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Removing Akrapovic stickers on Ti can?

A

alexol

New member
Thanks to some excessively high wind at the weekend, my 1200RT, parked on its side stand, fell over and damaged an expensive list of parts including the muffler.

The easy but painfully expensive option is simply to buy a new stock one. The second possibility is to look for a pristine-and-perfect used one, which can usually be found without huge difficulty, and probably quite reasonably priced.

I'm also thinking about an Akrapovic, but I would only put one of those on the bike if I can remove the sticker. I've taken a bazillion stickers off just about everything you can think of, with the exception of a heat resistant sticker on a titanium muffler. Doing it badly and scratching the muffler would look really ugly - but I'm not impressed with the look of the sticker either.

Does anyone know from personal and first hand experience (rather than something that someone had said) what definitely works to remove the sticker, especially the newer heat resistant ones on current Akro's?
 
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I would check with your local signwriter. They have a lot of skill and knowledge around putting stickers on and taking the off just about any type of surface. (My son was a signwriter)
 
If it's a garden-variety sticker, my go-to solution is a hairdryer to soften the adhesive, then mineral spirits to remove any residue. That wouldn't have worked on the stickers BMW put on my 2015 RT because they were clear-coated over the sticker.
 
wbrownell9 said:
If it's a garden-variety sticker, my go-to solution is a hairdryer to soften the adhesive, then mineral spirits to remove any residue. That wouldn't have worked on the stickers BMW put on my 2015 RT because they were clear-coated over the sticker.
Click to expand...

It's a high temp sticker on a muffler.
 
I have had good luck removing decals and stickers with WD-40 in the past. Takes a little time and patience. I've no idea if it would work for your situation, high-temp sticker, but I don't think it could hurt either.
 
The part that could hurt would be finding out halfway through that the second half of the sticker REALLY doesn't want to come off. It's not like it can be scraped it off Ti with any kind of tool at all as the surface marks disappointingly easily.

Spending $1000 on a mufflers and then making it look like crap before it even goes on the bike isn't an acceptable option, but neither is doing the advertising for them.
 
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The best bet would be to contact the manufacturer and find out what type of adhesive is used, and what type of solvent will dissolve it.

My bet is on acetone or M.E.K.
 
Why not just contact the manufacturer or dealer and ask if you can order one without the sticker?

Or..use goo gone and a plastic razor blade? Yes, they exist. No scratches.
 
I've emailed them but have not heard back yet.

I expect that they're going to reply to say leave the sticker on, because - I am told - that at a certain point in the muffler's life the sticker will start to bubble up and that is the indication that the muffler needs repacking.

That the sticker bubbles up at all (assuming the information is correct) is a clear indication that it is removable. But like many other companies, they are not going to be too happy when somebody wants to remove their brand identity.
 
mlytle said:
Why not just contact the manufacturer or dealer and ask if you can order one without the sticker?

Or..use goo gone and a plastic razor blade? Yes, they exist. No scratches.
Click to expand...

The plastic razor blades are really good - I used some recently removing silicone in a shower, and they did a great job. Dental floss is yet another option, but I'm not interested in this being a science experiment; I looking for hard knowledge from someone has has actually done this successfully.

The problem with the Ti is that it's a very finely finished surface, and marks very easily. It isn't so much the orange plastic razor blade that will cause the issue, but any form of dirt, grit or other impurity caught between the blade and the surface will result in scratches on the fine matt Ti.
 
Many scratches on Ti can be removed w/jewelers' rouge, a soft rag, and a fair amount of elbow grease. I've removed lots of scratches from Ti bicycle frames. High polished items are easier to polish scratches out than dull finishes (which end up with a shiny spot where the scratch used to be).

YMMV
 
jgoertz said:
Many scratches on Ti can be removed w/jewelers' rouge, a soft rag, and a fair amount of elbow grease. I've removed lots of scratches from Ti bicycle frames. High polished items are easier to polish scratches out than dull finishes (which end up with a shiny spot where the scratch used to be).

YMMV
Click to expand...

100% agreed for polished surfaces. The muffler is a fine matt finish.
 
Reading this thread reminds me why I never want to buy a titanium exhaust system!
Life, and riding time, are too short to be spending time caressing the finish on an overpriced muffler. Just sayin’...
:wave

Best,
DeVern
 
GTRider said:
Reading this thread reminds me why I never want to buy a titanium exhaust system!
Life, and riding time, are too short to be spending time caressing the finish on an overpriced muffler. Just sayin’...
:wave

Best,
DeVern
Click to expand...

I agree with you partially. Its got nothing whatever to do with caressing a muffler, just trying to find an answer to as specific question. Only thinking about it as replacing the muffler one way or another isn't an option. Probably better just to replace it with someone else's pristine cast-off, stock or otherwise.
 
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I've had an Akrapovic titanium exhaust can on my 2011 RT for 7 yrs. Don't do anything special as far as cleaning it, just wash it when I wash the bike. No scratches.
 
BMW_Ken said:
I've had an Akrapovic titanium exhaust can on my 2011 RT for 7 yrs. Don't do anything special as far as cleaning it, just wash it when I wash the bike. No scratches.
Click to expand...

Sorry but I'm obviously missing something here - how does this relate to the original question of removing a heat resistant sticker, as used on the newest Akros?
 
My answer to the original question is that it probably can't be done satisfactorily. We are talking about a decal/sticker/something attached to the muffler. Mufflers get hot. Simple things like hair dryers and typical solvents are not likely to work.

If I were inclined to try it would be with a heat gun and a nylon scraper.
 
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