Don't need a quick release as long as we can remove the bar quickly without having to deal with that motor mount nut.
As long as you can separate the top bracket mount bolt from the motor mount bolt (i.e. insert a bracket that bolts to both the motor mount and to the bar mount), and looking at the bolt placement, if both used the same 'hex head' or whatever to remove, I think that would be sufficiently easy to get to (as long as you spot welded both nuts to the brackets, which you said you were planning to). So cap screws or whatever might be the better option.
The other issue with a quick release would be that both the top and bottom would have to be perfectly parallel, in order to be able to yank them. Or perhaps just have the quick release at the top, and still unbolt the bottom, although if you are undoing one bolt, then you might as well have two similarly sized bolts...
Looking at the above pic, I think if you lowered the mounting hole for the top of the bar down and to the back slightly (say 2 inches), there would still be plenty of room for the bars to fit inside the fairing vents. You could also 'invert' the mounting hole at the top, with the mounting hole below the bracket instead of above. Putting it below would hide the bolt from easy view a bit, which might be better for aesthetic reasons.
I might also recommend using an allen head bolt similar to the sizes found elsewhere on the bike for the top and bottom mounts. Many of us carry a set of allen wrenches with us (and indeed, if you still have the OEM kit under the seat it has allen wrenches), so that might be more convenient. In my case, I carry a decent set of sockets as well, but my allen wrenches are easier to get to...
That being said, allen versus regular bolts is not that big of a deal. The bike uses allen heads in most other places though (except where it uses phillips head bolts), so it might match better. If I'm undoing the fairings, though, I already have the socket set out for the oil change though, so really this is a minor issue at best.
Idea for the look and feel of this bracket...
What if you changed up the angles, like this (see attached image)... probably with a stronger front angle though (I didn't want to cover up the lower bolt in the pic, but so the angle matches the vent angles on the fairing).
Note I flipped the upper mount bolt hole underneath in the attached image as well.
Idea for the look and feel of this bracket...
What if you changed up the angles, like this (see attached image)... probably with a stronger front angle though (I didn't want to cover up the lower bolt in the pic, but so the angle matches the vent angles on the fairing).
Note I flipped the upper mount bolt hole underneath in the attached image as well.
I'm glad to see we have more people commenting! I definitely dig the small change in design but sometimes things are more difficult in practice. I can tell you now that the bends you have showcased are quite difficult to pull off and can sometimes weaken the bar but I'll certainly do what I can to copy your image since people seem to dig it. I also like the idea of arresting the bracket so it doesn't twist if/when the bike goes over. I'm not sure we'd have that problem as it's currently designed but it's always nice to be sure. I'll try and incorporate a few of these changes Monday and post more pictures! I do agree the bar needs to be a bit more sporty-looking, though.
There is a recessed slot on the existing engine mounting brackets where the hex bolt is inserted. The mounting brackets offered on a competitor's product utilizes appropriate spacers at the four mounting points. Will this design incorporate spacers to fill the recessed slot(s) at the mounting points?
I'm guessing that you'd probably need to have a wider bend than I'm showing in my images/the middle bend, to accomodate your bending apparatus. The main idea here is to have the lower portion of the bar match the vent angle. Mainly, I was just trying to illustrate it for the masses here.
If the middle bend was mated with a weld, it might be a little stronger. I hear welds are often stronger anyways... but I'm not sure if you'll be using one piece of pipe in the final design or not. Either way it's good.
I did think about 'shortening' the length at the top a bit (imagine the first bend starting about an inch from the end, and bending at a forward angle to meet the center bend, essentially 2 45-55 degree or so angles at different orientations), but I'd imagine that everyone would prefer the extra length to the current top 90 degree bend, as that would be a great place to attach lights... it would look sportier with an 'immediate' bend, but the extra 3-4 inches of length I think would be more useful to the Connie crowd.
As for the third leg, I'm envisioning a bend at both ends of the tube, which depending on your bending apparatus shouldn't be a big deal. The front bend would terminate/be welded to an 'L' bracket perhaps, or something similar, to mate up with the front fairing bolt. The other bend, of course, would need to mate with the guard in some fashion. I'm thinking that both bends would be less than 90 degrees (perhaps a 45 in the rear, and an 80 in the front). Assuming you feel like mocking up a third leg version. That third leg would add to cost, of course, so I'd be interested in hearing how many other people would be interested in a third leg version, if it adds sufficient strength to justify the expense.
You could actually keep the front section of the third leg straight, and weld a longer tab (essentially a 'step' tab) to offset the front of the bar away from the fairing, but I'm not sure how that would look aesthetically. A front bend that terminates at the front of the fairing looks better in my mind's eye, but until you actually see the actual prototype on the bike, it's hard to judge which would complement the bike better.
The crossbar would help a lot in improving the strength, as any forces across the third leg would be distributed across the two front fairing bolts (instead of just one), as well as to a smaller degree the other two mounts on the opposite bar. This would reduce the chance of tweaking the frame if the bike went down hard, and of course would help hold the main guard in place/keep it from bending backwards. This is a canyon cage, after all...
Plus, if done right, I think it would look sportier IMHO, plus it gives more bar to attach things to... dunno what you'd attach though! Bumper stickers maybe?
I'm sure more C-10ers will be commenting shortly. I'm looking forward to what you guys MC Enterprises guys finally come up with!
I don't believe our current design requires spacers so the spacers inclusion with the competitors set may be linked their their specific design. That I'm not quite sure of, though. I can tell you this, if our design requires spacers they will certainly be included with the guard at no extra cost. I'll have to look into these recessed slots you mentioned and see if they effect our guard at all on Monday when I'm back at the office so I'll have to get back to you on this.
I appreciate the extra description, Two Skies. I believe I have a pretty good understanding of what you're suggesting so I'll do what I can to get it implemented on Monday. I do think those suggestions will certainly make the guard a bit sportier though. As of now, the guard comes in contact with the ground on the corner of the lower bend so as long as that part stays where it is, we can modify the upper part of the bar as we like.