Replacing KTM decals -- say goodbye to Mr. Bubbles!

The loo.

Loo
Bog
Throne
Carsey
Pot

Now come on with the decal application

Well, here we go with the graphics. First, I cleaned the surface with a grease/wax remover and a lint-free cotton rag. Then I cleaned the surface again with rubbing alcohol.

I started with the "Ride the World" graphic, basically because the larger tank graphic scares me.

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I used what they call the "hinge method" of getting the graphic on. Center the graphic where you want it, and then put tape right down the middle of the graphic.

Then you peel back the graphic and cut away the backing paper behind.

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Carefully lay down the first half of the graphic, rubbing from the middle out and focusing a lot of attention and pressure around the lettering.

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Note on this first graphic I used a wet technique. I did the others dry. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages.

After you get both halves of the graphic down, you carefully remove the tack paper on top of the graphic. Carefully!

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Here's a shot after the first two graphics are down. This large graphic makes me nervous. But, it shouldn't. The worst case scenario is that I have a tank graphic with a few bubbles behind it. Definitely an improvement, right?

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And here she is all done.

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And just about done with the other side:

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Here's Steve at FastSigns in Clive, Iowa. Steve's great. He helped point me in the right direction on this project and suggested various products that would work best.

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Some people have asked about these decals and whether or not I would share. Here's the deal. The Adventure Rider website feeds my addiction, and I want to give back. I'm making my designs available free of charge. But, I ask that if you do order some of these decals, please make a contribution to Baldy and this site.

If you want to order these decals, just give Steve a call and tell him what you want. Steve said that he would keep the designs for some time in case any ADVers want decals cut.

FastSigns
1791 Northwest 86th Street
Clive, IA 50325
(515) 224-1210

I have no affiliation to Steve's company. They're just good guys.

Looks great! Good work. Thanks for the thread.

Thanks for the great work Orangecicle. I've PM'd you a couple of times..I'd love to get a set of your decals...but thanks for the info on how to get those great decals.

My decals are bubbling up and looking very crappy...your decals look A+!

Are you planning a clear coat over the decals??

Nice job!

Well done looks sweet!

Very cool design! Factory look with a little custom flair. Congrats on a job well done!

Great Job! That looks sharp. You could help KTM's graphic people.

I am planning on giving your supplier a call next week and see to order myself a set .

My tanks bubbles are SOOO BAD . I honestly haven't seen any other bikes as bad as mine .

Thank you once again . I hope you not mind me ordering a set as well . I wanted to get the DAKAR logo incorporated into mine , but your's is way cooler .

Thank you once again .

No worries. Glad you like the design.

I wouldn't....that might be part of the problem!

Right. My thought is to just leave them as is, and if the replacement decals get marred in any way, I can just have new ones cut at the sign shop. They will be much easier to get off without the clear coat over them. And, it may be that the clear coat contributes to the bubbles in some way, so we will see over time.

By the way, I left the little cowling decals in place. They looked fine on the bike, so I thought that I would just leave them alone if the new decals were a pretty close match. Without rubbing your hands over the bike to find the clear coat, you can't tell which decals are original and which are replacements. The thin clear layer that FastSigns put over the replacement decals gives the same looks as a clear coat.

Yeah. My newly purchased 04 has the same issue. I was thinking about peeling the the whole KTM decal off and replacing it with about a 10" Touareg. Now that I know what's underneath I may do something different. It would be cool to use the touareg instead of the compass. I'll check with those folks and see if that's possible.

Why a toilet when there are no toys in there?

Since this is back up, how about a report on how the decals are holding up?

So far, no issues at all. I'll try to post some pictures soon.

From Christmas Eve:

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We've got a guy like you in Hood River. :eek1

I made the mistake of going for a ride with him a few weeks ago.

I was smart enough to turn around there, too.
And then two weeks later Steep & Rocky came through there the back way on WeeStroms and show us BOTH up !!

MMS, You riding with me/us this Friday? Or ya skeered now?
It's gonna be Sunny and 53 Friday, in The Dalles
You can ride down I-84 this time, but I can't ever guaranty there might not be SOME snow, somewhere tho.....

Here's a closeup of how the decals are wearing. No issues on mine so far:

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The decal on the little chin piece -- the "K" and the first part of the "T" -- is original decal material. The rest is a replacement.