MV F4 Tankslapper™ Install How-To

If you're like me, your leathers are constantly coming into contact with your tank. As I write this I have only 600 miles on the bike and the tank's side areas are showing signs of wear. Rather than let this get out of hand I thought I'd nip this in the bud with one of the Tankslapper Kits on the market. In case you are unfamiliar with this product, it's a 3M plastic peel-and-stick material that molds and adheres to your tank when wet.. then dries to form a barrier from most abrasion.. It's easy to use.. doesn't yellow.. and lasts as long as you will. Best part.. it's cheap. First timers are usually paranoid with the install (and detailed info can be found on the Tankslapper web site), but in reality.. it's about as easy as finding your own ass... here's my humble How-To...
Parts/Materials Needed:
(1) MV Agusta F4 Tankslapper Kit from www.thetankslapper.biz (about $20)
(1) small squeegee
(1) spray bottle
(1) hair dryer
(1) pair scissors
(1) Six pack (Imported beer only)

Step #1: Cleaning Tank, Dry Run, and Getting Wet
Tankslapper recommends WAXING your tank before you do anything else. So it is written.. so let it be done. Done? Cool.. Now you will need to do a dry run by holding both the left and right side up to your tank and figure out exactly how they will apply. On my MV TS kit I didn't discover until AFTER I had everything wet that some of each side would have to be trimmed. It could have been my own ineptitude.. or not. Be forewarned that you may have to trim some of the extreme edges in order for the tankslapper to lay down properly so keep the scissors handy. Sure the instructions say that this is what a hairdryer is for but it didn't work that way for me.. The kit comes with (3) pieces. One is supposed to go where the carbon fiber tank protector is. We will use that, but not as intended. I'll explain that later.

Using your spray bottle, spray your tank with some water then wipe it down with the squeegee to remove any small particles that may cause small air pockets after the install is complete. Make an EXTRA effort to have your tank perfectly clean. Trust me, an ant's pube will cause the material to bubble. Now re-spray the tank with a generous amount of water. Note: While water plays an important roll in this installation, for god's sake, keep it off the white release paper that the Tankslapper is attached to. The paper is for shipping and handling only.

Step #2: Applying the Tankslapper:

OK.. Your tank is wet... your trusty spray bottle is within reach... your Tankslapper is wet on BOTH sides... let's begin...Peel the Tankslapper off it's backing and place it on the tank.
Line the bottom of the Tankslapper up with the bottom line of the tank pocket by sliding it into place. I left about 1/2" at the bottom. Spray some more water on top of the Tankslapper if needed. .. Move the tankslapper to where you want it and use your fingers to smooth out most of the big air bubbles.

At this point is when I realized that some portions of the MV tankslapper would need to be trimmed. The area just above my left hand simply would NOT adhere to the tank and even after using a hairdryer.. it refused. Cussing is appropriate right here. Honestly, why the piece needs to cover this area so far forward is unknown to me so I trimmed off that corner and then everything went on perfectly..


Step #3: Smoothing Out the Bubbles

Take the squeegee and wipe from the center out in all directions. Use just enough pressure to remove the access water. Hold the tankslapper in place with your fingers as you squeegee off the excess water. Wipe the remaining water off your tank with a soft cloth. This will take a few minutes. Get most of the bubbles out then go have a beer. Come back and push some more bubbles out.
It's at this point where you'll discover how good you were about the initial cleaning of your tank. On my first try I found a tiny piece of something dead center on BOTH freakin' sides.. How these bits of microscopic frustration got under the 3M material.. I'll never know. The good thing about this stuff is.. you can peel it off and reinstall MANY times as need be. I peeled the TS off, cleaned the area again... and on my second attempt.. it looks perfect.

Final Step #4: Around the Tank Protector:

I was under the impression that EVERY F4 comes with a Carbon Fiber Tank protector. It looks good and is functional. Why the MV TS Kit comes with a rear tank protector replacement piece is unknown to me. Guess some people might want to remove the factory piece for a cleaner look.. so be it.. I'm not one of those people. Rather than toss the 3rd piece of 3M material, I chose to cut (2) pieces out of it that will go on each side of the factory tank protector to fill the space where the new tankslapper does NOT cover. Was relatively easy to do by laying the DRY material on the area and with an ink pen trace where the factory tank protector was and then trim back about 1/8". After I got both sides cut to the right size and the dry run proved it.. I wet each piece and apply... "Vunderbah.!"

Now the 3M Tankslapper material literally wraps completely around the rear of the tank for 100% protection. I would show a close up pic of the kit installed but you really can't see it.. Most people will never know it's on there if you get all the bubbles out. Note: It will dry to the tank over the next 48 hours. You'll be able to rub bubbles out for at least 24 hours.

A job well done.. time for the other 5 beers..

B A C K