Greetings, all,
I am a new member of the forum and a relatively new owner of a 3rd Generation VF750CD. Recently, I was finally able to find the Hondaline engine guards for the bike and realized that I had a few questions about them that nobody would be better able to answer than the knowledgable folks in the MOOT forum. So, please pardon me if these questions have already been covered, but I couldn't find a link to a topic where they were and I would sure appreciate your help.
The first question is what problems if any that anybody encountered when installing the guards and recommendations for avoiding damage to the down tubes. The flanges at the upper end look awfully stout, and I am concerned that instead of bending around the downtube as the bolt is tightened to 41 ft-lbs that they could actually crimp it. :shock:
Second, I wondered if anybody has any ideas for preventing broken paint on the downtube where the upper end of the bar attaches. Since Honda did not radius the edges, I am concerned that they will break the finish on the frame and invite corrosion.
Third, there is no mention of lubrication for the bolt threads. Anybody care to comment on what they used?
Thanks in advance for your patience and help.
Mike
Mike you can use a piece of a rubber bicycle innertube if you wish to protect the paint. Tighten em down to specs you will be fine, the frame tube is pretty tough!!!
Quote from: Greg CothernMike you can use a piece of a rubber bicycle intertube if you wish to protect the paint. Tighten em down to specs you will be fine, the frame tube is pretty tough!!!
Thanks, Greg! Thanks for the vote of confidence in the frame tubes. I'll have to try the inner tube trick. As luck would have it, I think one of the tubes on my mountain bike just became a candidate if it doesn't start holding air any better!
Best regards,
Mike
Did you buy them new or used? The new ones have a small strip of rubber glued to the inside for just such a reason. Plus the spacer that it used keeps the tabs from being pulled too tight and damaging the downtube.
Good thinking on the concern for the tubes, because it does happen. I found out when moving mine to a new bike. Even though there was a rubber strip I guess I did not position it correctly because when I took them off the paint had been rubbed off.
So use caution when doing this.
Bob
Quote from: GlovebergDid you buy them new or used? The new ones have a small strip of rubber glued to the inside for just such a reason. Plus the spacer that it used keeps the tabs from being pulled too tight and damaging the downtube.
I bought them new (and paid way too much). I saw the strips and guessed that's what they were for, but they didn't look adequate. Maybe I'm just too conservative in my thinking.
Thanks much for replying, Jimmy.
Best regards,
Mike
Quote from: rjbEven though there was a rubber strip I guess I did not position it correctly because when I took them off the paint had been rubbed off.
So use caution when doing this.
Bob
Most definitely, Bob. I don't know how thick that tube wall is at that point, but I know it's not a point where I'd want even a hint of corrossion. That inner tube trick that Greg mentioned is sounding more and more appealing.
I wish the guards could be bolted top and bottom to hard points as the guards do on my friend's Kz650, but I guess Honda's accessory engineers didn't have much of an option on this design.
Regards,
Mike
As far as the unit being secure, I know there is no movement on mine.
Mike if you are concerned with how sturdy they are the way they are mounted then ask anyone that saw my bike after the spill I took in '05. They saved my engine and sides very well and I was even able to bend them back straight afterwards!!! Those gurds and their mounting points are just fine :wink:
Spaceman Spiff, everyone has covered engine guard question (I used black electrical tape myself) so you're covered.
I just wanted to say hi and let you know that there is a large number number of active and former Magna riders in your neck of the woods in GA, SC, and NC. Give me a yell if you decide to ride up towards Suches or Helen, GA and want some company, as that's become my favorite area to ride in a short period of time.
Quote from: GlovebergMike if you are concerned with how sturdy they are the way they are mounted then ask anyone that saw my bike after the spill I took in '05. They saved my engine and sides very well and I was even able to bend them back straight afterwards!!! Those gurds and their mounting points are just fine :wink:
Now that is certainly a useful data point! I hope you came out in at least as good a shape as your bike. Rather than ask you to rehash it, is there a link on the forum to it, a let-the-rider-beware summary?
Actually, I got inspired to get off my duff and get serious about getting some guards on my own scoot after a buddy of mine went down in the rain on his ZRX recently. He doesn't recall touching the front brakes but in any event, the front end darted out from under him and sent him belly-surfing on the tarmac at about 30-35 mph. The good news is that he's fine: he didn't even get to try out his KBC helmet for impact protection, and the First Gear mesh jacket and Tour Master mesh pants performed admirably (makes me feel a lot better about my own Tour Master mesh pants). However, it is simply amazing how effective wet asphalt is at grinding down aluminum. If he still has a 0.050" of metal left between the transmission and the great outdoors, I'd be surprised. Especially sad because he hadn't even gotten his license plate for it yet. But the first item he took care of was putting some sliders on it.
Quote from: RedMagnaSpaceman Spiff, everyone has covered engine guard question (I used black electrical tape myself) so you're covered.
{snip] Give me a yell if you decide to ride up towards Suches or Helen, GA and want some company, as that's become my favorite area to ride in a short period of time.
Hey, thanks, RedMagna. Hadn't thoguht about that electrical tape, but that would work, too. That stuff has a thousand and one uses... If I think I'm going to be up that way, I'll definitely give you a holler.
Mike
Quote from: Spaceman SpiffRather than ask you to rehash it, is there a link on the forum to it, a let-the-rider-beware summary?
The quick nitty gritty: I was trying to keep up with better riders than me and got into a corner too hot. I went wide and got into some gravel and lost the front because I target fixated on the gravel. I went one way and the bike did it's thing. The result:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v289/gloveberg/HIllwreck4.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v289/gloveberg/Hillwreck3.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v289/gloveberg/Hillwreck1.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v289/gloveberg/Hillwreck0.jpg)
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This was the "before" shots:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v289/gloveberg/bikesig2.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v289/gloveberg/bikesig.jpg)
Quote from: Gloveberg[snip] I went wide and got into some gravel and lost the front because I target fixated on the gravel. I went one way and the bike did it's thing.
Hooboy, those "after" pictures hurt just looking at 'em. Have you been able to complete all the repairs?
I had my own brief offroad experience on a recent ride in the boonies with a (yet another) better rider (I encounter better riders all the blasted time): same mistake, watching where the bike was going rather than where I wanted to go. Fortunately, I hadn't gotten too much speed up as I pulled away from the stop sign, so I was able to limit my dirt track experience to two or three feet, but all the same, it was a real effort to avoid dropping it.
More seriously, I let my little faux pas rattle me enough that I made a much more critical error getting it back on the road. I didn't find out how critical until about an hour later when we were taking a rest and my friend The Better Rider told me that my quick check to the rear when pulling back out on the road had been inadequate: I had nearly gotten myself plowed over by a large, fast-moving pickup which had materialized around the curve behind me. Had that driver not reacted in time, I literally would never have known what had hit me. My contribution to the Let-The-Rider-Beware Files...
Quote from: Spaceman Spiff
Hooboy, those "after" pictures hurt just looking at 'em. Have you been able to complete all the repairs?
Everything is done except the tank. I've got a good spre tank but it's yellow and I'm too lazy to paint it or the rest of the bike. I let a couple of nice red tanks on ebay get by me but I keep looking
Quote from: Spaceman Spiff
More seriously, I let my little faux pas rattle me enough that I made a much more critical error getting it back on the road. I didn't find out how critical until about an hour later when we were taking a rest and my friend The Better Rider told me that my quick check to the rear when pulling back out on the road had been inadequate: I had nearly gotten myself plowed over by a large, fast-moving pickup which had materialized around the curve behind me. Had that driver not reacted in time, I literally would never have known what had hit me. My contribution to the Let-The-Rider-Beware Files...
Yikes :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:
Come on Jimmy none of that better rider stuff, you just got caught behind the cows and traffic and were trying to catch up.
What Bob said, Jimmy...........we've covered this already. 8) If I had low sided on Hwy 16 like I almost did when I was throwing sparks, we wouldn't have even made it to the "threes" that day. BTW, we still need to get together and ride some weekend!! :D :wink: :D
Curtis
Quote from: rjbyou just got caught behind the cows and traffic and were trying to catch up.
Damn cows :roll:
What I "should" have done what take my time catching up and not try make it all up at one time. Ya know it's weird, I can think back and I swear I can remember every second of it like it was low motion:
"I can catch up"...."they should be just a couple curves ahead"......"man, this curve is tighter than I thought"...."hey, is that gravel? I need to stay out of that!"........."I'm in the gravel! SH*T!!!!!!"......"please let there be some grass to slide into!!!!...."damn these rocks hurt"......"hey, where's my bike?"......"damn I'm glad I have a helmet on"......"ok I've stopped.Where's the bike?"....."Oh man, this is bad"........"hey look, the people I passed a quarter mile ago. Hmm, this is awkward"......"I hope Bob and Curtis come back to find me"........"Dammit, I'm screwed. What a boneheaded move"........."Hey guys, guess what happened!"
Quote from: Curtis_ValkIf I had low sided on Hwy 16 like I almost did when I was throwing sparks, we wouldn't have even made it to the "threes" that day. Curtis
THAT should have been the wake up call right there!!!
The important part Jimmy (and I know you know this) is that you are still here to understand what happened, why, and how to correct it the future!!!
I am just glad you are still with us to ride!!!!
QuoteMore seriously, I let my little faux pas rattle me enough that I made a much more critical error getting it back on the road.
I've been there too...........back in the 80's I was on my '75 Gold Wing and a fellow changed lanes into me. I honked and kicked his door (don't know which one got his attention) and he went back into his lane. I was rattled enough to blow the 4-way stop sign just ahead. Luckily the pickup that was proceeding through the intersection saw me and stopped.
I always try to stop and collect my wits after any incident that might have diminshed my mental focus.
Curtis
Had a friend of mine up the street. he got the bike bug from me. bought a Yamaha 600R something, crotch rocket for $2750. The weekend before buying it he went to the Training classes got his licence. Two days later turned a corner in city too fast, hit gravel, slid and did $1600 damage to the mechanicals of the bike. Twisted the front forks and risers. they were about 15 deg out of line. And did another $600 plus damage to the plastic body.
Gravel in the curves has almost gotten me a couple of times. By the time you see it, you usually can't do anything but adjust your line in the curve. If it's all over the road, you're toast...........luckily I've been able to ride in the tire tracks cleaned out by cages in those instances. Major pucker factor though.
Curtis
Quote from: Curtis_Valk... back in the 80's I was on my '75 Gold Wing and a fellow changed lanes into me. I honked and kicked his door (don't know which one got his attention) and he went back into his lane. I was rattled enough to blow the 4-way stop sign just ahead. Luckily the pickup that was proceeding through the intersection saw me and stopped.
I always try to stop and collect my wits after any incident that might have diminshed my mental focus.
Curtis
Man, Curtis, that's quite an alignment of the planets you had there: encounter with oblivious driver followed right after by one with a driver on his toes.
I have to say that nothing has improved my driving skills and habits quite like taking up riding. I was never truly a reckless driver but I realized that riding was forcing a whole new level of situational awareness on me, and it is definitely a change for the better.
Mike
Quote from: Curtis_ValkGravel in the curves has almost gotten me a couple of times. By the time you see it, you usually can't do anything but adjust your line in the curve. If it's all over the road, you're toast...........luckily I've been able to ride in the tire tracks cleaned out by cages in those instances. Major pucker factor though.
Curtis
That got one or two guys in a group that one of my friends was riding with in Big Bend. My friend reported that everybody had their speed down to less than 30 mph, but in trying to dodge one patch of gravel and sand which surprised all of them as they came around a curve, at least one rider hit a smaller patch that caused him to lose it and scattered everybody else. The downed rider found himself in the path of an oncoming car. My friend reported that the driver seemed gifted with superhuman reflexes and skill because he was able to thread his way through the melee without hitting anybody as he brought the car to a stop.
I think the guy had sliders on the bike because he was able to pick it up and keep riding. May have saved his leg.
QuoteI have to say that nothing has improved my driving skills and habits quite like taking up riding.
Yep, I now do "head checks" while in the car or truck. I like this phrase: "Mirrors can not say yes, only no". (or something like that). :roll: 8) :lol: :o :wink:
Curtis
Quote from: Curtis_Valk
I like this phrase: "Mirrors can not say yes, only no". (or something like that). :roll: 8) :lol: :o :wink:
Curtis
I like it!