After I lost the two side panels that came with the bike, and went through quite a learning process to paint replacements, I used fishing line to tie them to the bike. It was a pain to take them off, and if I used long enough line to allow for access to the stuff under the seat, I had visions of dragging a side panel down the pavement -- not a good thing -- so I abandoned the line.
As many of you know, I lost another panel -- :mad: :mad:
Fortunately, I still had the paint & stuff, so today I finished a replacement. And I devised a system to secure the panels that I hope will be more successful.
I bought a set of springs from Home Depot (their P/N 760804 - actually has four springs, of two different sizes. The larger diameter springs have lower restoring force, but stretch a longer way.) I joined these two to make a long spring.
I noticed that there is almost a straight shot across the bike from the front stubs on the panels, and there are holes in the stub bases -- two each. Some fencing wire was stiff enough (you could probably also use thin coat-hanger wire or a large paper clip) to form an attachment point. Merely bend the wire double at the right spacing, put both ends through the post, and bend the ends down and back to prevent it coming out.
The ol' fishing box yielded a couple of snap fittings which go on the ends of the springs, and snap to the wire attachments through the post, as shown in the picture.
I don't know how well this will work, but hope to never lose another panel. I think it will be strong enough to keep the panels in place even if the grommets get a bit hard as they age.
Speaking of grommets, if you will wet the posts before mounting the panel through the grommets, the water will provide temporary lubrication. When it dries you have the full retaining force of the grommets.
I also highly recommend replacing the grommets at regular intervals (like maybe before you take the bike in for inspection each year). They are much cheaper than panels, and get hard amazingly fast.
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One of my side covers had a tab missing when I bought the bike so I made a similar setup with a small bungee cord. Although I'm sure its not as professional looking as yours but it does serve the purpose.