As promised, I documented my little badge removal project and I am posting it here to show you how to do it.
First of all, I did this on a 2005 model. Some models do not have a raised badge on the tank and this may not work for those particular bikes. If yours has a raised badge, this method will allow you to remove the badging from the tank and side cover.
Raised Badge:

The badges are adhered to the body with a fairly strong 3M type gray tape. This tape is VERY tacky and does not come off easily. In order to soften it up a bit to allow easier removal, I decided to steal my wife's hairdryer.

I also got together a few more items to help with the job: fishing line, dental floss, and some plastic scraping tools.

You will also need some kind of strong adhesive remover. I find that Wal Mart Carb Cleaner works great but is hard on paint so use it sparingly. Goof-Off or WD-40 works pretty good as well.

Be sure to pick up some good quality Polishing Compound or equivalent. Do not skimp on quality here. My two favorites:

Now that you have acquired all the necessary materials, get the hair dryer out and heat up the badge you are going to remove.

After it's nice and warmed-up, carefully slide a piece of fishing line/floss under the badge and using a back and forth sawing motion. Do this slowly and gently. Take your time as you do not want to create a lot of friction and damage the paint underneath. Time is on your side-let the line do the work.

Once you are all the way through, the badge should just about fall off on its own.

You should be left with some residual adhesive that will need to be cleaned up a bit more.

Use the plastic scrapers to get as much of the residual off as possible. Old fashioned elbow grease works well here.


After some scraping and a few choice words about how sticky this stuff is, you should be left with some minor residue that can be taken care of by your chemical removal compounds.

Use the fluids sparingly and be very careful to not over do it. Remember, you are trying to maintain a nice clear-coat and paint below this adhesive. If you soften it up with the chemicals, it will scratch, and blemish very easily. I suggest using a very soft cloth and spray/squirt the chemical onto the cloth before applying it to the painted surface. Wipe gently in one direction to remove the loosened adhesive. When you are done, it should look something like this.

Next, move on tp the side cover. This badge was a lot thinner and could almost be removed by hand. YMMV. The same process you followed above will also remove the badge just as well.


When complete with the side cover, you shouldn't have to scrape too much residual and may be able to move straight to the chemical removal compound to remove what lies beneath.

Once the side cover adhesive is removed, the fun part comes next. Get your High Quality wax out and polish the area well. Do it two or three times if needed. A good compound will remove most wispy micro scratches and fill any oxidation that may have occurred.

You can now buff it up and check your results. If you took your time and used caution, the results should be near perfect.


If your bike is a few years old and the paint has faded, you may need a summer of sun to even it out. Maybe not. Mine came out great and I hope you have the same results.

Don't forget to do the other side!