DeCal Works Semi-Custom Graphics

What it is

• Improve the look or highlight your sponsors with a fresh set of grahics
• Lots of stickers to change the look of any ride

DeCal Works is probably the OG when it comes to off-the-shelf and custom graphics. Back in the day when print magazines flourished, they would run multi-page catalog ads featuring their product smack dab in the middle of the mag, this was pre real internet-LOL. To this day they are one of the leading destinations to seek out graphics, stickers, and all sorts of sticky stuff. They offer numbers, backgrounds, basic graphics, full custom sets, custom stickers, seat covers, ID kits, and plastics. Our set was a mix of custom, as well as something similar to a set they had already made for Keefer. We tweaked the idea to fit our garage-build Kawasaki KX450SR project. This was before Kawasaki announced the production-based SR. We still think our bike is way cooler than the production SR. The full set included every panel, fender, and swingarm, however, seat covers are extra.

How it works

• Simple, stickers all over your bike to give your ride that "Factory" look or just not stock.
• Regardless how fast you are, your bike will look faster on the track.

We at DBT don’t just ride one day and slap up a test, we often test until a part is worn out and sometimes flapping in the wind. In this case we pretty much wore through contact sections of our graphics and on the bottom edge of the side panels. Our guess is we put nearly 40 hours on this set of graphics and a few crashes tossed in as well.
DeCal Works ships your kit in a flat pack for the customer to install or you can order your kit pre-installed on a set of aftermarket plastic they provide. For a complete set it’s $79.95 to install, but you know it’s done right and all you have to do is bolt up the new plastics when they arrive. If time is a factor, and/or you hate the task of peeling off old graphics, this might be the best call.
We opted to install our own set. This can be tricky and does require some patience, skill, and, for us, a hairdryer. Using a clean set of plastic is always best for maximum adhesion and longevity. Nothing worse than a sticker that peels up. Note: Some riders are brutal on graphics, others hardly make contact. In some cases, your mileage may vary. We also recommend you don’t install graphics the night before a race unless you have to. It’s a good idea to give the stickers a few days to maximize adhesion. This way you can fix any areas that might peel up slightly at hard corners and/or before dirt or debris gets on the adhesive.
DeCal Works is licensed with almost every manufacturer, so the logos are always spot on.
Each section is a separate graphic/sticker and it’s a process to install them to last. We do not recommend doing them at the track—a clean work area is best. We use a lint-free or microfiber towel with some rubbing alcohol to prep the surface. It’s also a good idea to make sure your hands are freshly washed and free from any dirt or oils, or at least as clean as possible.
Lining up the graphic is key and make sure they follow that path as you move from one side to the other. DeCal Works also offers the tools to make the process easier. Getting the bubbles or any trapped air out is so important, that is why going slow is crucial and often you’ll have to peel back sections to remove any trapped air bubbles.
As you can see from our photos, once the process is done, it can perk up any bike. And in our case, help make our project bike look like a Factory Racer.
Our set has held up for 40 hours of riding and except for a few wrap-around corners, nothing has peeled up. We often peel up the area when boots rub against sections over time, but not in this case. We have washed the bike after every ride and had to remove scuffs often. For us, we used Soft Scrub and a blue Scotch-Brite Zero Scratch pad on the graphics. We even crashed the bike a few times and aside from a few scratches, all was good.
In the end, our DeCal Works graphics held up for dozens and dozens of rides, washes, and pilot-error crashes. Yes they lose a little shine after a bunch of rides but nothing that a little silicone spray or detail product can’t fix after a wash. The exact kit on our project bike is available on the DeCal Works website. (CLICK HERE) From there you can customize some of the logos and numbers if you wish. The semi-custom kit will run you $279.90.
We are really happy with the product, it held up longer than we expected, and no major sections ever peeled up during our abuse. Not to mention many of the people working at DeCal works ride and have a passion for the sport. In the end, we wore them out like a good tire, they still work but you can see the knobs are not as sharp as they once were.

DeCal Works: www.decalmx.com
Email: sales@decalmx.com
Phone: (815) 784-4000