August 2015 - There has been a bit of time spent scratching heads about what to do with the side panels. As every single part off this bike, they looked scratched and dull and came with unmatching bolts. From the start, the main option has been to replace them with cleaner, less aged siblings. But an umpteenth storage cardboard inspection revealed there was still some 3M vinyl films left from another project, both in carbon look and matt black. The carbon's been chosen for evident appearance reasons and because there was enough left to cover both sides ... another cheap repair.
The left side cover was easier to start with as it was only dirty and required very little sanding. Below are one before and two after pictures of the covering job.
The film had long been stored in rather wet conditions, so unfortunately it didn't stick to the panel's surface as expected. Add to this that I had not practiced my covering skills for a long time and the panel ends up looking only almost as planned. It looks good from a distance, but it's a bit rough on the edges.
The right one was another story though ... It had deep scratches and holes where the alarm key and warming LED were mounted. What was left of the alarm system has to be removed first, the consequent holes filled and the whole sanded more heavily. Then the panel has been painted black using spray can not only to ready the surface to receive the film, but initially also to reveal the remaining repair defects.
Apart from the holes and repaired cracks, the paint looks surprisingly good. Maybe my paint skills are better than my covering ones now ... And that could be a fall back plan if ever the vinyl film flies off the bike too quickly.
