Alloy Tank Protection

Hi Graham,

A bit of a late posting as I'm only now about to pick up my new cafe racer. A local 'wrap' company in Birmingham can provide off the roll material and application kit as I was considering protecting the back of the tank only. What details do you have?

Regards,

Clive

I bought a roll of "helicopter tape" cut of about 300mm (1ft) cut a couple of darts either side and put it on the rear of the tank close to the seat. I used soapy water so I could position the tape and get the air bubbles out. It peals off easily if it gets scratched and a new piece is applied.

BTW Its called helicopter tape as it's apparently used on the leading edge of helicopter blades

Hello - thanks for this - I have used helicopter tape on my cycles for years but only as a narrow tape. How wide is the tape you got?

Thanks for the info. I like the 'covers the country' pun - I think you've created an advertising slogan for him.

Previously clive_astley-mynd wrote:

Hello - thanks for this - I have used helicopter tape on my cycles for years but only as a narrow tape. How wide is the tape you got?

Sorry for delay in reply. The tape I used is around 100mm wide. Works quite well, as it stops the buttons and zips from jacket scratching the tank.

Blade tape is good stuff until it starts coming off your blades, then things can start getting interesting. It tends to go yellow over time and is quite thick. I use it for the rear edge of my Fastback tank to stop the sear chaffing the paint. You could also use clear fablon though the stuff I used to have access to was matt, we used it to cover charts for re-use

Previously david_evans wrote:

Blade tape is good stuff until it starts coming off your blades, then things can start getting interesting. It tends to go yellow over time and is quite thick. I use it for the rear edge of my Fastback tank to stop the sear chaffing the paint. You could also use clear fablon though the stuff I used to have access to was matt, we used it to cover charts for re-use

The stuff I used was 3M, just measured it and it's 122mm wide.

Not too bad on flexibility as it follows the curves of the Dominator tank. It comes off quite easily and doesn't leave any residue. I plan to replace it every year so the yellowing shouldn't be a problem. I don't think I'll be subjecting it to the same punishment that the leading edge of a helicopter blade experiences

I should get 4 applications from the roll I bought. It suits me as I don't fancy covering the whole tank on a semi perminent basis.