Vehicles

650 - engine guards, historic plate, de-rattling

Now that the 650 is running fairly well, the engine is vibrating like crazy... just like new :)

All that vibration is causing some pretty annoying rattles. I set about finding and fixing all the rattles. Turns out they were due to

 

  • License plate bracket worn out rubber isolators
  • Headlight assembly worn out isolators
  • Gas cap stripped out and loose screws
The really annoying part is that most of these parts are no longer available. I ende up getting rubber washers from Ace Hardware and using them to give the old rubber parts a little boost. I also drilled out the stripped threads in my gas cap and re-threaded it. Once done, all the obvious rattles are taken care of.
Also, I have always wanted engine guards for the 650. I found plenty on ebay that are the hoop setup, with only 1 attachment point on either side of the bike. I am not a fan of that setup. For one, the hoop looks huge, and second, if you go down, theres a good chance the hoop will warp on impact meaning you shouldn't keep using it. Instead I wanted a guard with at least two attachments points per side.
And I thought I had finally found one on ebay. Turns out it was the right design, but not actually made for the 650 as the seller said. The lower mounting points just didnt line up with the frame. I ended up cutting them off so that I could at least still use the rest of it as a 2 point guard, rather than 4 point as I wanted. Better than nothing, and the money is spent either way.

 

Pictures

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SmllMedLrg
loosened up, ready for worn out rubber bits to be replaced
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added a couple more rubber washers to help dampen vibration
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both holes stripped, both already drilled out, right already tapped
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keyed part back on gas cap, no more rattles now that new screws are nice and tight
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front of bike before the engine guard
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seems good in theory, too bad the lower U mounting points dont fit the bike
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Historic Plates!! I didnt have to pass inspection since I was going for these plates
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Also added an exhaust clamp back on, who knows where the old one went
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case guard didnt fit, had to grind off the lower mounting tabs
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bike with guards fitted
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guards a little bit bigger looking than I wanted
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