I like my bike, its got these blue and teal stripes that make it look quite old. I was thinking about taking them off, I tried pealing them with my nails but they started to chip, is there a best way to take them off?
Thanks!
Get a cheap heat gun from Harbor Freight, and that will make it much easier to get them off. Beware that the paint may have faded around the decals (so the paint under them would not be faded).
Use a heat gun or hair dryer.
With the heat gun be VERY VERY VERY careful Not to get too close otherwise you will blister the paint (after all, they are designed for paint stripping). Wave it back and forth at a slight distance until the sticker is warm to the touch. Remove the heat gun then try peeling as you had done. As the decal cools and become resistant to peeling once more, hit it with the heat gun again. Clean up residue with some WD40 or Eucalyptus Oil.
Michael
A good hair dryer can work very well. Less chance of blistering things, but will take a little longer to warm them up.
FYI, I have an 1989 with white paint, I'm not sure if it has faded. What I'm more concerned about is that the stickers are old and will just crack instead of peal.....
You will have to sand and repaint.
In my "tail farm", I have experimented on lots of tails for paint, cleaning, sticker removal, etc.
What you will find (let's not worry about stickers cracking) is the exposed parts have deteriorated. When you remove the stickers, you will have clean shiny areas with the original finish. The exposed areas will be dull and weathered. Even if the color is the same (which it won't be) you will have a noticeable difference in the sheen and finish of the stickered areas.
If your tails are undamaged, you should sell or trade them as undamaged plastics are needed. Get a set that needs painting and paint them white to match. Then, you will have the same problem with the tank. You won't get the decals off the tank unless you sand and repaint it.
(Personally, I think the original lines on the white '89's look really nice!)
PS: What part of Des Moines were the photos taken? I grew up in the Highland Park area. North High and ISU graduate.
Quote from: adidasguy on July 19, 2011, 05:19:28 PM
You will have to sand and repaint.
In my "tail farm", I have experimented on lots of tails for paint, cleaning, sticker removal, etc.
What you will find (let's not worry about stickers cracking) is the exposed parts have deteriorated. When you remove the stickers, you will have clean shiny areas with the original finish. The exposed areas will be dull and weathered. Even if the color is the same (which it won't be) you will have a noticeable difference in the sheen and finish of the stickered areas.
If your tails are undamaged, you should sell or trade them as undamaged plastics are needed. Get a set that needs painting and paint them white to match. Then, you will have the same problem with the tank. You won't get the decals off the tank unless you sand and repaint it.
(Personally, I think the original lines on the white '89's look really nice!)
(http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a315/BAMAXXX/2011-06-22155620.jpg)
THis is the bike I got, the plastics are unweathered, it was sitting in a garage all its life, do you think I will still have problems?
Maybe photoshop or some photo editor like gimp to remove the decals digitally to see if you like it first. I used a heat gun on one side and it left the some sticky stuff behind and did not clean off easy. The side I did not use the heat gun on looked better.
Dude, those stripes are sick. I'd keep em.
The fella who had my bike before me took my plastics decals off and you can tell. My bike is a 92 and if you peer closely you can see the outline of the ziggy zag graffiti stickers that were on it.
I like it. There's one like it for sale in Seattle and I've got eyes on it for a friend who just sold his Intruder to get a GS to do a make-over like I did for Junior.
Even natural oxidation will make it noticeable if you remove the decals. Why not get another set - sand & paint white? Really good original tails are hard to come by.
Now, what happened to the bike? It looks great until you see the muffler :icon_eek: What happened? How can a bile look so good except for the muffler? :icon_question:
In the end, if you do want to remove the decals, be aware you will probably have to paint it. At a minimum, a go-over with rubbing compound to even out the sheen then apply a clear coat. The tank can't have them removed without sanding because they're under a clear coat.
Got plenty of tails if you want a set to paint (this is some of them) or change your bike colors:
(http://i1206.photobucket.com/albums/bb442/adidasguy/GS500/DSC00514.jpg)
Wow. Those stripes are old-school cool. Don't get rid of them!
Dear god I wish I had that many tails. The little mounting knobs on mine are busted on both sides. :(