OK.
I've been contacted by Valerio in order to explain the modifications proposed in the picture he posted above.
He's suggesting to:
- bend more the bar, as you can see, making it tighter to the lower part of the fairing.
- increase the distance of the bar from the fairing going upwards
- enter the fairing on the hole right above where it enters now.
Doing in this way, according to Valerio, you can avoid that the mirrors get damaged when the bike drops
Moreover, the new shape at the bottom is more in line with the style of the fairing.
I'm reporting what Valerio is suggesting hoping that his suggestions, always made with the aim to be constructive, now can be more clearly understood.
P.S.: I personally don't know if the bar can be fixed where Valerio is suggesting (above the current) but I like more the design he's proposing. Just a matter of personal taste!
Ciao
Ugo
As always, I appreciate all suggestions and recommendations! Also, thank you for being our translator! Regarding the changes, I think most of those changes will do more harm than good unfortunately because there's really no way to protect the mirrors without widening the bars a ton and moving them back up on the bike. Even our bathroom bars don't protect the mirrors in a total tip-over, they merely make it more difficult for the bike to rock over that initial hit point. The reason we went into that vent is because that's where the mount is inside the fairing. We could move the bar so it went into a different vent but then we'd have to use a bracket to reach the mounting point which would weaken the bar. I think the changes you proposed would make the bar look a tad better but unfortunately they'd weaken the bar which is no good. Lastly, regarding Valerios suggested changes going better with the lines towards the bottom the bike, there are actually a few different lines down there that go at a few different angles. It's tough to tell from the photos but as it is, the bars actually go with the majority of the lines quite well. There are just a few other lines that go at a slightly different angle that we can't really do much about. If we changed the bar to go with those lines, they wouldn't match the lines they currently do.
You didn't see my posting info/signature/avatar? I have a Silver 2011....
It is nice to have as many photos and angles as possible, but if you want us to agree with you that the parallelism and angles are fixed, we will still need a similar photo shot as the previous ones (closer, more square/straight on)
Oop, you're right! Sorry, Maxtog! I've met and talked to so many people over the passed few weeks that I get you guys mixed up from time to time! You're totally right about the camera angles needing to be similar to compare the bars, that was my bad. I'll get some other closer views of the bar from a straight-on angle so you guys can compare. I promise they're parallel, though!
Any chance you could utilize the rear pegs with your clamps? Not only would it keep the symmetry but lots take the rear pegs off when they add the rear bars...
Ooohh, that's an interesting idea. Unfortunately, though, the stock rear pegs on the bike have a "male" connection on them and the pegs we use have a "female" connection so they can be mounted to the pivot block and allowed to fold up. They may work with some minor modification but as it is currently, they wouldn't work.
Agreed. Let's get these slower second gen bikes out of the way and get on with the real work.
Hahahahahaha we're planning on getting the 2009 bike in here as soon as we're finished up with this bar. We should be rocking and rolling on the earlier generation bikes by the week of 4/30 at the latest. Also, keep in mind that it won't take us nearly as long to do that bike because we already have the *basic* design in mind. We're basically just going to modify it so it fits and goes with the lines of the '08-'09. We're making progress, although it feels like it's going slowly!