The Africa Twin XRV650 & XRV750 thread

I gave up in the end and just wrapped some rubber around it and zip tied it to the frame.
My rubber resides in a drawer somewhere, maybe I will revisit it when I do the rebuild seeing as you guys make it sound so easy

Reidy, You can buy neat flat spring clamps at your local hardware store. They are used on lawnmowers, etc. Take a piece of hose and get the size that fits.

Well my poor onld skid plate has taken a beating.



I don't believe I have ever noticed this huge tear in it before but it sticks up about 3 inches and is about 4 inches long. I am wondering if some one has a picture of one in a good condition as I think there was a space cut in this area befor ebut maybe not. I would like to beat it out and then patch it up.

I have the Facet installed, lines plumbed and wired in and bike is running great. I have not figured out how I am going to secure it but I think I will cut a piece of tube and insulate it and then use a pipe clamp. I tried for about 5 minutes to fit the stock rubber mount and decided it wasn't worth screwing with. Will post up pic once I get it finished and also let you know how the clutch came out once I can ride it tomorrow evening.

i don't see any tear . if you are talking about the big hole in the picture ,that's normal. they all have that.it's an access hole to the oil drain bolt. is it not??? i don't know maybe i missed what you are pointing at.
i'm sure someone will come along with a better answer.

on another note, PAPA PETE is still alive and well ( i hope ) haven't heard a word from him in a while.

HI PAPA PETE

north rider

Readdy great job on the Facet, as far as the so called tear goes that is original, mine has it also and my bash plate looks brand new, I can still see the marks on the edges of the aluminum where it was stamped.

As far as fitting the OEM rubber over the Facet fuel pump for the rest of you that are thinking of trying or have gone to alternative mounts. What I did was put a light spray of white lithium grease on the pump while it was locked in a vise, just start in one corner and force it around the second corner then I took a screwdriver and in a prying motion I managed to stretch the rubber while applying pressure with my left hand on the original two corners so as not to slip off, the rubber never managed to go on with the screwdriver stuck between the rubber and the pump but it did a fantastic job stretching the rubber because as soon as the screwdriver was out the rubber just slid over the pump with out any trouble. One thing to also note is that once the rubber is started/partially on you will have to align the mounting points because once the rubber is on all the way it will not slide around the pump so that you can align the mounting points, once you are aligned all you have to do is, with an open palm hit on the rubber and it will slide right over the pump, it doesn't take a lot to hit the rubber the rest of the way on the pump, so don't think that you have to bruise the palm of your hand doing it, it really slides on quite easily.

Northrider is correct...it is an access hole for removing the oil drain bolt and changing your oil without having to remove the bash plate. Most here probably just take the bash plate off to change the oil as it looks like it has good potential to just drain into the bash plate.

So you gave up after 5 min trying to get that rubber on the Facet...you quitter. C'mon man...you can do it.
IMO it is much more neat and tidy to install that rubber without the use of ty wraps or bolted on brackets etc...no butchery allowed.

Question...What oil did you put in your crankcase? FYI...their are some good m'cycle oil petroleum/synthetic blends out there...and probably safer that way.

I used silicone spray and two tie-wrap rings to pull the rubber on the facet., take everyone's advice and give it another go, it will bother you in the future to see a crappy job on the center of the frame, you might think it's no big deal but I actually had to go back and do it again after a couple of months, it looked awful and not just to my eyes... Also, make sure you use teflon on the nipples, I didn't initially and had a minor leak, which is very dangerous...

Remind me of mine a couple of years ago. Thing was, I didnt even see it untill I hit it...

Nice replies guys. I thought I had put a rock up throught the plate but that all makes sense. I have never noticed it before and I have had the plate of quite a few times. Seems this was the first time I cared enough to look at it although as most of you will remember I had to remove about 20 pounds of clay from it so I probably got my first real look at it up close..

As for the facet I am now thinking I will try and install the stock boot as everything else is looking like crap. I also have a couple of ideas on how to install it easier so I will let you guys know how that works out.

Looks like you both hit that same damn rock!!!

I'm sure others have hit it too...don't feel bad.

By the way, for those wondering, the oil runs cleanly through that hole without the risk of leaking inside the bash plate. I have changed the oil many times without removing the plate without issues..

It's funny how most of us notice that big a hole only after some kind of impact and later inspection, otherwise it is completely invisible..

This past winter has been a difficult one for me. I have one more session to go and here is my reward on Tuesday.

Stay strong Jim! Enjoy your ride.

Bike is up and running. Clutch is great but the first ride I believe the fuel pump was flooding the bike as it ran perfect for a few miles and then started to chug and no power. I stop for a bit as I was at the guys house who was welding a new plate on the bottom of my stand and it pushed a little gas out the over flow tube. After he did the work it started and ran great and has now for three short rides of a few miles. I am about to take it our for a longer run so I can drain the oil again and install a new oil filter so will see what it does. Anyone else had this happen? Is it just a first run thing with the new pump?

Here is how I decided to do the install. I cut the two rubber slotted pieces from the old holder and slid them on the brackets as they would be if normal and then wedged the new pumped inbetween them and used safety wire to secure it in place. Came up pretty nice and I would think has the same insulation as the rubber holder would give it basically.


My plan is to order another pump if this one works out and then put the boot on it as I had a spare and then when this one goes out I will have the new one all ready to install trail side..... hope I never have to but it's better than being stuck.

Nice fairing James!

Can't think of a better goal at the end of treatment. Here hoping the Bad Cold has been defeated.






......any yellow RD04 bits for sale?

Ok I have a fuel problem still. The bike runs like a top for a few miles and then I believe it is starving for fuel. It boggs down hard and will barely idle. I have seen no more fuel from the carb overflows or anywhere for that fact and it doesn't smell flooded. Any suggestions? If I wait a few minutes it starts and runs fine.

Time to bypass the pump again?

Start over from zero (dinna want to say "ground zero")

Looks great Jim. Hope all is well.

Looking at getting a lift. Is it better to take the bash plate off before lifting or does it matter?

I can't bring myself to part with them yet. I'll let you know though. The TA is for sale. Lots of tire kickers but no one has stepped up.