Pretending to be carbon fiber boy!

[badda_bing]

My battle with carbon fiber sheets. Never have played with it before. First attempt at a heat shield turned out very well. Don't like that the only chrome was On the exhaust. Just did not fit the style of the bike.

Before

new shield

After

Love the look. Working on the cans heat shields now. A bit tougher than the little heat shields.

After I get these done and mounted and take aday off from the cussing, and throwing stuff around my garage I will make a few other carbon fiber pieces, want to cover the dash and the front
piece under the windscreen.

Here is one of the cans.

The small heat shield took about 45 minutes. The can shield took 3 hours. Have to paint the cans and pipes with some engine enamel before I can mount the shields.

That is tomorrow's project, 1 more can, paint, then maybe cut the cat off and gut it and weld it back on.

 

[badda_bing]

Finished the shields. After today, I am going to leave carbon fiber alone for a bit.

 

[wobblygong]

You must tell how you did this, man. It looks awesome!

I receive a roll of 3M carbon fibre sheet today off Ebay.
How did you form the sheet around curves etc? Was it necessary to use heat? I want to cover the outer surface of my panniers to cover scratches and scuff marks caused by throwing a lazy leg over the bike and my boot hitting the top of the pannier.

Wobb

 

[wobblygong]

Badda bing, no need to reply my friend.
The previous post was about 5.20pm this afternoon. Since that time, I checked out Youtube and there are a trillion instructional videos on how to apply carbon fibre sheets to just about anything that stands still long enough.
Where have I been??? In a vacuum obviously. This is the first time I've seen this shit. I'm wrapped. No pun intended.
Tomorrow, I start. The Bonneville will not be getting any carbon fibre treatment but the Beemer will.
The neigbour's cat better watch out!

 

[henrys]

Wow, awesome. I'll have it give this a shot.

 

[badda_bing]

:crazy:

Badda bing, no need to reply my friend.
The previous post was about 5.20pm this afternoon. Since that time, I checked out Youtube and there are a trillion instructional videos on how to apply carbon fibre sheets to just about anything that stands still long enough.
Where have I been??? In a vacuum obviously. This is the first time I've seen this shit. I'm wrapped. No pun intended.
Tomorrow, I start. The Bonneville will not be getting any carbon fibre treatment but the Beemer will.
The neigbour's cat better watch out!

That is where I found all of my info on it. Complex curves will make you cry! But just take your time and it will work out.

 

[wobblygong]

:crazy:

That is where I found all of my info on it. Complex curves will make you cry! But just take your time and it will work out.

:mad2:I'm crying, boy am I crying! :mad2:
I took my time but this stuff seems to have a mind of its own. I kept getting air bubbles which I couldn't get out. It stuck to itself, it ripped. I either had too much heat or not enough.
I am NOT a happy camper!!
After spending the entire afternoon fart-arsing around with it, I just left it.
I'll come back to it and try again tomorrow.....or the next day......or the next.

 

[badda_bing]

:mad2:I'm crying, boy am I crying! :mad2:
I took my time but this stuff seems to have a mind of its own. I kept getting air bubbles which I couldn't get out. It stuck to itself, it ripped. I either had too much heat or not enough.
I am NOT a happy camper!!
After spending the entire afternoon fart-arsing around with it, I just left it.
I'll come back to it and try again tomorrow.....or the next day......or the next.

I bought a fancy heat shooter. I ended up using a halogen light, one of the work light type. It gave off a much more even heat on the whole sheet, rather than a small spot at a time. I started with the smallest part I had and took my time. The cans took right around 3 to 4 hours a piece. The small heat shield took about an hour.

Now I am working on some block off plates for where my grab handles are. But it is a no piece to copy part. So I am trying to get that figured out, tabs and all.

Just have patience, don't rush, take a break, it helps to have an extra set of hands.

 

[fender]

I bought a fancy heat shooter. I ended up using a halogen light, one of the work light type. It gave off a much more even heat on the whole sheet, rather than a small spot at a time. I started with the smallest part I had and took my time. The cans took right around 3 to 4 hours a piece. The small heat shield took about an hour.

Now I am working on some block off plates for where my grab handles are. But it is a no piece to copy part. So I am trying to get that figured out, tabs and all.

Just have patience, don't rush, take a break, it helps to have an extra set of hands.

Bike looks grate with the carbon and blacked out exhaust. Did you skin the stock pieces or use them as a mold?

 

[badda_bing]

Bike looks grate with the carbon and blacked out exhaust. Did you skin the stock pieces or use them as a mold?

They were used as a form. The sheets I got were rated at 300*f.

 

[wobblygong]

Carbon fibre saga

One important lesson I've learnt from my "venture in the world of carbon fibre" is that there is a lot of crap c/fibre vinyl sheeting out there in the market place, especially on ebay.

I got burned on the c/f sheeting I purchased. Although it had the 3M logo printed on the backing sheet, it was NOT the real deal. I paid $29 for one sheet 50cms X 120cms.

The genuine article not only has the 3M logo printed on the backing sheet but has horizontal/vertical lines printed as well. Also, genuine 3M Di-Noc CA-421 c/fibre sheets are only available in 1220mm (48") wide. The most important feature, from my point of view, is that the genuine article has small channels on the adhesive side which allows air bubble to escape.

The inability to expell air bubbles was my undoing. I could NOT get them out!!

This is probably no news to you badda bing but for anybody else thinking of venturing into the carbon fibre cosmetic treatment of their bike/car parts, beware the cheaper crap brands.

I believe this information is correct. Feel free to comment if some aspect of this material is incorrect.

Ya live'n learn!

 

[badda_bing]

I thought about the Di-Noc, but it is not heat resistant. I will get some to cover the front piece under the bottom half of the wind screen.

I had a 6" x 6" piece of the plate left over, so I fabricated a block off plate for where the grab rails are mounted. I do not have a right side passenger mount for the peg. So until I get one I will leave the grab rails off. Forming the sheets to a pre existing mold was much harder than just making a piece to fit. Next time I will remember that.

Here they are on th bike