Re: decals

["Steve Makohin" <wateredg@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello,

> You know that nifty label on you tank that says your bike has power
> brakes but not when the motor is running.   It is obviously put there
> by a lawyer... so I decicded to take mine off.  I knew  it had baked
> in the sun while sitting as a demo in Daytona... so I wasn't too
> suprised when it  was stuck pretty good.  I had tried to peel it off
> once and only managed to chip the corner and make it look crappy
> so it had to come off.
>
> I figured with a little heat I could loosen one corner and get it to
> peel right off... Oh sooooo wrong.  Aparently the little German
> Lawyer is too smart to let you make a decision like that of peeling
> the crap lables off your own bike.  The label is an ultra- thin, Ultra
> fragile plastic/foil type material.  It took about an hour and a half of
> fingernail work, hair dryer and mineral sprits to take it off and I never
> got a piece off bigger than a Comma ,  ( well a fat comma maybe)
>
> The good thing is I did get it off and the tank looks much better with
> out it, plus I don't have to worry about wax build up around it...
>
> The point of this is that if you have a new bike and want the labels
> off, do it quickly  or learm to love them.  Does anyone have a secret
> and effective way of getting these damn things off?

I suggested this to the list before, but some members disagreed: I have used 
a product called Goo-Gone with success. Take a piece of paper towel soaked 
in Goo-Gone and place it on the sticker, letting gravity and capillary 
action do its work. I also place a sheet of plastic wrap over the piece of 
towel to slow evaporation. Let it soak for 15 minutes or so. This loosens 
the edges of the sticker so you can use a finger nail to start removing it. 
It still peeled off in bits, but it was coming off a lot easier than drying 
to do it dry. When you get to the point that the peeling becomes stubborn 
again, repeat the soaking process. When the sticker is removed, it will 
leave behind a gooey substance. Once again, do the Goo-Gone soak for 15 
minutes, and then easily wipe the gummy gunk away. Reapply and soak Goo-Gone 
as required.

In the end: No sticker. No gunk. No marks. No scratches. Good luck.

- -Steve Makohin
 '01 R1100S/ABS
 Oakville, Ontario, Canada 

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