[The CyberPoet]

There is some smaller stuff that I can piecemeal later on, like the rear handle, left mirror, stuff like that. I found that all I needed to do was rotate the handlebar end a little bit and you can't even see the rash

Just be careful: if the bar the end-weight is bolted to is bent even slightly compared to the other side, you'll end up with a lot of unwanted vibrations at your hands. That's one of those places where it's better to not fudge -- but it's also simple to check (unbolt everything from both handle bars, take them off and lay them atop each other -- if they are both identical in shape, you're golden).

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[Cheech]

small update:

Bought new mirrors at Iron Pony in Columbus today. I also managed to remove the entire left fairing and lower cowl. Cowl has no damage, fairing is , well, rashed

I was also able to take the starter cover off, doesn't appear like there is any damage inside other than the noticeable lack of oil. Found it funny that ALL of the screws holding in the cover were loose. Checked the iginition cover, that was tight.

I should be getting my NRC cover on the 9th along with a new gasket, we'll see how she goes then.

/ninja edit: Pics can be found here: http://www.binaryshower.com/crash

[The CyberPoet]

That's not a real crash... that's the type of damage you have after sideswiping a granny with her shopping cart at the grocery store! And here I thought you were talking about serious damages... Glad to see it's minor, really minor (at least in my book).

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[Cheech]

Long over due update:

I received the starter cover fron ronayers.com 2 days early on a Saturday. During my test fitting I discovered that one of the bolts holding the OEM cover on was not going to work with the NRC cover, it was too short. Quick trip over to the dealership, I ordered 2 bolts.

Now I am thinking to myself, let's just bolt on the bolts that we have, wait until the others get here (they didnt have them in stock! wtf!) and just let it sit a few more days. Well, with me not being a metallurgist, and trying to get as good of a gasket seal as I could, I grabbed the biggest breaker bar I could and went to town on the bolts.

Steel bolts + aluminum threads x massive torque = no more threads.

I stripped clean 2 bolt holes, the really long bolt on the left and the one up from the right middle. I am taking the bike to the dealership probably tomorrow to have them bored and HeliCoiled, then having them install the NRC cover.

I thought I had a local guy lined up to fill and paint the fairings, but he decided to drop the ball and not return phone calls. His loss. I will either go to EmpireGP and get a decent paint job or just outright buy a new fairing from ronayers.com.

This thing has been sitting in my garage for a better part of 3 weeks now, and it's really beginning to irk me. I bought and installed new mirrors, oil filter, and mistakenly bought automotive oil vs. motorcycle oil, so I'll have to work that out.

All in all, progress is being made, just not as fast as I would like. My knee rash is about healed, and my ankle complains some, it's still not 100%, but I am very mobile. Volleyball season starts today, so we'll see just how mobile I am

[The CyberPoet]

Steel bolts + aluminum threads x massive torque = no more threads.

I stripped clean 2 bolt holes, the really long bolt on the left and the one up from the right middle. I am taking the bike to the dealership probably tomorrow to have them bored and HeliCoiled, then having them install the NRC cover.

Other options to consider:

1. Retap the screw holes to a slightly bigger size and find matching bolts. I think the OEM size is 4.5mm, so going to a 5mm tap would work. You may need to drill the holes in the NRC slightly wider to fit the slightly bigger bolt (check before drilling).

2. If anyone in the area (such as a machine shop) has KeenSerts available, I'd recommend them instead of helicoils, although there might not be enough metal there to use them. KeenSerts replace the entire sleeve of the interface instead of just the threads of the hole, and thus are stronger and less likely to have issues.

3. If you have an Ace Hardware store in your area, in the future, try visiting them for replacement & longer bolts. The big stores (Lowes, Home Depot) don't carry a good assortment of metric bolts, but my local Ace and several other smaller hardware stores I've been to do.

Good Luck!

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[BLACKDEATH]

Well Id take it in the garage. sandblast the plastic. Weld the plastic up. Sand it smooth and paint it. All while I wated for a soodcraft cover to come in and the other small parts. All and all it would be 400 bux to have it looking like new again. I dont turn anything in on insurance. This is a toy. I pay them enough just to have the bike legal.

[The CyberPoet]

All while I wated for a soodcraft cover to come in ...

I think he meant woodcraft cover.

Q: Does woodcraft make Kat covers?

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[01blewkat]

Hey cheech, I think I can help you out. I did the same thing 2 years ago. Dropped the damn pig in a friends driveway coming to a stop. Did much more damage than what you have there. Took it to a guy out in London, Ohio named Lucky. Great guy. He cut me a deal for stripping down the bike, taught me how to prep the plastic, and let me use his facilities to do it. He fixed the rash (without filler) so well its, well, near perfect then applied a kick ass custom paint job for the same price other shops wanted for painting the one fairing.

Heres his # 614-207-8043 Lucky

Heres some pics of his work

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/shawndetty/detail?.dir=3a74scd&.dnm=79a9scd.jpg&.src=ph

[Cheech]

Steel bolts + aluminum threads x massive torque = no more threads.

I stripped clean 2 bolt holes, the really long bolt on the left and the one up from the right middle. I am taking the bike to the dealership probably tomorrow to have them bored and HeliCoiled, then having them install the NRC cover.

Other options to consider:

1. Retap the screw holes to a slightly bigger size and find matching bolts. I think the OEM size is 4.5mm, so going to a 5mm tap would work. You may need to drill the holes in the NRC slightly wider to fit the slightly bigger bolt (check before drilling).

2. If anyone in the area (such as a machine shop) has KeenSerts available, I'd recommend them instead of helicoils, although there might not be enough metal there to use them. KeenSerts replace the entire sleeve of the interface instead of just the threads of the hole, and thus are stronger and less likely to have issues.

3. If you have an Ace Hardware store in your area, in the future, try visiting them for replacement & longer bolts. The big stores (Lowes, Home Depot) don't carry a good assortment of metric bolts, but my local Ace and several other smaller hardware stores I've been to do.

Good Luck!

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

After my little adventure with the starter cover, I don't think I will be drilling anything anytime soon. The dealership gave me a decent price, 68 bucks to tap and helicoil the 2 bolts, so I think I will do that and have them put the oil in as well so I can ride it back. Lesson learned.

[Cheech]

Hey cheech, I think I can help you out. I did the same thing 2 years ago. Dropped the damn pig in a friends driveway coming to a stop. Did much more damage than what you have there. Took it to a guy out in London, Ohio named Lucky. Great guy. He cut me a deal for stripping down the bike, taught me how to prep the plastic, and let me use his facilities to do it. He fixed the rash (without filler) so well its, well, near perfect then applied a kick ass custom paint job for the same price other shops wanted for painting the one fairing.

Heres his # 614-207-8043 Lucky

Heres some pics of his work

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/shawnd...cd.jpg&.src=ph

Link doesn't work, but as long as he's reasonable and returns phone calls, I don't have a problem with it

I found some guy off craigslist who I called twice, both time he said he would be out over the weekend to see the fairing, but both times he noshowed.

[01blewkat]

linky work now.

cheers,
the Computard

[The CyberPoet]

Took it to a guy out in London, Ohio named Lucky. Great guy...

Did he overspray your Suzuki logo on the tank intentionally? Looks kinda weird/different. Not a value judgement, I'm just curious...

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[01blewkat]

yeah, he did it to blend it in with the flames.
I think it's cooool.

And, believe it or not, the paint won it two sportbike best of shows last summer.

[Cheech]

yeah, he did it to blend it in with the flames.
I think it's cooool.

And, believe it or not, the paint won it two sportbike best of shows last summer.

That does not look bad at all. I'm personally not a fan of the flames, I would probably go for more of an abstract design, but still not bad.

I have an appointment scheduled with Motorsports of Columbus on Morse Rd. tomorrow. According to them, they are going to pick it up for free (yay!) and I am looking at a little shy of 100 for tap, helicoil, cover install, and oil. We'll see how this goes.