Hi there
Anyone here used any kind of paint protection on their hard saddlebags? Got an 09 Electra Glide and I've done a bit of reasearch into 3M film and similar stuff that window tinting companies use and also found a genuine Harley part #11100028 in a kit.
Any advice would be great. Like the idea of film rather than a bra.
Cheers
Have a look at a Melbourne company called Invisable car bra, it is that 3m stuff i got him out a couple of years ago to do my
HSV and he done a great job, one of the mates also got him to do his Harley( forks,tank and gaurds)
Apoligies to your missus, you could always buy another bike that is easier for her to get on like a Dyna, that way you`d have 2 bikes.
How'd you go - did you find a decent film as I'm looking for some as well?
I'm getting a new set of tins & currently the touring seat is leaving marks around the back end of the seat on the silver denim paint which isn't so noticeable but I'll be crying if the new paint gets damaged.
Found this bit of info from a pro' installer FYI:
3M Scotchgard Paint Protection Film
The Good Its good points are undeniable. The brand name of a juggernaut, huge R&D budget and more years in the business of gluing things to other things than anyone has made them the top dog in PPF. The film is tough, the top coat is the toughest by far, and you can even wet sand and buff it, but don’t try that with any of the others, unless you feel like putting a brand-new sheet of film on. The 3M PPF resists growth of fungus and algae, yes it is true, oogies can grow inside your film. 3M’s point of purchase materials are good, probably the best available and if you have a good distributor, they may throw in the promo stuff if you order enough film. Now for the bad news. The Bad I will set aside my ego for a second to say that 3M Paint Protection Film is all but impossible to put on flawlessly. I have installed almost all the films on the market over the course of nearly a decade and it’s no exaggeration. One false move and you get a permanent flaw. It seems that its greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. Yes, the very thing that makes the topcoat so easy to repair and so durable, also makes it easy to crease, stress and mark with your squeegee. Unfortunately, many of these types of flaws are not repairable. It does yellow on white cars, but then, all PPF does to some extent. Conclusion; 3M Scotchgard Paint Protection Film is good for long-term use, it does its job well on vehicles that will see a lot of miles and for the customer who can accept some stretch marks and wrinkles here and there in exchange for durability, reparability and a brand name that they can trust. Venture Shield Ultra A lesser-known film, but growing in popularity so quickly that it was snatched up by the company mentioned above. Although 3M says that their acquisition of Venture Tape was not related to the PPF market, it is pretty hard to believe that it was not a factor. The fact is that Venture Shield Ultra was starting to grab PPF market share hand over fist, so draw your own conclusion. The Good It is remarkably easy to install. I mean the stuff looks really good right off the bat. It is less expensive than 3M, Xpel or Avery film, so if you are an entry-level installer just striking out into the world of PPF, Venture Shield Ultra could be the film for you. The Bad Again, its strength is its weakness. Since a soft top-coat equals good looking initial install, it also means no reparability. This is bad for longevity, and bad for installation, if you mar the finish of the topcoat during install it can be tough, if not impossible to fix. The rolls of film come with this annoying sheet of Mylar on top of the film, put there presumably to protect the film from itself while in storage and transit, maybe to prevent growth on the roll, I don’t know. I have never asked anyone from Venture why it’s there but, holy cow it sucks! You can’t plot the kit with the Mylar on, or the film will not track right, so you have to take it off pre-cut. Well, this is not all that easy, it’s hard to get started peeling, then, once you have it going, you better hope that you’re nowhere near your plotter because there’s so much static electricity you will fry the electronics in nothing flat (you could probably cook a dog with the amount of static you get). In case you’re wondering, yes static electricity does attract lint and debris from the air, ground and clothes near-by. Conclusion; the money you save on film and install time will be nothing compared to the time and money you loose fighting lint, fried electronics, and massive amounts of extra garbage, which, by the way, is what the film will be in 2 years with its wimpy top-coat.
Thanks again mate.
Sounds like I should go for the Scotchgard I think. For the amount I need cost isn't an issue.
