Remove wind deflectors foam tape

marc11

Joined
Apr 3, 2024
Messages
108
Age
55
Location
Orange County, NY
Bike
2004 ST1300
Picked up a full set of wind deflectors that has old double sided foam tape still in place. Peeling off is a challenge as it pulls off in tiny bits, plastic scraper doesn't help much either, heat made it laugh.

Any suggestions that would break the bond or dissolve the foam without damaging the rubber deflectors? Have a few sprayed down with wd-40 it's softening but not really removing.

Not sure if acetone, mineral sprits or denatured alcohol would work or even be a good idea.

Help appreciated.
 
There some 'adhesive erasers' you spin with your cordless drill...

21090663.jpg


Works quite well without damaging the surface (watch speed for temperatures though...)
Fine on car body paint and painted fairing parts (gray and lacquered ones)...
I also use it to get the double sided tape of the balancing weights off the wheels (painted and cast only)

Fine remains of the adhesive might start to smear, but their easily wiped off with some rubbing alcohol.
 
Whatever chemicals or abrasive wheels you use, try it on a part of the deflectors that will not show. The OEM tape was not foam tape, it was 3M trim tape - a black rubbery tape a bit less than 1/8" thick that responded well to gentle heat. This stuff had a red peel off tape to reveal the adhesive.. If you try Goof Off, Oops, or Goo Gone be very careful. I used one of those to remove adhesive from a refrigerator and noticed that it was removing the paint as well as the adhesive. I have a roll of foam tape that is supposed to be 'permanent', so it might take some doing to find the appropriate solvent.

WD40 is fish oil based, and according to them, will not harm painted objects. I've not found it to be very good at removing adhesive.
 
Heat seemed to work best, but WD 40 was a mistake. All the parts I sprayed turned the tape to a goopy mess harder to remove. One step forward two back.
 
I used a heat gun. You can get the deflectors surprisingly hot without damaging them. It didn't peel off perfectly and completely but I was able to remove it in big pieces as opposed to small ones without heat. I cleaned all of the glue residue off with WD-40 and and a plastic scraper, then cleaned the WD-40 off with isopropyl alcohol.
 
As in my video, I "rolled" the tape off, and it came off "perfectly" clean. Just make sure you use enough heat! BUT DON'T over do it!
 
SupraSabre said:
As in my video, I "rolled" the tape off, and it came off "perfectly" clean. Just make sure you use enough heat! BUT DON'T over do it!
Click to expand...
Yes that works perfectly for all the parts except the two I sprayed with wd-40 those are now all gummy and heat isn't helping. Just gonna have to struggle with those, maybe I'll soak them in kerosene over night.
 
marc11 said:
maybe I'll soak them in kerosene over night.
Click to expand...
No idea what the wind deflectors are made of (I installed them on my ST), but some rubber compounds do not like petroleum based solvents - like kerosene. Be careful, you cannot replace the deflectors.
 
When removing the gaskets from the from front covers of the 06 & 05 bikes, I picked up this gasket scraper at O'Reilly's.

Something like that might work, without digging in to it. They are like plastic razor blades.

20250222_GasketScraper.jpg
 
That gasket scraper looks just the thing for removing caulk around to tub to be replaced.
 
ST Gui said:
That gasket scraper looks just the thing for removing caulk around to tub to be replaced.
Click to expand...
Something like the below works well. The V shaped end scrapes both the horizontal tub and the vertical wall surfaces at the same time while getting in deep. Being plastic it causes no damage. Sharpening it every once in a while makes a big difference to its effectiveness.
Scraper.jpg
 
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