Carbon Fiber Veneer

[adpeacock]

Everyone,
     I am looking to put a "racing stripe' of CF on my bike similar to the white stripe on some of the larger Monster's.  My question is has anyone used CF Veneer instead of buying CF body parts.  I know it is the cheap way to go but I am curious if it still looks and functions the same as the complete CF body part?  Thanks for the help.

[Mash]

I've used vinyl before.  Is that what you're talking about? 

Check these guys out, they have a lot of carbon fiber vinyl http://www.metrodecals.com/

[adpeacock]

Yeah I think so it looks close to that same principle.  I know if this is the way I am gonna go, I am going to have to strip the paint off of the tank.  i am really curious if it looks different than buying a new tank and painting over it or if it will suffice.  The price difference is about $2300 dollars.  I saw the site for sale of the material I got from the other ducati monster forum.  I will post the link to the site here once I find it again.  Thanks

[ducpainter]

It looks like vinyl.

[adpeacock]

Does it make the bike look cheap?

[ducpainter]

Does it make the bike look cheap?

That would be your call.

[adpeacock]

Well has anyone else done it?  I think if I am gonna do it, I am going to cover the entire tank and do it that way.  If anyone has pics of their bikes, painted CF, I would love to see it.  Thanks for the help.

[JEFF_H]

you might find some of the carbon fiber that is soft and has an adhesive backing.
like the tank pad that ducati performance has...

i got some at cycle gear and used it to cover up an unfinished looking part on a wheel.
came out fine.

[MotoCreations]

It looks like vinyl.

Agreed.  (IMO -- it doesn't look like real carbon fiber at 6inches or 4ft away)

Plus you will have the edge that looks tacky as well.  Even buried under clear it is visible.

If you MUST have CF on your tank (and can't afford a CF tank itself) -- see if you can find a local shop that can do a single-ply CF overlay (w/resin) with real carbonfiber weave on your tank.  Essentially you get the correct look but without the cost (or problems of carbonfiber tank construction/mold lines/ etc).  I have a local guy here who does helmets, car hoods/decklids, etc -- it looks real until you open the item and see the steel structure beneath it. (He did this overlay process for a '57 Corvette dashboard / door panels and emblems that just stunned everyone at SEMA a few years ago -- the car ended up in a video game in fact.) Typically @1/4 to 1/3 the price of the real thing.  Only real "negative" is if you damage your tank as it is rather complex than to "fix" with CF and steel beneath that.

[junior varsity]

I think its a big no. Like the fake carbon fiber stickers people put on their triple clamps. The (poor) illusion of a lightweight part, except without the lightweight aspect. Whatever floats your boat, I suppose, but the idea of a CF sticker kinda makes me frown.

Also, this reminds me of those stick-on ornaments people are putting on the sides of their car for the illusion that they are the old 3 and 4-holer buicks and the like. Those aren't real vents, you aren't fooling anybody, and it makes the whole thing look tacky.

[adpeacock]

Hey everyone thanks for the posts, I would really hope we can keep posts like this going.  but here is the product that I was talking about, but if I am going to go this route I am definitely going to have someone put a real strip of CF on my tank.  Here's thhe product.

http://dragonplate.com/ecart/categories.asp?cID=12

[Mad Mal]

HI there,  Ive started doing the carbon stripe ( S4R titanium with black stripe and flat clear) done seat cowl and beer tray so far and then fairing and screen next but leaving tank till last, was thinking of taking a fibreglass mold of tank where the stripe is then making a one layer carbon peice and stick on tank then paint and clear. Then tank is samething you dont want to stuff up being a main centre piece of the bike.
The stick on vinal carbon just looks cheap, real carbon or nothing.
Will get pic's up soon

[Mad Mal]

Hi all, here's those pic's.

[Mad Mal]

[Mad Mal]