wrapping motorcycle parts

[gvy]

After having done some functional modifications to my 2016 Tiger sport, I decided to personalise it a bit.
This is always a matter of taste and I know that what I may like, will not exactly be liked by some one else.

Anyway, I am not into loud changes , lots of colours , bling etc.
But I thought that on a matt black motorcycle , some 3D matt carbon black parts would blend in nicely and still give it a personal touch.

I discovered (again) that wrapping is an annoying job to do. You basically want to cover 3D parts in a 2D plastic foil, without wrinkles... And since some parts I did were very 3D 
I stil have to do a part, but I had to take a break.

Here we go:





I will change the smaller plate to have the carbon wave in the same direction

[Dusty ST]

That looks very good, is this your first wrapping project?
Can you write a quick guide to doing this?
I like the carbon finish as it doesn't show the bugs and dirt as much as the plain black.

[gvy]

I have done some motorcycle parts in the past , but I am not really experienced in it, so I am in no place to write instructions on it really. But I have watched lots of youtube videos on the subject.
I do however advice you, not to buy the really cheap stuff. This is fine for surfaces, but when you have to do 3D parts, like I did , it will just be a nightmare and it will not be able to stretch around bends like the good stuff.
Very good carbon wrap is the 3M 2080 series, but it is really expensive. It's very flexible and looks like real carbon. Because of the cost , this time  I tried a cheaper, but still good quality wrap . It is the KPMF K87021 carbon fibre black.
You want to look for cast type vinyl. Do not use (the cheaper) calendared type. This last one may be thicker ( thicker is never better in wraps) , but it is not as flexible and strong as the cast type.
You need an hot airgun ( paint stripper with temperature regulation) to bring in heat to get the vinyl to stretch, and also to remove wrinkles. Applying heat brings back the memory in the vinyl


I even wrapped the stainless steel exhaust can's of my street triple with the 3M 2080 series, and it did hold up .
20220814_180002 by gvygvy, on Flickr

[gvy]

And another difficult part done 
Where you can see some wrinkles, I didn't bother because it is at a hidden place

[tiggersteve]

 
All looks pretty sound,
thanks for sharing,
may have a look myself (got the hot air gun)

[Glasgowtiger]

Nice job mate 👍

[RobeAmsterdam]

Good job!

I love it for the plastics next to the seat, I might steal your idea for those, the "air intakes" look quite difficult to wrap though...

[gvy]

I am not gonna lie...They were really hard.
But I managed, even though I am not doing this frequently. I guess looking at some youtube video's and using good quality wrap, a heat gun and a lot of patience did the job.
It involves a lot of pulling back the wrap and reapplying, stretching only where needed. Eventually you get there. I often thought it would not work out, but it did.
Another more definite way could be water transfer printing technique followed by lacquer. That would be nice too. Google it if you don't know the technique. It is very usefull for 3D parts