So I am on late shift this week but that does actually mean I get more spannering time during the day as the Mrs is at work. I am still pondering what to do paint scheme-wise but either way the fitting of the fairings still needed some fettling. As such for the past couple of days I have mostly been doing that. This has been made a bit more challenging having to be so careful when handling everything and repeatedly removing and fitting the fairings in case this does end up being the final paintwork.
Anyway I started with the nose cone as I knew that needed a spacer at least. I know I got one with the fairings when I bought them, but somewhere over the last few years and house moves…it has got lost. I forgot to take a picture, but when I took the headlight covers off, you could see how low the fairings were sitting compared to where they need to be. With a few strips of thin ally I made some test brackets and kept bending and shaping until I had one that when fitted and the fairing was held in place, sat nicely behind the nose cone bolt hole. This bracket was then replicated in something thicker and a captive nut was fitted to take the nose cone bolt.
Nose cone refitted and everything lines up nicely.
Moving onto the lower fairings I started by fitting some D ring Dzeus fasteners.
Having sorted those out I turned my attention to the lack of radiator grill. Particularly with new rads I want some sort of protection, but also I think the bike just wouldn’t look complete without a grill.
Amongst my spare bits I actually found a good condition OEM radiator grill.
However to get that to fit was going to require some modifications and I was reluctant to start modifying a ‘good’ OEM grill which I might use on the other bike. I had to pop down to the local equivalent of B&Q for some longer countersunk Allen bolts (more on that later)and whilst I was there just thought I would have a look to see what mesh they had, and result!
A new piece was cut to size and fitted it with three of those self retaining screw clips (I am sure there is a more technical name)to line up with the holes already in the fairing. The glory of the mesh is the screws will go through that as well. I gave the mesh a little bend/shaping to fit the double curve of the V piece a bit more and fitted it.
Must say I am pretty happy with that as a result
When I first fitted the fairings I did notice that the exhaust pipes were either touching or virtually touching in a couple of places. I was starting to worry I would either have to change the exhaust or the fairings, but after a couple of days mulling it over I came up with an idea in the early hours (as I often do)
. I wondered if I could use the lower fairing mounts both to secure the fairing, but also to hold it off slightly. I had an idea in my head (hence the trip to get the longer Allen bolts) and having got home tried it out.
Basically with a large washer on the inside of the fairing I put a couple of nuts on the (longer) fairing bolt before screwing it into the mounting bracket. This way I could secure the fairing between the countersunk panel washer on the outside and the plain washer on the inside using the first nut. This would be locked in place using the second (lock) nut and then I could use the bolt itself to effectively push the fairing down/out.
Tightening the two nuts had to be done at the end so you could still turn the bolt and the lock nut on the end of the bolt in the picture was an afterthought and is actually unnecessary. Well the idea seems have worked and with this done on both sides and played around with a bit, the exhausts were no longer touching the fairings and had what I think would have been sufficient clearance not to cause any problems as it was. Just for belt and braces I whipped the lowers of again and fitted some heat shield tape as well.
Everything refitted and with a little bit of effort everything lines up nicely and there is still clearance between the exhaust pipes and the fairings.
I am waiting on a couple of bits in the post now so can turn my attention to something that, whilst it works fine, has been niggling me. Basically the can strap goes over the Ethos badge and I would prefer it if I could effectively move it a couple of inches to the left so the strap sat just in front of the badge.
Searching on the web I found a picture (with no link to follow) showing what looks to be like a selection of hangers with the same mounting holes but with varying degrees of offset for the can strap mounting hole.
I know I am a tart
, but I don’t have much else to do until my stuff turns up so does anyone have any idea if an alternative hanger from a different bike would give me that @2’’ step to the left?
I don't think I will actually need it as I have managed to make sure there is an air gap between all pipes and Plastics.
