Install carbon parts – Instructions & Tips

Carbon is not plastic. It looks better, is lighter, and significantly more stable, which is precisely why it is assembled differently. On this page, you will find everything you need for a clean installation.

The most important tips at a glance

  1. Always try it dry first – without adhesive (for swingarm covers or frame covers) and without tightening screws.
  2. Never use force – carbon does not yield like plastic. If something doesn't fit, it needs slight adjustment.
  3. Secure bonded parts until fully cured – cable ties are your best friend.
  4. Always check heat protection near the exhaust – it is not pre-installed on all parts.

1. Before you start

Check parts

Unpack your carbon parts and check for transport damage before installation. Compare it directly with the original part: contour, length, position of drill holes and mounting points. If something is wrong, please contact us so we can help you optimally.

What you need

Basic equipment

  • Hex key / Torx set depending on screw type
  • Torque wrench for small values (recommended)
  • Isopropanol or silicone remover and lint-free cloths
  • Masking tape / painter's tape
  • Soft surface or blanket for disassembled parts

Additionally for bonded parts

  • Mounting adhesive (MS Polymer) or high-quality double-sided mounting tape
  • Cable ties in various lengths to secure the part while the adhesive dries
  • Foam or fabric scraps as protection under the cable ties

Additionally for adjustments

  • Sandpaper grit 240–600
  • Fine round file
  • Dremel
  • Dust mask and safety glasses
  • Possibly shims, rubber pads, serrated washers

Additionally for parts near the exhaust

  • Aluminum heat protection tape or heat protection mat with aluminum lamination

General conditions

  • Motorcycle completely cooled down, clean and dry
  • Working temperature at least 15 °C – especially for gluing
  • Good, glare-free lighting so you can assess panel gaps
  • Level standing surface, motorcycle securely jacked up

Tip: Photograph the original assembly before disassembling anything. Especially the position of rubber grommets, clips, and cable guides, so you can reassemble them identically when attaching the carbon part.

2. Why carbon is different from plastic

Stock fairings are made of ABS or polypropylene. These plastics are elastic: they can be twisted, bent, and pulled over an edge until the clip snaps into place. Many mounts on the motorcycle are designed precisely for this – the plastic simply compensates for tolerances by deforming.

Carbon does not do that. A carbon part is many times stiffer and dimensionally stable. It does not twist to fit a mount – it remains as it is. This is intentional: this stiffness is the reason for its appearance, low weight, and durability. However, it also means:

  • Tolerances become visible. What the plastic has absorbed, you will see as a gap or offset in the carbon part.
  • Tension remains tension. If you forcefully attach a part to a mount, the force does not disappear – it remains permanently in the component and in the screw connection. However, slight tension is not a problem, as carbon does not break as easily.

Small adjustments are normal – and not a defect

Motorcycles have series variations. In addition, there may be pre-existing damage, retrofitted parts, slightly warped mounts after a fall, or third-party accessories. Therefore:

It is normal and standard practice in the industry for small adjustments to be necessary at mounting points for carbon parts. This usually does not affect the carbon part itself, but rather the opposing side on the motorcycle.

How to adjust correctly

Always work according to this principle: first adjust the mount, then the carbon part.

Problem Solution
Hole is off by 1–2 mm Carefully widen the hole in the carbon part with a Dremel/round file or extend it into a slot – never tear it open with a drill
Part protrudes at one point Insert a spacer or rubber pad on the opposite contact surface
Part rests on an edge Slightly trim the plastic lug or mount on the motorcycle
Snap lug does not engage Check and replace the original rubber grommet – it is often hardened
Part is under tension Do not tighten. Find the cause. One less tight screw is better than a crack

Reworking carbon – how to do it cleanly

  • Wet sand or work with dust extraction. Carbon dust is harmful to health – a dust mask and safety glasses are mandatory.
  • Start with fine grit (240 or finer) and work in small steps. Less is more – material cannot be glued back on.
  • Never sand or mill at high speed. Heat damages the resin and can lead to delamination.
  • Work only on edges, holes, and contact surfaces, never over the entire visible surface.

3. Assembly with screws and clips

Applies to fairing parts, cockpit fairings, airbox and intake covers, winglets, fenders, and similar bolted parts.

Step by step

1. Disassemble original part
Keep screws, clips, and rubber grommets organized – you will usually need them again. A magnetic dish or labeled box helps.

2. Clean contact surfaces
Remove old adhesive residues, dirt, and grease. Foreign objects between the contact surface and carbon create precisely the point load you want to avoid.

3. Dry fit
Place the carbon part without screws. Check:

  • Do all contact points lie evenly?
  • Are all holes aligned?
  • Are the panel gaps to adjacent parts even?
  • Is there contact with moving parts, cables, or lines?

If something is stuck here: go back to Section 2.

4. Loosely attach all screws
First insert all screws loosely before tightening any single one. This allows the part to align itself. If you tighten the first screw completely, you force the part into one position and all other holes will be misaligned.

5. Tighten in a cross pattern
From inside to outside, evenly, in several passes.

6. Observe torque
Carbon requires significantly less torque than metal. As a rough guideline for fairing screws:

  • M5 fairing screws: approx. 4–5 Nm
  • M6 fairing screws: approx. 6–8 Nm

The specification in your motorcycle's workshop manual is always authoritative. Without a torque wrench: tighten hand-tight, then a small additional turn – no more.

7. Use washers
Always use a washer with a sufficiently large contact surface, ideally with a rubber or plastic backing. This distributes the force and prevents pressure marks and fine cracks in the clear coat.

8. Threadlocker
Use medium-strength threadlocker in areas subject to vibration.

4. Assembly with mounting adhesive

Applies in particular to frame covers and swingarm covers.

These parts have no screw points – they are surface bonded. The result is optically much cleaner than any screw connection, but requires careful preparation. The adhesive does not forgive correction once it has set.

Which adhesive?

Recommended: MS polymer mounting adhesive (available in hardware stores as "mounting adhesive", "power adhesive" or "adhesive and sealant"). Advantages:

  • permanently elastic – compensates for vibrations and thermal expansion
  • weather and UV resistant
  • does not attack paint or plastic
  • removable without residue if necessary

Alternative: high-performance double-sided adhesive tape (acrylic foam adhesive tape). Advantages: immediate hold, no curing, very clean. Disadvantage: only on flat to slightly curved surfaces, no tolerance compensation.

The combination has proven effective: a few strips of adhesive tape for immediate fixation, plus mounting adhesive for a permanent bond.

Do not use: superglue (too brittle, breaks with vibration), hot glue (detaches with heat), silicone (does not adhere permanently to paint).

Step by step

1. Dry fit and mark position
Hold the part in its final position and check the fit along the entire contour. Once it sits: Mark the position directly on the frame or swingarm with painter's tape. Apply strips along the outer contour – this way you will hit the right spot immediately when attaching, and excess adhesive will not end up on the paint.

2. Prepare bonding surfaces
Thoroughly clean both sides – motorcycle and back of the carbon part – with isopropanol or silicone remover. Absolutely free of grease and wax. Residues of care products or spray wax are the most common cause of adhesive failure. On smooth painted surfaces, lightly roughen the bonding surface with fine abrasive fleece and then clean again.

3. Apply adhesive
In beads or dots, not over the entire surface and not all the way to the edge. Keep a distance of approx. 5-10 mm from the edge all around; the adhesive will spread when pressed, and you don't want it to squeeze out from under the edge. For heavily curved parts, apply a little more adhesive in the center to compensate for the gap.

4. Attach part
Apply once, do not slide. Sliding will smear the adhesive and cause loss of adhesion. Press from the center outwards to avoid trapping air.

5. Secure with cable ties – the most important step

Frame and swingarm covers must be under even pressure until fully cured. Cable ties are the ideal tool for this because they can be routed around the frame and swingarm.

  • Don't forget padding: Wherever the cable tie touches the carbon part, place a piece of foam, felt, or a folded cloth underneath. A cable tie directly on the clear coat will leave pressure marks and scratches.
  • Distribute several cable ties evenly, at least every 10–15 cm along the part – especially at the ends and on curved areas where the part tends to spring back.
  • Only as tight as necessary. The cable tie should gently hold the part in place, not press it down. Too much pressure will squeeze out all the adhesive and create tension in the component.
  • Check after tightening: Is the part still exactly on the marking? You can still correct it now.
  • Immediately remove excess adhesive while it is fresh – with a cloth and some isopropanol. Once cured, it can only be removed mechanically.

Alternatives to cable ties: wide painter's tape or duct tape (in places where a cable tie doesn't fit), tension straps with protective padding for large parts, or wooden wedges that press the part against a fixed edge.

6. Allow to cure

  • Do not move until the adhesive is touch-dry (1–4 hours depending on the product).
  • Remove cable ties after 24 hours at the earliest.
  • Full final strength after 24–72 hours, depending on product, temperature, and humidity.
  • The data sheet of your adhesive is always authoritative. If in doubt, wait longer.
  • At temperatures below 15 °C, the adhesive cures significantly slower – work in a heated garage in winter.

7. Before the first ride

  • Only wash and ride when the adhesive is fully cured.
  • Do not use a high-pressure cleaner on the adhesive edges – not even later.
  • After the first ride, check the fit and edges.

Removing it again

If you want to remove a bonded part later, it is best to work your way through the adhesive joint from behind with a thin nylon cord or fishing line – with sawing motions. Adhesive residues can then be removed with a plastic eraser wheel or adhesive remover. Do not use metal spatulas.

5. Heat Protection

Please read this carefully if your carbon part is located near the exhaust.

Why heat protection is necessary

Carbon itself is extremely heat-resistant – the resin that holds the fibers together is not. Depending on the resin system, the continuously tolerated temperature is around 80 to 120 °C. If a part is permanently exposed to temperatures above this, the following can occur:

  • Discoloration and yellowing of the clear coat
  • Blistering or delamination – the layers separating from each other
  • Warping, causing the part to no longer fit
  • Dull spots on glossy surfaces

Exhaust headers, catalytic converters, and mufflers reach temperatures far above this limit during operation – also due to radiant heat, even without direct contact.

Important: Heat protection is not always pre-installed

Some parts in our range already have a heat protection layer applied to the back ex-works – but not all parts.

Check the back of your carbon part before installation. If you do not see a silvery, metallic shiny coating or mat there, no heat protection is present and you must apply it yourself if the part is to be mounted near the exhaust. This is quickly done, inexpensive – and permanently protects your part.

When do you need heat protection?

As a rule of thumb: always when one of the following statements applies.

  • The part is less than approx. 10 cm away from the header, cat, or muffler
  • The part has a clear line of sight to a hot component (radiant heat also acts over a distance)
  • The original part at this location already had heat protection or a heat shield
  • It concerns exhaust covers, muffler covers, lower fairing parts, chain guards, or swingarm covers on the exhaust side
  • You are using an aftermarket system that runs differently or gets hotter than the original

If in doubt: install it. The effort is minimal, the damage from overheating is not repairable.

With what?

Material Application
Self-adhesive aluminum heat shield tape The standard. Inexpensive, thin, malleable, heat-resistant up to approx. 250–300 °C. Ideal for surface protection on the back
Heat shield mat with aluminum lamination Thicker, with insulating backing material. For heavily stressed areas with very little clearance
Gold reflective film Highest reflection effect for radiant heat, correspondingly more expensive
Spacer sleeves / standoffs Complementary: An additional air gap of a few millimeters often provides more than any film

Important: Pay attention to heat-resistant adhesive.

How to install the heat shield

  1. Clean the back of the carbon part – degrease with isopropanol, let it dry completely.
  2. Cut to size: Transfer the contour of the part and leave about a 5 mm margin all around so that nothing is visible from the outside at the edges.
  3. Adhere: Partially peel off the protective film and apply from the center outwards. For curves, use several narrower strips with a slight overlap instead of one large piece.
  4. Press down smoothly – air bubbles reduce the effect.
  5. Press edges firmly, preferably with a squeegee or your thumb. Loose edges are the first to come off.
  6. Only the back, never the visible side.
  7. Install only after this.

After the first ride

Make your first ride deliberately short. Then let the motorcycle cool down completely and check:

  • Is the heat shield still fully adhered everywhere?
  • Does the carbon part show discoloration, dull spots, or deformation?
  • Has the distance to the exhaust changed due to vibration?

Never touch a component near the exhaust while the motorcycle is warm – risk of burns.

If a part gets too hot despite the heat shield, increase the distance with spacer sleeves or contact us.

6. After Installation

Check before the first ride

  • All screws present and tightened evenly
  • No screw overtightened, no part under tension
  • Clearance checked: full steering lock in both directions
  • Clearance checked: front and rear suspension fully compressed
  • No contact with chain, tires, cables, lines, or brake lines
  • No cables pinched
  • Glued parts fully cured
  • Heat shield present where necessary

After 50–100 km

Recheck all screws. Fairings settle, and the first kilometers with vibration will show if everything is seated correctly. For glued parts, feel the edges all around.

7. Care and Cleaning

  • No high-pressure cleaner directly on adhesive edges, gaps, and stickers
  • Use pH-neutral motorcycle cleaners. No aggressive solvents, no acetone, no brake cleaner on visible surfaces
  • Soft microfiber cloths, no brushes with hard bristles
  • UV protection: Regularly apply a sealant or wax with a UV filter – this maintains depth and shine and protects the clear coat
  • Matte surfaces: Only use care products explicitly suitable for matte finishes. Waxes and polishes will otherwise create shiny spots
  • Glossy surfaces: Can be treated like normal clear coat, including light polish for fine scratches

More about the differences in surfaces can be found under Carbon Variants.

8. Common Problems and Solutions

Problem Cause Solution
Part stands off at one corner Tolerance, warped bracket Spacer on the opposite support, do not overtighten
Borehole not aligned Series variation Enlarge borehole to a slot with a round file, seal the edge
Cracking when tightening Too high torque, point load Stop immediately, loosen, use a washer with a larger contact area
Uneven gap measurement Adjacent part not seated correctly Loosen adjacent parts, loosely install everything, align together, then tighten
Adhesive does not hold Surface not degreased, too cold, loaded too early Remove completely, clean and roughen surface again, re-glue at at least 15 °C
Glued part slips Insufficient fixation More cable ties, more evenly distributed, allow longer curing time
Pressure marks in the paint Cable ties without padding Prevention: always place foam or a rag underneath
Discoloration after a few rides Too little distance to the exhaust Install heat shield, increase distance with spacer sleeves
White spots or fine cracks in the clear coat Overtightened screw Reduce torque, use rubber washer

9. Safety Notes

  • Installation is at your own risk. If you are unsure, have the parts installed by a specialist workshop.
  • For safety-relevant areas (brake system, steering, suspension, fuel system), we generally recommend installation by a specialist workshop.
  • After each attachment, the clearance of all moving parts must be checked.
  • Carbon dust when grinding is harmful to health – always work with a dust mask, safety glasses, and extraction or wet grinding.
  • Check the approval requirements in your country. A material certificate for Switzerland can be requested from us.

10. Questions?

If a part cannot be installed despite the above instructions, please contact us. We will look at the problem together and, if necessary, arrange a return or assist with processing.

Response within 24 hours.