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Paint protection


marcls

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After 4,000 miles on my R12RT, I've noticed a small line of paint has worn, down to the primer, on the "crease" in the side panel, just behind the transmission spline shaft. I guess, this is due to my left boot position, abrading the paint while shifting. I've found a pretty good color match for the silver paint of the side panel, and have used a bit of Scotch packing tape to protect it against further abrasion. But, I'm worried that the tape will yellow in the sun, assuming the good weather ever returns to Northern California, of course. What suggestions are there to protect the paint. Note that I've already considered and rejected the notion of riding with my left boot removed.

 

Marc

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Marc

I have an 05 RT and I put the clear 3M Fairing Bra on several of my painted surfaces to protect the paint ( front fender, painted pieces by turn signals, and on top of the saddle bags. You can order this material in bulk from www.xpel.com. The material is 8mm thick and comes in 12", 18", 24" widths and is sold by the foot. It is pretty easy to apply. It comes with instructions. So far so good in protecting the paint. My wife and I went to Monterey and few weeks ago. She was getting off and her heel hit the top of the bag. No damage. Yeah baby!! If you need to reapply, just peel up the edge and slowly peel it off. Good luck

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DON'T use packing tape! The adhesive degrades under UV, leaving a hardened bunch of crud that can be hard to remove. Besides, the stuff is extremely thin and will wear through easily.

 

3M and others make a clear protetive film for exactly this purpose. It is applied with clear water, and can be removed later without leaving a trace.

 

Bob.

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DUBLINCHRIS

You might like to try Auto - Vative Solutions (Ire)

They are based in Northern Ireland and do complete kits for the likes of R1200ST/RT.

These kits cover all the panels and they have print outs for complete bikes including screens and headlights.

Their site address is www.autovativesolutions.com I am not sure how they are fixed for ordering yet and their site is quite recent. The shield is clear self adhesive polyurethane/precut. It is high gloss non yellowing and removes cleanly without residue!! Almost to good to be true!!

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Thanks for the correction. It is 8 mils not 8mm. Xpel makes a pre-cut kit for the BMW RT. However, I did not want all of the pieces and I thought $250 was more than I wanted to spend for this film. I bought 6 ft w/18" width and I believe total cost was $70. I still have some left after doing the front fender twice. The front fender can be a real challenge with its complex angles. Definitely take your time on that piece.

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Keith, just curious, do you apply one piece to a whole section ie pannier case or do you cut the film in pieces and so a section at a time. I wonder how it would go around corners?

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Gerald

OK here we go. For the bags I made a template approx. 22" long and approx. 7" wide. The film starts about 1" or so above the BMW logo on the side of the bag and goes to where the two lids meet and the film is wrapped just inside. Turn Signal painted pieces: I cut a piece of film about 17' long and about 9" wide and apply that starting in the middle and work you way to the sides. Front fender. This is the hardest piece to appy ( I had to do it twice). Cut two pieces of film. Each piece is about 12"-14" long and about 8" wide. You are going to do 1/2 half of the fender at a time so you will have to cut the lines very straight in the middle. The fender can be a pain in the fanny due to the complex angles. Just take your time. Take the first piece of film and align it in the middle of the fender. Then work the film to the outside edge being sure to remove all of the water underneath the film. Due to the creases in the fender you will have to make sure the film adheres to each crease before you can move toward the outer edge of the fender. Then do the same for the other half of the fender. ** You definitely want to cut the film pieces larger than the area you are covering so if you need to pull or stretch the film you can do that. Trust me you will definitely be doing some pulling and stretching.

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