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3M "Invisible Bra"

3K views 17 replies 10 participants last post by  Meese 
#1 ·
No, it's not as exciting as it sounds! :eek:hyeah:

If you haven't heard of it, it's a transparent film that can be applied to painted surface. It is "invisible" (or nearly so) and provides protection against scratches, rock chips, etc.

I was thinking of having some applied to the bags on my K1200GT while it is new and scratch-free. From previous bikes, I know the bags take quite a beating.

I was wondering if anybody has had this material applied, and what positive/negative experiences you had.
 
#3 · (Edited)
I had the full Clear Bra setup applied to my GT when it was new. No problems 2 years and 77K miles later. It was expensive to have done, but they covered everything - fenders, fairing, gas tank, side covers, saddlebags (there's a lot of odd angles and curves that I just didn't want to mess with). I pretty much never wash the bike, but it still looks really good under all that dirt. ;)

After my center stand broke and the bike fell flat on the right side, I took it back to the Clear Bra shop. They redid the saddlebag and side fairing bits and it looked as good as new, although I think maybe we actually washed it that time. ;)

You can see what took the brunt of the fall on the saddlebag and the back edge of the fairing in the pic. Notice that the BMW saddlebag guards hardly show any scuffs at all.



Like I said, it was expensive to get it done professionally, but it was still cheaper than a paint job or a new fairing panel.
 
#4 ·
Hmmm... Never thought of having the whole thing done. I do plan on taking it to a professional. I was more concerned about bag scratches handling the bags on trips, getting on and off the bike, etc.

But, your tip over story is pretty impressive. I may take the whole bike to them.

I assume you don't apply any wax or the like. No problem with UV hazing or anything?

Looks like pretty impressive stuff!
 
#6 ·
Smilodon said:
But, your tip over story is pretty impressive. I may take the whole bike to them.
I added a link to my post above that tells the whole story.

No, I don't bother with wax, either. But my buddy owns a Triumph Tiger and he's much more meticulous than I. I'd been riding with him for almost 2 years when he mentioned his Clear Bra was just starting to come up at a corner. I looked closely at his bike, and had never even noticed that it was on there in all that time. That's what really sold me on the stuff.
 
#7 ·
dwsdad said:
Interesting... Is the "3M" stuff they are talking about the same thing? Sounds like it. I wonder if I could order a complete "3M" kit from them and have a pro install it.

Might go better than having the pro do it all custom... And maybe a little cheaper.

Not sure if I want to try it myself. I fought with some "stomp grip" on my track bike, and don't know if I want to attempt this stuff! :cussing:
 
#10 ·
Smilodon said:
Interesting... Is the "3M" stuff they are talking about the same thing? Sounds like it. I wonder if I could order a complete "3M" kit from them and have a pro install it.

Might go better than having the pro do it all custom... And maybe a little cheaper.

Not sure if I want to try it myself. I fought with some "stomp grip" on my track bike, and don't know if I want to attempt this stuff! :cussing:
The 3M stuff is not the same as tankslapper. 3M is more durable, but tankslapper can be applied easily and removed easily and reapplied.
Tankslapper sticks by static, not glue. I had tankslapper and it worked fine. Eventually, I changed to techgrips for the tank sides. Tankslapper is precut. Even a caveman can apply it. Check the videos on their site and see how to apply it.
 
#11 ·
The Tankslapper stuff isn't hard, but it is tricky. Just follow the instructions and you should be fine. I found the key is to do it on a nice warm sunny day. Seems like it adheres better.
 
#13 ·
One of my first posts on this forum was about putting it on my '06 within the first couple weekends I got it. I made my own patterns and got the 3M Clear Bra in bulk from EBay. It took about $200 worth and took an ENTIRE WEEKEND, morning-to-night, to do it. My patterens cover a very large part of the bike. After the first few peices, it becomes FAIRLY easy. It is not something you can hurry through. The big trick is you have to keep it VERY WET <insert jokes here>, and don't work it too hard. The hardest peices were the compound curves of the front cowl, the front fender and the top curves of the side bags. Anything remotely flat is pretty easy.

The time consuming part was making the patterns. VERY time consuming, but I have never regretted doing it. It is amazing stuff. I offered copies of my patterns before for a reasonable cost but nobody seemed to care, but trust me, they would save MANY. MANY hours.
 
#14 ·
I had mine done with the 3M last year and have been very happy with it. No discolouration or lifting as yet and the bike has been in both cold and tropical climates.
The best part now though is I can finally brag about a price. First time ever, normally I am green with envy when you yank guys mention costs relating to anything to do with bikes. I had mine done professionally prior to taking delivery, had nearly all painted surfaces done including luggage and the cost was $295aus. Have a sneaking suspicion I won't be able to show off like that again for a while.
Having it done was worth every cent though and I will be having it done on any bike I get in the future.

Cheers
 
#15 ·
As far as the products being the same, I was referring to the 3M material they advertise on the tankslapper site, not their "tankslapper" material. The template for the GT has a mix of both materials, and you can order a kit with just 3M stuff...

I didn't price it, but $500 without installation... Ouch! :wtf:

Thanks for sharing those experiences. If nothing else, I'm going to make sure to do the bags. I take the bags off and into the hotel room when traveling, and they take a beating off the bike as well as on. My old bags are molded in color, not painted, so these will need something...
 
#18 · (Edited)
Smilodon said:
I take the bags off and into the hotel room when traveling, and they take a beating off the bike as well as on.
I used to do that but I got tired of dragging heavy, dirty bags into the hotel at night, then dragging them back out in the morning. So I bought some saddlebag liners.

You can get the BMW liners, or for 1/3rd the price, you can get liners from Cee Bailey's, Kathy's, RKA, or TLC.

I've been very happy with my Cee Bailey's liners, and have drug them into and out of countless hotels in dozens of states. Another advantage to the Cee Bailey liners is that they have full zips on both edges so you can lay them flat to fill them, and you can get into them relatively easy while they're still on the bike. Its a great product, especially for the price.

Another advantage to the removable liners is that you can leave your helmet locked up in the saddlebag at night and not drag it into the hotel, either.

I also bought a liner for the 49-liter trunk, but I find that much less useful so I don't bring it with very often. Usually my trunk is full of a soft-sided cooler for snacks, an atlas, rag & cleaner for the face shield, camera, etc. Stuff that I want to get to while on the road, but don't always need to drag into a hotel with me.
 
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