Stator Armor

[JamesK]

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't the cover about $70 or so (Ronayers has them)? You can go through two of these instead of buying an after market cover and you'll still be ahead.

In a direct price comparison yes, however, grinding a hole in your stator cover will mean you ain't getting home anytime soon even from a relatively minor get-off, especially if you're far away some place in BFE.

I think what he's saying is carry a spare $70 cover with you, which is cheaper than this guard. Can't be very hard to change if you punctured your old one.

Also the 905 bars may reduce lean angle if you have more than 2 lines of preload showing on your forks w/stock springs, under certain conditions which would load up the front suspension. No issue since I changed to 2 lines.

However, looks like your concept will work.

For a repair type problem I also carry a tube of JB Weld, this will enable you to quickly and securely patch something like a crack/hole in the stator cover (did this just this weekend for a friend who slid on some black ice), but you'll have probably lost enough oil (depending on the size of the hole) for it to be an issue. On longer trips to BFE I carry about 1/2 Qrt of oil, but it really is better to not have this problem.

As for the 905 bars, I've not ridden an FJR with them on, but have seen some up close, and depending on how you ride/lean I am sure they would be touching down and risk lifting the bike up...

 

[user 213]

@Highlander - Possibly true. I didn't have a Gen II cover to send to Woodcraft, so that remains unknown. You do have a point about the greater numbers of Gen II.

I wonder about the strength of the stand offs. WCI had some doubts as well, and even longer ones would pose a greater risk.

That's one of the benefits of the SS cover, it should work with either Gen and cost significantly less.

 

[Bounce]

I agree with what you are saying, but I don't see the stator cover area as so much an impact area, but a sliding area. I've never seen an FJR stator cover that was cracked, but have seen numerous ones ground through from abrasion.

my concern would be that the stand offs could turn it into an impact area. i don't have a real idea of how tightly the suggested hard cover hugs the contour of the clutch cover. ideally something that hugs the contour, can give an extra layer of abrasion resistance before the cover grinds, and can transfer energy across a dispersed area (since the retaining bolts and threads around the cover aren't very robust).

i'll bow out of the debate at this point. i was rebuffed when voicing a similar concern about metallic crash bobbins until actual results from crashes started coming in. just food for thought is all...

 

[Brodie]

Eric

Looking at the illustration with the stand offs, I think it is a compromised design. It would be too easy for it to tweak upon impact, and that dogleg could be shoved into the cover causing a puncture. I had that happen when my Venture went down years back. The fancy OEM chrome case savers had a dogleg design which aimed straight to a plastic right angle coolant elbow. The bike needed towing following that get off.

The BMW version in the picture works because it is whittled out of a single piece of aluminum, and is shallow. If the FJR version were one piece that glued on it makes sense, provided it had a thin edge that wouldn't catch on things. Or perhaps a glue on collar with a replaceable puck/disk. The collar could be a Gen.1 / Gen.2 fitment with a generic puck.

Don't get discouraged, the market is there, you just need the right design.

Brodie

 

[petey]

What about a CF bottom half cover only? Glued just as the Bike Johnny CF full cover.

 

[HIGHLANDER]

What about a CF bottom half cover only? Glued just as the Bike Johnny CF full cover.

Good Idea.........Or a full CF cover that's only 2" deep so it'll fit Gen I & Gen 2. It doesn't have to cover the whole Stator cover, just the part that will grind away in a slide.

 

[user 213]

@Brodie - Yes, the stand offs don't excite me. The dogleg is just thrown in there for consideration and can easily be deleted from the design. Still, I had originally hoped for a design similar to the BMW one. The standoffs were a surprise.

@Petey and Highlander - FWIW, the carbon fiber is mostly decorative, it's the Kevlar patch under the CF that has most of the abrasion resistance. That combined with the semi-hardening adhesive gives the cover some impact absorption and a tad more space from the stator cover itself when things are grinding down.

 

[JamesK]

Does this cover even have to be CF which is probably a big part of the cost? How about if the shallower version (which would work on both FJR Gens) was molded/pressed out of some hard plastic with the same Kevlar patch on the inside?

 

[user 213]

my concern would be that the stand offs could turn it into an impact area. i don't have a real idea of how tightly the suggested hard cover hugs the contour of the clutch cover. ideally something that hugs the contour, can give an extra layer of abrasion resistance before the cover grinds, and can transfer energy across a dispersed area (since the retaining bolts and threads around the cover aren't very robust).

i'll bow out of the debate at this point. i was rebuffed when voicing a similar concern about metallic crash bobbins until actual results from crashes started coming in. just food for thought is all...

Not blowing you off Bounce, just working lots of OT and hadn't had time to respond to your post. Your comments are certainly valid. Some of this is just unknown at this point. I discussed materials between the armor and cover and heat was brought up. Not honestly sure how much heat is there, or would be there, trapped between the armor and cover.

You're right about the bolts not being all that robust. I'm really looking for that extra layer of abrasion resistance rather than impact resistance, but sure don't want the solution to be the item causing damage either.

@Jamesk - Plastic would generally mean Delrin or UHMW, the latter more preferred. Neither of these would be molded. Rather they would also be machined. UHMW is often used on sailboats for wear resistance areas and is a fiber reinforced plastice with self lubrication properties. Sliders are made from both of these materials, btw. The challenge becomes how to attach it so that it stays in place. I'm not sure the bonding agent used on the GCC cover would stick to UHMW. Delrin tends to crack when smacked, so my preference would be UHMW. All in all, this type of idea may be more suited to the Stainless Steel that can be stamped out for relatively cheap, has a high degree of abrasion resistance, (compared to aluminum), and could easily be bonded on with semi-hardening marine rtv like the GCC unit.

 

[Bounce]

the nature of ss to try and hold on to itself while being cut or ground which would also make it better than aluminum in this use. the rigid mounting bolts (and offsets) may be the weakness of the original concept. something that can rip away if snagged (without taking the OEM case cover with it) might be a consideration. if the bonding agent itself can't adhere to the armor, perhaps a pre-installed backing with some flex (not rubber per se but you know where i'm going) that could then be bonded to the casing?

getting the right balance between holding on in most cases and letting go before it becomes the cause of the damage is why the developer will be able to ask others to pay him/her for the product once it's ready. iow: it's your headache and our bellyaching.

and i'm not saying you are/were blowing me off. i was ruminating on how a similar discussion went a few years ago.

 

[petey]

@Petey and Highlander - FWIW, the carbon fiber is mostly decorative, it's the Kevlar patch under the CF that has most of the abrasion resistance. That combined with the semi-hardening adhesive gives the cover some impact absorption and a tad more space from the stator cover itself when things are grinding down.

OCfjr, I was thinking about the cover being the same material as the CF/Kevlar full cover, except down sizing it, glueing it and come up with half the cost...

 

[user 213]

One of the issues with a partial cover idea is retention. The bonding agent is pretty tough stuff once cured, but the BJ/GCC cover has the additional aid of fully fitting over the stock cover so it won't get sheared off or snag on anything. A partial cover that is only bonded on might not stay in place during an incident, which defeats the purpose of having it there.

When I removed my BJ cover after my crash, in order to replace it with a new one, I had to cut it into sections and then finally get a box knife blade under the cover to cut the adhesive off the stock cover. I worry that if I make a S/S cover that is bonded on, replacing it will require a similar treatment, but with much greater difficulty.

It's been years since I did any fiberglass work. CF/Kevlar is similar in process, but I'm not sure it costs out. I really want function here, rather than bling.

Just thinking out loud here, but a stainless steel, replaceable, attachment secured from the inside to the stock cover might also be very good at protecting the cover from grinding through. They don't crack, after all, just wear through at a predictable location. Hmmm, core charge paid up front and refunded when your cover comes in. I'll have to spend some more time looking at the stock cover.

 

[JamesK]

Just another thought/idea extrapolating OCfjr's line of thinking. How about removing the stock stator cover, drilling a few holes in it to mount bolts/studs which would be used to secure an external say SS plate molded or otherwise secured into a delrin or fiberglass base plate. The SS plate would obviously be made to protrude out enough to ensure that the base plate does not do anything more then simply hold the SS grind plate in place. Since the SS grind plate is already very hard material you could safely have the mounting bolts/nuts slightly countersunk to ensure they do not get damaged in the crash...

I realize this is a little more intrusive then just sticking on a BJ/GCC type cover but it would really be a one-time job. Also, the company/individual providing this solution could offer an exchange based service where they have some GenI & GenII stator covers in stock already modified with the studs so any clients not wishing to make the mod themselves could simply send in their stator covers after purchasing the moded cover. You could request a refundable deposit to the value of the stock stator cover until the client's stock cover is received. This would mean no downtime for the clients...

 

[allrider]

That things too fuggly. Why doesn't someone make up a bunch of carbon fiber covers. You'll sell a ton of em.

 

[user 213]

That things too fuggly. Why doesn't someone make up a bunch of carbon fiber covers. You'll sell a ton of em.

Yeah, those FJR owners are all about the Bling.



Well, not enough interest for the Woodcraft cover design, so that's off the radar for now. I have a local, more or less, CF/Arimid fiber place that I want to talk to and see if they will make a product for me, or possibly expand their product line to offer a stator cover armor part. Not sure when I'll have time to do that, but expect that if they will do it, it should cost less than the GCC item, but still over $100. Will try to target the $150 range as I think that's reasonable and will sell well enough.

Probably start a new thread on that if it pans out.

Thanks for the comments and ideas guys, it's all good stuff.