V649HP-Kawasaki's new gravel runner

just kidding. it's a euro product though, you might check your sources over there and see it it's still in production. i emailed the guy that i thought had them, but haven't heard back.

cut up a bunch of stuff, now i'll see if i can make something out of it.

JD can you please share details with regards to how you have mounted the digi console.

I just completed a 6200 mile road trip, the best thing that happened this year. The next best achievement is that i was moderately successful in my first try at changing things on the bike. First it was the luggage carrier and then a bracket for the digi console.

The luggage held up well in spite of me falling thrice with the bike flat on the ground. I need to find time to make another improved version of the luggage rack and increase the off road reliability of the bike. Can you please help me? Can i drop you a pm for follow up?

Luggage carrier:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=19800554&postcount=12

Digi console bracket


I was lucky to have a friend help with some shock damping by replacing the stock screws and adding these rubber bushes. This actually helped when the terrain got rough.

first, let me commend you for jumping in to fab some custom parts for your ER6, most guys would not consider doing these projects.

great choice in the ER6 bike and Wolfman luggage, it looks like your trip went through some country i would enjoy riding myself.

since you said you planned some changes anyway, and might have access to a tube bender, i would start over with a new design for both luggage and console mounts.

for your naked bike, i would fabricate an oversize console mount in 2-3mm plate that completely covers the underside of the console (now exposed to the front), and drilled for the exact size mounting holes as used on the OEM mount. this allows you to use the OEM rubber grommets and small socket head bolts, with the console in tight to the mounting plate, not in a standoff position like your current mount. if the plate is oversize by at least 10mm, you gain some perimeter impact protection, and if you add a small valence on the leading edge, you can gain additional protection from rocks or other road debris. the layout of this plate is straight forward, and you'll also need a hole for the electrical connection. with some care in shaping this piece, it will look like a manufactured part.

i'm using a small fairing, and my modular mount carries the console, main lights, aux lights, and signals, but you can see the mounting plate under the console.



if redesigning your luggage racks, i would first pull up some internet photos of the various manufactured racks available for the ER6. almost all the big names have racks for your model, not that you're going to use them, but you can see how they designed the mounting points. all the manufactered mounts for your bike use the grab handle mounts under the edge of the seat, and i suggest you do the same, it works very well.

your racks should be designed to be mounted in high and tight, the opposite of what you now have mounted. your ER6 bike has a big advantage over some in that there's no muffler in the way, and the Berg Briggs mount (or similar shop built) for the Wolfman luggage is very compact. you could purchase the bare hoops directly from Berg, then fabricate the rest of the mount yourself, or fabricate the whole assembly. these are 310mm x 180mm, for reference



it's also my contention that the design of the mounts should follow the body lines of the bike, like this...





i think you'll be very pleased with the appearance and the performance of your bike when the Wolfmans are mounted a little differently.

position the luggage mounts so that the OEM rear signals aren't masked by the Wolfman bags.

your tail rack should not be extended way out the back, but more similar in dimension to the manufactured racks. the pad should be under your duffle, for instance. if left in it's current configuration, eventually that tail rack will cause you a problem, maybe a big problem.

come back with some photos if you make the changes. any other questions, just ask.

Lookin' good JD

It's not hard to add a speed reducer to a drill press. Have a look at a recent issue of Home Shop Machinist, someone did a conversion on an older South Bend drill press and showed all the parts.

a

The digiconsole clamp attaches to the bike at two points. These are the downward facing internally threaded holes that are protruding from the triple tee.

Since the digiconsole latches on at a distance from these holes, the cantilever effect causes it to vibrate along the vertical axis and this gets worse when off roading. You feel like its going to break off any time.

JD, i would love to look at some close up shots of the pic you posted to understand this setup better.

Below is what i did for the headlight mount. This was actually a metallic pipe used for plumbing which was cut across its length and welded with metal strips to form the bolting mechanism.

Right now, it does sit on the fork tube BUT it has decent packing of strips of waste rubber tube since it was not a perfect fit... i'm worried about moisture buildup and eventual corrosion below the rubber strips...

Cool

The all knowing websearch knows all about it: http://www.metalwebnews.com/manuals/large-hole-drilling.pdf


That would make my drill press much better.<cite>
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here's a little better photo from one of my old bikes, i think you can see the design concept.



since you have worked out a good solution for fork tube clamps, i would move the console mount onto the fork tubes in similar fashion.

the construction is light gauge steel, except for the base plate which is slightly heavier. in your design, you want the mount assembly to be strong and durable, but it is possible to overbuild this part by using material that is simply too heavy.

if you have the misfortune to put your bike on the ground in the middle of your 6000 mile trip with this mount getting bent, you want to be able to bend it back into usable shape on the side of the road if necessary.

here's another version that met with misfortune in western Montana, the material was too heavy and wouldn't budge even using a big pry bar.



i did ride away, but i would have liked to have bent it back into better shape first. the console wasn't damaged.

thanks.

there's some help, thanks roadracer.

you'll be very surprised what you can do with your drill press once you get the speed under control.

Is this another "split" clamp that mounts to your forks first? The biggest advantage is that you can mount and unmount it without removing the triple tee assembly.

If my assumption is right JD,
Could you please share details of this clamp? I hope its something i can purchase online.

those are ProTek fork tube clamps, very strong in this application IF the rest of the mount is designed correctly. there are similar fork tube clamps available from other sources, and in general, this style of clamp makes for a nice neat installation on anything mounted to the forks, whether conventional or USD.

these clamps are available in your size...

http://www.protekk.com/index.php?ma...ducts_id=231&zenid=s6bvr0o6ph1bsr7afsfiki9m97

shop around, they can be found discounted.

The Chassis Shop has a lot of very interesting and useful bits and pieces for motorcycle fabricators.

I recall they have something they called a "roll bar equipment mount" that was cheaper, a quick glance at their online catalog didn't find it, but I found this:

http://secure.chassisshop.com/partlist/6041/

Hope you find some interesting bits to solve problems.

thanks, all kinds of gizmos out there when you start looking. some of the misc. stuff in the USA race/accessory market is inch as opposed to metric, but i see more metric all the time.

for the bike builder, there is usually an elegant solution for just about every one of these required parts. if you don't buy, at least you have a solution at hand and might be able to fabricate your own version.

I was thinking, but failed to write, that for clamps that pinch a tube, you can buy a smaller inch size and open the clamp interior up to a metric size using a lathe or boring bar on a mill.

very true, but in his case there are clamps for his exact metric size. helps that there a bunch of Harley models using the same inner fork tube diameter.

Its as though i've got a glimpse into a new world all together.

To be very frank, it was a big thing for me to just change the engine oil on my own. Then came the 650R that involved an exponential learning curve. Now add to this the DIY opportunity and its becoming a truly satisfying experience.

Never knew a "fork clamp" existed for sale :)

The chassisshop clamps are squarer where as the pro tec ones are round in their outer profile. The pro tec ones have a higher probability of not messing with the fuel tank when mounted ie., there is comfortable space between the fuel tank and the clamp when the fork is closest to it while turning.

I just dropped the decision of buying a Pentax K5 with a lens. I am going all in on giving my diy project some momentum.

there ya go. in the cookie cutter world we all live in, it's good to have the opportunity to visualize, then design and build something custom yet highly functional, artisanal rather than contracted...and yes, very satisfying, to find yourself riding down a road on a machine, at least parts of which, you built with your own hands.