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7K views 15 replies 6 participants last post by  abe57 
#1 ·
I’ve been wanting to try a vinyl wrap for years and someone in another forum recently talked about the CKWraps channel on YouTube. Armed with a lot of great information, I ordered several small carbon fiber vinyl wraps and knifeless tape from Amazon (free & easy returns) to change up the plain plastic tank cowl on my ‘21 MT-09 in Matte Black.

I tested narrow strips cut from the ends of each roll to see how the products differed. The Vvivid XPO vinyl ($13 for a 18”x60” roll) is tackier but also thicker, tougher, and it heals less under the heat of a hairdryer. I quickly found there is a reason why Avery Dennison SW900 vinyl is three times the price ($31 for a 12”x60” roll); it’s MUCH easier to work with on a complex shape given that it’s pliable, forgiving, and heals well under heat. No need for a heat gun - a hairdryer is plenty hot enough for touch-ups and post-heating.

This was a ridiculously complex piece for my first try at vinyl wrap. I gave up after two hours on trying to do it all in one piece of vinyl but that’s why I ordered knifeless tape too (for butt joints). It would have been FAR easier to do an auto dash panel or center console first. Still it came out as well as I’d hoped. Now we’ll see how long it lasts in use on my bike.

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#2 ·
Looks pretty good to me - I'd be happy with that result, especially for a first-timer!
 
#6 · (Edited)
For anyone interested - It's worth mentioning how different various vinyl wraps are. Vvivid XPO, Hexis, 3M 1080/2080/DI-NOC, Avery Dennison SW900, and others are all very different to work with. When I tested a piece of Vvivid XPO on this part (photo), it quickly became apparent that Vvivid XPO was never going to work as desired, at least not without an advanced skill-set. Next, I tried Avery Dennison SW900 194-X Black Carbon Fiber and 845-M Matte Metallic Charcoal (intake ducts) and found it was much, much easier. I made a few butt joints in the carbon fiber using knifeless tape but later, when I ran into trouble, I made simple overlap joints that are nearly invisible in the carbon fiber pattern - you have to look VERY closely to see the joints and they don't detract at all from the look. If I do fake carbon fiber again, I'll just do it the easy, simple, and lazy way and use lots of vinyl pieces (probably 7 pieces of vinyl instead of only four shown here) with simple overlaps. One of the ways you can tell that carbon fiber is fake is the lack of breaks in the carbon fiber pattern - real carbon doesn't flex much in two directions the way vinyl does. REAL carbon fiber in a complex shape has layups of simply bent pieces in a variegated fiber pattern so why go to a lot of trouble to make your fake carbon fiber look less real by bending it into complex shapes? Lesson learned. I can't say enough good things about Avery Dennison SW900 vinyl though - I'm pretty sure other vinyls would have ended up in the trash.

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#12 ·
I've done wraps on different bikes I've owned. What I learned is thicker vinyl is not necessarily better. It doesn't stretch as easily and is really hard to form around contours with wanting to wrinkle. Your Avery Dennison looks fantastic! I wonder if Avery has any connection to printer labels? Makes sense if they do. Very nice work people.
 
#13 · (Edited)
I wanted to add a little more faux carbon-fiber to my bike. The tail looked incomplete being only partially done and with more experience I felt confident enough to tackle even more complex shapes. FYI - this particular vinyl isn't as glossy as it appears in the photos. It's actually a slightly textured, satin "weave" with small glossy highlights. It's just a little glossier than a matte "dry carbon" look.

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