I'm about halfway done this project. There is a nice guide over at the "other" Monster forum so I figured I'd add my own commentary here.
First, make sure you buy quality vinyl. I first went to a sign shop and bought whatever they had in house without checking the manufacturer. I ended up with sloppy, cheap vinyl that would pull and deform whenever you worked with it. I later bought Avrey A9 vinyl online and I'm now having a much easier experience. Don't forget to order one or two sheets extra.
Next, remove the headlight and front fender. You will have enough room to do the job with the wheel installed.
When I applied the vinyl, I found that if I just started at one edge and tried to wrap the rest of it around the fork leg, it would be uneven and then metal would show. I learned that you can be much more accurate if you remove the paper backing before beginning then apply the middle section of the vinyl first. Get the middle on there good and then you can independently work each edge. This was a thousand times easier than before!
You'll want some overlap in each direction. For the horizontal length, I added about 3/16" extra to my measurements when cutting the vinyl. This allowed me to use a little spudger wedge tool to push the vinyl into the corners and also gave me a little bit of leeway in case I applied it crooked. For the lower fork legs I used about a 1/2" overlap on the circumference. I believe my measurements for the upper legs were 7 3/2" vertical and 5" circumference (remember, I didn't wrap the entire leg, only the visible part), and the lower legs were 7 7/12" vertical and 7.5" circumference.
For the upper fork legs (the area between both triple clamps), I was unable to do a full 360 degree coverage with vinyl. The tabs that hold the hydraulic line and the headlight were difficult to work around. I instead just cut the vinyl to a length that was about 1" too short for the fork leg's circumference. Then I simply started and ended the vinyl wrap behind where the headlight sits, so no one can ever tell.
The lower fork legs are much easier. You will need to do a 360 degree wrap for it to look nice. Start applying the vinyl in the straight section and then use a heat gun to stretch the vinyl for the bell-shaped flare at the bottom. Be careful not to heat the vinyl too much or work with it too much or it will become deformed and useless.
That is pretty much it! Here's a teaser, and I'll have some photos when I finish tomorrow.
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PS - I got my vinyl from http://metrorestyling.com and can definitely recommend them. Shipped to my house in under three days!
First, make sure you buy quality vinyl. I first went to a sign shop and bought whatever they had in house without checking the manufacturer. I ended up with sloppy, cheap vinyl that would pull and deform whenever you worked with it. I later bought Avrey A9 vinyl online and I'm now having a much easier experience. Don't forget to order one or two sheets extra.
Next, remove the headlight and front fender. You will have enough room to do the job with the wheel installed.
When I applied the vinyl, I found that if I just started at one edge and tried to wrap the rest of it around the fork leg, it would be uneven and then metal would show. I learned that you can be much more accurate if you remove the paper backing before beginning then apply the middle section of the vinyl first. Get the middle on there good and then you can independently work each edge. This was a thousand times easier than before!
You'll want some overlap in each direction. For the horizontal length, I added about 3/16" extra to my measurements when cutting the vinyl. This allowed me to use a little spudger wedge tool to push the vinyl into the corners and also gave me a little bit of leeway in case I applied it crooked. For the lower fork legs I used about a 1/2" overlap on the circumference. I believe my measurements for the upper legs were 7 3/2" vertical and 5" circumference (remember, I didn't wrap the entire leg, only the visible part), and the lower legs were 7 7/12" vertical and 7.5" circumference.
For the upper fork legs (the area between both triple clamps), I was unable to do a full 360 degree coverage with vinyl. The tabs that hold the hydraulic line and the headlight were difficult to work around. I instead just cut the vinyl to a length that was about 1" too short for the fork leg's circumference. Then I simply started and ended the vinyl wrap behind where the headlight sits, so no one can ever tell.
The lower fork legs are much easier. You will need to do a 360 degree wrap for it to look nice. Start applying the vinyl in the straight section and then use a heat gun to stretch the vinyl for the bell-shaped flare at the bottom. Be careful not to heat the vinyl too much or work with it too much or it will become deformed and useless.
That is pretty much it! Here's a teaser, and I'll have some photos when I finish tomorrow.
PS - I got my vinyl from http://metrorestyling.com and can definitely recommend them. Shipped to my house in under three days!
