a bad price on a bench top sandblaster too.