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[xmjsilverx]

I am already bored of the red on my Zero SR.  I am thinking about doing a wrap so I can easily undo it at some point.  My first thought was a carbon fiber wrap with some electric blue accents (I am still working on a photoshop of that).  I also stumbled on blue chrome wraps and thought that might look kind of neat on my bike.  What do you think of this?  Does anyone have any custom paint or wraps on their Zero?

[mrwilsn]

I like the blue chrome! I am planning to do a wrap in the early spring. I am curious to see how good it looks, how easy it is to remove (just use a heat gun?) and find out if it will start to peel off on its own or gets dull or scratched quickly.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

I approve of vinyl and the color. I've applied a vinyl wrap to the side panels on my V-Strom before (double-curved, very challenging for my first wrap) and will likely do it on my Zero soon when I have time.

Some vouch for Plasti Dip which would probably work for the lower panels.

[xmjsilverx]

Thanks, glad you like it.  I will not be doing it myself.  I am waiting for a quote from a local shop.  I can't imagine it would be too expensive.  I am going to try to photoshop my carbon fiber and electric blue accents idea but I think it's going to be hard for me to get that to look real.

[xmjsilverx]

Here is somewhat of an idea of how the carbon and blue accent would look.  I am not exactly sure what style the accent would be but this is my first attempt.

[Ashveratu]

I believe if they came from the factory looking like that, their sales would increase tenfold. That looks amazing.

[xmjsilverx]

Thanks, I feel like I didn't even get it quite right.  I think it would actually look even better in person.

[PhreaK]

First thing I did when I got the SR was to black it out. Just plasti-dipped it for a quick / cheap / easy to remove trial, but it's starting to peel where it's rubbed now though so time for a full wrap. Quotes I've gotten so far are pretty ridiculous though due to the tank fairing being a bit angular and a pain to do neatly.

The Chrome wraps do look the goods if done nicely. Saw a new H2 with silver chrome the other day. Looking at scooters for the girlfriend currently and she's been talking about a 'holographic wrap' if that's your type of thing.

Of your mock ups though, personally I'd got for the Blue chrome over highlights. Fake carbon fiber always comes across a little tacky in my books.

[ZEM Tahiti]

This color is really really awesome plus has something electric!

Can you send some pictures  when done?

As there is only 3 elements to paint, why don't you go for real paint, with any auto body ?

[xmjsilverx]

Well I got the quote back today on the wrap.  $1300.  Way way over what I had guessed.  I may talk to someone about paint but unless some other place can do the wrap for a fraction of that cost I will not be doing a wrap.  I wanted the wrap because I thought it would be cheaper (wrong) plus it is easily undone and things like chrome and carbon fiber can be done.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

A DIY wrap can be cheap but obviously it's more involved and can be frustrating. I wouldn't try a complex pattern, but a single shade should be reasonable. Anyway, what you're quoted for is skilled labor. You can't get around that for a complex fairing shape.

[xmjsilverx]

The material is pretty cheap.  I bought a small section of the blue chrome and I'll try it out on the front fender in a few weeks.  If it goes well I will attempt the rest of the bike.

[Erasmo]

Have you thought about plasti dip?

[PhreaK]

Plasti-dip isn't the best long-term solution. It's awesome for any material that doesn't contact another surface, but you'll run into peeling etc where your knees contact or where you kick the tail because you're too lazy to lift your leg high enough when jumping on the bike. Or maybe that's just me... That being said, it's awesome to trial a colour before going for something more permanent / expensive.

Best I've been quoted for a matte black vinyl wrap is AU$750. I've just got pricing through for black plastics from the local dealer and I can pick up tank, tail and front fender new for $379. For that price difference, I can live with the gloss finish.

[MrDude_1]

You want the 1080 series vinyl from 3M... Its pretty easy to work with, just watch some how-to videos online and try at it.

A quick search on Amazon shows it as $15-18 for 1ft of a 5ft wide roll.. since you're doing smaller parts, a 2ft section could do the whole bike... or atleast be enough to play with.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=3m+1080+blue&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3A3m+1080+blue
I personally would do the 1080-G47 "Gloss Intense Blue". The metallics are too "flaky" for my taste.
The solid colors are easiest to work with. Anything with patterns or textures shows if you do it crooked compared to another part next to it.

3M also sends out sample packs of colors/textures for free.. I took a pic of one for you:



larger pic:  http://fastgm.com/travis/20160112_102024.jpg