Your new stripes look nice! ------ I think I would be a nervous wreck trying to get the old ones off without harming the tank. Any secrets to that process, or do they peel off easily after some heat is applied?
Thanks Jerry,
I was very nervous on the first side. I have had the decals for about 6 months building up some courage and thinking about what I had to do.
This is the steps I followed to make sure all went off with out a hitch!
1. Removed tank from the bike, Drained all old gas out of the tank, took the petcok off and left the fill cap open.
2. Let the tank sit for a week venting and evaporating any old gas.
3. Brought it inside the house to the dining room table to warm up and give me ergonomic access to the tank from a seated position.
4. Used 3M painters blue tape to mark position of the old stripe prior to removing. With my heat gun on low I started at the end of the stripe closet to the seat. And warm the stripe(tape) up so I could start peeling it off the tank.
5. Work your way all around removing it slowly and steadily. I actually got the second stripe off in just 4 sections
6. Clean any old adheasive off using acetone.
7. I then used some simple green to make sure everything was clean, followed by some soap and water to "make sure" all was clean
8. The new stripe was one of the double sided type where you place it in position and peel the top sheet off the stripe. I sprayed the side of the tank liberally with a spray bottle (12oz) full of water and 4 or 5 drops of dishsoap to float the decal into exact position.
9. Peel the top cover off the new stripe and "re" position the new strip into exactly where it needs to be working from the front of the tank towards the back.
10. When the stripe is where you like it, squeegee the water out from under the stripe using a credit card to "push" the water out and wipe the water off using a clean terrycloth towel.
11. If you have some spots on the new stripe that have some bubbles or wrinkles, use a pin to expel any air and then hit the area with the heat gun on low for like 3 seconds and you can push the vinyl with your finger down and hold it for 10 seconds and when you remove your finger the spot is litteraly gone. Heat gun any wrinkes using the same method except NO pin LOL The heat makes the vinyl very easy to work with.
12. Stand back and have your favorite "beverage" and admire your handiwork
