C10 Canyon Cage Build Thread!

[Bikenagain]

I like the latest look, but I would like to see the top mount like Two Skies suggested with the top bracket engine bolt hidden in the tube as his picture on page 3 of this thread reply #30.

[RyanMCEnterprises]

Nice! I'm glad to hear most of you guys like the new design, for the most part. I'll see what we can do about altering that top mount so the hardware is a bit more hidden. Keep in mind though, the bar will have to be lengthened for that making it slightly larger. We'll try to give it a shot, though! Anyone have any opinions on the white line support bar we're considering? Yay or nay?

[datsaxman@hotmail.com]

I don't care about hiding the hardware.  It is a motorcycle, and there are nuts and bolts sticking out all over.  I don't have chrome covers over the brakes for the same reason. 

I would probably want my feet inside the lower part of the bars, and driving lights mounted to the top part.  Highway pegs farther outboard than that?  I don't find that relaxing at all.  But that's just me from all the folks I see riding down the road looking like they are getting an OB GYN exam.

One vote for the bars pretty much as seen.  No heroic measures to make it look like there are no bolts holding it in there, not the red line shape, no extra white bar - you say it is not needed? -  no shim that I don't need, etc. 

saxman

[Jwh360]

I'm sure the mounts will be "hidden" when they are black.

[RyanMCEnterprises]

I like the latest look, but I would like to see the top mount like Two Skies suggested with the top bracket engine bolt hidden in the tube as his picture on page 3 of this thread reply #30.

I think it would look good like that too but unfortunately it's just not possible due to the location of the vents in the fairing. I snapped a quick picture with the fairings installed so you can see what I mean. There's just not enough room there to flip that bracket around and have the bar coming out from above the mounting hardware because the hardware has to be in the position it currently is.

I don't care about hiding the hardware.  It is a motorcycle, and there are nuts and bolts sticking out all over.  I don't have chrome covers over the brakes for the same reason. 

I would probably want my feet inside the lower part of the bars, and driving lights mounted to the top part.  Highway pegs farther outboard than that?  I don't find that relaxing at all.  But that's just me from all the folks I see riding down the road looking like they are getting an OB GYN exam.

One vote for the bars pretty much as seen.  No heroic measures to make it look like there are no bolts holding it in there, not the red line shape, no extra white bar - you say it is not needed? -  no shim that I don't need, etc. 

saxman

Yea, flipping that bracket around and having the bar come out from above the mounting hardware isn't possible anyhow (see above). As for that support bar, it isn't necessary but it would certainly add resistance to the bar bending backwards and wouldn't cost much to implement. So, as long as it looks okay I think it would be a worthy addition. We're going to tack one in place so we can see how it looks and I'll upload a picture for you guys.

Regarding peg position, if they were mounted any further in, your knees would probably constantly rub or bump against that black plastic wind-deflecting piece. I think pegs mounted to that outer bar would actually be an ideal position because the bar appears farther out that it really is. The next time we take the bike off the lift, I'll snap a picture from the rider point of view so you can get an idea of what position your legs would be in if there were highway pegs mounted to the outer bar.

I'm sure the mounts will be "hidden" when they are black.

You're correct. The mounts will surely hide much better once they're black but I think the purpose of flipping that bracket and having the bar come out from atop would be to hide the chrome hardware, not so much the brackets. That was just my understanding so I may be mistaken but I believe that was the intention. I personally like the look of the nice, chrome hardware against the black bars. It looks snazzy and adds some nice contrast, I think but that's just me.

[Jwh360]

You're correct. The mounts will surely hide much better once they're black but I think the purpose of flipping that bracket and having the bar come out from atop would be to hide the chrome hardware, not so much the brackets. That was just my understanding so I may be mistaken but I believe that was the intention. I personally like the look of the nice, chrome hardware against the black bars. It looks snazzy and adds some nice contrast, I think but that's just me.

I agree, the chrome hardware looks good on the black bars.

[RyanMCEnterprises]

I would probably want my feet inside the lower part of the bars, and driving lights mounted to the top part.  Highway pegs farther outboard than that?  I don't find that relaxing at all.  But that's just me from all the folks I see riding down the road looking like they are getting an OB GYN exam.

Here's a view from the riders position. I don't think you'd even be able to get your feet on the pegs unless they were mounted to the exterior bar, or so it seems. However, peg position is very personal as everyone is a different height, has different leg length, etc. so if you still think this position would be uncomfortable for you, you're probably right. Nobody knows your body and what's comfortable for you better than you do!



Here are a few shots of that cross brace piece being held in place. Now that I see it held there, I'm not as much of a fan of the look as I thought I'd be. However, your opinions are the ones that matter so what do you guys think?

[gPink]

Here's a view from the _____ position. I don't think you'd even be able to get your ____ on the ___ unless they were mounted to the _______, or so it seems. However, ___ position is very personal as everyone is a different height, has different leg length, etc. so if you still think this position would be uncomfortable for you, you're probably right. Nobody knows your body and what's comfortable for you better than you do!

.....well there was this one girl....      
sorry, too easy

[tweeter55]

 

[Silverado]

I like that design on the bar.....looks solid and retro.   I even like the vertical support brace (red line), too!  However, I think extending the bar out an additional 1/2 to 1 inch from the fairing could provide a little more clearance in a tip over. 

For those who like the cruiser style,  I'm sure someone could fabricate a bracket for highway pegs that would provide clearance around the fairing.  I ride my Connie as a sporty tourer and personally would not use highway pegs...FWIW. 

I also like the look of the round piece welded between the horseshoe on the rear bars vs the flat pieces evident on the rear bars for some of your other models.  I'm excited...looking forward to the finish product.   

[RyanMCEnterprises]

I like that design on the bar.....looks solid and retro.   I even like the vertical support brace (red line), too!  However, I think extending the bar out an additional 1/2 to 1 inch from the fairing could provide a little more clearance in a tip over. 

For those who like the cruiser style,  I'm sure someone could fabricate a bracket for highway pegs that would provide clearance around the fairing.  I ride my Connie as a sporty tourer and personally would not use highway pegs...FWIW. 

I also like the look of the round piece welded between the horseshoe on the rear bars vs the flat pieces evident on the reclamrs for some of your other models.  I'm excited...looking forward to the finish product.   

Nice! Actually, the white line is the one that's the support brace (that runs from the upper bracket to about the middle of the vertical bar) and the red line was an example of another way we were considering designing the vertical bar. Instead of being parallel to the fairing, we were considering an exterior vertical bar that angled inward. I think we're going to stay with what we have, though.

Based on how the bike looks on its side with the guards installed, I'm not sure moving the guard out is necessary. Additionally, extending it further out may make it look a little odd. I snapped some photos at the end of the day when we gently laid the bike on its side to make sure the front and rear guards contact the ground at the same time (and that nothing else contacts the ground aside from the hero peg) so I'll post those photos first thing tomorrow morning.

As far as highway peg clamps go, any generic 1" clamp should work just fine without any modification to either the guard or the clamp. Yea, I think the round bar looks a bit better on the rear guards than the flat plate as well. That was a change we made when we designed the guards for the 2013 FJR some time ago so we design all our our saddle bag guards that way now. 

Hopefully a few more people will comment on the look of the guard with that added support brace. We're still deciding whether or not to keep it. The more I look at it, the more it grows on me, though. I'll take a few additional photos of it tomorrow morning from some different angles once it's tacked in place so theres not an arm in the photo.

[Jwh360]

I like the look of the brace.  Makes it look even more heavy-duty.

[RyanMCEnterprises]

I like the look of the brace.  Makes it look even more heavy-duty.

Thanks, Jeff! I wish we could get a few more opinions on this as we're still deciding whether or not to keep the brace. I personally like it as well but the other forum I have this thread going on is about 50/50 on it.

To those of you who think it looks better without the cross brace: Do you think it'd look even better if we were to angle the outer vertical bar inward to meet at the upper bracket instead of going up parallel to the bike and having the 90° inward bend? I attached a photo to help illustrate. Although, there wouldn't be as sharp of an angle at the bottom as the red line appears to indicate (ignore the white line). We'd make that a nice, smooth radius. What do you guys think about that? Or should we keep it as is? If you guys think it may look better with an inward-angled outer bar, I'll have a set mocked up and snap some photos.

Just so you guys are aware, this is our last full day to work on the bike as the owner has a ride coming up this weekend and needs the bike back. So, it's crunch time! The design is pretty much set but, obviously, we have a few small things left to get ironed out.

[RFH87_Connie]

I would think if you angled in too much it might not work as well as a light mounting location (not that everyone would want to mount lights anyway.  I like the cross brace.

[RyanMCEnterprises]

I would think if you angled in too much it might not work as well as a light mounting location (not that everyone would want to mount lights anyway.  I like the cross brace.

I think it'd still work as a light mounting position if the outer bar was angled in as long as the light is round and it's mounted properly but I think we're going to end up keeping the guard as is anyhow. It's just a tough decision regarding that cross brace, though. Seems like it's about 50/50 between both the forums I have this thread going on. Someone else suggested maybe altering the cross brace to meet at the bottom corner of the outer vertical bar instead of half way like it is now but unfortunately I don't think that's possible. If we were to have the brace meet the outer vertical bar at the bottom corner, the brace would be touching part of the fairing (it would rub against the portion of the fairing circled in black in the photo below). So, if the bike were to go over and the bar happened to bend it would likely mess that part of the fairing up. With the brace in the position it is now (half way down the outer vertical bar) there's about a 1/4" gap which gives you a little space should the bar bend when the bike is dropped.

[Silverado]

Here are a few shots of that cross brace piece being held in place. Now that I see it held there, I'm not as much of a fan of the look as I thought I'd be. However, your opinions are the ones that matter so what do you guys think?

I think this is the better design for strength; as well as, aesthetics.   I was thinking the red line support brace depicted in a previous post would extend down from the upper mounting bracket to just aft of the bend to the rear.   But, I think the location of the support brace depicted above would actually be a better fit. 

[RyanMCEnterprises]

I think this is the better design for strength; as well as, aesthetics.   I was thinking the red line support brace depicted in a previous post would extend down from the upper mounting bracket to just aft of the bend to the rear.   But, I think the location of the support brace depicted above would actually be a better fit.

Yea, it seems like most people think the braceless design looks a bit cleaner but I think it'd be smart to keep the brace there. The design of the guard itself is inherently difficult to bend backwards so there's not much need to triangulate a third point but without the brace, that bottom corner may be apt to bend in slightly during a tip-over. The brace would certainly help make it more rigid in that respect, which is nice.

We were considering changing the brace slightly so it went from the upper mount bracket to the bottom corner of the guard but unfortunately that's not possible. If we were to move it like that, it would hit the portion of the fairing circled in black pictured below. As it is currently, there's about a 1/4" space between the inside wall of the brace and that part of the fairing so there's a bit of room in case the bar should bend slightly during a drop.

[Silverado]

Yep, I see what you are talking about it hitting the fairing.  I believe the photo of the project bike tipped over on it's side will reinforce the idea of having a support brace.  The lower you can get the anchor point on the outer guard, without compromising the angle,  the better.  BTW, I think the current design of the guard would even look good on a bike without the lower fairing installed.

[RyanMCEnterprises]

Yep, I see what you are talking about it hitting the fairing.  I believe the photo of the project bike tipped over on it's side will reinforce the idea of having a support brace.  The lower you can get the anchor point on the outer guard, without compromising the angle,  the better.  BTW, I think the current design of the guard would even look good on a bike without the lower fairing installed.

Oh! I totally forgot to post the pictures of the bike on it's side. They're attached below for you guys. Now that I know how close that brace is to the fairing already, I don't think I'd feel comfortable moving it much further down than it is already. It's about 1/4" away from that portion of the fairing and the further down we move it, the closer to the fairing it gets. Although, I do agree that the lower it is, the better it'd would be but I think it looks best in the position it is now.

[Two Skies]

I like the latest look, but I would like to see the top mount like Two Skies suggested with the top bracket engine bolt hidden in the tube as his picture on page 3 of this thread reply #30.

I think it would look good like that too but unfortunately it's just not possible due to the location of the vents in the fairing. I snapped a quick picture with the fairings installed so you can see what I mean. There's just not enough room there to flip that bracket around and have the bar coming out from above the mounting hardware because the hardware has to be in the position it currently is.



Yea, flipping that bracket around and having the bar come out from above the mounting hardware isn't possible anyhow (see above). As for that support bar, it isn't necessary but it would certainly add resistance to the bar bending backwards and wouldn't cost much to implement. So, as long as it looks okay I think it would be a worthy addition. We're going to tack one in place so we can see how it looks and I'll upload a picture for you guys.

Regarding peg position, if they were mounted any further in, your knees would probably constantly rub or bump against that black plastic wind-deflecting piece. I think pegs mounted to that outer bar would actually be an ideal position because the bar appears farther out that it really is. The next time we take the bike off the lift, I'll snap a picture from the rider point of view so you can get an idea of what position your legs would be in if there were highway pegs mounted to the outer bar.

You're correct. The mounts will surely hide much better once they're black but I think the purpose of flipping that bracket and having the bar come out from atop would be to hide the chrome hardware, not so much the brackets. That was just my understanding so I may be mistaken but I believe that was the intention. I personally like the look of the nice, chrome hardware against the black bars. It looks snazzy and adds some nice contrast, I think but that's just me.

I'm going to have to disagree strongly with you here.  It is indeed possible to flip the bracket (and lengthen the guard in the process), and still clear the fairing.  I've attached two photos below, showing how you'd design the guard bracket (note the slight rotation clockwise), by either using a spacer to clear the engine mount bolt, or perhaps using a step bracket design (not shown). 

I used transparency so that you that could visualize where the guard tube would overlay the engine mount bolt if this were done.

I also attached another photochopped photo showing the guard at the full length, from the side, to help people visualize it.

I get that the angle of the engine mount bracket tab may be 'set', hence my suggestion of twisting the guard bracket tab slightly to compensate.

The REASON that I'm guessing a few of us here (myself included) are looking for more height out of the guard is to provide a more ideal height for a driving light mount, one that is closer to the height of the headlight. 
http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/lighting_tech/techpage.jsp?techid=130

of course, lengthening the guard will require more material, adding a small amount to the total cost.  I'm guessing that labor will be the much more significant cost to factor in here.