rlambke19 Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 Folks Well I'm an idiot and did something stupid that scratched up/marred the red decal (or what Yamaha calls a graphic) on the front tank cover of my GT. It's not awful, (think clear coat shallow scratch) but when the light catches it the right away it catches your attention. Knowing myself, I know that this will drive me bonkers while riding, so leaving it isn't really an option. Can they be removed (or are they clear coated over) ? Has anyone ever removed and/or replaced these decals? If so, how much effort was required and is it easy enough to do without marking up the plastic panel beneath? Looking for some options/suggestions that might ease my obsessive mind. 🙂 Cheers all (and Happy New Year!) Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member roadrash83 Posted January 2, 2019 Supporting Member Share Posted January 2, 2019 The decal is not clear coated over. They can be easily removed with a little heat from a hairdryer and a plastic razor blade or credit card, to scrape it off. Go slow and be gentle. He who dies with the most toys wins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordsmith Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Awl jew respeck an' all that, but I wouldn't go anywhere near that label with a razor blade, plastic or not. It's attached with Kryptonite. This blasted label has been a real pain to remove on other bikes - I found the best way is to heat it up with some really hot water then scrape and lift away with a thumbnail, a bit at a time. The nail will be wrecked, but the tank won't. Riding a fully-farkled 2019 MT-09 Tracer 900 GT from my bayside home in South East Queensland, Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlambke19 Posted January 3, 2019 Author Share Posted January 3, 2019 Just to be 100% clear - I am not talking about the warning label that comes on the new bikes on the right hand panel (when sitting on the bike) - but rather the actual graphic/decal on both sides of the front tank cowl. These are red on the grey models and blue on the black models. The dark blue model available in the UK, Europe etc. doesn't have them. Maybe I should just buy a new panel and a set of decals and just swap it out - keep the old one for a spare. My only concern would be getting the graphic lined up perfectly to match the opposite side. Why don't they just sell the panel with the decal already applied? Gah! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member roadrash83 Posted January 3, 2019 Supporting Member Share Posted January 3, 2019 12 hours ago, wordsmith said: Awl jew respeck an' all that, but I wouldn't go anywhere near that label with a razor blade, plastic or not. It's attached with Kryptonite. This blasted label has been a real pain to remove on other bikes - I found the best way is to heat it up with some really hot water then scrape and lift away with a thumbnail, a bit at a time. The nail will be wrecked, but the tank won't. Wordsmith the blade is made of plastic and will not scratch or hurt the finish. They are used all the time in body shops for removing graphics and decals. He who dies with the most toys wins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member builderbob Posted January 3, 2019 Premium Member Share Posted January 3, 2019 4 hours ago, rlambke19 said: My only concern would be getting the graphic lined up perfectly to match the opposite side. That's not hard to do. Before you remove the original graphic, place some masking tape along side the graphic on the tank surface. Make a few marks on the tape to indicate certain alignment points and then remove the graphic. When applying the new one, just line it up with the marks that you made on the tape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlambke19 Posted January 3, 2019 Author Share Posted January 3, 2019 1 hour ago, builderbob said: That's not hard to do. Before you remove the original graphic, place some masking tape along side the graphic on the tank surface. Make a few marks on the tape to indicate certain alignment points and then remove the graphic. When applying the new one, just line it up with the marks that you made on the tape. Thanks BB It would only be a concern if I ended up buying a new panel and applying the decal on it. For the $60 cost of the new plastics, I'd almost rather do this than try and remove the decal...I can see that ending badly - unless I took it to an auto body shop and let a professional do it. Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member builderbob Posted January 3, 2019 Premium Member Share Posted January 3, 2019 1 hour ago, rlambke19 said: Thanks BB It would only be a concern if I ended up buying a new panel and applying the decal on it. For the $60 cost of the new plastics, I'd almost rather do this than try and remove the decal...I can see that ending badly - unless I took it to an auto body shop and let a professional do it. Rob Ah. I guess I didn't catch that you wanted to apply the decals to a new piece. Still, with enough masking tape surrounding the graphic and using the proper plastic blade, chances of damaging the original panel are minimal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member whistler Posted January 3, 2019 Supporting Member Share Posted January 3, 2019 22 hours ago, roadrash83 said: The decal is not clear coated over. They can be easily removed with a little heat from a hairdryer and a plastic razor blade or credit card, to scrape it off. Go slow and be gentle. +1 on this approach. Have done this many times on my bikes, including removing the 3D decals on my GT. Just use warm heat (not blistering hot), a little patience and a plastic putty knife/credit card/thumbnail. If there's any adhesive residue left over, a little WD-40 on a soft cloth will remove that most ricky-tick. Piece o' cake, honest. 2019 Yamaha Tracer 900 GT (Annabelle) 2013 Suzuki V-Strom DL650 (Juliette) 2013 Yamaha FJR 1300 (Rachel) 2008 Suzuki Bandit 1250S (Fiona) 2006 Honda VFR800 (Jenny) 2005 Suzuki V-Strom DL650 (Hannah) 2003 Honda Shadow Sabre VT1100 (Veronica) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member roadrash83 Posted January 3, 2019 Supporting Member Share Posted January 3, 2019 1 hour ago, builderbob said: Ah. I guess I didn't catch that you wanted to apply the decals to a new piece. Still, with enough masking tape surrounding the graphic and using the proper plastic blade, chances of damaging the original panel are minimal. 2 hours ago, rlambke19 said: Thanks BB It would only be a concern if I ended up buying a new panel and applying the decal on it. For the $60 cost of the new plastics, I'd almost rather do this than try and remove the decal...I can see that ending badly - unless I took it to an auto body shop and let a professional do it. Rob That would be the easiest way to go and watch how they do it. He who dies with the most toys wins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyrider Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 I would take it to a body shop. They do this all the time and if they get it wrong they have to sort it. Should not cost very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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