In true non-SMC fashion, a to-do actually got done!

**Ragingrob** · 22nd March 2009, 14:08

Andrew and I feel really bad about this, but we actually did stuff that worked and got completed yesterday with my bike, I know, very unlike the SMC!!!

So I turn up to Andrew's about 11am with two bacon and egg pies in hand, which ended up having to sustain us until 5pm. With a gleam in Andrew's eye we shot off down to the shed. Hmmm that's enough of a story for the day.

Pretty much:

Andrew managed some mint welding and Jafa's kickstart is looking quite fine and dandy to be honest!

I took apart and toothbrush cleaned both calipers and all eight pistons, very very shiny now! Brakes grip like crazy now, there is no way I ain't stopping! Although my discs are still poorly straight, but at least when I find some new ones then we know my calipers are mint for them!

And the project of the day - Andrew taking on the task of fitting two Suzuki Ventura L brackets to my bike!!! This encompassed snapping one of the tabs off a bracket, much consideration to "How the fuck will this work?", finding ideal places to attach them, creating our own brackets to fit around the tubes and onto the ends of the pillion peg brackets AKA tie down rails, and making everything fit absofugginlutely perfect!

As we sat, reminiscing over the fact that we may now lose our places in the SMC due to great workmanship, we notice the right side tail fairing is being stressed upwards and does not quite match up with the bolt. Ah ha! Finally something to test us as true SMC fellows.

So here we go - Hmmm we should just slip in a filler between the brackets and tube which will lower it the few mil we need. Great idea! Ok here's a sweet piece of metal that will fit, hmmm wrong kind of hacksaw blade and also rather blunt, let's just angle grind it in half, ah oh power out. Head up to house, chuck power back on, back down to shed, argh power out dammit! Hmmmm. Andrew grabs the hacksaw once again, 3 seconds later there is a hacksaw blade on the ground in two pieces. Cross the road to steal his bro's hacksaw, metal is in half 1min later, cool! Refit all the brackets complete with washers either side and nylon lock nuts. Voila!

So rather than paying $129 for L-brackets for a VFR from Ventura + $79 for the pack rack fitting, I paid I think $40 for the pack rack and some random L-brackets for a diff bike from trademe and put in a day's worth of elbow grease

.

My back will now be saved from a heavy bag to and from uni, and weekend trips are now a very tasty idea!

Pics to follow!

Also, a random pic of my old CBR the buyer sent me, he completely touched up the fairings and repainted them pearl white, interesting!

**motorbyclist** · 22nd March 2009, 15:30

happy to be of service - thank dushi for leaving me those four marine grade cap screws

A very productive day; I even managed to clean one of the dirtbikes! maybe i should stop making to do lists...

**shingo** · 22nd March 2009, 16:24

I knew you'd be able to get those brackets to fit.

That pack rack never looked that high when i saw it, it's freakin huge!

**Ragingrob** · 22nd March 2009, 16:33

Haha yeah they're bigger than they look when ya see one being ridden around.

Here's a pic with one in use on a vfr, same pack rack as mine. Lol massive bag!

**Ragingrob** · 22nd March 2009, 16:36

Actually yeah it's sitting higher than the one in that pic, so those L-brackets must be a bit lower. Could maybe think about re-fitting it sometime with a bit more filling to lower it, I'm not too fussed really though.

**PirateJafa** · 22nd March 2009, 16:45

IMO you need a flag to fly from that.

**Squiggles** · 22nd March 2009, 17:20

The rack there looks to be the older style (taller and more square)

**shingo** · 22nd March 2009, 17:29

I see Rob's vfr has been attacked by the eyebrow ninja.

**Ragingrob** · 22nd March 2009, 17:50

Originally Posted by Squiggles

The rack there looks to be the older style (taller and more square)

Could be right, I see some have angled top corners so yeah. Here's some other pics, the one with me on shows that it ain't really as big as it seems in the first pics haha!

I'll probably keep an eye out for different attachments on trademe like the sports rack and maybe the newer style pack rack. Now the L-brackets fit, anything from Ventura can be chucked on them.

And yep those are some loverly thick eyebrows

**klyong82** · 22nd March 2009, 18:36

Good job guys...damn you two are pretty good with machineries...

**Ragingrob** · 22nd March 2009, 19:17

Originally Posted by klyong82

Good job guys...damn you two are pretty good with machineries...

Andrew did all the work! I got to use a toothbrush woohoo!

**PirateJafa** · 22nd March 2009, 19:30

Originally Posted by Ragingrob

I'll probably keep an eye out for different attachments on trademe like the sports rack and maybe the newer style pack rack. Now the L-brackets fit, anything from Ventura can be chucked on them.

I have a mint small one you can have a look at.