Holographic Vinyl

Dismantle and clean
With a motorcycle you need to ensure you give yourself the easiest surface possible to holographic motorcycle vinyl. I’d, therefore, recommend removing any panels you can so you can twist, turn and work around the part while holographic motorcycle vinylping. This includes tanks, fairings, battery covers, fenders etc.
Once apart, it’s time to clean. This is vital as any dirt, dust or oil will impede the vinyl’s ability to stick. I recommend a hot soapy wash to clean the worst; it can be a good one for busting grease. Make sure you allow it plenty of time to fully dry! You then want to use isopropyl alcohol to ensure the surface is 100% clean and grease free. For this make sure you use a lint free cloth to leave a pristine surface. Also, while the holographic motorcycle vinyl does cover your paintwork up, it does show things through as it will follow all contours. My general rule – if you can feel it, it will likely show up. Therefore, if you have any scratches, dents or rust, you will want to treat them first to ensure a smooth surface.
Once clean, be careful to keep your grubby fingers off the surface.

Prepare your working area
You want to be in an area with decent lighting and minimal air flow as wind could catch your holographic motorcycle vinyl and cause creases, and also blow dust into the air sticking to the adhesive. I’ve heard a lot of professionals say you can’t holographic motorcycle vinyl outside, I personally disagree. I’ve holographic motorcycle vinylped my viano twice outside and both times saw a perfect finish. You want it to be dry, dust and wind free but I say outside is okay if it’s a mid-range temperature. Having said that, and given that removable motorcycle parts are mostly small in size; I would recommend doing the bike inside. My ideal is on a table where you’re able to move around the table instead of having to spin the object, such as a tank constantly.

Holographic motorcycle vinylping
Start by roughly cutting a section of holographic motorcycle vinyl slightly larger than the item being holographic motorcycle vinylped. Always go larger than the area being holographic motorcycle vinylped to allow a safety net and to give an area to touch when applying and manipulating on it. Give the surface a final check to make sure it’s clean. Remove the backing and apply the vinyl to the flattest part of the panel first to create a baseline. You’re then going to use your felt pad to work the holographic motorcycle vinyl ongoing from side to side slowly. At this stage, you want to keep the vinyl as level as possible.

Heat manipulation
Once you’ve worked in the holographic motorcycle vinyl to a basic level, you’re going to need to start using some heat. The beauty of 3m holographic motorcycle vinyl is its ability to stretch to up to 40 percent so it can be molded around curves and edges. Here’s the magic, heat allows it to stretch but then heat also allows it to shrink back to its original form due to thermal material memory! It’s truly witchcraft! Whatever it is, it’s exactly what you need for holographic motorcycle vinylping something as tricky as a motorcycle as I can guarantee you won’t stretch it perfectly first time. It means you can heat stretch, apply pressure, remove, heat shrink, heat stretch, and apply… over and over. It’s an incredibly forgiving material.

Eliminating bubbles and creases
If you find out you have a bubble or crease, don’t panic. As long as you’ve not applied pressure to the pressure-activated adhesive, you’ll be able to pull the holographic motorcycle vinyl and apply a little heat to shrink the surface back to its former state and try again. If you’ve applied pressure, you can sometimes gently pull the holographic motorcycle vinyl back but be careful, if you’re pulling and it’s proving difficult you might just have to accept a small crease. The tip here is; don’t apply pressure on a crease. Bubbles are easier to deal with if you can’t pull back. The first option is to give it five minutes; the air permeable properties might allow it to dissipate out with time. If this doesn’t work, use a pin or knife point to make a small puncture, then apply a little heat and push the air out.

Elimination
Pull back the holographic motorcycle vinyl and try again, using heat to return holographic motorcycle vinyl to original from pin prick bubbles and gently heat while pushing the air out Holographic motorcycle vinyl around the edge / underside Once you’ve fully holographic motorcycle vinylped the visible surface, you want to tidy off the underside. Always try to holographic motorcycle vinyl around into the non-visible area, for example, the underside of the fender. With these areas, it’s important you get a nice stick, but it really doesn’t matter how rough it looks as no one can see it. I recommend using a 3m primer to give the holographic motorcycle vinyl little extra support in sticking. Simply using a small brush to apply it around the edge and give it around 90 se.