V649HP-Kawasaki's new gravel runner

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i'll probably keep the WR as is. i haven't forgotten about that bottle, thanks.

Hmm... Made a quick pass at my friend's bike and didn't see anything glaring with the motor mounts. Do you have a picture of yours, since his has more plastic on it?

Regards,
David

behind the cowling over the expansion tank. the right front mount has two M8s bolting the motormount to the frame. a M12 bolts the mount to the motor. any or all of the three can loosen. the M12 has a captured lock nut in the case casting that you can see or feel behind the headers. there might be some other covers that have to come off, i've never had all that plastic on the rat.



in the photo from the end of the Yukon trip, one of the M8s is missing. you can see the head of the M12, and that's the one that was loose this last time, the M8s were tight.

Thanks JD,
I was going to ask for this picture today since most of what has been posted above flew right over my head :)
Don't have access to the bike now, but will make note of this.

Have you made a mental note of all the sensors on the bike?
I always had this fear running in my mind on an endless loop during my trip. I know zero when it comes to electricals on the 650R.

I had taken the complete fairing off for the trip, but still observed some buzzing in the front only at a particular rpm... between 4000 to 4500... its been a 10k trip and i'm still searching for the source

Waiting for the XO to lift the travel ban?... nice way to put it

yeah, i was grounded for the 2012 season since i had been away from home during hurricane season for the previous 25 consecutive years, anywhere from the Arctic to South America. still managed to run over 10,000 miles "locally", so the season wasn't exactly a loss.

for me, high frequency vibes on a cop motor bike in that RPM range means loose motor mounts.

the motor is so vibration free that if i feel those vibes start, 100% of the time it's the mounts.

time to check them.

Dave - As I go thru this thread, awhile back you showed some footpegs that I forget the name of, but I believe you said they were $50 to 70 used.

I have VERY 'elderly' DR650 pegs on the Green Hornet (taken off my KLR when I sold it), and wanted a set for BIG RED in AZ. Looked thru Ebay where I found ones quite similar to yours, for the DR family, and ONLY $14.95 plus USPS, so I ordered a set. Got 'em Friday, so put 'em on yesterday and went for a ride this AM. I'm PLEASED!

I haven't figured how to attach pics to ADV, so if you'd like to view what I did, here's the thread on the VersysForum:
http://www.kawasakiversys.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21773
Cheers, and Happy New Years!
Ed

BTW - I assume you can add pics once you've posted a certain number of times...?

Ed

Try this thread. LINKY

David

Pics were disabled on the forum.Now we use a hosting service like smugmug or photobucket.

FASTWAY...i have them on both bikes.

just make sure that the insert fits your footrest pin diameter.


if you park that whiskey bottle for a minute, ya could probably figure out the whole photo hosting deal.

no NHL, must have driven most of Canuckistan to drink.

It doesn't - stock Versys is 12mm, while stock DR is 10mm. So, options are to drill out the 'pegs and go 12mm, or shim the V's footpeg mount to stay 10mm. Or - do what I've done: on my '09 I decided I'd give it a try with a 3/8 x 2" bolt standing in for the 10mm, tighten it up and see what might happen. Nothing loosened or rattled (and that's with "Speedy's" peg-lowering-kit in both), so I left the 'snugged' 3/8 bolt in, and decided to do the same with my NEW () DR 'pegs for the '08.

(Guess this is what happens when you 'gargle' with fine, old 101 corn likker...! )

Happy 2013 from sunny AZ!
Ed

so ya left those blended Canuckistanian whiskies and the metric system at the border, went straight to the Kentucky bourbon and the imperial, and now you're loading up your beasts with sloooow thumper parts. you should resolve to treat those motos better.

the Fastways have a removable insert that you can switch from 10 to 12mm, or you can carefully drill the insert to 12mm as i did on one set, being very careful to make sure the bore stays concentric. the Fastways can be found surprisingly cheap used, and you get some big beefy SS footrests with replaceable studs. the Fastways also have an adjuster stop on the underside so that the angle can be changed if necessary. both my sets were like new.


Happy New Year to all.

Trying to figure out a good and reliable design for the luggage rack. The first version looked ugly but served the purpose of lugging all the necessities around on the successful trip i had. Took a few photoes to ask for help with ideas.

JD,
The rear of your bike is the versys one. The way the grab handle rises above the seat and flows backwards was an ideal mount to get the rear rack either to have a duffel bag or to have a hard mount. But i am not able to figure it out with my bikes rear design of the frame and the fiber around it....



Just got these made for the luggage rack.




On my first design i tried my best to replicate the grab handle design and put in some more of mine to get the wolfman's on the rack.




Once the grab handle is off, this is how the innards look.







It does not matter how the rack looks?? True only when the luggage is ON. But this bike is not just for touring, but also for daily commuting. I want to design the verison 2 to gel with the bike. Below is a failed solution aesthetic wise.




I could have just welded the two metallic cylinders on to the tube that runs along the bikes seat, but i opted for some sort of a blanket for the cylinders.
This gives
a) Some load distribution
b) Additional real estate for mounting points







Version 1.

the rear rack on the V649 is a ER6F rack that was redrilled and slightly clearanced for use on the Versys subframe. the Versys does come with OEM grab handles, but these were not used. the grab handles and rear rack share the same subframe mounts, and all the after market side racks use these mounts also.

your bike has the new ER6 frame/subframe, so it uses different mounting points. i would check to see how the Givi and Motech racks (both top and side) are mounted for comparison to your design. i see no problem using the mounting points in your photo, but they're close together, so at least a third mount should be included. the spacers to your mounting plate should be as short as possible, while the plate itself should be the same basic shape as the recess behind it with about a minimum 5mm lap. all mounting holes should be drilled, not flame cut. once you have the hoops mounted, you can determine a cross brace location so mounting tabs can be welded in place and the brace fabricated. as mentioned early, i think it's better to have the position of the racks run with the lines of the bike.

the size and position of the mounting stirrups for the Wolfman Expeditions is important. these are factory hoops fabricated for Wolfman by Berg Brigss...



the inside dimension of the stirrup is 10mm X 45mm using 5mm wire. if the opening is larger, the stainless buckle mounts on the straps can slip through...not good. check yours, they look larger than 10mm.

come back with some photos when you're finished.

JD,

The cylinders were cut to measurement using a lathe.













The plate though was cut properly was welded poorly and the holes to make way for the allen bolts were executed in a very shoddy fashion.

your concept is ok, but i would execute it differently if i had control of the fabrication. in my case, i fabricate my own assemblies, so my control is absolute...start to finish.

your turned spacers are fine, if not for length, but the baseplate is not as seen in your profile photo. it's never easy, and i might as well say impossible, to incorporate angle iron into a fabricated part and have it appear as OEM or manufactured after market quality. personally, i would go a different direction. in my case, if i decide i need something with 90d, i use a formed angle, for instance, which incorporates a modest radiused corner.

the base plate should conform to the shape of the recess behind it, close doesn't count, but lap the overall dimensions to conceal this area. the horizontal leg of the angle iron prevents the plate from being mounted in tighter to the tail fairing.

the racks must end up parallel and symmetrical, tough to do in a one off fabricated assembly without at least some tack welding in place.

while i don't doubt your designs are fully functional and unlikely to fail, the next step is the transition to a design that is aesthetically pleasing, finely crafted, and harmonious in the background of the overall moto design...there is no difference in cost, so be particular, seek the elegant solution.

i know the process well, having thrown away a bunch of stuff over the years, then started over, sometimes with a certain amount of pain. the reward is a design that satisfies all criteria, even those self imposed.

Exactly my feeling right now JD.
I had just been out on a small ride with my friends. Mostly Ninja 650s (stock and faired) and a Busa. This feeling of my design not being aesthetic was much more amplified.

I do not have total control of how the fabrication goes, but i will sacrifice time and may be one or two fabbed pieces to the junk and get it right.

The base plate is actually cut from a rectangular steel tubing. This was the quickest way to get it done then. The horizontal leg of the angle iron was deliberate to generate some space from the bikes body so that the tube extending back acts as a grab handle too (i was riding with a pillion). This time i'll keep it as tight as possible.

The execution part:
Would you agree getting the inventory right first?
1) Turned spacers (with dimensions for a tighter spacing with the fiber body work)
2) Base plates (conforming to the recessed shape left behind after removing the stock grab handle)... JD what did you mean by a "with about a minimum 5mm lap"
3) Loops for the wolfman bags

I'm still to figure out
1) A third mounting / anchor point for this rack (the present two for the base plate are pretty close)
2) How will the above make way for a rear rack (enough either for the wolfman duffel bag or a hard case)

Any pointers would be welcome.

salvage the spacers, these can be reconfigured and reused. the recessed area in the tail fairings should be completely concealed by your mount, so your base plate can be the same size and fit this indent perfectly, or be made slightly larger to stand in front of this recess. i would make it larger, and the difference between the actual dimension and the larger version is the lap.

using the baseplate as the foundation (and i do mean plate, not shape), your Wolfman mounts and tailrack would bolt independently to the baseplate. these mounts can be stacked.

determine a third mounting point. again, check to see the Givi and Motech schematics. determine a crossbrace location with mounting tabs welded to the back side of the Wolfman hoops. the brace itself bolts in place, and a good location on these bikes is just forward of the turn signals, tight to the fender liner to avoid interference with the tire at maximum suspensioin travel.

regarding the Wolfman mounts themselves, it would be nice to find someone with a mandrel bender including follower block so the tubing is bent uniformly. if this equipment is not available, what you have will work. as mentioned, the inside dimension of the strap connection is 10X45mm. these pieces should conform to this shape and be uniform in bend and placement.

so park the bike, pull up a nice comfortable chair, turn on your favorite music, have a few beers, stare at the bike...visualize, my friend.

Do this and it will be one of the best week ends spent at home
Eagerly waiting for it!