Over the many years we have been making and fitting products for MX bikes and riders, we have accumulated many tips on how to get the best from the products on our website…

DECAL KITS

All kits are expensive due to the very high cost to low production quantities that have plagued our Industry since Hans Maisch was in ‘leder hosen’. So consequently fitting them can be fraught with angst at the prospect of having your decal ruined by inaccurate positioning. We’ve used this tip for many years and it has never let us down. Make sure you fit your decals in a warm environment, the pvc will be much more flexible.

Remove the backing from your decal and down the longest dimension cut out a 20mm (3/4″) strip through the middle of the backing paper and discard.
Next accurately replace the two halves of the backing paper back onto the decal leaving the exposed adhesive strip down the centre.
Position the decal onto the plastic carefully aligning it so it is in the correct position. Now make sure the strip of adhesive is pressed into position and you can then lift off one of the remaining halves of backing paper and with complete confidence smooth it into position. Do the same with the remaining half and voila…a perfect finish.

PREPARATION OF NEW PLASTICS

Make sure you clean your plastics thoroughly to remove all mold release agents and silicones used in the manufacturing process using either aggressive contact/brake cleaner or thinners rubbed lightly over the whole area.

PETROL/GAS ALERT

Make sure you use a recognised Petrol/Gas station fuel for your bike. Most Supermarket outlets are now using high proportions of ETHANOL in their fuels. As many of you will know, this ‘Green’ additive can wreck seals, O-rings and cause your plastic tank (if it’s white or yellow) to turn brown. It can also cause your nice shiny new tank decals to fall off/de-laminate due to the volatile nature of the mixture. There are many other types of specialist race fuels out there, so always buy with caution. If you have no other option, then always drain your tank of fuel after riding and remove your petrol/gas cap to help vent the fumes.

AFTERMARKET PLASTICS

We always try to use OEM plastics to pattern our products. However we realise that in some cases these are difficult to source and the only option left to riders/restorers is to buy an aftermarket brand. Generally these are relatively accurate and our decals should fit adequately well. However some plastics manufacturers are selling product that is radically different to the original shape. If you find your decals impossible to fit for this reason then please get in touch as in the majority of cases we will be able to supply the correct decal.

PRINT LIMITATIONS

To remain competitive, like the majority of Aftermarket decal manufacturers, we use digital print equipment. Unfortunately this means that some plastic colours are difficult to match. So until fluorescent colours are available we’re stuck with close ‘approximations’. This is also true for metallic inks, although in some cases we still screen print silver and gold when there is no other alternative.

SEAT COVER FITTING

We’re often asked why we put seams into our covers when the OEM items had none. Most later Japanese covers are vacuum formed using a custom made vinyl that is not commercially available. To make fitting our after market covers a little easier we take out some of the excess vinyl by using seams. This helps achieve a decent finish while also avoiding crushing the OEM seat foam, especially at the front on the seat.

We’re planning on doing a video on both Seat cover and Decal fitting demos to show you how we do it here at EVO. Until then here’s a tacky little vid we made some time ago which you may find helpful..