Removing warning stickers from GSX-R750

[Blue Velvet]

Does anyone have any advice for successful removal of the warning stickers on new bikes? Or is it better to just leave them on?

I'm going to put some 3M protective coating on my tank and was hoping to get rid of the stickers, but don't want to damage the paintwork in the process...

Edit: Any advice re putting the protective coating on would be great too.

[Cajun]

just heat them up with a hair dryer or simlar and peel them off, don't get them to hot, or damage the paint, then just wipe the sticky goo with some wax & grease or simlar type of product, and give a coat of polish where sticker was

THe warning stickets on the tank are pretty easy to take off, its the ones on the frame which are really pain to get off

[Blue Velvet]

THe warning stickets on the tank are pretty easy to take off, its the ones on the frame which are really pain to get off

Hmmm yeah there's one I want to get off the frame, similar process for this one or is there a different method?

Anyone got a hairdryer I can borrow??

[Cajun]

nah simlar method they just more pain in the ass, the ones on the tank, come off pretty easy really with a bit of heat, the ones on frame take a bit of time, since when you peel sticker the clear coat of sticker peels up and then takes bit to get the other stuff off, just take ya time, use a bit of heat, and something help soften the sticker.

[Blue Velvet]

nah simlar method they just more pain in the ass, the ones on the tank, come off pretty easy really with a bit of heat, the ones on frame take a bit of time, since when you peel sticker the clear coat of sticker peels up and then takes bit to get the other stuff off, just take ya time, use a bit of heat, and something help soften the sticker.

What kind of products won't damage the paintwork? Any suggestions?

[Cajun]

tank pant work, just use a hair dryer or even just put the bike out in the sun for a touch to try and get the tank sticker warm to peel it off, then you need something to just take the glue backing of the sicker off, then give that area a couple coats of polish

[nodrog]

peel the clear part off the sticker first then just use good old degreaser, no gay hair dryer needed :niceone:

[Blue Velvet]

...then you need something to just take the glue backing of the sicker off, then give that area a couple coats of polish

Can you suggest any products? E.g. what's a good polish etc. What can I use to soften the sticker, mild detergent or something?

[Blue Velvet]

peel the clear part off the sticker first then just use good old degreaser, no gay hair dryer needed :niceone:

Thanks :niceone:

[notme]

Can you suggest any products? E.g. what's a good polish etc. What can I use to soften the sticker, mild detergent or something?

The orange oil based products work well, like "De-Solv-It". They dissolve most of the sticky crap away, so you can soak the stickers with it then peel, or peel as much as you can off and spray the rest, leave for 10 mins and wipe off the residue.

CRC 5-56 says on the can that it can be used on painted surfaces but I'd try the orange based products first.

Oh, the "De-Solv-It" type sprays burn bloody well when you light the spray too.... :devil2:

[Blue Velvet]

The orange oil based products work well, like "De-Solv-It". They dissolve most of the sticky crap away, so you can soak the stickers with it then peel, or peel as much as you can off and spray the rest, leave for 10 mins and wipe off the residue.

CRC 5-56 says on the can that it can be used on painted surfaces but I'd try the orange based products first.

Thanks.


Oh, the "De-Solv-It" type sprays burn bloody well when you light the spray too.... :devil2:

LOL :whistle: :innocent:

[imdying]

peel the clear part off the sticker first then just use good old degreaser, no gay hair dryer needed :niceone:

Suzuki right BV? If so, ignore this completely, use the hair dryer. As allun says, a little desolvit (available from Mitre 10) will sort out any gummy left over with no charge of marking the paint (although tbh, crc will be fine).

[Blue Velvet]

Suzuki right BV? If so, ignore this completely, use the hair dryer. As allun says, a little desolvit (available from Mitre 10) will sort out any gummy left over with no charge of marking the paint (although tbh, crc will be fine).

OK, thanks again.

Didn't realise the tool kit would have to extend to things like hair dryers... :wacko:

[vifferman]

You can use all kinds of things to remove the sticker residue; the easiest is petrol, followed up by meths.
Think about it: the paint on the tank has to be petrol-resistant, and petrol is an excellent solvent for adhesives. The meths will remove any oily petrol residues, but so will soapy water, if you don't have any meths.
I removed the gay safety stickers ("Always wear a helmet", "Respect the environment", "Save the baby whales", "Never fart in your leathers" etc) on the VFR using a hot air gun (set to the same temperature as the heart of the sun), petrol or Kumcleen (in case there was any kum on it, LOL), and meths, then followed up with Plexus to make sure it was shiny again.

But of course, my bike dissolved and went all soggy, the first time I rode it I crashed, died, the bike burst into flames and exploded, and I died all over again. :shit:
I HATE it when that happens. :angry2:

[imdying]

It's either that or a heat gun. This is by far the easiest way to remove those stickers (they'll just peel off in one piece).

[Blue Velvet]

You can use all kinds of things to remove the sticker residue; the easiest is petrol, followed up by meths.
Think about it: the paint on the tank has to be petrol-resistant, and petrol is an excellent solvent for adhesives. The meths will remove any oily petrol residues, but so will soapy water, if you don't have any meths.
I removed the gay safety stickers ("Always wear a helmet", "Respect the environment", "Save the baby whales", "Never fart in your leathers" etc) on the VFR using a hot air gun (set to the same temperature as the heart of the sun), petrol or Kumcleen (in case there was any kum on it, LOL), and meths, then followed up with Plexus to make sure it was shiny again.

But of course, my bike dissolved and went all soggy, the first time I rode it I crashed, died, the bike burst into flames and exploded, and I died all over again. :shit:
I HATE it when that happens. :angry2:

:lol: I want a 'Never fart in your leathers' warning sticker *ripped off*

How much is a thingy of Kumcleen? :innocent:

[vifferman]

How much is a thingy of Kumcleen? :innocent:
I dunno... about $7 or so a litre, from Mitre10 or wherever.
It's actually paintbrush cleaner - a mixture of xylene and toluene, which is the crap the oil companies put in our petrol to boost the octane rating in a cheap'n'dirty (carcinogenic) way. So petrol's a cheaper option, and leaves less residue.

[Blue Velvet]

I dunno... about $7 or so a litre, from Mitre10 or wherever.
It's actually paintbrush cleaner - a mixture of xylene and toluene, which is the crap the oil companies put in our petrol to boost the octane rating in a cheap'n'dirty (carcinogenic) way. So petrol's a cheaper option, and leaves less residue.

It's actually a product? I thought you were joking :Oops:

Thanks again.

[janno]

Eeewwwww! Were you thinking he was suggesting removing bike stickers in an unmentionable "male only capable" manner?!

Got a really horrible image in my head now . . .

I'm such a shy, country girl too . . .

[Kittyhawk]

Spot remover - from supermarket and comes in a clear bottle...usually found in detergent isle.

[Trudes]

Nigel removed all but two stickers off his GSXR, I think he explains how here (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=49284). Good luck!!

[Blue Velvet]

Eeewwwww! Were you thinking he was suggesting removing bike stickers in an unmentionable "male only capable" manner?!

Got a really horrible image in my head now . . .

:lol:


I'm such a shy, country girl too . . .

You need corrupting :shifty:

[klingon]

Nigel removed all but two stickers off his GSXR, I think he explains how here (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=49284). Good luck!!

I didn't read far enough through that thread to find out how Kendog did it, but here's how we did it on Dave C's SV1000 using the 'natural products method':

1) Use hair dryer to heat sticker
2) Peel off in a single smooth motion (leaves hardly any adhesive behind)
3) Use blue-tak to pick up any bits of adhesive that were left behind
4) Wash the area with a solution made up of 1tsp dishwashing liquid and 1tsp vinegar in a litre of warm water

OK so blue-tack isn't really a naturally occurring substance but it was handy.

Other tips:
- Do it as soon as possible - it's much easier to get stickers off newish paintwork than the old stuff.
- Don't leave it out in the sun, as the UV rays can break down the surface of the sticker, making it harder to get off
- Use meths to get tar etc off the paint work. It also works on the adhesive if you don't have blue-tak

[Blue Velvet]

Nigel removed all but two stickers off his GSXR, I think he explains how here (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=49284). Good luck!!

Thanks. I couldn't see anything in either of the mods posts but I think I have enough to go on now.

Cheers everyone.

Hairdryer donations graciously accepted

[Blue Velvet]

I didn't read far enough through that thread to find out how Kendog did it, but here's how we did it on Dave C's SV1000 using the 'natural products method':

1) Use hair dryer to heat sticker
2) Peel off in a single smooth motion (leaves hardly any adhesive behind)
3) Use blue-tak to pick up any bits of adhesive that were left behind
4) Wash the area with a solution made up of 1tsp dishwashing liquid and 1tsp vinegar in a litre of warm water

OK so blue-tack isn't really a naturally occurring substance but it was handy.

Other tips:
- Do it as soon as possible - it's much easier to get stickers off newish paintwork than the old stuff.
- Don't leave it out in the sun, as the UV rays can break down the surface of the sticker, making it harder to get off
- Use meths to get tar etc off the paint work. It also works on the adhesive if you don't have blue-tak

Ahhh, Blu-tak! Nice one, thanks :D

[Kendog]

Nigel removed all but two stickers off his GSXR, I think he explains how here (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=49284). Good luck!!

Thanks Hun, saved me finding the link.

Hairdryer, credit card (to lift) and WD40 to remove residue followed by wasing the area. Easy as.

[Blue Velvet]

Managed to remove all stickers last night, and no damage to the paintwork or plastic. Used a heat gun and some de-solv-it. Thanks for all the advice. Will post a pic later today, it looks mint without the eyesore stickers :yes:

[Usarka]

Some goose told me flyspray was the way to go. probably uses pledge for polishing the bike too.

[DMNTD]

Managed to remove all stickers last night, and no damage to the paintwork or plastic. Used a heat gun and some de-solv-it. Thanks for all the advice. Will post a pic later today, it looks mint without the eyesore stickers :yes:

Good stuff...make certain that you wax all areas where you've used any chemicals though.

[Blue Velvet]

Some goose told me flyspray was the way to go. probably uses pledge for polishing the bike too.

What the??? I'd never spray flyspray on my bike, that's just wrong :shit:

[Blue Velvet]

Good stuff...make certain that you wax all areas where you've used any chemicals though.

:done:

:yes:

[jrandom]

Goddammit, I want to get Betty's stickers off, and there's not a hairdryer in the house!

:lol:

[Trudes]

Goddammit, I want to get Betty's stickers off, and there's not a hairdryer in the house!

:lol:

Just blow on it a bit.