A badge of honor?

[Fritzer]

Looking at my ’99 with the first coating of insects on the front cowling.  I am thinking it might be kind of fun to give it some time to see how thick this insect layer can get, not including the headlight area.  Kind of a badge of riding honor?

[VFR78]

Maybe not!

[Fritzer]

Just a thought 🙂  Maybe a few pics of the accumulated protein layer available?

 

[VFR78]

I couldn’t sleep at night. Hate the look of bugs. Even seek out car washes when on the big tours.

[Fritzer]

I have gone thru some amazing clouds of gnats that made a solid layer in just seconds!  I pity the motels I stayed at 🙂

 

[TimC]

Ick.  The longer they're on there, the harder it will be to clean them off.

 

And I agree with your motel comment.  I've felt a little bad for the housekeeping crew when I left a yucky washcloth or two behind after using it to wipe down the front of my bike - and helmet.  😞

[Cogswell]

I've had yellow jackets swarm over the insect carnage at stops, so I try to keep it to a minimum.  More biker friendly motels are providing rags for cleanup - I usually take them up on it. 

[squirrelman]

as we all know, it's very important not to let bugguts build up on fork tubes or seals will be damaged.

[Fritzer]

That is why I installed fork boot covers when I replaced seals and bushings at 55K miles.  They do a great job protecting against seal damage and help prevent dirt getting by the seals and contamination of the fork oil.

 

You can easily see them in the photo, but in real life they disappear in the dark void.

[DannoXYZ]

That's an awesome idea!!! 

[Dutchy]

 

German flies hitting at 240KMH....  

[Dutchy]

This took 3 minutes on a dyke.....

 

 

 

 

 

[Dutchy]

Some make a hell of a bam and mess upon impact....

 

[Magneto]

Juicy... 😂

[moroseduck]

2 hours ago, Dutchy said:

Some make a hell of a bam and mess upon impact....

 

There's nothing quite like getting smacked in the head by a large bug at speed to really wake you up 😂

[Fritzer]

I was out riding with my brother years back when the mother of all insects hit him right where he had his visor cracked open a bit for ventilation.  Half went all over the outside and the other half splattered into his nose and face.  It was quite a mess.  I think he rides with his visor all the way down at speed these days 🙂

 

[68mustang]

I wouldn't recommend leaving bug guts on the front of a bike. Overtime they will stain the clearcoat and you'll never get it off. 

[Cogswell]

On 5/6/2021 at 10:22 PM, Fritzer said:

That is why I installed fork boot covers when I replaced seals and bushings at 55K miles.  They do a great job protecting against seal damage and help prevent dirt getting by the seals and contamination of the fork oil.

 

You can easily see them in the photo, but in real life they disappear in the dark void.

 May I ask where those were sourced?

[Fritzer]

22 hours ago, Cogswell said:

On 5/6/2021 at 10:22 PM, Fritzer said:

That is why I installed fork boot covers when I replaced seals and bushings at 55K miles.  They do a great job protecting against seal damage and help prevent dirt getting by the seals and contamination of the fork oil.

 

You can easily see them in the photo, but in real life they disappear in the dark void.

Expand  

 May I ask where those were sourced?

I purchased these polisport fork dust covers on amazon while in the process of rebuilding my front forks.  They are way too long but that was no problem.  The small end fit perfect over the inner slide tube and cut end for a  perfect fit over the top part of the fork outer case.  You can leave the rock chip protector on and install the dust bellow cover over the top of it.  Zip tie both ends and you are good to go.  You can find these same items here -  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077L6ZCJK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I have to mention that they do raise the normal operating temp at cruising from 172F to 176F due to the larger diameter.  However, I have never had a overheat issue with them on.  

 

Overall, I think they are a well deserved mod if you have forks off for maintenance.  Eliminates rock chips and dust and water penetration thru the seals.  This keeps the fork oil much cleaner over the years and dramatically increases the life of your fork seals and bushings.