Vinyl wraps?

Has anyone recently done or seen a vinyl wrap on a Silverwing?

My dark blue 2006 is in decent shape but the older prior owner dropped it at least once on each side on his gravel driveway and the touch up work looks really bad. 

I’m thinking of getting it wrapped. I’ll probably just go close to OEM dark blue color but with some white accents. 

How well do these newer vinyl wraps hold up? Any idea how long?

Vinyl wrap I believe has a life of ~ 7 years (maybe 5 years outdoors)- it also depends on who is doing the work- the Silverwing has a lot of complex curves to it and wrapping it (albeit possible) may be a bit difficult for whoever is doing it. Given the choice between wrap and paint, I would choose paint and have a pro do it. Where on the bike is the paint damage? Main fairing or the lower covers? Or the back sides? I have replaced my fairing in the past (was able to get a new one and the left lower side cover) due to damage to these panels from a zero speed drop from the prior owner (also replaced the panel where the compartments go). I use a painter, Bryan (BDscycles.com) that painted my 94 ST1100 and he did custom graphics as well. He’s in Lancaster SC, so he came and took the bike, tore it down, repainted and reassembled it (as well as powder coated the wheels)- for painting body panels, I would assume it would be less expensive and you can mail the parts for refurbishment.



^^ This is the work he did on the ST (and he took my hard top and painted that as well). You could also scope out a motorcycle paint shop near you.

You may want to look at a company such as Vinyl Frog (vinylfrog.com) Lots of useful information there to help you make a decision

he came and took the bike, tore it down, repainted and reassembled it (as well as powder coated the wheels)- for painting body panels, I would assume it would be less expensive and you can mail the parts for refurbishment. wrote:

^^ This is the work he did on the ST (and he took my hard top and painted that as well). You could also scope out a motorcycle paint shop near you.

That I think is a better option than a wrap. 

I’m getting quotes of $600 to $800 locally for a wrap. I wonder how that compares to having it painted.

I don’t have any good close ups and I’m shut in right now with a mild case of Covid, but here’s images I cropped from larger photos of where the problem areas are:

Unfortunately in your pics, it’s a little difficult to see the paint defects. That said, if small enough, are they even worth correcting? I have a few on mine despite replacing some of the body panels (a touched up area each on the rear side panels that have the Silverwing emblem, and on the right lower cover (again, from the prior owner that had a 0 speed drop(s) in his garage when he owned it). I guess they bother me a little, but not enough to make me get them painted. We all like our bikes perfect (I know I do) as possible but then I have to weigh the financial cons of the paint repair vs the benefit. If it bothers you enough and is financially worth it, you can get the work done. As I can’t really see the defects in your pics, I likely wouldn’t bother, because it’s a potential hassle to remove your front cover and send it or bring it somewhere for a repaint.

One more thing…you recently had the drop overnight with the bike parked (and apparently no damage at the time). Get it repainted and spend some $$$ on it and if it falls, it’s going to drive you nuts. Unfortunately this is the reality of 2 wheelers. On the STs, they have little tip over guards that prevent the bodywork from getting damaged and I wished they incorporated something similar on the Silverwing.

That’s just one opinion, however…

As for paint vs wrap, I suspect the costs will be more or less the same, so I’d opt for paint.