Well, im getting ready to paint a buddy of mines bike, and I like to be prepared as much as I possibly can. First thing that came to mind to removing the old decals is a heat gun, but then im afraid to warp the ABS plastic... I'm also worried that there will be a sticky/gluish substance left over once I remove them. If that is the case I will then most likely have to remove the stickyness with a chemical that soaks into the plastic and will destroy the paint when the time comes. So please, help me!

 

Use a hair dryer to soften the glue on the decals and they'll peel right off. You can use a substance such as Goo Gone to remove any residue without harming the plastic.

 

I wouldn't worry about the plastic. The heat from a heat gun shouldn't be hot enough to warp it. The heat from the engine and exhaust on a really hot day would get hotter than a heat gun I would think and the plastic holds up just fine. I use 3M adhesive remover on all my stuff and it has never ruined the paint.

 

I'm not worried about the goo gone or any adhesive remover messing with the paint that's on the bike already. A lot of the times the chemicals will soak into the plastic and when you spray the new paint on, those chemicals that previously absorbed into the plastic, destroy the new paint being sprayed on. That is all im worried about.

 

That won't be an issue as there is still a good clear coat. Just make sure you clean it up real good with wax and grease remover when you're done

 

If you use the heat properly, there should be very minimal glue / stickiness left on the fairing. Just remember to keep the end of the heat gun farther away, and provide even heat as much as possible. After you do the first one you'll get a good feeling of where the right amount of heat is.

Best thing is to just take your time and go slow. It'll give you the cleanest results with as little messing with goo gone-style chemicals.

As JP said, the chemicals will not mess with any future paint jobs. If you clean it up properly, and more importantly if whoever does the next paint job preps it properly, it will not make a difference at all.

 

On mine I just used the heat to soften the glue enough to get the vinyl part off then a little gasoline on a rag makes pretty quick work of the glue

 

yea i had a question similar to this as well. ive been considering taking the redbull vinyls off of mine but i was afraid the paint would be faded underneath. do you guys think there would be any fading underneath? or have you had any experience removing stickers/vinyls from your bike and noticed any fading or anything

 

as far as faded paint.. it all depends on how long there have been on there and how much the bike has been out in the elements (out side in the sun)..
i maybe wrong but that was what i was told once....

 

Hey guys,

Im in the process of repainting my first bike and need to know if anyone has ever had to remove the tank decals that are under the clear coat and how they did it. Im not too worried about the clear coat just want to know if there is an easier way than using the blow dryer and pealing an 1/8 of an inch at a time off. I almost wouldnt mind just sanding it all off but unsure about it. Any ideas or experiences?