Fabricating side covers - '83 VT500C

[txironhead]

Has anyone fabricated side covers for their bike? Can't afford even the used ones that occasionally pop up for sale, so I thought I'd try my hand at fabricating a set. The airbox and electrical keep it from being a simple triangular piece of metal, so I was planning on making something similar to the original, cutting the pieces out of sheet steel or aluminum and then having someone weld it up. If anyone has done this and still has their templates, that would be a huge help. I'm doing a mockup out of thin cardboard, since I'm a huge fan of the "measure twice cut once" school of thought.

[Mad_bohemian]

If you can make a fairly decent cardboard mockup why not just take that and cover it w/fiberglass.....

[txironhead]

Hmm, hadn't thought of that. I'm a fair hand at working with resin, and I did a pretty decent job Dynaglassing my last Shadow. Someone recommended fabbing the side covers out of diamondplate and the idea stuck somehow, but that stuff's expensive and the aluminum is tricky to weld right.

I've even been trying to find a broken set of covers, as I've replaced tabs and repaired cracked covers before to the point they looked brand new after paint, but no one seems to have any or they got tossed in the trash.

[Mad_bohemian]

Here's a post off another forum where a guy is fabbing a solo rear fender for his ride...
http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewto...iberglass.html

[MustGoFaster]

it's a long shot - but perhaps you could fund someone who would loan them to you long enough to make an imprint or casting or something.

[txironhead]

That's what I did when the side cover blew off my '85 VT700C, my friend had an identical bike and another friend did custom parts for boats and had a vacuum forming table, when he was done you couldn't tell the side covers apart at first glance. I learned the hard way to make sure the side covers were secure! I normally end up safety wiring them or rigging some type of bolt or lock system instead of simply popping them on.

Unfortunately, I no longer have access to a vacuum table and while I'm decent with fiberglass, I've never done mold casting, but I do know it works best with vacuum forming. Maybe someday when I have a decent garage and not renting I'll build a table, I've had the plans for years. Also plan on building a frame jig, taking welding classes, building a blasting cabinet......

Worst case, I'll fiberglass a cardboard mockup and try to make it look good. Just wish someone here had an old broken set of covers I could repair, be a lot easier.

[TorontoBoy]

There are a couple of ways to make side covers but the problem is making the pegs or attaching it to your bike.

You could take a plaster casting of the side cover, then fill it with plaster for a copy of the cover. From there you could either vacuum form plastic, fiberglass it, carbon fibre, or stretch/block leather over the plaster.

Here's a method of making posts out of a screw and epoxy. Disregard any ideas of phallic symbology.

If you do leather you'll need piece of backing leather as well, then how to attach it to your bike. You could make the inside of the cover into a pocket.

I think that doing a metal cover would be hardest because of the forming and welding. As well, how do you attach it to your bike? It sure would be durable.

[txironhead]

I've made posts out of ground-down bolts, tabs out of a cut-up tuna can, and bypassed the whole "friction attachment" mess one time by having someone weld in tabs and adding dzus fasteners. I've just always had something to start with to repair.

Don't want to go with leather, trying to keep costs down. I'm on disability currently and trying to stretch my money. Fiberglass ain't cheap, but neither is $45 each for used Ebay covers. Diamond plate, steel or aluminum, would be nice but out of my price range currently, plus like mentioned I'd have the added cost of having them welded. Looks like fiberglass it is, probably do a mockup in thin stiff cardboard, fiberglass over that, epoxy in the tabs and posts made out of metal and try to get it looking as good as possible. The whole bike is getting the rattle-can Dupli-Color Truck and Van treatment like I did with my '85 700 since pro paint has gone through the roof and I don't have the place or equipment to do a pro job. So it doesn't have to be perfect, I just want the electronics and air box covered and looking decent.

[PainterD]

I made the side covers for my bobber out of an old STOP sign. The aluminum is just the right thickness and is easily shaped to fit the contours of the bike. I used broom hangers to attach them to the frame rails and they don't look too bad. I sanded, primed and painted them with implement paint.

[Mad_bohemian]

Originally Posted by txironhead

I've made posts out of ground-down bolts, tabs out of a cut-up tuna can, and bypassed the whole "friction attachment" mess one time by having someone weld in tabs and adding dzus fasteners. I've just always had something to start with to repair.

Don't want to go with leather, trying to keep costs down. I'm on disability currently and trying to stretch my money. Fiberglass ain't cheap, but neither is $45 each for used Ebay covers. Diamond plate, steel or aluminum, would be nice but out of my price range currently, plus like mentioned I'd have the added cost of having them welded. Looks like fiberglass it is, probably do a mockup in thin stiff cardboard, fiberglass over that, epoxy in the tabs and posts made out of metal and try to get it looking as good as possible. The whole bike is getting the rattle-can Dupli-Color Truck and Van treatment like I did with my '85 700 since pro paint has gone through the roof and I don't have the place or equipment to do a pro job. So it doesn't have to be perfect, I just want the electronics and air box covered and looking decent.

I thought this looked pretty promising. This guy is fabbing a solo seat for his ride..

http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewto...94.html#198594