Jump to content

By The Bikergodz - I Think It Worked!


enzed_viffer

Recommended Posts

Some of you (those who have been here more than 4 months) may remember that Rob (veefer800canuck) was 'selling' a pair of "surplus to requirements" footpeg brackets For $0.00 + postage. Well, I 'bought' them, for the sum of C$18.50, and last week they arrived, after a very tiring 3-month swim from Canadia to Aotearoa.

And yesterday I fitted 'em.

The footpeg brackets that were on my bike were somewhat 'skew-whiff', owing to a PO's drop/crash/collision on the RH side, and me dropping it on both sides: the first was accidental, the second was just to balance the scratches...

Despite my best efforts with a heat gun (on 'High'), a BIG crescent wrench, and a vice, the footpegs were never better than almost straight. Now, it's really wonderful to have straight and level pegs for the first time since my wife made me buy the VFR. :thumbsup:

Here's the real point of this post (apart from thanking Rob once again): While I was replacing the footpegs on the 'new' brackets, I decided it could be dangerous having such light and racy brackets (Rob had racerized them by expertly drilling'em full'o'holes.) Hoo Noze - their lighter weight might have the Porky VFR leaving the road every time it hit a small bump, and That Would Be Bad. So... I filled the left-hand footpeg with bits of lead. :salesman:

If any of you have taken your RC46's footpegs apart to fit new RubberThingies , you'll know that the left one has an extra piece of metal screwed to the bottom to help dampen vibes. The screws that hold that on go through the bottom of the footpeg and into a metal bracket inside the RubberThingie. The bottom of the footpeg has a couple of hollows in it, into which I inserted some bits of lead cut to size professionally with an old chisel and a hammer. The leftover piece of lead I folded and pounded into shape and inserted into the RubberThingie as there was no more room left in the FootpegLeadDampenerReceptacles. "But Dude: where did you get the lead from? Doncha know lead is EVIL and kills whales and causes Globular Yawning??!" I just fossicked around in my Cave of Crap , wherein resides all the assorted dross and dreck, flotsam and jetsam of 34 years of car and bike ownership, until I found out that the piece of lead sheeting I just knew I had was the self-same piece I used to repair a leak in the roof. Well Duh.

Then I fossicked through the kids' fishing kit, found a lead sinker made from rolled up lead sheet, and used that instead.

(Wait for it......)

This morning, it may have been my imagination (but I really don't think so), but the vibrations were noticeably diminished. Y'know how the left-hand footpeg vibrates more than the right-hand one at certain revs? Well, not any more. It now vibrates a bit LESS.

"And... " you're wanting to know, "...did the extra weight slow the VifFerraRi down at all?"

Well, even though it more than offset the lightening Rob did, the VifFerraRi is SO loaded down with farkles, gadgets and AssortedKrep, a few hundred kg of lead isn't going to make much difference. Anyhoo, my NEW! Lighter! Fasterer!! Elka shock will counteract that, when it arrives and I install it.

EDIT: SOrry about the lack of pix. If anyone can't imagine what I've done and wants to see it, or anyone wants to see the SwissCheeseRacingFootpegBrackets let me know and I'll snap some piccies.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

BTW, doesn't exist without pics! :P
Give Us Pictures!!!! :P

Alright! Alright!

But you'll have to wait until luncheontime, as I'm busy writing about teeth movies now. (No, not now; I meant this morning.)

Hope you get your shock quicker than 3 months! :o

Yeah, me too.

I think they're using carrier pigeons rather than racing salmon this time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alright then - I hope youze guyz didn't make me get my hands dirty for nothing.

Here's a photo showing the right-hand footpeg Yeah, I *know* my bike needs cleaning, but my wife's car's even dirtier, so that has to be first):

peg1.jpg

And here's a shot of the lead inside the peg (with yellow "X" on it):

peg2.jpg

Sorry it's blurry - I didn't realise till I downloaded it)

And here's the strip of lead inside the RubberThingie:

peg3.jpg

Incidentally, if any of you find the standard RubberThingies - officially a "rubber step" - not cushy enough, you could slide a rubber strip or three into the pocket in the RubberThingie.

I think sometime this week I'm going to get my soldering iron and melt the lead into the hollows in the peg and mebbe add a little more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm beginning to think I'm getting too decrepit to work on my bike any more - I'm not doing a good job, and make stupid mistakes (like forgetting to put the flange-washer-doofers in the rubber grommets on the zorst head shield before losing one :goofy: ).

Anyway, I decided that bits of lead floating around in the footpeg was a bit dodgy, so last night I took the LH footpeg off and used a heatgun on 'High' and one of my soldering irons (it's only 100W, so a bit anemic) to melt the lead in the footpeg. Surprisingly (or not), having the same amount of lead but having it nestled comfortably seemed to make the vibes even smallerer. So it almost made up for losing a flange thingie, having to bodge up another one from the crap in TheOrangeToolbox, and having my wife give me The Look and go "blah blah blah... told you not to fiddle .. blah blah ... will you listen now blah blah...." :rolleyes:

But I have to at least finish my list of things to do, right? Things like replacing the confirminator plates with Rivcyko CF ones isn't exactly summat a bike shop will be up with the lay on, is it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow, veefer800canuck, I wish I could have gotten them for that price. And, no shipping at that.

Caveat emptor, eh?

Actually, the deal was, they are free, but you pay the shipping cost.

I advertised them in the classifieds as such. I guess you didn't see it. Sorry.

$18.50 for postage to New Zealand is pretty cheap, but like Ian said, it took three months via the slow boat to China! :rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Like I said, my footpeg brackets had been bent since I bought the bike. I happened to log on at just the right time, saw Rob's ad, and said I'd take them. It was a real gamble having them sent via racing salmon (no 'track'n'trace'), and I was beginning to think I'd lost my NZ$23.40.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually, the deal was, they are free, but you pay the shipping cost.

I advertised them in the classifieds as such. I guess you didn't see it. Sorry.

$18.50 for postage to New Zealand is pretty cheap, but like Ian said, it took three months via the slow boat to China! :blink:

Herein lies the problem...you should have sent them to New Zealand...:P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy.