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Professor's Patch: Installing new graphics

Step 1: Surface preparation Step 1: Surface preparation

Step 2: The test fit-up. Step 2: The test fit-up.

Step 3: Line banding. Step 3: Line banding.

Step 4: Fit the line-banded section. Step 4: Fit the line-banded section.

Step 5: Trim the edges.Step 5: Trim the edges.

 

There’re lots of ways of getting sticker kits on straight and smooth: you can use soapy water (great until your first wet race day when the dried soap turns damp and lifts the sticker kit), or heat guns, which should only be used to stretch stickers around a difficult profile.
The bike factories put their stock graphics kits on cold, and on some European bikes they don’t put them on at all! Instead, the pre-delivery mechanic in the dealership will look after it. You’ll hear a thousand ideas on how to put graphics on, but here’s how the bike manufacturers do it.

THINGS YOU’LL NEED
1) Acetone or Prepsol
(Acetone can be bought from hobby shops, chemists or big hardware chains; Prepsol can be bludged off any panelbeater – you’ll only need 500ml.)
2) Craft knife
3) 150mm steel ruler
4) A texta pen
5) White Spirits
(Only needed for stickers going on to plastic fuel tanks – your local auto-trans repairer might shout you 500ml.)

STEP 1: SURFACE PREPARATION
Wash the bike thoroughly in the normal fashion, then go over all the plastics and look for scratches and scars. Using your steel rule sideways drag the high spots off all the scratches; once you get comfortable with this technique you’ll be amazed what you can repair. You can clean up all the plastic edges at the same time. A Stanley knife blade with the corners rounded works even better when dragged across the plastic.
After you’ve flattened the scars out, give the plastic a good wipe with Acetone or Prepsol, then wash them thoroughly in the laundry tub with plenty of detergent. Rinse them perfectly clean and allow them to dry.

STEP 2: THE TEST FIT-UP
Fit the plastics to the bike with super-clean hands and check out how the stickers fit with the sticker backing still on. When you’re happy with the sticker location, use your Texta to make some dots, which overlap both the sticker and the plastics.

STEP 3: LINE BANDING
Reverse the sticker, then gently and carefully cut a band of sticker backing 25mm-50mm wide from the rear side of the sticker. Be very careful not to cut the actual sticker! Using a brand-new box-cutter/craft knife segment will help you here.

STEP 4: FIT THE LINE-BANDED SECTION
Using the alignment dots from Step 2, fit the banded area of the sticker to the plastic, working front to rear. Go slowly and lift and refit if an air bubble appears.
Thumb-roll the main body of the sticker on, starting in the middle and working out to the edges. Go really slowly and lift and refit any air bubbles.

STEP 5: TRIM THE EDGES
Use your craft knife to tidy up any overlaps or ill-fitting sections. Some brands are worse than others and will need attention. Remove any part of the graphic that finishes on a rounded edge or overlaps a mounting screw hole; it’s a place for the graphic to start peeling from. Clean the Texta dots off with some acetone and we’re done. Any remaining air bubbles can be removed by putting a tiny nick in the sticker with your craft knife and pushing down on the bubble. Try to put the nick on a colour line so it can’t be seen.

NOTE: Plastic tank stickers – special treatment needed
As well as all the stuff in Step 1, plastic tanks need to be emptied, flushed with White Spirits and left in the sun for a day … twice!
The fuel actually penetrates the plastic and needs to be got rid of, and believe it or not, but pre-mix is even worse.
Factory fuel-proof stickers will go on perfectly using this method. A fuel-proof sticker is all grey when the backing is peeled off. Cheap copies of fuel-proof stickers have heaps of holes in them for the fuel vapour to escape from. This isn’t a good solution, so don’t be disappointed if they lift. The White Spirits flush will give them a good chance of staying put.

STAY SAFE
Craft knives/box cutters are very sharp, so be careful!  Acetone, Prepsol and fuel are volatile solvents, so don’t get them on your skin and always use them in a well-ventilated area. And while you’re pimpin’ your ride, don’t let your dopey mates watch on smoking durries.