How to Install Reflective Tape or Reflective Decals and Graphics on a Motorcycle

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual

Installing reflective decals or reflective tape on your motorcycle can greatly improve your chance of not being hit by a car. Following these steps can greatly improve the installation and final appearance of your project.

Steps

1. 1
   Clean your motorcycle completely. Be very careful not to leave even 1 speck of dirt, grime or bug remains as they will ruin your graphics installation. A good way to do this is wiping it down with a towel wet with gas.

   
   
2. 2
   Mix a solution of 1 cup of water and about 7-8 drops of Palmolive dishwashing liquid. Put this in a spray bottle and use it as an application fluid.
3. 3
   Spray the area to receive the reflective decal or graphics. Coat the area soaking wet. Do the same to the sticky side of the decal, pinstripe or reflective tape.
4. 4
   Apply the decal gently and wipe it down with your finger or a rubber straight edge. This action pushes the fluid from under the decal and bonds it to the motorcycle.

   
   

Tips

• There are different grades of reflective material. Use an "engineer grade" reflective vinyl such as the LumaStripe brand of vinyl available at Streetglo Reflective decals.
• Do not rush. If your decal is large and you are applying it to a curved object, rub in a circular motion starting in the center and work your way out. This is also a stretching technique and you'll need it to stretch the decal around the object.
• You can try a dry installation. However, reflective decals are not forgiving if you stretch them too directly. While called reflective vinyl, it is technically reflective polyester. It does not have the same stretch characteristics as ordinary vinyl.
• A good place to start is large and visually intense night time reflective decals on your helmet.

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Install Reflective Tape or Reflective Decals and Graphics on a Motorcycle. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.