R1200GSA Sump Guard at last - any ideas!

[Mark Hooton]

Guys, at long bloody last I`ve got this Sump Guard finally sorted - to be fair it was all thanks to Norman of NN who gave me the final `push` to get something sorted.

Now then, I`ve designed something around what he sent me as a pattern so I understand that it won`t be everyones cup of tea (which is fine) however and as usual I ain`t that far up my own chuff that I won`t ask for constructive criticisms off you guys. Thankfully I am always very lucky to get them and thats what I am asking for here - this type I have designed for Norman of NN is all well and good but if you would kindly spare a moment to offer any improvements, as usual, I would be keen to accommodate them - it`s my intention to `evolve` the item to the point where you guys think it`s about right and then I`ll bang it in the vendors section!

Briefly - made from 2mm thick stainless and requires no drilling to fit. Hand finished by me as usual and I am hoping to design a front crud that will fit better with it than the one on the image.

Price wise - no idea as yet but I hope to offer it at a price which does not represent how much it would be worth as an individual item hand finsihed by a craftsman who actually cares - or in other words it will still compete very well with the mass produced stuff out there merrily made in China by geeks .

It seems sturdy enough but I must confess to trying to hit two targets - one for sturdiness and one to inject a bit of `bling` - I accept it won`t be ideal for the purists and I fully understand that so I would class it as a `medium` protection device - but with that said I would say IMHO that it would still stand up to some serious punishment as I am not known for making sh*te.

Anyway, any kind thoughts are always considered and as always I value your input in helping me make good stuff which seemingly is always appreciated!

mark
www.cymarcbikeparts.co.uk

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[richtel]

Looks Great, but personally I'd be looking for something which covers more of the cross pipe and bottom of the belt cover up front to stop dings.

 

[topcat2006]

Oooh - that's nice!

I think for me to buy though it needs to either come further up to protect that exposed part of the exhaust/rocker cover.

I would definitely buy it though if there was a way of changing the oil and filter without having to remove it - I know this would detract from its function (but maybe not cause surely you could fabricate a 1/4 turn kind of cover thing to fit in the hole for the filter?)

I still think it looks ace though.

Regards

Tom

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

Looks very good to me but to be honest I am wondering just how much protection it will actually give. Looks like there is an awful lot of sticky out parts that don't have any support, sides and front. In your defence though I don't know how stiff 2mm stainless is in practice so it might take a fair bit force to move it. Like I said though it looks great. Need a beta tester?

 

[Mark Hooton]

Looks Great, but personally I'd be looking for something which covers more of the cross pipe and bottom of the belt cover up front to stop dings.

Fair comment mate and thank you - the redesigned front crud should attend to that.

 

[Mark Hooton]

Oooh - that's nice!

I think for me to buy though it needs to either come further up to protect that exposed part of the exhaust/rocker cover.

I would definitely buy it though if there was a way of changing the oil and filter without having to remove it - I know this would detract from its function (but maybe not cause surely you could fabricate a 1/4 turn kind of cover thing to fit in the hole for the filter?)

I still think it looks ace though.

Regards

Tom

Good point - thought of it myself but not sure if it would be a good idea in practice due to potential rattles.

 

[Mark Hooton]

Looks very good to me but to be honest I am wondering just how much protection it will actually give. Looks like there is an awful lot of sticky out parts that don't have any support, sides and front. In your defence though I don't know how stiff 2mm stainless is in practice so it might take a fair bit force to move it. Like I said though it looks great. Need a beta tester?

As I said - the purists might not be overwhelmed with it but making it like a battleship (which is good) might make it look like a pigs ear or very similar to the one Norman sent me. Btw, stainless is bloody hard stuff and it will take some abrasion and knocks mate.

 

[Mark Hooton]

protection levels

ta guys - as always very kind, fair and honest comments.

I really take the point about protection levels but as I said - I`ve gone for a balance (and trade off) between function and bling.

IMHO I believe it offers much more protection than the BMW OEM one, looks nicer and I am sure will cost a lot less

I might need a Stout Tester...................... I`ll see how the evolution goes on

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

Yes its a fair comment Mark, I take your point. I know stainless is hard, I hate working with the stuff lol. Trouble for me is I have worked with 1mm and 3mm but never 2mm. If it was 3mm I reckon you would break the mounts before anything would fold which might actually be a bad thing coming to think of it. Shame I am no where near you as I would love to see some of the machinery working that makes this stuff.

 

[Mark Hooton]

Another one from below

This one shows the protection to the sump better

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[Mark Hooton]

Yes its a fair comment Mark, I take your point. I know stainless is hard, I hate working with the stuff lol. Trouble for me is I have worked with 1mm and 3mm but never 2mm. If it was 3mm I reckon you would break the mounts before anything would fold which might actually be a bad thing coming to think of it. Shame I am no where near you as I would love to see some of the machinery working that makes this stuff.

You would always be welcome - 1/4 pounds worth of German laser cutting technology still stirs my pants...............

 

[Lighty]

I quite like the look of the guard, but a couple of points, why dont you post a picture of an oe bike next to the new guard, that way everyone can see the difference, coz I am sitting here wondering what mine looks like as I type.
Secondly how would it look with the existing crud catcher of yours (that I just fitted), would it be a bit too much or would they look ok together

 

[ducatiparts.110mb]

Personally I'd prefer it not to have all the holes in it, and for there not to be a gap between the underguard and the crud catcher in your first pic, but then I'm more bothered about protection than bling.

I do like the way it curves up at the sides around the pipes.

Mark

 

[Goose]

Mark - the holes are great when you have to clean the bike and the crud can run out of the belly-pan..... so imo the holes serve a function, but could possibly be a bit smaller.

I'd leave the GSA out of the design (even though it's cool) so that one design could be used for both models.....

I agree with additional exhaust/rocker cover - would be beneficial.

I see the open ended corner section as a potential hazard - here I mean that the sharp edge could well catch on a rock or stump that can easily lodge itself and damage the exhaust or simply rip the guard off.
By inserting a corner section, not only would this help deflect the "object" but it would also prevent the end or side of the plate to bend up against the pipes..?

just my 2c - mean looking guard though!!

 

[Mark Hooton]

I quite like the look of the guard, but a couple of points, why dont you post a picture of an oe bike next to the new guard, that way everyone can see the difference, coz I am sitting here wondering what mine looks like as I type.
Secondly how would it look with the existing crud catcher of yours (that I just fitted), would it be a bit too much or would they look ok together

Good point, i`ll do that tomorrow. re the crud catcher I`ll also do that!

 

[Mark Hooton]

Mark - the holes are great when you have to clean the bike and the crud can run out of the belly-pan..... so imo the holes serve a function, but could possibly be a bit smaller.

I'd leave the GSA out of the design (even though it's cool) so that one design could be used for both models.....

I agree with additional exhaust/rocker cover - would be beneficial.

I see the open ended corner section as a potential hazard - here I mean that the sharp edge could well catch on a rock or stump that can easily lodge itself and damage the exhaust or simply rip the guard off.
By inserting a corner section, not only would this help deflect the "object" but it would also prevent the end or side of the plate to bend up against the pipes..?

just my 2c - mean looking guard though!!

very good point - I`ll look at filling that gap but, and you can`t see it in the photo, its not as easy as you might think! The image doesn`t show it but it is very convoluted.

 

[Sgt Bilco]

It's definately more bling than benefit for my taste. There are too many holes and gaps for real protection if you do a lot of dirt because a lot of the smaller stuff will find its way through to the bottom of the engine. Also, it needs extending over the balancer pipe to protect that from potential damage.

Looks good though and ideal for road work I would have thought

 

[Mark Hooton]

Yep I agree

Yep, I agree - it`s just not `entirely right` for serious off road use but I am sure, as you have said, it`s well good enough for road use and possibly some `light` or `medium` off road use - i`m gonna post some images of the front crud which I have extended down to offer more protection to the balancer pipe.

I`m also gonna see if any of us wants to purchase the prototypes for peanuts and report back. Hopefully a fellow tosser who doesn`t do myuch off road and one who does, just for a comparison............

 

[Mark Hooton]

Redesigned front crud

Looks Great, but personally I'd be looking for something which covers more of the cross pipe and bottom of the belt cover up front to stop dings.

Here`s an image of a redesigned front crud to extend lower than the `shortie` and offer some more protection to the balancer pipe.

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And here`s another one showing a general image.

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I am looking for a couple of helpful Tossers - the ones shown in the images are prototypes and I am happy to sell them for peanuts on the agreement that it is fully understood that they are prototypes

What I get is some honest feedback from fellow bikers (pleasingly it`s one of the remaining fraternities where we tend to `look after or own`) and what you, the dear test pilot, gets is a nice bit of well functional but not perfect kit made by a fellow biker who cares for very little dosh

I am looking at £50 each (which will not even cover the cost of the material) plus a tenner for postage. If, for any reason the kindly test pilot does not think he has a good deal then simply return it for a full refund - simples!

Any takers by PM please and we`ll get something sorted!