Paint protection

[Wayne Johnson]

Have a 2023 Rt and looking into a vinyl wrap to protect the paint from chips unlike my previous 19. They show up quite easy on the artic white. I also had trouble with the previous clear coat failing after washes. In fairness i often used 210 cleaner to clean bugs while doing the windscreen. Trying to sand and blend the clear proved useless as the base paint is so thin i ended up having to repaint the white also. Anyone have any experience with this and recommendations as to which ones are best? Looking for precut. prices are all over the place. American $589 vs 250ish in Europe. Thanks in advance.

[Lowndes]

Maybe go to a commercial film wrapper and have someone with much experience do it for you??  Don't expect a perfect or even "factory" job, unless maybe this is his 100th '23RT this month, but it would be better than a DIY job.

[wbw6cos]

@JSCOTT to the white courtesy phone, please.

[MikeB60]

5 hours ago, Wayne Johnson said:

Have a 2023 Rt and looking into a vinyl wrap to protect the paint from chips unlike my previous 19. They show up quite easy on the artic white. I also had trouble with the previous clear coat failing after washes. In fairness i often used 210 cleaner to clean bugs while doing the windscreen. Trying to sand and blend the clear proved useless as the base paint is so thin i ended up having to repaint the white also. Anyone have any experience with this and recommendations as to which ones are best? Looking for precut. prices are all over the place. American $589 vs 250ish in Europe. Thanks in advance.

I wouldn't mess with the precut stuff you will get a much better result from a local shop that specializes in wraps and paint protective films. I put the precut stuff on my K1600 it was ok but but my wife had a local shop install PPF on her Spyder that turned out much better for not much more money.

[simskid]

I just received the pre cut panels from Tony James Designs ( London) for my brand new 2024 1250.  Haven't wrestled with them yet.  Looks pretty straight forward and not too tough.  MY 2016 RT got a little beat up so I'm going to use this on most of the painted surfaces and it covers the headlight as well.  

 

John

[Cap]

I wrestled with the decision of custom vs pre-cut.  I have a custom paint job, and wanted to protect it, especially around the gas tank and side panels where my knees rub.  In my town, the cost of custom install was over $1000.  So, I bought a few pre-cut panels for the RT, and did my best.  The result is acceptable, but not perfect.  Let’s just say that nobody else would notice the imperfections.  But I am not sure I would do it again.  My painter charges about the same rate per panel as the pre-cut costs.  So, on my next bike, I think I will simply repaint anything that gets badly scratched.

 

Cap

[Hati]

8 hours ago, Wayne Johnson said:

Anyone have any experience with this

 

Yes. My'21 got a pre-cut kit on its second day of my ownership. Reasoning was the same, nothing else can stop paint chipping. It worked. Now, nearly 3 years and 60 k kilometres later It has proven to be one of the best investments for this bike.

 

2 hours ago, MikeB60 said:

I wouldn't mess with the precut stuff

 

Why? If the maker of a pre-cut kit did his/her job, the film should fit perfectly. Mine certainly did and there is no other way to cover the more intricate areas, too much stretching and shrinking required.

 

38 minutes ago, Cap said:

The result is acceptable, but not perfect.  Let’s just say that nobody else would notice the imperfections.

 

I know what you mean. It was my first time applying film like that. Same outcome, I can see the imperfections but the end result is that my bike, under the film is still as perfect as the day I bought it. It's time though now to replace the film with a new set. I am looking around for one.

 

38 minutes ago, Cap said:

But I am not sure I would do it again.  My painter charges about the same rate per panel as the pre-cut costs.  So, on my next bike, I think I will simply repaint anything that gets badly scratched.

 

Ah, you are SO lucky. My painter, arguably the best motorcycle specialist in town, painted my small trailer (an Armoric Design made Globe Sport) to match the bike. I gave him the trailer in pieces with all paintable components stripped of parts and rubbed back with wet/dry 400 paper, ready to prime. It cost me $1800 Australian. Yes it is stunning quality and a perfect colour match but f*ck me, was it expensive or what?. 3 years ago the 3M pre-cut film kit was around $400 to buy. So either your painter doesn't value his/her time and works for peanuts, he charges you mates rates or uses cheap paint, if your claim of "painting being the same price as film wrapping" is true.

 

 

To the OP: my advice from the above experience would be to:

• go with a quality pre-cut kit
• strip the panels off the bike and wrap it like that, if you think you can manage the installation, much easier then with the panels in place
• buy some scrap from a wrap shop and practice a bit before you do the real deal or
• find a shop that will install it for you if you shy away from doing it yourself.

There are a lot of videos on YT you can watch showing you how it is done. It definitely helps, but being good with your hands is a prerequisite. Good luck with it. Let us know how you go.

[Cap]

34 minutes ago, Hati said:

 

...So either your painter doesn't value his/her time ... if your claim of "painting being the same price as film wrapping" is true....

...There are a lot of videos on YT you can watch showing you how it is done....

 

My painter charges $75 per panel plus materials.  BMW paint is expensive, but can be purchased in small quantities.  I pay somewhat less than $1000 for a full bike in 3 colors plus primer and clear coat.  In my town, I think that the protective film guys are just stupidly high priced.  But they stay busy, and have a backlog, so maybe they have it priced right.  It is a highly-skilled occupation.

 

Plus 1 on the YouTube videos.  I watched several before I attempted the install on my pre-cut panels.   And I bought some silicone blocks, and I had two spray bottles with soapy solution and alcohol solution.  It was still something of a goat rodeo, but I got it done.

 

[MikeB60]

39 minutes ago, Hati said:

Why? If the maker of a pre-cut kit did his/her job, the film should fit perfectly. Mine certainly did and there is no other way to cover the more intricate areas, too much stretching and shrinking required. 

First, I'd rather support a local small business that has experience and expertise in in the area. Second they use cut tape which minimizes the need for excessive stretching. Lastly as I stated in my area you can get high quality 3m ppf applied for about the same cost.

[Dingo55]

Hati

Unless my eyes deceive me that looks very much like the Albany wind farm

Guess you needed the trailer for all the wet/cold weather gear

Cheers

Mark

 

[Hati]

1 hour ago, Dingo55 said:

Unless my eyes deceive me that looks very much like the Albany wind farm

Guess you needed the trailer for all the wet/cold weather gear

 

It was indeed, good spotting. It was the last day/night of a 4 day trip where we had to have bed linen for the accommodation (not in Albany). So it was either a car trip or take the trailer. You can't actually tell it's behind the bike, unless you push the limits of the trailer's tyre edges.

[Bob H.]

On 2/3/2024 at 8:21 AM, Wayne Johnson said:

Have a 2023 Rt and looking into a vinyl wrap to protect the paint from chips unlike my previous 19. They show up quite easy on the artic white. I also had trouble with the previous clear coat failing after washes. In fairness i often used 210 cleaner to clean bugs while doing the windscreen. Trying to sand and blend the clear proved useless as the base paint is so thin i ended up having to repaint the white also. Anyone have any experience with this and recommendations as to which ones are best? Looking for precut. prices are all over the place. American $589 vs 250ish in Europe. Thanks in advance.

I had the BMW vinyl factory installed on my 18RT and my 21RT with mixed results. The 14RT was good until the day I traded it in on the 21RT, the cover on the 21RT lasted about six months before the front started to lift at the edge. I'm going to go with the ceramic coating when I get my 24RT this spring from what I hear it provides a tough finish that should last. Rumor has it also has a five year guarantee :)  .

[Hati]

3 hours ago, Bob H. said:

I'm going to go with the ceramic coating

 

It will make the paintwork more slippery and easier to clean but will do nothing to stop tiny projectiles taking paint off your bike.

[JCtx]

I don't use PPF anymore, and even less on the bike. If bugs are not removed almost immediately, their crap gets embedded into the film, and it's impossible to remove. I once had to actually do 'paint correction' on the freaking film, after spending 2 grand to install it. Then it looked worse than touching up the chips, so had to remove it, wasting $2,500. Did it on a Porsche too, with a different film, and same crap. Didn't remove it on that one, but it was the last time I installed it. Fortunately, my bike has just 1 tiny chip, and it's invisible now once touched up. But I also don't tour anymore, so my bike mostly sees secondary roads/highways with little traffic.

[realshelby]

I am going to be the devils advocate for this thread. 

PPF sounds like the best thing since sliced bread. BUT...there is more to the story.

PPF absolutely will lower the chance a rock or debris will chip off your paint.

 

When new it is hard to see on the bike/car. But it CAN be seen and detracts from the look, especially on custom paint or paint that has been "corrected" ( the fancy term ceramic coating industry uses for sanding/buffing). 

Those rock chips that don't happen to your paint....often DO leave impact marks on the PPF. Some will penetrate the PPF and over time moisture/dirt will work behind the film and as the adhesive loosens it spreads a bit. I have even seen algae grow on the edges. This can get so bad the film looks hideous. Luckily that is more likely to happen on an RV, car or something getting a lot of miles and especially if run in winter conditions where sand, rock, salt attack the surface.

What you don't hear about....is just how hard this stuff is to remove! Many quote 7 years of life...but just like humans the last stages of that life are not as pretty as the first. Luckily most of our RT's sit in a garage out of the sun, so the PPF will not degrade as fast. 

I keep some touch up paint handy. 

I spent a week removing PPF from the front of my  RV. In the end I still had to touch up the base coat and reclear the front of the RV. New RV has the film too. Thinking about removing it now, hoping it will be easier when new.  

[92Merc]

The only place I bother to put film on is the saddle bag tops.  I have back issues.  Sometimes I don't get my leg over the top of the saddle bag.  Shoe can leave a mark on the bag.  Film helps with that.