[FnMag]

I'm thinking since it's already flaking that I can probably take them off and hit them with my pressure washer.



Anyone else try this and if so, how?



I plan on putting the 3m high performance vinyl over afterwards...



Oh, just the tail section.

 

[admiral]

Not used pressure washer, but I used spray on paint remover. Took a couple of passes to get it all. I used a small plastic scrapper to remove most of the "pealed" paint. Then washed with hot soapy water and sponge to remove the rest before the paint remover was completely dry. After I was done I was at the base plastic without any plastic damage.

 

[FnMag]

It worked very well. Some small specks I couldn't get off that will easily sand. Took about 15 minutes and no clean up. Now if my vinyl would just show up I'll be a happy camper.

 

[admiral]

I've got some sand color vinyl just in case my paint job doesn't hold up. Lizrdbrth and a few others have used it, fairly successful by the looks of their TW's. I've watched some installation video's. Looks fairly easy, but slow. Good luck with yours.

 

[FnMag]

Neon Freakin' Orange vinyl for the tail is what I'm planning. Besides it having been my favorite color forever, I happen to work at Home Depot.. hehehe

Plan on painting the SKB case as well.

 

[DAVID2870]

has any one used a sand blaster with the psi set low?

 

[srs713]

has any one used a sand blaster with the psi set low?

I'm wanting to try out the "baking soda" blaster. It was posted in a carb cleaning thread.

 

[liberia]

It would be great if you could take a few pictures and also let us know what you think of the process when you're finished.



I'm considering using a carbon fiber looking vinyl on my wife's TW. It's a 2000 and I've completely disassembled it, sand blasted the frame and will begin the powder coating and painting soon.



No one seems to have much success with painting the plastic on these bikes so I'm hoping vinyl will be the right answer. No hard offroad riding, just paved and dirt roads. There's a lot of curves, nooks and crannies on the rear fender section and I'm a little apprehensive about doing a good job with the vinyl. It can always be peeled off if it looks bad I guess.

 

[FnMag]

I've got 4 light coats on mine right now, but I'm going to be diving into some electrical issues before I put the tail and seat back on. ( lights bright at idle. Dim under throttle)

 

[lizrdbrth]

It would be great if you could take a few pictures and also let us know what you think of the process when you're finished.



I'm considering using a carbon fiber looking vinyl on my wife's TW. It's a 2000 and I've completely disassembled it, sand blasted the frame and will begin the powder coating and painting soon.



No one seems to have much success with painting the plastic on these bikes so I'm hoping vinyl will be the right answer. No hard offroad riding, just paved and dirt roads. There's a lot of curves, nooks and crannies on the rear fender section and I'm a little apprehensive about doing a good job with the vinyl. It can always be peeled off if it looks bad I guess.

There's a knack to applying the vinyl. The sid3 covers are the easiest, followed by the rear fender. I recomend doing these first and by time you get around to the front cowling, tank and front fender you'll have it down. The seat and the little rubber rack pad thingy hide most of the seams on the rear fender. Lay small strips of the material into the fake vents and the bolt "innies" in the fender, trim them with an excacto knife, THEN do the rest of the fender.



Ronnydog, Jimbo and others have also gone the vinyl route. Maybe they'll chime in with some TW-specific tips as well. It's definitely much easier to acheive nice results with the camo patterns, but once you've done a whole bike you could probably get good results with your carbon fiber pattern. The substrate on most of these vinyls is typically white and will show at the seams, so I'd consider getting some practice in before committing to a linear pattern..