bubbles on tank decals

[Big Red Paul]

Hi everyone,

have some unwanted bubbles in the decals of my plastic tank of my '05 650.

Any ideas how to deflate these mystery bubbles ? Future prevention ideas ?

Also, will these bubbles cause drag and slow my bike down ?????

[XR_mad]

what ever you do dont pop them, try using a smooth round object and smooth them towards the outer edges of the graphics

[767driver]

...Also, will these bubbles cause drag and slow my bike down ?????

First off, it's very important that if you have these bubbles there are equal numbers on both sides of the tank. The parasitic drag at high speed on an unequal bubbled bike will cause you to go in big circles. I've seen it a thousand times. ?

Seriously, the bubbles are caused by gas fumes permeating thru the plastic tank. You can try using a hair dryer to heat them and then press them back down. That may or may not work, the best solution is to heat them just a little and use a very small needle to let the air out, then smooth them out. A word of caution about heating and smashing. The vinyl is not very thick, if you put too much heat on it it WILL tear so be careful. Since this doesn't sound like a new installation project you won't be able to move the bubble around. Your best bet is to just let the air out, heat, then press

No real way to prevent it, almost all bikes will experience this to some extent. Aftermarket graphics kits generally have predesigned holes in them to allow for this fuel vapor. Good Luck

[Jon-D]

First off, it's very important that if you have these bubbles there are equal numbers on both sides of the tank. The parasitic drag at high speed on an unequal bubbled bike will cause you to go in big circles. I've seen it a thousand times. ?

Seriously, the bubbles are caused by gas fumes permeating thru the plastic tank. You can try using a hair dryer to heat them and then press them back down. That may or may not work, the best solution is to heat them just a little and use a very small needle to let the air out, then smooth them out. A word of caution about heating and smashing. The vinyl is not very thick, if you put too much heat on it it WILL tear so be careful. Since this doesn't sound like a new installation project you won't be able to move the bubble around. Your best bet is to just let the air out, heat, then press

No real way to prevent it, almost all bikes will experience this to some extent. Aftermarket graphics kits generally have predesigned holes in them to allow for this fuel vapor. Good Luck

Good reply 767.

as stated, there is no way to prevent the bubbles when using a solid graphic piece. you can possibly cut slices into the graphics to allow the fumes to escape, or purchase a new set that already has the slits and install those.

[Mountain Road Madness]

First off, it's very important that if you have these bubbles there are equal numbers on both sides of the tank. The parasitic drag at high speed on an unequal bubbled bike will cause you to go in big circles. I've seen it a thousand times. ?

Seriously, the bubbles are caused by gas fumes permeating thru the plastic tank. You can try using a hair dryer to heat them and then press them back down. That may or may not work, the best solution is to heat them just a little and use a very small needle to let the air out, then smooth them out. A word of caution about heating and smashing. The vinyl is not very thick, if you put too much heat on it it WILL tear so be careful. Since this doesn't sound like a new installation project you won't be able to move the bubble around. Your best bet is to just let the air out, heat, then press

No real way to prevent it, almost all bikes will experience this to some extent. Aftermarket graphics kits generally have predesigned holes in them to allow for this fuel vapor. Good Luck

Now that was funny. ?

[moto_x2005]

dont spill any more gas on it, 767- i know of this parasitic drag, doin donuts at 70 mph doesnt feel good

[XR_mad]

you might want to check the vent tube on your tank cap if its coming through the plastic

[nomidget]

Same thing happened to my '06 650r and I haven't spilled gas on it, (yet). Poking tiny holes didn't work, like the adhesive just gave up in spots, so I just pulled 'em off the tank. I never considered the aerodynamic advantages, and think about all that extra weight I've eliminated.

[wr450fyamaha]

Also, will these bubbles cause drag and slow my bike down ?????

I went so far as to take every sticker on my bike off, just to be sure there wasnt any drag. I probably shaved off like 10% of the weight, increased aerodynamics, increased fuel mileage by at least 5MPG, and added about 13-17 horse power (not dyno proved but thats what it feels like).

[EddyWhoGoes]

?

[ztsd]

Funny, I thought adding decals INCREASED hp?

Anyway...

Has anyone painted a plastic tank with the Krylon Fusion paint for plastics? I have a ‘Virgin’ (yes, I said virgin...) tank that I haven’t put a drop of gas in yet. I want to paint the lower part black but I don’t want to wind up with a mess in a month or two...

I’m also planning on painting the side panels with the same stuff, but I don’t see any issues there except wear, scratches and what not...

Thanks!

[767driver]

Has anyone painted a plastic tank with the Krylon Fusion paint for plastics? Thanks!

ztsd,

opinions are like aholes, we all have them. On the subject of painting that tank, I'd think your success would be virtually nil in the long run. When was the last time the factory painted a plastic tank? There's a reason for that. These tanks breath, leech, osmosify(is that a word?)whatever you want to call it. The reason the vinyl bubbles is the same reason you can't paint it. The paint is not porous enough to allow for that fuel vapor to escape I think that you would have a worse problem in the long run than just a few bubbles.

If you want to jazz up that tank my suggestion would be to buy a couple of vinyl backgrounds in the color you desire then cut to fit. In the process I would also get a leather punch or some other suitable tool and just go ahead an make your own breather holes in the vinyl. That should work just fine and you'll eliminate many headaches down the road.

Thats just my opinion, I could be wrong, but good luck.

[ztsd]

Yeah, that’s what I was thinking so I thought I’d ask around and see if anyone had tried it. I already picked up a graphic kit for the bike because I want to use the IMS 7 gallon tank and looked so big on the bike.

I didn’t want the tank to be the focal point of the bike. The problem is, all the graphics are for the stock tank and that would leave a large section of red under the graphic. I figured that if I could paint that section it would deemphasize the tank. Guess I’ll just have to find some black vinyl and perforate it. Also, the decal that is suppose to cover the shrouds is NOT perforated so I’m gonna have the same problem there. I was hopping that the paint would act as a vapor barrier and keep the vapor from going through.

Here’s what I mean...