Wrapping your bike

[MrCawdell]

Evening everyone,

Just had a quick question to anyone who's wrapped their bike in any colour?

My budget is only really looking to cover a 10-15 year old bike (£1500 roughly) and on that budget i've found a few cheap with a few marks from dropping, 15 years of stone chips etc.

I was wondering if I could save myself a few quid and buy a slightly cosmetically damaged bike and get it wrapped.

Just wondering how difficult this would be? Likely to be a sports/tourer/naked style bike.

I ask as it would be my first bike so i'll inevitably drop it myself and would rather not ruin a good, clean bike to practice on.
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Newbie to Motorcycling. All advise taken gratefully!

[stinkwheel]

Or, even cheaper and just as effective, just ride it and ignore the marks.

I wrapped a bike. Was hard and not really worth the effort. Should have spent the time riding it.

If you do, buy proper 3M vinyl, not the cheapo ebay stuff. It's hard enough without using cheap crap.

You will still see scuff marks through the wrap, if the paint isn't totally smooth, it wont adhere properly.

All in all, spend the money for the wrap on tyres and the time on riding it.
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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.

[MrCawdell]

[Beehive Bedlam]

Waste of time and money.

[ThatDippyTwat]

Another vote for "just fucking ride it".

If you want to spend all your time polishing and posing, get a Harley and take so much fun out of riding, that polishing and posing is better
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'98 VFR800 (touring) - '12 VFR800 Crosrunner (Commuting) - '01 KDX220 (Big Green Antisocial Machine)

[kgm]

Getting it resprayed isn't always that expensive depending on the bike and colour scheme. Worth getting a quote if yoi really want to do that. Obviously a faired bike will be significantly more. I also core for just ride it however. Put the money saved into the next bike.

[Rogerborg]

I'd consider, but haven't tried, using plasti-dip. I actually am considering it for the Ninja, just to change the colour from Boring Black.

If you go through the whole rigmarole of primer, colour coats and glossifier, it'll run expensive, mind. Even 4 x 400ml colour cans is going to run you ~£50.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[myvision]

I thought about wrapping my Thundercat but thought again it would be a waste of money and better spent in a fund for chain and sprockets.
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VFR800FI, YZF600R Thundercat and FZS 1000

[Monkeypony]

Don't wrap.

Use cash monies saved to pay for track day.

Feel better about life in general.


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Current bike - 2018 H2-SX, 2004 SV1000s, 2016 Aprilia RSV4 RF, 2017 Sherco SERF 300, 2003 Suzuki DRZ400 (stolen - AY53 JUU)

[grr666]

Wrapped a few parts, if you take your time you can get some decent results. Vinyls cheap enough. Why not? Beats
flushing your cash down the crapper at the bookies.
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Currently enjoying products from Ford, Mazda and Yamaha
Ste wrote: Avatars are fine, it's signatures that need turning off.

[BTTD]

[pig hog]

[Nexus Icon]

Whatever happened to Satin Black aerosol finishes?
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Greetings from Shitsville!

[Polarbear]

[Jayy]

Don't pour money in to a £1,500 bike, it's not worth it.

If you're absolutely set on the idea of doing it up though...

Hydrodipping? You can get it plasti dipped these days where you can even peel it all off if you want to.

Chinese fairing kit.

Both are going to be cheaper than getting it wrapped as it's somebody's time spend applying wrap little by little, getting all bubbles out, etc etc Vs a very quick dipping process or just buying chinky panels.

[stinkwheel]

Don't get petrol on plastidip. A lot of mine is now on the drive.

It's pretty resistsant to stone chips/flies etc because it's kind of rubbery but it will rub off anwhere your clothing touches it, so mine is peeling off where I touch the tank with my left knee.
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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.

[wr6133]

Wrapping is shit. I tried on the ZZR, spent fucking hours wrapping the side panels, which were the easy part to do and it looked wank. After that I stared at the top fairing, thought fuck this shit, peeled the wrap off the side panels and gave the remaining wrap away so it could torture some other sod.

If you are super cheap then rattlecan it, a few coats of colour then a couple of laquer.

If you less cheap then get a Chinese fairing kit.

[M.C]

[wr6133]

[stinkwheel]

[Rogerborg]

[burt99]

If you're worried about it looking tatty get a bike with as little fairing as possible, as this is always the first to get scuffed/damaged. Maybe something like a bandit 600/hornet as they're bulletproof.

Cover any major scuffs/scratches with stickers if you're that worried about it.

Spend the wrap money on getting your shock and forks sorted as these will probably be knackered on a £1500 bike.

Oh and get some decent rubber on it!

[stinkwheel]

[grr666]

All this talk of 'wrap money'.
It's cheaper than paint. The last bit I bought was 1500mm x 600mm and it was 9 quid.
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Currently enjoying products from Ford, Mazda and Yamaha
Ste wrote: Avatars are fine, it's signatures that need turning off.

[Rogerborg]