Yesterday I was at the gas station putting a small puff of air in my tires after getting my bike out for the first time this year. In a span of 10 seconds this 70-year-old guy gets out of his Jeep and wants to “thank me” on behalf of his massive Harley chapter and shakes my hand and then proceeds to kiss my bike’s tank gas cap. I’m totally taken aback and was so caught off guard I didn’t know how to respond. Guy ended up being a super nice guy in town for a fishing trip. We had a great conversation, but…what a way to greet a stranger. Now that I think about it, I think the lip marks are probably still on there. Where’s my microfiber?
File their nails. My last “coating” on my 08 K1200GT (before 2nd gear started popping out) was to tile it with sandpaper. It was grey-colored skate board traction tape. 4" wide, sticky backed, I cut 2:1 rectangles and covered it like the space shuttle. Replaceable tiles if damaged, and as hard as the road. I covered the tank in 3m’s calendared-vinyl non-skid, and this is why the entire project worked phenomenally well. I recently covered my K1600GT’s tank with the traction tape, and it SHREDDED my riding gear. Lesson: you can indeed sandpaper-cover your bike, but not the panels that the rider contacts.
Friends would walk up, laugh, and do a little nail-file when they saw it.