OEM Cowls Wrapped Matte Black

M

MikeC

Weekend Rider
I've been wanting cowls for the LONGEST time, and finally took the plunge. Yeah, I know they're not cheap but I just love the way they make the bike look.

Because I have the matte bike, I didn't think the oem gloss look would flow well enough so since I have a vinyl gig on the side, decided to wrap these bad boys and also add a yamaha logo in gold!

Behold!

Wrapped on Left, OEM on right.


Yamaha Logo
 
SeñorJack

SeñorJack

El Guapo
haha we notice :) i saw an fz8 parked in napa the other day and I swore I could pick out all his visual mods just as I passed haha. we know our rigs!

looks really good man!
 
N

n8kdfz8

New member
that looks awesome man!!! Does the kit come with all needed mounting hardware and yamaha doesn't sell them matte black? If we have to paint them what matte black did u use? by the way i like how the gold yamaha reflects to ground LOL:rolleyes:
 
M

MikeC

Weekend Rider
n8kdfz8 said:
that looks awesome man!!! Does the kit come with all needed mounting hardware and yamaha doesn't sell them matte black? If we have to paint them what matte black did u use? by the way i like how the gold yamaha reflects to ground LOL:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

You ask great questions!

The benefit of buying OEM is that it comes with all the additional brackets. It may look like the covers just bolt in, but theres actually two large metal brackets, grommets and bushings as well as additional bolts that you get with the OEM kit.

At one point, I was considering some Carbon Fiber replica cowls on ebay for about the same cost, BUT those CF ones don't include any hardware, and I have no idea where to get hardware only. So I felt like I was saving a lot of effort by just going oem.

As far as I know, the OEM Cowls only come in one color. I could be wrong. The cowls are gloss black with a little bit of sparkles to match the 2011 paint job, but it definitely does not match the matte gray anywhere.

That being said, I used Matte Black Vinyl Wrap on mine because it's removable, cheap and fast. But if you're going to paint, I imagine any auto grade paint would work, Hell, I imagine even some rattle can would be fine since they're so close to the ground, tucked under and hardly noticable.

The Yamaha logo was the final touch. I think I'm going to make it bigger after a while for replacement. (we'll see how much road damage it takes).
 
M

MikeC

Weekend Rider
cambo said:
haha, C'mon yamaha, come out with matte cowls so us non-vinyl experts can have beast mode cowls too!
Click to expand...

Actually, it's not that hard to do! I tried to take a video with the gopro but you can't really see anything.

You can use the "wet" method that allows you to slide the vinyl around before committing the placement.
 
N

n8kdfz8

New member
micha3lchu said:
You ask great questions!

The benefit of buying OEM is that it comes with all the additional brackets. It may look like the covers just bolt in, but theres actually two large metal brackets, grommets and bushings as well as additional bolts that you get with the OEM kit.

At one point, I was considering some Carbon Fiber replica cowls on ebay for about the same cost, BUT those CF ones don't include any hardware, and I have no idea where to get hardware only. So I felt like I was saving a lot of effort by just going oem.

As far as I know, the OEM Cowls only come in one color. I could be wrong. The cowls are gloss black with a little bit of sparkles to match the 2011 paint job, but it definitely does not match the matte gray anywhere.

That being said, I used Matte Black Vinyl Wrap on mine because it's removable, cheap and fast. But if you're going to paint, I imagine any auto grade paint would work, Hell, I imagine even some rattle can would be fine since they're so close to the ground, tucked under and hardly noticable.

The Yamaha logo was the final touch. I think I'm going to make it bigger after a while for replacement. (we'll see how much road damage it takes).
Click to expand...

Thank you for the great info! also i think the yamaha logo is a perfect size and position!
 
D

Dom83

New member
Hey can you come back to us with durability of your wrapping plz???

I have a couple a parts that I'm looking to get matte black as well...the front fender and cover meter will cost me 190$ with good paint in a shop!

so if your wrapped cowl are holding up good, I'll think about it

how much did it cost you the get OEM cowl?
 
M

MikeC

Weekend Rider
Dom83 said:
Hey can you come back to us with durability of your wrapping plz???

I have a couple a parts that I'm looking to get matte black as well...the front fender and cover meter will cost me 190$ with good paint in a shop!

so if your wrapped cowl are holding up good, I'll think about it

how much did it cost you the get OEM cowl?
Click to expand...

I have yet to ride the bike since it's currently down, BUT I will make sure to update after next week on how well it takes rocks etc.

I anticipate that the vinyl will get nicks and blemishes by the 1 month mark because it's sitting so close to the ground, flicked rocks will most likely have nowhere to go except into the cowls. But! I imagine the fender top and gauge cover will be clear from some of that so it becomes less of a concern.

$190 is pretty steep though, but probably a lot more straightforward and durable. If you pursue the paint route, I'd consider plastidipping it instead since it'd be removable and I hear the plastidip finish can be much nicer than real matte paint.

The hardest part about wrapping the fender is the curves. The cowls are angular so it wasn't too hard, but any sort of compound or complex curves will prove to be a pain to wrap.

the OEM cowl with all hardware are available for around $220 from amazon/ebay. It's steep, but worth it in my book!
 
D

Dom83

New member
yeah I think it's worth it too, it really looks good! And I'm still with you that 190$ is steep but I'll keep looking for lesser price. If I order the two OEM part from yamaha (fender and cover) already matte black from the 2013 it cost around 280$ so that's crazy if you ask me! I'll take a look at the plastidip route.

the mods budget of the year is already busted...but I can't stop throwing some money somy bike looks better lol
 
Last edited:
M

mduff

New member
I have them on order for my bike; looking forward to their arrival (any day now). Getting them from the dealer matched to the bike - blue color. I was considering adding some clear protective tape to the leading edge for rocks, etc. Do you think that will help?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top