We’ve all had that daydream—imagining how we’d customize our bikes if the sky were the limit. And for many, the ideas go far beyond bolt-on aftermarket parts. Some riders envision a set of bold graphics to make their bike truly one-of-a-kind. But typically, daydreaming is where the fun stops — until now, that is, thanks to 3DCal, a pioneering motorcycle graphics kit design platform that lets riders easily bring those visions to life.

Previously, if you wanted to customize your bike with a graphics kit or wrap, you had two main options: buy a generic template that sort of matched your style or pay a professional designer to create something original, rolling the dice on how it would look once installed.

New Hampshire-based 3DCal has come up with a way to turn us all into designers, offering riders user-friendly tools to create their own custom graphics, regardless of their artistic skill level. Best of all, you can use the company’s patent-pending 3D rendering technology to get a true-to-scale realistic preview of exactly how the design will look applied on your bike.

Even better, the web-based 3DCal interface is completely free to use for designing and saving your ideas. It runs right in your browser, with no software to download, and is easy to navigate for even those with no design experience. Once you’re happy with a design, you can order it through the application. 3DCal prints and precision cuts your custom decals, then ships them globally to your doorstep, ready to install.

“We wanted to create a system that was simple enough for anyone to use, but powerful enough for advanced users to really take it to the next level,” Court Rand, the founder of 3DCal, told ADV Pulse. “There’s never been a tool like this for motorcycle riders. It bridges the gap between high-end graphic customization and everyday riders who just want to see what a cool design will look like on their bike before buying it.”

That’s a key detail: this isn’t a generic mock-up maker. The 3DCal system shows your graphics wrapped on the actual body panels of your model and year, factoring in OEM paint colors, curves, and contours. You can zoom, spin, and view it from any angle, even see it in different environments, so you know exactly what you’re getting before placing an order. 

“Most online wrap tools are clunky, and even the better ones only show designs in 2D, which doesn’t reflect how graphics actually lay over curved plastics,” said Rand. “You can even check out a side-by-side video comparing our render to a real bike — it’s that accurate.”

Unlike the typical generic decal kits you see online, the 3DCal graphics kits are made from extra thick 21-mil vinyl, reinforced with a highly-durable outer laminate, which Rand described as “burly” likening them to easy-to-apply armor for your motorcycle. You’ll still need a set of crash bars to keep your bodywork from getting dented or cracked in a hard fall, but the protective skin can help prevent common damage from trail rash, boot scuffs, branch whacks, roost, and UV fade.

On the other hand, let’s say your adventure bike has already seen better days. Maybe your rear side panels are scuffed from logging miles with rackless soft bags, or you scratched up your tank on a trail ride. Instead of replacing OEM parts—which can run well over $1000 for a set of new body panels and significantly more if you damaged your tank—you can simply cover it up with a fresh custom wrap starting at $270.

Rand, who also co-founded Ecuador Freedom adventure bike rental and tour company over 15 years ago, has a soft spot for adventure and dual-sport models and his experience managing a fleet of motorcycles in Ecuador’s challenging environment highlighted the need for durable, protective decals to maintain a bike’s appearance, as well as its resale value.

“The high-mileage nature of the business means we have to replace our entire fleet every couple of years. Once a bike has done its duty on our tours, the decals come off, and the bodywork underneath looks showroom-fresh for its next owner.”

Got a brand new bike you want to keep pristine? Install one of the graphics kits right over the OEM plastics to protect them. When it’s time to sell, peel off the wrap to reveal the original finish. While these kits aren’t going to prevent your bodywork from getting dented or cracked in a hard fall (you’ll still need a set of crash bars for that), they can help prevent common damage from trail rash, boot scuffs, branch whacks, roost, and UV fade.

Want a custom look but don’t want to start from scratch? You can choose one of 3DCal’s many templates and build your own design by personalizing the colors, graphics, logos, or branding elements. An intuitive design interface allows beginners to easily drag, drop, and recolor elements in minutes.

For those with a creative streak, you’ll find a range of sophisticated tools to bring your exact vision to reality. The platform also supports uploading original designs and artwork to the 3DCal marketplace. “We are just finishing up the backend work for the full decal design royalties,” said Rand. “Riders can buy and customize it, and the artist will get a cut per sale. It’s a flexible ecosystem for creators and riders alike.”

The way Rand sees it, this is as much a rider’s tool as it is a creative outlet. “You’re not just customizing the look of your bike,” he said. “You’re protecting it, preserving it, and in some cases, making money from your own ideas.”

3DCal Core Features

• Web-based platform that lets you easily design and visualize custom decals for your bike.
• Jumpstart your creativity with a variety of starting point templates you can easily customize.
• Advanced users can upload high-res artwork, logos, graphics and fonts to take full control of all design elements. 
• Preview your bike in different angles and environments with a hyper-realistic 3D visualizer, before you purchase.
• Protect your bike’s resale value with a durable, 21-mil thick, UV-resistant wrap.
• Precision-cut graphics ship globally to your doorstep, ready for an easy install.

The platform’s growing list of supported models already includes popular ADV and dual-sport bikes like the Yamaha Ténéré 700, KTM 890 Adventure R, Husqvarna 701 Enduro, Husqvarna Norden 901, Suzuki DR650 and Suzuki V-Strom 650. Customizable design templates for the Aprilia Tuareg 660, BMW F900GS, BMW R1300GS, Royal Enfield Himalayan 450, Honda Africa Twin, Suzuki V-Strom 800DE and others are on the way. 

Want to see how it all works? 3DCal offers step-by-step tutorials and it’s free to develop and save multiple designs. Just open your browser, head to 3DCal.com, click on your bike, and start creating.

Author: Jamie Elvidge

Jamie has been a motorcycle journalist for more than 30 years, testing the entire range of bikes for the major print magazines and specializing in adventure-travel related stories. To date she’s written and supplied photography for articles describing what it’s like to ride in all 50 states and 43 foreign countries, receiving two Lowell Thomas Society of American Travel Writer’s Awards along the way. Her most-challenging adventure yet has been riding in the 2018 GS Trophy in Mongolia as Team AusAmerica’s embedded journalist.