Chicdesign Hand Guards and Stuff

[4myredhonda_imp]

This forum has been a wealth of information and inspiration.

Still waiting on the Chicdesign seat and fairing....But the Chicdesign hand guards, R&G frame sliders and Staintune exhaust arrived this week.The weather here in Northeast Kansas has been pretty cold, like mid 30's for highs during the daytime. When it warmed up into the 40's on Wednesday and stayed that way this week, I braved the cold and got all of the parts installed.

The ChicDesign hand guards were pretty easy to install with the OEM mirrors. I used blue Loctite on the screws holding the guards to the brackets.



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The Staintue muffler was fairly straight forward. Per the instructions, I used a high temp silicone sealer on the joint between the header pipe and the muffler. No real hassles, except for having to get up and down and crawling around on the cold concrete.

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The K&G frame sliders were a little bit of a pain in backside because the instructions are confusing and pictures are on different pages than the text. They are quite sturdy and have an additional 1/4" steel plate on each side to help prevent frame or engine damage in the event of a fall.

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The ChicDesign seat and fairing are not schedule to arrive until late January/early February. I may have to wait on the weather to get them installed. They should really add to Café theme.

Cheers to all.

 

[the Ferret]

Boy those handguards look handy. Is it just the mirrors that hold them on?

 

[Lord Popgun]

To add to Ferret's question, have you tried the handguards yet? How good do they work?

 

[Ole]

Those handguards work great. Keep lotsa rain and bugs off me hands.

 

[CB4ME_imp]

A nice set of mods! The fairing and sports seat/trunk will be a huge addition. I also have the hand guards (in clear). They can extend a cold weather ride by a good 30 minutes to an hour.

 

[Chapomis_imp]

A nice set of mods! The fairing and sports seat/trunk will be a huge addition. I also have the hand guards (in clear). They can extend a cold weather ride by a good 30 minutes to an hour.

I never noticed your hand guards before, do you keep them on year round ?

 

[rbike_imp]

A nice set of mods! The fairing and sports seat/trunk will be a huge addition. I also have the hand guards (in clear). They can extend a cold weather ride by a good 30 minutes to an hour.

I learned many moons ago that the most significant item for hand warmth is to ride with mittens instead of gloves that have individual fingers. I had extra heavy thick leather finger gloves with an extra finger insert, but I still had to stop every 2 hors or so and use hot water to prevent frostbite when the temp was below 32 - It was in the teens if I recall. I should have stopped every 30-60 minutes, but one knows how that goes when you are young and fearless.

The mittens allow each finger to warm the one next to it and have less total surface area to radiate the heat away. I do not recall if heated grips were available back then (1970s CB450), but I probably would not have bought them as I was moving south.

 

[redbirds_imp]

I like the hand guards. Not so much for winter rides but for spring time in Georgia when large, hard-shelled beetles take to the air. They'll leave bruises on you. I had hand guards on my Triumph Tiger and they made a huge difference in cold weather. I'm getting a set for the CB.
When removing the mirrors to place the hand guards, is the left side mirror stem reverse threaded?

 

[4myredhonda_imp]

Boy those handguards look handy. Is it just the mirrors that hold them on?

Yes, the mirrors are all that's holding them on. It is a pretty slick design. If you go to Samurider's website and click on the ChicDesign link a the bottom of the description for the handguards, it shows the mounting. Appears to be pretty darn sturdy.

I like the hand guards. Not so much for winter rides but for spring time in Georgia when large, hard-shelled beetles take to the air. They'll leave bruises on you. I had hand guards on my Triumph Tiger and they made a huge difference in cold weather. I'm getting a set for the CB.
When removing the mirrors to place the hand guards, is the left side mirror stem reverse threaded?

Yeah, the mirror thread is left hand. I really like the look and they should work well. Have not tried them out yet.

To add to Ferret's question, have you tried the handguards yet? How good do they work?

No, popgun, I have not tried them out yet. Too darn cold to ride. Looking forward to a ride, if it warms up some this weekend.

A nice set of mods! The fairing and sports seat/trunk will be a huge addition. I also have the hand guards (in clear). They can extend a cold weather ride by a good 30 minutes to an hour.

Thanks, CB4ME, I hadn't done an single thing to the CB for two years since I first got it. Finding this forum and finding out about all of the mods people have been doing really inspired me to make it into a café bike. Have a good one!

 

[Frulk_imp]

They look fine as they are but I'd be tempted to paint them silver or red to match the tank accent stripes, side covers or RC.

 

[Chapomis_imp]

They look fine as they are but I'd be tempted to paint them silver or red to match the tank accent stripes, side covers or RC.

I like that idea :beerchug:

 

[4myredhonda_imp]

Frulk, Chapomis,

I have had thoughts of painting the hand guards, but for now; I am going to just leave them as they are. One idea I had was to paint the inside only and let the color show through. If anyone here remembers, in the 1960's slot car bodies came in clear plastic. We painted them from the inside and the outside finish looked flawless. With the smoke tint on these hand guards, I don't how it would look, though.

 

[Chapomis_imp]

I haven't thought about slot cars in years ! There was a store nearby me growing up that had an 8 lane track that you could rent time on. And I remember painting the bodies on the inside, little did I know then that I was doing reverse painting (an antique clock thing for those not familiar). Anyways, to keep this motorcycle related, I have contacted Mr T to see if Chic will color-match them. I am concerned about painting plexi, but now that 4my has brought up painting on the inside, that might be a consideration, they come in clear too.

 

[the Ferret]

I have used flat black plastic paint to paint the insides of mini windshields before, but painting the outside would require the ability to remove bugs which might compromise the paint.

 

[4myredhonda_imp]

I have used flat black plastic paint to paint the insides of mini windshields before, but painting the outside would require the ability to remove bugs which might compromise the paint.

Ferret,

You make a good point. If you painted the outside, it would probably be a hard to keep the hand guards looking nice, once they got bugs and stuff on them. I am going to leave them clear (tinted) and see how it goes.