starter cover in system epoxy resin

[guyom]

HI Guys, does anyone order something from boxercafe.com ?
They made some nice starter cover and fairing from complete racing fairing to bikini ones...

http://boxercafe.com/startercover.htm

Thanks for comments.

Guyom.

[marcmax]

Great folks to deal with. I have one of their starter covers on my R65 but had to make some changes to it. Keep in mind that their fiberglass parts are coming out of a mold so they have a smooth finish to them. The starter cover was smooth and the engine castings have a rougher, cast aluminum look. With mine I used a spray can high build primer paint from about 3 feet away to get a spattered paint finish that is pretty close to the engine casting look. A coat of cast aluminum colored paint and it looks the part. You also lose the overlapped edge of the starter cover that says BMW on it. The cover just ends right at the edge of the engine block. I ended up making a silicone mold of the BMW logo, painted it and used automotive adhesive to add it to the started cover. The cover itself is a very well made part.

[BPT]

Don't want to go off topic of the original post but I like the silicon mold thing you did, Marmax.  Maybe you could post some tips?  I was looking for that exact logo not too long ago.

[marcmax]

Sorry I didn't take pics of the entire process but there is no real trick to it. I got everything I used at a big chain arts/crafts store, Micheals. The silicone mold gel comes as a two part mix. Just took an existing starter cover, several thicknesses of cardboard and some masking tape and made a box around the logo. Poured in the silicone mix, waited two hours and pulled away the cardboard and the silicone mold popped right off. Same place sells an epoxy casting resin. It is clear when hardened so I added some black dye when I mixed it (only because I had it from another project). Mixed it and poured it into the silicone mold, waited overnight and just rolled the silicone mold off. It was still a semitransparent dark color so I rattle can sprayed it black and took a small brush and a bottle of silver model paint from Wally World and painted the raised edges. Is it perfect? No, it would never make it in a motorcycle concourse, but from 2 feet away it looks like it is from the factory

[Tony Smith]

Is it perfect? No, it would never make it in a motorcycle concourse, but from 2 feet away it looks like it is from the factory

Well I think it worked very well indeed and commend you for your workmanship. I have some repairs to do to the plastic "mounts" on the covers on my Kawasaki and was despairing of how to do them - taking silicone moulds is the perfect solution - thank you.

[marcmax]

Thank you Tony. I consider that high praise coming from someone whose knowledge of these machines far exceeds mine.

[guyom]

Hi guys ! Thanks for answer. I'm going to order one and test it ! Thanks for advises !
Guillaume

[Tony Smith]

Thank you Tony. I consider that high praise coming from someone whose knowledge of these machines far exceeds mine.

I would not go so far as that. I meet clever people every day that have thought of solutions that simply flabbergast me.

For example, I am helping a friend put a Kawasaki ZZR back together after a slow speed impact with a car. one of his "clip-ons' is very badly damaged, they are not available 2nd hand and the new price is, well, breath taking.


Today someone suggested using a aluminium bicycle seat-post to replace the bent extension that mounts the switch block and throttle.

My own bicycle spare-parts "treasure chest' offered up a suitable sized, good quality alloy "pipe". As you read this is the original "pipe" on the clip-on has been cut off and the remains are being milled out of the body, the seat post will be turned down to a reasonable interference fit and then pinned with a tapered pin. Cut to length and painted black nobody will ever know.

[BPT]

Thanks Marcmax.  I thought that you had come up with some way of doing this on your own, I didn't realize it came from a ready-made kit.  That's almost too easy!  I'll check that out.
As Tony was talking about, I'm always looking for alternate fixes and different ways of doing things.  Sometimes it's cost, sometimes you want to tweak something, sometimes out of necessity.
The DIY route doesn't always end in success but at least I'll have learned something.

[guyom]

HI guys, finally I do not make deal with the guy. Payment looks a bit strange (i want a full acces to a credit card, including the 3 confidential number at the back). No Paypal or secure system and when i asked questions about why ? obscur answers.

Anyway i do not say that the guy is a thief or anything likes that but I just prefer to not give my credit card access to an unknown guy. Imagine someone who hack all these data ;-)...

Anyway stay with stock cover. Thanks

[marcmax]

Guyom, here are couple of other places that have their own version of a replacement starter cover. Both are showing them out of stock right now but that changes all the time. I haven't done business with either of these sites but at least they are a few options.

http://boxermetal.com/

http://www.flatracer.com/

[guyom]

Tanks a lot !

[Burt]

HI guys, finally I do not make deal with the guy. Payment looks a bit strange (i want a full acces to a credit card, including the 3 confidential number at the back). No Paypal or secure system and when i asked questions about why ? obscur answers.

Anyway i do not say that the guy is a thief or anything likes that but I just prefer to not give my credit card access to an unknown guy. Imagine someone who hack all these data ;-)... [/i]

I know your concern.  I get around this by having a credit card that I use solely for online transactions.  It has a limit of $500 on it.  I always ensure that the site I am sent to is https.  When I use it I always have to get a security code from my bank as the final step.  When I select that a I get a text from the bank almost instantaneously.  Works for me and the bank will refund me if that account gets hacked.  If I lose 500 pacific pesos or part thereof, I can live with that as against getting my other account cleaned out by hackers.  

Just my two bobs worth.