Count
Registered user
Red is faster, black and red is cooler, carbon fibre is cool and none of the 1150 dinosaurs will approve.
With that motivation, I decided to protect some parts of the new bike and take the opportunity to subtly change the appearance at the same time. I used a company called BossDog in Dorking to wrap the sides of both panniers (Varios), the two large grey side panels and also to wrap the tank around the protective pad up to the filler cap.
Some pics of the process, comparison and results are below. I decided I was happy for them to wrap with the whole bike there, not remove the panels. It wasn't an issue really to wrap with the panels in place. They used 3M carbon fibre wrap which protects and is easier than clear protection to apply. It should be resilient and has a decent finish/texture. If I don't like it, I can change it and the panel underneath remains perfect.
So, some shots (the first few just taken with my iPhone so quality not fantastic):
The panel is cleaned, the wrap applied to most prominent section and laid over. This wasn't applied with water but dry and using a hot air blower to warm the wrap and allow it to be manipulated around the curves:
Then, the clever bit is making sure all the edges are sorted and the wrap edges are done:
Once applied, you start to get a feel of the look:
This is the comparison from the rear of the two finishes, original and wrap:
Then he finished the other side (he noticed the difference in these panels as the engine is slightly difference each side). After that they also did both the pannier aluminium sections, pretty straightforward:
I also had a clear section on the tank which was applied with water and will dry over the next few hours, I could ride it away but it's still not 100% as the water needs to evaporate.
Back home, I took a few shots to show the final overall look with the panniers fitted, it was starting to rain so the pannier looks like it has bubbles but actually those are rain drops! The wrap is sufficiently flexible that the raised BMW lettering on the panniers is retained, it will shape and form to quite complex small detail.
Overall, this was an easy way to protect the side panels and make a subtle change to the look of the bike. I like the quality of the finish and I'm protecting the panniers and the main side panels/tank. It's probably not to everyone's taste but that's OK as I can change it as I please and I'm happy with the results.
With that motivation, I decided to protect some parts of the new bike and take the opportunity to subtly change the appearance at the same time. I used a company called BossDog in Dorking to wrap the sides of both panniers (Varios), the two large grey side panels and also to wrap the tank around the protective pad up to the filler cap.
Some pics of the process, comparison and results are below. I decided I was happy for them to wrap with the whole bike there, not remove the panels. It wasn't an issue really to wrap with the panels in place. They used 3M carbon fibre wrap which protects and is easier than clear protection to apply. It should be resilient and has a decent finish/texture. If I don't like it, I can change it and the panel underneath remains perfect.
So, some shots (the first few just taken with my iPhone so quality not fantastic):
The panel is cleaned, the wrap applied to most prominent section and laid over. This wasn't applied with water but dry and using a hot air blower to warm the wrap and allow it to be manipulated around the curves:
Then, the clever bit is making sure all the edges are sorted and the wrap edges are done:
Once applied, you start to get a feel of the look:
This is the comparison from the rear of the two finishes, original and wrap:
Then he finished the other side (he noticed the difference in these panels as the engine is slightly difference each side). After that they also did both the pannier aluminium sections, pretty straightforward:
I also had a clear section on the tank which was applied with water and will dry over the next few hours, I could ride it away but it's still not 100% as the water needs to evaporate.
Back home, I took a few shots to show the final overall look with the panniers fitted, it was starting to rain so the pannier looks like it has bubbles but actually those are rain drops! The wrap is sufficiently flexible that the raised BMW lettering on the panniers is retained, it will shape and form to quite complex small detail.
Overall, this was an easy way to protect the side panels and make a subtle change to the look of the bike. I like the quality of the finish and I'm protecting the panniers and the main side panels/tank. It's probably not to everyone's taste but that's OK as I can change it as I please and I'm happy with the results.
