How to Safely Remove Stickers from a Motorcycle's Paint

Frankly, I've never understood why some manufacturers plaster those silly safety stickers all over the fuel tanks of their motorcycles. I figure it takes a particularly dim bulb to ride drunk, drugged or helmetless, and I seriously doubt anyone prone to such stupidity will be swayed from it by a swatch of vinyl admonishing them to act responsibly.

The good news is that with a little patience and the right tools, those offensive little decals can be peeled right off. In fact, they are designed to be removed, something not everyone may realize.

The problem is that the stickers, which are basically thin pieces of plastic with an adhesive backing, can be tenacious little buggers, particularly when cold. What we need to do is make them pliable, which makes them easier to get a grip on, and gets the adhesive to release its hold.

Most emphatically, the wrong way to remove a sticker is by scraping it with a sharp object when it's cold. Do it that way and all you'll get for your troubles are strips of half-peeled sticker and a ruined paint job. In my experience the easiest way to remove the offending sticker without doing damage to your nerves or paint job is by applying a gentle combination of heat, the right solvent and persuasion.

So long as the heat doesn't come from an open flame, almost anything will do. I use an inexpensive heat gun, the same type you'd use to strip paint, but blow dryers work perfectly well and have the added advantage of not getting so hot that they blister your paint. As to the solvent, while there are plenty of sticker-adhesive-dissolving solutions on the market, the best thing I've ever found and one that I know is perfectly safe to use on painted surfaces is WD-40. The persuasion comes from your fingertips or fingernails, which, when wielded gently, won't scratch the paint, yet will get a grip on the sticker.

Note that most tank emblems (and some of those on tanks and fenders) are also applied with adhesive, and this approach will also work with them.

Last bit of advice: As with most things, slow and steady will get it done. Trying to force things along generally just makes a mess!

The procedure consists of five steps:

1. Spritz the sticker and the area around it with a little WD-40. The WD combined with the heat will dissolve the adhesive along the edges of the sticker, making it easier to peel back.

2. Allow the WD to sit for a few moments, and then begin warming up the sticker and the immediate vicinity with your heat gun. You don't need to get the area blistering hot, and remember, you are working with a painted surface. Overheating the area can cause the paint to soften, making it easier to scratch.

3. As the sticker warms up you'll feel the surface become more pliable. When it does, start at one corner and slowly and carefully peel up the edge.

4. As the sticker lifts, apply a little heat to the leading edge. If the sticker starts to melt, ease up the heat. If it tears at some point, don't panic—you can remove the remnants later.

5. Once the sticker has been removed, wash down any leftover adhesive with WD-40, then use a clean rag to wipe the residue away.

For more articles on how to maintain and modify your motorcycle, see the Tech section of MotorcycleCruiser.com.