I think I like it. Vinyl wrap??? How is it on cleaning, durability and holding its color? Oooo - It would have looked really good black and white
3M says to clean it like you would paint and protect/polish it with Mequires quick wax. I just completed it, so I can't really comment on durability from a longevity standpoint, but I can tell you that if you stretch it then its going to turn pretty thin and frail. I think the vinyl protection wrap (aka clear bra vinyl) is 10 mils thick, and this stuff is 3.5 mils thick. Regarding holding its color, 3M says 6 years outdoors and unlimited indoor life. Regarding black and white..Ohhh man this thing looked so like a cop bike there for a couple days while I was working on it! The neat thing is, I can peel back parts and make it look that way if I want!
My biggest concern now is the heat...Its a chilly fall here and I completed this in October. How this is going to hold up in the sun on a 90 degree day is going to be the true test. It might be a castle in the sand waiting for the high tide of a sunny day...But I hope not! I took a lot of care to seal the edges properly using 3m edge sealer 3950. I let it idle outside on a sunny day for an hour and it got a bit warm but nothing like I know it will get when the July sun hits it.
I've got an interesting question, if the bike is registered as white on the registration and you get pulled over and it is now black, what will the outcome be? I know some officers can be azzhats.
Interesting question indeed! I have no idea...I guess I'd pop the trunk or gas door and show the orig. color.
That first picture looks something like it was taken at Life Style power sports in Mt Vernon, Washington ??
Actually that was taken when I bought it at Rocky Mountain Cycle Plaza in Colorado Springs. I then rode it home, via Reno, San Francisco, up Hwy 1 to 101 then to Seattle. Epic!
Another thing I noticed....You have a garage running over in Sweeeettt rides No junk in your yard
I'm a lucky man!
So how hard was it to get the bubbles and wrinkles out??? How long did it take all together?? And how much $$$...
The bubbles aren't really a problem on the 3m 1080 stuff I used, it has these microscopic air channels in the back and before its really pressed down with a squeegee, the air bubbles disappear like magic with the press of a finger. The wrinkles...Meh...the more you heat it and stretch it, the more you get to futz with the wrinkles. Its an art that you get better at after you do it a bunch, but I don't know if I could really quantify how hard it is or isn't. It does require patience, and it does get easier...but the first time you try to wrap a mirror is a giant pain the ass. The third time is a lot easier and comes out a LOT nicer.
Regarding how long I'd say about 100-130 hours total to take it all apart, clean it, prep it, wrap it, and put it back together...But really..its hard to say since I did a lot in between.
Cost was around 300 total for the vinyl, 3M Edge Sealer 3950, 3M Primer 94 and various other tools. I could do the entire bike again for about 200 now that I have the tools and a little more know how.
Thanks again for the compliments! This was my first try so I just did a lot of research on youtube on vinyl wrapping, talked to my local sign shop and started with the small bits.
I hope that answers the questions, but let me know if you have others.
Kneedle
