3M Di-Noc Heel Guards/Lower Cowl

jambox

2011-01-26 15:36:00 UTC

I've seen a few SD pieces covered in 3M Di-Noc on the forum, but I thought I'd add my own. I bought some the other day for about $5/sqft and experimented w/ the heel guards. Not the best item to start with, lots of angles, cutting involved. But it was really pretty easy to install.

Works GREAT on compound curves, angles, pretty much anything. I used a hair dryer, which was more than hot enough to make the material flexible. Also, once it cools, it "hardens" (relative) to stay adhered to the shape.

Gotta say, I'm pretty impressed. You can definitely tell it's not real CF, but it still looks great. And let's be honest, 99% of people only put CF on their bikes/cars for the look.

Al3x

2011-01-26 18:20:00 UTC

the cowling looks very cool!

bic_bicknell

2011-01-26 18:26:00 UTC

Post missing.

MrZ32

2011-01-26 19:15:00 UTC

The lower cowling looks great, I'm going to have to blatantly copy you and do mine now.

Did you cut around the 990 decal with a craft knife?

rob1botes

2011-01-26 19:25:00 UTC

Post missing.

AGRO!

2011-01-26 19:48:00 UTC

Good job!

I had a period of love affair with my Di-nok sample I bought off ebay. It's addictive to start covering things because, like you say, it's quite easy and once you get the hang of it you start looking for things to cover in it!

It's not carbon and if you put it together in the same place as real carbon it doesn't work too well aesthetically but on its own it works well. The weave direction is the most important thing really to think about before you start. I'd be interested to see how it fares in the summer on the lower cowl because my real carbon one has some problems with heat from the exhaust headers and I've had to reinforce the mounting points several times with resin and fiberglass to stop it disintegrating - even though I've got heat resistant material on the inside surfaces. Maybe your Di-nok covering will start to soften or shrink back from where you've cut round the 990 numbers? Be interesting to see.

rob1botes

2011-01-26 19:57:00 UTC

Bic, you're definitely right....I'm resisting the urge to cover every small item in the house with this stuff!

Great point about the heat on the lower cowl. I actually haven't ridden the bike since installing, but it could be an issue. Not sure if it will "shrink" with the heat, or just soften. That's one reason I didn't use the 3M primer, I didn't want to do any damage to the surface underneath. As it is now, the vinyl could easily be removed.

I'm trying not to do too much on the bike, don't want it to look cheesy. The chain guard/rear hugger is tempting....

Dutch

2011-01-26 21:01:00 UTC

is it just me or do you guys find that it wants to lift off stretched areas when it gets hot? i know cos the aussie sun makes this stuff look terrible

duffman

2011-01-27 02:28:00 UTC

Hey Brent, looks really good what you've done....I've been toying with the idea of messing around with some pieces too....the snow is driving me crazy...& if I can't spend time riding my SD, I may as well spend some time blinging her up a bit...lol.

Can I ask where you bought your 3M Di-Noc?

Cheers, Rob

Dutch

2011-01-27 02:43:00 UTC

Thanks Rob! I bought a 24"x48" sheet from eBay seller "extremevinyls" for $45. You can find it for $5/sqft, but it was a little more w/ shipping. I'd definitely recommend the actual 3M product, some of the knock-offs aren't even self-adhesive.

Dutch

2011-01-27 12:39:00 UTC

Judging by that job I would say that you build radio controlled planes or have at some time.

duffman

2011-01-27 13:17:00 UTC

No radio controlled airplanes, but I used to put together models! Guess I'm just handy w/ a craft knife!

Dutch

2011-01-27 16:21:00 UTC

Post missing.

ktmguy

2011-01-28 12:01:00 UTC

Could I use this stuff to add a stripe or panels to a crash helmet?

MrZ32

2011-01-28 12:25:00 UTC

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samba

2011-02-01 14:47:00 UTC

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samba

2011-02-01 14:47:00 UTC

Dutch

2011-02-02 17:15:00 UTC

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samba

2011-02-02 17:18:00 UTC

I've put them in properly already Dutch

Dutch

2011-02-02 17:21:00 UTC

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samba

2011-02-02 17:23:00 UTC

they appear on my pc

does my post not show the images for you then?

Dutch

2011-02-02 17:26:00 UTC

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samba

2011-02-02 17:45:00 UTC

weird. I'm at work too, using a vanilla flavoured Windows XP laptop, albeit with shiny Firefox portable...

Dutch

2011-02-02 17:47:00 UTC

Post missing.

MrZ32

2011-02-02 21:15:00 UTC

what site do you guys use for image up loading

samba

2011-02-02 21:18:00 UTC

Post missing.

MrZ32

2011-02-02 21:49:00 UTC

Post missing.

samba

2011-02-02 23:22:00 UTC

sorry, will re-phrase that.

what site can i use for image uploading that i dont have to sign up to? I dont have facebook and i dont intend on having anything similar or linked.

that is why i was using postimage.org but they seem to be unreliable.

Dutch

2011-02-03 08:20:00 UTC

imgur is a great site if you don't want to sign up

Millar

2011-02-03 11:13:00 UTC

I use photobucket. It always works and is stupidly easy to use...

You do have to sign-up to Photobucket, but there are no commitments, weird links, or emailed ads. It's simply a username and login that allows you to put everything in once place. You can use the same username and password as the forum, then you don't even need to remember anything new.

Just took a look at imgur and couldn't see how to upload pics without registering? Plus there's no navigation? ...maybe I'm being stupid?

samba

2011-02-03 11:25:00 UTC

I did my supermoto lid with Di-Noc. It's a right bugger to do, I was wrapping the sides with a painted stripe down the middle.
A stripe of carbon down the middle should be a lot easier. Do it over size and then trim it down afterwards.

Dutch

2011-02-03 11:26:00 UTC

imgur main page