Hey, Folks...
I am a bit tardy in posting this, but I got hung up having some friggin' surgery done, damn it!
But one of the nicest things I found waiting when I got home was one of Gary's racks and backrests in 2006 Cobalt Blue. I had ordered one a couple of months ago and it made a nice welcome home present to myself!
Because of the required recovery time I have not gotten to ride with the rack/backrest set-up yet, but here are a few notes about my initial impressions of Gary's work...
WOW!
I mean it. Wow!
Gary's workmanship, fit, and finish are absolutely outstanding. Beautiful welds, flawless design, close tolerances yet perfect fit, spot-on paint matching (I got mine painted Cobalt Blue to match my '06), and truly first-class hardware. I simply couldn't be happier.
To be a bit more detailed... I have been fortunate enough to work around some of the very best race car fabricators in the world, and Gary's skill with tubing and a welder are second to none I have ever seen. It is one thing to make something tightly toleranced, while quite another to make sure that same piece lines up and bolts on without any alignment issues. Maybe I just got lucky, but Gery's rack fit my 2006 so perfectly that one would have sworn it was custom laid-out and produced on my bike. All three rack mounting holes lined up PERFECTLY! Not just close... Not needing a bit of pressure or tweaking... Nothing. Just perfect, flawless alignment, period. Add to this the fact that the rack is square and level, too. That may not sound like much, but how many times have you bolted on an aftermarket piece and have it looked tweaked right out of the box???
Not with Gary's rack/backrest, I assure you.
As Gary has pointed out, this rack far exceeds the capabilities of the lousy stock '06 rack... If for no other reason than you can actually carry something on it and tie it down. As I have been hobbling around my garage I have experimented with tying down all my various seat, rack, and duffle bags to Gary's rack and I am 110% positive it will perform its duties flawlessly. This is a product of good, sound, careful, and well reasoned design. After having it mounted I can say I wouldn't want to change a thing. I may buy a second one from him without the backrest mount... That's how highly I think of the design. And I honestly think the appearance of Gary's rack fits in perfectly with the styling of the Yamaha, and doesn't detract one bit. Mine will probably be a permanent resident on the back of my '06'
Another amazing thing is the literally perfect paint match to the 2006 Yamaha Cobalt Blue. Currently I own and operate a new car dealership, complete with full-service bodyshop... And I have been in and around the car and motorcycle business all my life. I know just how hard it is to get a paint match when you have the vehicle right there in front of you, and cannot imagine how difficult it has to be to get good paint matches when your customer's vehicle is clean across the country... Yet Gary did it, well... Perfectly. That's the only way to describe it - Perfectly.
I could go on, but I think you get the idea... I love my rack and backrest set-up I got from Gary, and I simply cannot recommend his work highly enough. I should also mention that despite his being overwhelmed with orders, and that causing a bit of a delay in final delivery, Gary never failed to keep my informed, nor to answer any inquiries I had about my order's progress. He was always cordial and courteous, and when he did ship the rack/backrest combo it was well packed, safely and securely, to make it's trip across the country to me.
If you are looking for a backrest and rack combo, or just one or the other, again I simply cannot recommend Gary's products highly enough. When you buy from Gary you get something that looks like it was hand-fabricated and custom-built just for your bike - probably because that's exactly what his products are - custom-built and hand-made just for you. Nothing you bolt to your FJR will draw more attention or get more admiring stares... At least that's what has happened as many of my riding buddies have dropped by during my recovery. They all look at Gary's rack/backrest and start asking questions about it, and many simply cannot believe it was built by a guy clean across the country. Most all think I had it custom-built locally and painted in our own bodyshop.
Now that's a compliment.
Gary, my sincerest THANKS for producing such a high quality product. I can't wait to see what else you build, just so I can buy it. For you other FJR Pilots... If you are on the fence about whether to try some of Gary's work, don't wait any longer. You'll only be sorry if you don't buy Gary's stuff. His work is that good.
Just FYI, and my two cents...
Thanks again, Gary!
Dallara
