Anyone used vinyl wrap on their bike? *Update. Tried it.*

[stinkwheel]

How did it work out for you?

Worth the money?

A mate had his race bike tank wrapped with a sponsors logo (to hide crash damage) and it looked pretty damned good.

I'm particularly interested in fairing plastics though. Especially interested in how easy it is to DIY.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[kramdra]

another option ive been thinking about is vinyl fake leather stuff to replace damaged fairings. Since Ive got a baglux tank cover, I think it would look good with it. Also be more resistant in a crash?

[Spudda]

I've had some Carbon Wrap done on my rad guard and front sprocket cover

I'm glad I had it done and although its not 'in ya face' its subtle but noticeable
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[map]

I do recall this thread for advice on applying it.
Maybe a PM to ask how it turned out?


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[Shaft]

[MarJay]

Me and a couple of mates did some vinyl stripes on a mates Golf race car. It took a long time and a lot of patience on a smooth relatively flat surface. We still had air bubbles in it.

I'd suggest searching out a torrent of Wheeler Dealers Series 3, because in episode 1 they vinyl wrap a VW transporter van. The results look awful, but that was because they chose a blue wrap with bubble images on it...
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Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[Casper]

[shereen]

[P.]

I've wrapped various bits now. Used both hairdryer and 400 degree air gun Recommend a warm hairdryer for sure.

It probably takes around...half an hour+ to do a tank thanks to the curves. Fairings, I'd happily do my own, would probably be around 30 mins each for the large panels.

I've seen a guy wrap a vinyl car by himself in about 2 hours

Overall its not hard, but you need patience.

[Casper]

[J.M.]

[Howling Terror]

Just thinking out loud...

How would the vinyl cope with stone chips. Not an issue on the tank but I could imagine the lower fairings getting a battering and once the water gets underneath...
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[stinkwheel]

[Vincent]

Doesn't the vinyl fade over time?
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Space Is Deep

[map]

[stinkwheel]

Well. I've had a crack at it.

Got a small-ish piece, enough to do the belly pan on the basis that it'll land up all covered in stone-chips and crap anyway.

This is a fast moving field. I've used stuff called controltac made by 3M which is pretty much the most up to date version of vehicle wrap.

Definately something that you need to practice first but I'm also pretty happy with the finish so I reckon I'll do the whole bike in it. If it lands up rubbish, you can just peel the whole lot off again. I suspect this stuff will help with the integrity of the plastics too. It'll stop any small cracks "running".

I didn't get it perfect this time but if I work from least conspicuous to most conspicuous plastic I should be good enough at it by the time I get to the tank to get it more or less flawless.

Couple of things I noticed. One is that ANY tiny little bits of dirt under the film stand out like a sore thumb so I'll be using a microfibre cloth next time and being extremely fastidious with the cleanliness of the surroundings.

Also this stuff stretches WAY more than I thought it would so the trick is to initially stick it along a plane from where it will need to be stretched to cover all the rest of the plastic. If you get a bit where it doesn't need to be stretched, you land up either with a ruck or having to cut the vinyl and make a seam.

A hairdrier is plenty hot enough and this stuff goes on dry.

https://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f216/stinkwheel/VFR/CIMG0730.jpg
https://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f216/stinkwheel/VFR/CIMG0727.jpg

I've got a few rucks and bits of dirt in it this time but it's just the belly pan and I'll do it much neater next time.
https://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f216/stinkwheel/VFR/CIMG0728.jpg

Next question is colour. Matt black the whole thing like the belly pan or something else? The world is my oyster. They do a rather funky dark metallic red. I could even mix and match with the tailpiece and belly pan black and the tank and top fairings red. Time for a bit of time on GIMP I think.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[anthony_r6]

I'd like to see how well it holds off the stone chippings. Looks pretty good there, but seeing it on the bike would give a better representation.

How easy is it to take off and what kind of residual marks would be left on the fairing/tank?
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Ted : "Maybe he's agoraphobic."
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[stinkwheel]

[stinkwheel]

I reckon this would look pretty smart:
https://www.bikechatforums.com/download.php?id=85150
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Louise]

I did it with mine a month ago - Its not that hard to put on, just the tight curves got a bit tricky
Wouldnt mind doing something with the tank at some point, to cover marks..

[Digitalize]

It resists chips well, seen hundreds of cars wrapped now, seen some cover thousands of motorway miles and still look really good up close on the front.

Lots of people are wrapping brand new vehicles as they are protected then can strip it before selling and have perfect paintwork underneath.
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[Vincent]

I think I'll do my clock surround
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Space Is Deep

[stinkwheel]

Having had a further play with the stuff, I'll add to my list of tips that the job is 10x easier if the part is securely fixed down to something heavy.

I've been trying to wrap a mudguard with it sat on the table and it's a nightmare, you have to really stretch the stuff to get it round some of the corners. Trying to hold the mudguard, stretch the vinyl and apply the heat all at the same time is pretty much impossible.

Leave the part on the bike or attach it to a temporary jig clamped in a workbench and you can just work away with it. Some parts may be easier one way or the other. A mudguard is defiantely easier on the bench.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[stinkwheel]

Tank done. This was a bit of a swine. You get about 90% done then are left with a bundle of excess wrap in one corner because the tank comes back in again. Land up having to stretch it like crazy to get it smooth.

Any wrinkles are under the bit where the saddle goes though.

It really helps to do it on a smooth, plastic surface so you can stick the edges of the unused wrap to the tabletop to stop it all rucking up and sticking to itself.
https://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f216/stinkwheel/CIMG0760.jpg
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[soforene]