Behind the protective stickers on the winning bikes of the Dakar and World Superbike Championships lies the industrial leadership of a Barcelona-based company that, with almost 40 years of experience behind it, remains committed to expanding its business and developing increasingly innovative, high-quality, and sustainable products.
A customer who buys a trail or adventure motorcycle, say a BMW GS, a Honda Africa Twin, or a Yamaha Ténéré, usually has the clear intention of traveling. They also tend to equip their vehicle with accessories that enhance its touring capabilities and even install protective elements to help preserve its condition and integrity. Among the latter are the increasingly popular sticker kits that, like a second "skin," decorate and protect the bodywork from scratches or scuffs. These are primarily aimed at motorcycles geared toward mixed use, but also increasingly at other types of bikes such as naked bikes and scooters.
Uniracing has become, for years, the true benchmark brand in this segment, marketing products for the main models on the market with a current catalog that includes not only complete kits for more than 30 different motorcycles, but also universal stickers for specific areas of the bike. From its modern facilities in Argentona, Barcelona, and within Z&R Autoadhesivos, a company specializing in screen printing and industrial labeling since 1985, Uniracing has demonstrated that the Spanish industry, once again, is capable of leading from a technological and innovative perspective. So much so that its decorative and protective stickers have even caught the attention of teams such as the HRC Monster Energy Team and the GAS GAS/KTM Factory Team to protect and decorate the motorcycles of their champion riders in recent editions of the Dakar, or the multi-champion KRT team in the World Superbike Championship.
“ We were born from competition ,” explains Álex Guillén, head of marketing and design at Uniracing, “supplying custom sticker kits to motocross, enduro and superbike teams, and we adapted to the ups and downs and trends of the market, reorienting our product towards street bikes, mainly the top sellers at dealerships, such as the Trail Adventure .”
Unique technology
Part of Uniracing's success is due to the extremely high quality of its products, the result of ongoing research and industrial specialization that has led it to patent its own technology, GRASTEC® (Graphic Skin Technology). This technology is based on the use of exclusive materials and processes that give its decals unparalleled qualities, both in terms of finish and protective capabilities. These decals not only allow their owners to decorate their bikes with distinction, but are also notable for their ease of installation.
“ In essence, GRASTEC® is the use of a single material ,” Alex continues. “It’s a printed polymer sheet, meaning the adhesive is composed of a single layer, while the competition uses two. In the assembly process, having two layers reduces its quality, doesn’t allow for repositioning, and is more difficult to install… Ours, being a single component, is easier to install and of higher quality ,” explains Alex about the technology behind the success of Uniracing adhesives.
New product launches
The Uniracing team's desire to continue innovating and maintaining the brand's leadership within its segment keeps them in a process of continuous research and evolution, and they are already working on a new version of their GRASTEC ® technology, which is in the final testing phase and will possibly start marketing throughout this year 2023. GRASTEC 2.0, as Álex calls it, will exhibit a finer external engraving or finish, using the same material and offering the same protection, but with a “ different, more qualitative look, being a second higher-end version for top motorcycles that will complement the current one in our catalog. If you position yourself as a reference product, you always have to evolve towards something better ”, concludes Álex.
On the other hand, Uniracing's second new product in the works for the coming months will be a bubble protector for the inner tank area that comes into contact with the rider's knees. Its development arose from the need of the Honda HRC team at the Dakar, who complained that the rubber material was too aggressive. Uniracing, owners of the machinery that develops this resin, proposed sheets with a multitude of bubbles, which immediately appealed to the Japanese brand's riders due to their excellent balance between grip and glide. " We hit the nail on the head, " says Álex. " This product was so successful that other Dakar teams have already requested it: it allows riders to 'play' more with the bike. In fact, we have already developed it for road bike tanks, and it is currently available for the Kawasaki Z900 and the BMW R 1250R, but we will launch it for many more."
Seeking greater sustainability
Regarding Uniracing's future plans, its managers are clear. In addition to continuing to innovate to stay current and diversifying their products to adapt to the emerging needs of the two-wheel market, one of their most important goals is to continue working to develop a more sustainable and ecological adhesive, seeking a recyclable polymer and backing. Currently, Uniracing adhesives are more environmentally friendly than their competitors, simply because nothing is thrown away during manufacturing, as it is a printed sheet without a backing. " Sustainably speaking, our product has much less waste, and this is an added value we want to emphasize. Little by little, we want to make our adhesives much more sustainable than we can imagine, " emphasizes Álex, and concludes: " Innovating with new materials and seeking sustainability is our priority."