The Breakdown
Pros
Cons
What Is It?
Feynlab coined the phrase “nano technology ceramic coatings” about 15 years ago and is a pioneer and innovation leader in the field of protective vehicle coatings.
Kate Hadland the Feynlab coating installer from Tenacious Detail.
It all sounds very Star Trek to me and I half expected the installer I contacted to put it on my bike to be half Borg or something. She isn’t an alien, just to be clear. She’s really very nice and did an astounding amount of painstaking work to my Ninja.
In a nutshell, Feynlab makes a surface covering, hard coating that bonds to paint and other surfaces at the microscopic or atomic level. So it won’t be damaged by UV radiation, dirt, washcloths, and abrasion from your body when in contact with it. This is truly mind-bending stuff!
It’s created using a combination of Si02, Si3N4 (Silicon Nitride), and SiC (Silicon Carbide). They make a product line of coatings boasting extreme durability, strong chemical resistance, intense UV & heat protection, a high gloss finish, and an impressive hydrophobic surface… it’s all about making vehicle maintenance super fast and simple.
I had to get to the bottom of whether this product is worth the high price of admission so to speak.
How Much???
When Kate told me it would cost over $1000 to do this coating I swallowed hard and nearly backed out. I don’t care who you are or how good the product is that’s a lot of cheddar just to make my Ninja “silky smooth”, so to speak.
I chose to pay up mainly in the name of science because I was extremely skeptical about this coating black magic and how good (or bad) it would test out to be.
Kate set to work immediately and spent over 12 hours of hard manual labor lovingly buffing out every scratch, blemish, and imperfection to be found on my H2SX SE. This bike has been through a lot of rough treatment if you recall.
I rode it almost 6000 miles in two weeks last summer up to Dawson City, Yukon on my way to Tuktoyaktuk. Read the story here if you don’t believe me.
Kate puts her heart and soul into every project and when I saw the finished product I was convinced she earned every dollar I paid and then some.
Watch her here describe the painstaking process involved in putting the coating on my bike:
The endless cleaning, buffing, and polishing would drive anyone other than tenacious Kate insane. Here’s the link to Kate’s Facebook page if you’d like to contact or follow her antics online.
Every inch of the bike was done…
Even the seat wasn’t spared. I’m surprised she didn’t try to coat my tires, to be honest.
Look at the difference in the windshield before and after the prep work was done. Wow!
A Video Review
This is the kind of review that works best using a video to fully appreciate it so I built one to that end.
Please watch it and then you’ll better understand why I give this product such a high score. I have only one legitimate complaint about it and that’s how the coating on the seat rubbed off after only a month of use, but everywhere else it has stood the beating I laid upon it and come through sparkling after the dust settled.
How Long Do I Let This Go On?
I had a difficult time deciding when I should end testing and write this review, to be honest. I kept wondering when the “gotcha!” moment would occur and I would notice the coating failing to work, but it hasn’t faltered a bit yet even after the bike was absolutely coated in dried bug guts, road tar bits, chain lube, and whatever else I managed to splatter on it over the last 4 months of riding.
It wouldn’t be very convenient to test it for 3 years before doing the review so I decided to just go ahead now with what I know. I can always update this piece after all.
As mentioned before two spots that line up with my “cheeks” did rub through the coating on my seat, but it’s not noticeable until the bike is completely wet. Feynlab installers like Kate will always be happy to touch up something like that anyway if you want. I’m not worried about that part since I tend to apply leather protectant regularly anyway.
This ceramic coating stuff is a big winner in my books!
Pros
- Excellent paint & surface protection
- Self-healing coating
- Never use soap or other cleansers to wash your bike for 1 to 3 years depending on package chosen
- Coating process necessitates your bike being color corrected & having all scratches removed
- Dirt doesn’t stick to your bike anymore & when washed will look absolutely brand new again
- 3 year warranty
Cons
- Very expensive prep & installation requires training to do correctly or can damage your paint
- Coating needs replacement after 1 to 7 years depending on which coating package is installed
- The coating used on the seat will wear off after only two months in high friction areas
- Coating life can be shortened by physical scratching or using harsh cleaning solutions on it instead of just water
Specs
- Manufacturer: Feynlab Ceramic Coatings
- Buy: Feynlab Ceramic Coatings
- Price when tested: USD$ 1000.00 per bike approximately
- Made in: USA
- Review Date: August 8, 2019
Hey Jim, Thank you for this review and we are so glad you found Kate as she is an amazing installer. Please feel free to reach out anytime with questions or concerns.
Hey Nolan? thanks for the feedback. I’m very impressed with the product as mentioned and the job Kate did. We were discussing perhaps putting the industrial coating on an adventure bike as well. Not sure if she mentioned that to you, but if you really want to see what the product can do that would be an outstanding example since those bikes really get dirty and subjected to nasty environments.
How long will it last on my goldwing windsheild
Hi Jim!
Well I’ve had it on my windshield for almost a year and it’s still working well, although I do have a few scratches on it again now. I believe the treatment lasts between 1 and 3 years depending which coating you get applied. They’re also improving the formula over the years.