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Hi all! I’m new to this forum- finding a lot of great help, tips, and friendly members here. I’m a newer owner to a yellow year 2000 model and wanted to contribute as well with a mod I’m working on!
When I add accessories, I like them to be Honda branded. I’ve had CBRs and a VFR in the past, all of which have a plethora of option for Honda and model specific tank protectors. For the VTR however, not so much. I’m not a fan of the fake carbon fiber look either so that slims down options even more. There was one option on Amazon I bought that ended up being total garbage and a few on eBay I wasn’t totally convinced in, so I decided to make my own.
To do this mod, you will need:
craft/vinyl transfer paper, lined is best
Honda and/or VTR decals of course
3M clear protective film (used for car bumper and headlight protection)
scissors, sharpie, tape measure
hair dryer is helpful
First things first- my bike had a cheap Progrip/knockoff on the tank. A little heat from a hair dryer plus a little goo gone cleaned the tank right up.
Next, I cut a piece of transfer peel about 11inches x 20 inches over the tank and used a sharpie to trace the lines of the tank. I brought it back, trimmed it, found center, and placed it on the back of the backing (dry side) so the shiny side was open.
Grab you bag of Honda decals and leftover vinyl from previous projects! I also ordered an HRC decal and VTR decal from honda-decals.com which have been great in the past.
if the backing was held up to the light, the lines come through. Now just cut your vinyl the way that you’d like! I thought Honda wings overlapped at the top would be a neat look, so that’s what I started with. I was a little off center so the Honda at the bottom will compensate.
That’s where I’m at right now! Once the rest of the decals show up, I will add them and then put the vinyl between as filler to complete the design.
Spoiler alert- the 3M clear vinyl will go over the top of everything once applied to the tank. My thought was, if it’s good enough to keep rock chips from taking paint off of bumpers, it is probably good enough to stop a zipper from running once in awhile. With the times we live in, it’s may be a week or three yet before the clear protective vinyl comes in.
Thoughts so far? Anyone else come up with a similar solution?
If your not that ambitious, I have purchased Real Carbon Fiber Tank protectors and fuel cap covers from NewCarbon (Ebay) with good results. They don't have "VTR" logos but they do have some Honda and HRC.
If your not that ambitious, I have purchased Real Carbon Fiber Tank protectors and fuel cap covers from NewCarbon (Ebay) with good results. They don't have "VTR" logos but they do have some Honda and HRC.
👍 there were a couple of Orbital brand ones that had Honda and HRC branding similar to what you’re referring to I think
Sorry this is taking so long guys! With everything going on, I still haven’t received the decals that shipped almost a month ago now. Everything is queued up waiting to be put on!
In the meantime, I have to complement everyone on this forum. Lots of great information available! I’ve been acquiring other parts and reading up on other improvements. Stainless brake and clutch lines, Oberon clutch slave cylinder (also been waiting on for a month), MCCT, #48 carb jets, carb thumbscrew addition, TPS reset, spark plugs, GPI- lots of good stuff in the near future!
Anyways, hoping any day now these decals come in. I’ve looked up a few different vinyl approaches on YouTube but nothing quite like what I’m attempting- stay tuned!
Alright, well I gave up on waiting for the decals at this point. Guess that’s the risk of getting mail from out of country during a pandemic, eh?
I shamelessly stole the templates from here and took them to a local graphics shop. Shout out to Signarama in Elgin, who didn’t charge me anything for them as they were using them for training and gave me a few bonus copies. Woohoo! The scale is setting the “VTR” to 4 inches wide.
All I really wanted was the V2 and the VTR from the sheet, but ended up using the Honda wing as a template for the design. I traced it to get the look. I figured the lines would be similar and look nice. I’m not sure there is enough white space, but I also learned that trimming with a scissors or razor blade is harder than it looks to make it look smooth. So I’m keeping this one where it is at.
After that, applied transfer paper over it and trimmed the extra down a bit. I realize it isn’t on totally straight- this transfer paper is a little stickier than some stuff I’ve used so only had one shot.
Next step is getting it on the bike and getting clear car bra film over it! I may install tonight or some time this week.
Got a chance to put it on tonight with the help of my lovely wife. A few lessons learned:
cut the clear vinyl closer to size- it stretches but easier to cut and shape beforehand than after. I did cut to shape before starting it but not small enough
the clear vinyl will show every imperfection in the layer underneath. If I did it all over again, I would apply the clear car bra material and skip the other vinyl. If/when it starts to peel off, I may go that route instead
Hairdryers and heat guns are usually helpful, but can be tricky with this kind of transition tape and multiple levels of vinyl. Patience and prep was more important than heat this time
Other than that, it’s not perfect but happy with how it turned out! Here are some pics. I’ll also update the reserved post with final pics.
happy to answer questions or give recommendations. Enjoy and good luck to anyone trying something similar!
04-12-2020, 06:46 AM
