has anyone ever???? had their bike wrapped?

[charles94kat600]

okay so I was driving in traffic at work the other day and seen a suburban that was wrapped for a local production company, has anyone here everer wrapped their bike? mine is in need of some paint, and think it would be a cheap option as oppsed to having it painted.

[Catcha23]

wrapped? I'm in the dark...

[izzy]

I was thinking about that at one time. Never looked into it much though. I think there are some companies out there that do/sell the wraps though.

To clear any confusion, a "wrap" is like a giant vinyl sticker that you can wrap your entire car/truck/boat/bike in. They have preprinted graphics and are fairly thick so they are supposed to stand up to the elements. It would be a cool idea, and worth exploring to see if it is cheaper than a paint job.

Cheers,
Izzy

[SGTJimbo_Kat600]

I have seen a couple of them, they look great. the only downside is anywhere that your pants/boots may rub discolors and gets dull over time, and on one of them it was peeling from the constant contact.

[rexazz2]

compound curves cause nightmares
best suited to buses

[scottynoface]

If your paint isn't in perfect shape, any scratches or nicks will mess the vinyl up. However, I have seen some bikes with full vinyl and they looked really nice, themes withholding of course

[bigjohn305]

great minds

I was thinking the same thing about a month back bro. I stay in miami and my homeboi has his van wraped. I went to the guy he uses yearly and he told me it wouldn't be any less than $1,200. Since I don't smoke crack (lol) my Suzi is still stock blue & white.

[redciv1]

You know I thought about doing this but instead of graphics wanted to see if I could DIY with just a single color. There is a site I found online, that sells Vinyl sheets in different colors and patterns. I know the Pre's have curves but I was curious and may still try to see. The only thing I worry about is the tank, but they have a install video where they put a CF skin on a Civic side mirror and between a heat gun, patience and a plastic paddle, I think it could be done.
Check it out:

http://www.decalfx.com/vinyl_sheets.html

[tdrcomm]

I've designed a couple of supergraphics (wraps) before for big rigs. To do it for a bike seems interesting and relatively easy, but you have to be aware of the limitations and what most wrap companies THINK is the primary goal of a wrap. Most clients have wording and images that need to be visible and readable. That's what is important to them and that's very hard on a bike because of the way the fairings are constructed. Not enough flat area to be used. The tolerances have to be very exact in a small space. When you ask for a wrap on your fairings the price quote will take into consideration the effort to make sure the design "reads". The small recesses and curves takes a lot of prep and manhours. They see each piece of fairing as a separate placement. May seem easy but not necessarily to them.

Here's how to make it inexpensive and easy:
Create the wrap in an all-over pattern like fabric or wall covering design. Make the design as free of tight tolerances as possible with a design that will visually mask an imperfection. Then, place the text (wording, logos, bike name, etc.) on top of the wrap. That way the initial wrap is easy and quick. You kinda have to know what the process can and cannot do and accept the limitations, but in my opinion, the limitations are not great. It's just a design workaround.

I'm not big on flames but the dacalfx.com guys seem like they could do the trick. There's also a place out here, www.spinimaging.com, that I'm curious enough now to contact and see if they could do a test to see how well it could be done.