Motocross griptape business

natty2356
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natty2356
Hey guys!

Looking at starting my own grip tape company! Clear number board tape and frame tape.

I've done a lot of research into it etc.

Is anyone able to point me in the right direction on where I may be able to find some templates or have any smart ideas on how to make my own without going around each individual bike?

Cheers!
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2Fmx
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2Fmx 7/21/2022 1:23am
7/21/2022 1:23am
natty2356 wrote:
Hey guys! Looking at starting my own grip tape company! Clear number board tape and frame tape. I've done a lot of research into it etc...
Hey guys!

Looking at starting my own grip tape company! Clear number board tape and frame tape.

I've done a lot of research into it etc.

Is anyone able to point me in the right direction on where I may be able to find some templates or have any smart ideas on how to make my own without going around each individual bike?

Cheers!
Hey!

Good luck with your business. I hope it goes well. Graphics and similar businesses are not easy...
Not sure what clear number board tape is, but we used to do 2 versions of some sort of protective film.

1. Was just to use extra overlaminate on top of graphics (the same material what you apply on graphics)
2. The same company which produces MX vynil also produces this textured overlaminate, which most graphics companies sell as a grip tape. We used this on frames as well. Honestly neither of these 2 work well.

I've seen couple fresh companies starting the grip business recently, and if you sourced some good "vibram - like" rubbery material, that's the right track IMO. We also experimented with grip tape similar to what you have on Skateboards, but that just went through boots and pants in no time.

Not familiar with any site or company having specifically templates for Frames, but there are plenty for plastics:

Some cheap ones are (not sure if these are original producers or just selling/stealing from other):
https://victorytemplates.com
https://www.motosportstemplates.com

But we had the best luck with these guys:
https://www.mks-graphics.co.uk
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Gungadin
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Gungadin 7/21/2022 1:42am
7/21/2022 1:42am
natty2356 wrote:
Hey guys! Looking at starting my own grip tape company! Clear number board tape and frame tape. I've done a lot of research into it etc...
Hey guys!

Looking at starting my own grip tape company! Clear number board tape and frame tape.

I've done a lot of research into it etc.

Is anyone able to point me in the right direction on where I may be able to find some templates or have any smart ideas on how to make my own without going around each individual bike?

Cheers!
Templates are the business.
8
Richy
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Richy 7/21/2022 2:21am
7/21/2022 2:21am Edited Date/Time 7/21/2022 2:21am
2Fmx wrote:
Hey! Good luck with your business. I hope it goes well. Graphics and similar businesses are not easy... Not sure what clear number board tape is...
Hey!

Good luck with your business. I hope it goes well. Graphics and similar businesses are not easy...
Not sure what clear number board tape is, but we used to do 2 versions of some sort of protective film.

1. Was just to use extra overlaminate on top of graphics (the same material what you apply on graphics)
2. The same company which produces MX vynil also produces this textured overlaminate, which most graphics companies sell as a grip tape. We used this on frames as well. Honestly neither of these 2 work well.

I've seen couple fresh companies starting the grip business recently, and if you sourced some good "vibram - like" rubbery material, that's the right track IMO. We also experimented with grip tape similar to what you have on Skateboards, but that just went through boots and pants in no time.

Not familiar with any site or company having specifically templates for Frames, but there are plenty for plastics:

Some cheap ones are (not sure if these are original producers or just selling/stealing from other):
https://victorytemplates.com
https://www.motosportstemplates.com

But we had the best luck with these guys:
https://www.mks-graphics.co.uk
Victory Templates is literally listed in MKS's list of companies selling stolen templates from them, so that at least answers that one.

Solid info you provided though, so not being a dick, just saying 👍
TheGetFresh 7/21/2022 2:45am
7/21/2022 2:45am
natty2356 wrote:
Hey guys! Looking at starting my own grip tape company! Clear number board tape and frame tape. I've done a lot of research into it etc...
Hey guys!

Looking at starting my own grip tape company! Clear number board tape and frame tape.

I've done a lot of research into it etc.

Is anyone able to point me in the right direction on where I may be able to find some templates or have any smart ideas on how to make my own without going around each individual bike?

Cheers!
Gungadin wrote:
Templates are the business.
I’ve been making my own grip tape with vibram rubber and 300lse adhesive. I would buy a template before buying grip tape. I’d pay tha same for it, too.

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Hudd_421
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Hudd_421 7/21/2022 7:33am
7/21/2022 7:33am
There's a thousand companies doing it now and it's the most worthless idea ever. Barely adds "noticeable" grip, rubs off after 1 ride and looks terrible and it's a bitch to get off...oh and it shreds your gear.
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The real Sasquatch 7/21/2022 8:45am
7/21/2022 8:45am
I agree with all the info posted so far. The Vibram style is the longest lasting , that provides some real grip, and is not destroying your gear. Templates for frames are much harder to find than the templates for the rest of the bike. But some of the better template providers have started making them. I make my own templates when I have a customers bike that we are installing graphics on. Simple to make compared to the templates for the rest of the bike. Application tape and pencil , then retrace with a pen and scan . Open in your design software of choice and trace them to make them into a file you can cut from. Most of the fram areas will be small enough you can scan them with an average sized scanner. Knowing how to make and revise your own templates will come in handy. And having templates that nobody else has , will help set you apart and let you offer something that your competition is not able to offer as easy as if you are both limited to the same templates. Going thicker makes them easier to get caught and pealed , thinner and they wear through quicker. I put a lot of time into refining our templates more and more as I install and see ways I can improve them. And I've noticed that the way the decal is installed can make s difference on how well the template fits. so offering install guides so your customer installs them the way that you do will also help. And provide detailed instructions of how to prep before installing. Getting the frame decals installed correctly will also impact how long they can last. making your own templates that work with the materials you are using can help you make a better product too. Its a lot of work to build your own templates but its a great foundation to build on. And you can always sell the templates since they are harder to find than the decals themselves.
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ninety3
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ninety3 7/21/2022 9:29am
7/21/2022 9:29am
Making templates is the easiest part of that business plan
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brocster
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brocster 7/21/2022 10:14am
7/21/2022 10:14am
Stompgrip.com

Don’t think there is much room in this space unless you have a really neat improvement over whats already out there.
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GG121
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GG121 7/21/2022 10:29am
7/21/2022 10:29am
The griptape has been done. In terms of making templates, the iphone 13 has Lidar and can scan 3D objects using an app called Polygon (im sure there are others). Go to a dealership or throw a $10 bill at people at the track and ask to scan their bike.
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The real Sasquatch 7/21/2022 12:53pm
7/21/2022 12:53pm
GG121 wrote:
The griptape has been done. In terms of making templates, the iphone 13 has Lidar and can scan 3D objects using an app called Polygon (im...
The griptape has been done. In terms of making templates, the iphone 13 has Lidar and can scan 3D objects using an app called Polygon (im sure there are others). Go to a dealership or throw a $10 bill at people at the track and ask to scan their bike.
Have you made templates this way? I kinda think it might be harder to make a template this way than tracing and scanning. When you use the application tape you are laying down a similar material in terms of how it will bend when installed. I have not tried making a template that way so I guess if you are familiar with working with 3d scanned objects and modeling it might be easier. What software do you use to edit the 3d models?
GG121
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GG121 7/21/2022 1:18pm
7/21/2022 1:18pm
The real Sasquatch wrote:
Have you made templates this way? I kinda think it might be harder to make a template this way than tracing and scanning. When you use...
Have you made templates this way? I kinda think it might be harder to make a template this way than tracing and scanning. When you use the application tape you are laying down a similar material in terms of how it will bend when installed. I have not tried making a template that way so I guess if you are familiar with working with 3d scanned objects and modeling it might be easier. What software do you use to edit the 3d models?
I have not made templates using this method, but I have worked a lot with 3D using Blender software, and this seems like it would work pretty smoothly. Import a 3D render of a bike and draw out the shapes of the graphics you want. Obviously the masking tape method works but I feel like you could go scan all of the models in one day at a track, and come home and make them on your computer way faster than masking out each bike. End result is probably the same just seems more efficient
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natty2356
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natty2356 7/21/2022 1:47pm
7/21/2022 1:47pm Edited Date/Time 7/21/2022 1:50pm
ninety3 wrote:
Making templates is the easiest part of that business plan
easy to say for a bloke who is sitting on the couch not doing it lol
3
lostboy819 7/21/2022 2:37pm
7/21/2022 2:37pm Edited Date/Time 7/21/2022 2:38pm
What ideas do you have to make a better or different product than what's on the market already?
I bought some templates for my pit bike graphics are they were spot on so I think templates may be cheaper to buy but not sure how much time you would need to invest to make your own templates. Sadly I would love to be able to do graphics but I have no talent for design or colors etc.
Sandusky26
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Sandusky26 7/21/2022 2:50pm
7/21/2022 2:50pm
I made my own templates with a pair of scissors.
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The real Sasquatch 7/21/2022 3:39pm
7/21/2022 3:39pm
lostboy819 wrote:
What ideas do you have to make a better or different product than what's on the market already? I bought some templates for my pit bike...
What ideas do you have to make a better or different product than what's on the market already?
I bought some templates for my pit bike graphics are they were spot on so I think templates may be cheaper to buy but not sure how much time you would need to invest to make your own templates. Sadly I would love to be able to do graphics but I have no talent for design or colors etc.
Most of the time it is going to save you time and money buying the templates. Templates for graphic kits are all over the place now. But templates for frames are not as common. You could start out with the templates that are for sale , then expand by making more yourself. I have not been on it for a while , but signs101 was a message board for sign makers and there were a few MX graphics guys that posted on it a lot. I learned a lot from that site . Making signs and lettering use the same machines and programs. Just different materials so you can apply a lot of the sign making info to what you want to do. There used to be a person that sold MX templates that was on that site often . If you want some more technical advice and opinions you should check it out. Making templates can take a few minutes or a few days depending on what you are templating. Back when I first started making MX graphics there was not anybody selling templates so I spent a ton of time making my own. an you can get pretty quick at it after a while. But still if there is a template available ,I will buy it 99% of the time. I may modify it or add to them. But it saves a ton of time buying them when you can, WHEN you buy them from a company that makes good fitting templates. That site MKS has some of ,if not the best fitting templates out there. There are a ton of sites that pop up that sell stolen and or bad fitting templates .A good fitting template is worth the extra cost . MKS shows how the templates fit on the plastic so you can see how it fits before you buy them. They also will give you updated files if they change them.
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The real Sasquatch 7/21/2022 3:52pm
7/21/2022 3:52pm
The real Sasquatch wrote:
Have you made templates this way? I kinda think it might be harder to make a template this way than tracing and scanning. When you use...
Have you made templates this way? I kinda think it might be harder to make a template this way than tracing and scanning. When you use the application tape you are laying down a similar material in terms of how it will bend when installed. I have not tried making a template that way so I guess if you are familiar with working with 3d scanned objects and modeling it might be easier. What software do you use to edit the 3d models?
GG121 wrote:
I have not made templates using this method, but I have worked a lot with 3D using Blender software, and this seems like it would work...
I have not made templates using this method, but I have worked a lot with 3D using Blender software, and this seems like it would work pretty smoothly. Import a 3D render of a bike and draw out the shapes of the graphics you want. Obviously the masking tape method works but I feel like you could go scan all of the models in one day at a track, and come home and make them on your computer way faster than masking out each bike. End result is probably the same just seems more efficient
How good is the quality of the scan you get with an iphone? I have seen some of the cheaper 3d scanners have missing parts of the image they scan. I've had issues with scanning aps not being accurate. But I have a samsung phone and they were not 3d scans. Just document style , If the original poster is familiar with working with 3d images it might be a good alternative. But if he is just learning designing and software it might end up taking a lot longer. As far as I know all of the template selling websites make templates by tracing and scanning and they require photos of tracings to be able to sell them a template. At least one of those sites has started to offer 3d renderings and they still use the tape and trace method. Maybe its just because its what they know. I will have to look into making templates from scans. I have in the past and there was a reason it wouldn't work back then. But maybe that has changed with the current software. No mater how you make a template it needs to be test fit to make sure its a good fit. even the templates you buy , you should try and install the first one you make with the new template just to check the fit.
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Joshracing 7/21/2022 10:09pm
7/21/2022 10:09pm
You guys do know, you cannot buy accurate MX graphics templates at any online 'store'. All are just scanned rubbish. You think the pro-shops will give up their tools? Really? The crap you buy from motorsporttemplates.com, or from eBay, maybe OK for the home designer. But shit, when you fit them, it's a joke. Always.
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2Fmx
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2Fmx 7/22/2022 1:28am
7/22/2022 1:28am
I agree with @Joshracing above. 75% of templates from all these websites, will fit OK, the rest not so much. MKS is the way to go, but there are still differences depending on Plastics manufacturer and they don't have all models available.

Anyway, I like the idea of 3D scan, we have been looking into it in the past, but there was one important element, why we decided that this is no-go for us. You can scan objects and import to Blender and work from there pretty easily. Most of the time its pretty precise, the tough part starts when you are trying to create the proper shape to cut. Sure you sort of eye-meassure what is the best shape out of the 3D model, but what makes the product the best is test-fitting, riding, and the whole circle around. Its cool to scan a bike somewhere and than just make your product and ship it, until something goes wrong and suddenly you have no-one to ship to. From my experience, no fender, or number plate fits the same. Creating templates need to encounter all elements, like the heat, stretch of material, little differences in shapes and sizes of the surface.

Especially grip tape on frame. We have created few of our owns, but it was the process, of at least 3 tries to get it OK. The success of a grip tape depends first on materials, but mostly on how its shaped and placed. We have found out that a wider ones last longer. Wider - I mean they sort of wrap around the frame a little. Its not possible on all models I guess, but its still better than leaving and edge of the material exposed to boots etc. It will not last. But at the same time, the wrap around type is tricky to stick. On KTM's steel pipe frames the material we used, was just too thick to stick properly around such a radius, and was peeling of after the first wash...

So, all I want to say is, that you still need to do a little R&D to get it right, and therefore working with bikes physically is a must IMO.
Ob917
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Ob917 7/22/2022 10:49am
7/22/2022 10:49am
If you can come up with a good looking and grippy material that will last longer than one day you might be on to sometimhung.

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