KDReeves

I'm in the process of attempting to put my '87 450 in right proper condition, and for me, part of my swelling Rebel pride is to restore the original battery box logo decal, with the stylized "REBEL" font, straight at the top and a curved arc at the bottom, with the smaller "FOUR-FIFTY" in the same font.

I ordered one from Jack's - that guy is the MAN! - but unfortunately the font is Times New Roman and the coloring not quite right. I'm a purist on this one, I must say!

I don't mind breaking out Photoshop and Illustrator to do a by-hand rerender of the entire logo at high resolution, but I'd like an image to start from. Does anyone have pretty close-up high resolution, crisp, well-lit image of the battery box decal... or have the capability to take one?

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Fridgitator

I'm surprised to hear that Jack is selling one that is not the real deal. Is it possible that the decals were different for those sold in the the U.S. as opposed to other markets?

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'09 Rebel 250

Loud ties save lives.

Guba

I commend you for being a purist! Hopefully someone here can help.

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Some days beer tastes good...other days beer tastes better!

'07 Rebel 250 26,000 miles

KDReeves

Fridge, I'd be surprised if it was an authentic detail. The Times New Roman font wasn't in widespread graphics use in 1987. I'm sure it's just one of those innocent sort of "yeah, that looks pretty close" errors often evident in graphic reproductions. I certainly don't fault Jack. To the contrary, it's great he's offering something along these lines. I doubt there are any actual mid-1980's unapplied OEM decals still kicking around, so replacements are really our only recourse.

I'm hoping that with my graphics tools I can use the high-quality photo I'm sure someone here will graciously provide, then generate some authentic reproductions we can offer to other enthusiasts!

Cheers!

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Fridgitator

The reason I would be surprised is that Honda jealously protects all their copyrights and licenses even on thirty year old niche items, and I didn't think Jack would want the hassle of selling something that would draw flak from their lawyers. And I would be really surprised if he would misrepresent anything he sells authentic unless it is.

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'09 Rebel 250

Loud ties save lives.

cagie

I know bB2NER has a 450 battery cover with the decal on his green bobber. Maybe he'd be kind enough to take a high res picture for you?

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Comments contained in my posts are not intended to cause physical or psychological stress and are mearly my two cents worth, and in this economy, that's cheap!
87 CMX250C 'the Pygmy Pony'
87 CMX450C 'Black Lithium'

KDReeves

I don't at all want to insinuate that I think Jack is misrepresenting anything. He is an A+ 100% stand-up cards-on-the-table guy. It may well be that Honda won't allow the sale of an item with the identical font. /shrug

I'm just stating the fact; the decal font on the one I received is definitely Times New Roman (at least the word "Rebel" is) not the stylized Rebel font from the OEM battery box decal.

That said, no harm no foul! For $8 it's doing in a pinch until I can craft a pixel-perfect repro.

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'87 Rebel 450 / www.KDReeves.com

Fridgitator

I didn't mean to accuse you of anything, either. Just trying to make sense of a puzzle. That's why I thought it might have been for the Australian market, or something.

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'09 Rebel 250

Loud ties save lives.

KDReeves

Alright, time for a nerdfest by yours truly! So I'm not treading directly on copyright concerns if Honda has them, I'm only including bits of anything not straight from an actual bike. The far left image is the sticker I ordered. The center image is part of the Photoshop file I'm developing to try and accurately reproduce the font to the pixel. I've compressed the crap out of it here, but you get the idea. And finally, one of the only clear pics of an OEM decal in situ that I've found. You can immediately tell the difference at a glance.



I realize that in the big scheme this is a RIDICULOUS thing for me to be so weird about... but what can I say? Dorkfest USA, right here!

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'87 Rebel 450 / www.KDReeves.com

cagie

I think I got pretty close

reb450batboxdecal.jpg

__________________
Comments contained in my posts are not intended to cause physical or psychological stress and are mearly my two cents worth, and in this economy, that's cheap!
87 CMX250C 'the Pygmy Pony'
87 CMX450C 'Black Lithium'