Fork Gaiters - buyer beware

1

12cb96vfr_imp

Running like a top
Thread starter
Hey guys, just wanted to share this since I've seen some posts about the fork gaiters from british customs falling apart - well mine did the same thing.

My bike is garaged at all times, I pulled it out to wash it today and noticed the rubber was completely deteriorated. They literally fell apart in my hands, they felt like they had sat the sun for 20 years.

Thats not even the bad part- they also got a thick melted rubbery mess all over my forks. Thankfully it was mostly on the top half of the fork so i don't think I have to worry about it getting down in the seal and really wreaking havoc.

Overall I'm disappointed, but I should have known better and went w/ the Kawi ones (which I'll do next).

Be careful, the $25 price is really enticing, but the mess they caused wasn't worth it.
 
Strange timing with the start of this thread. I just installed the Kawi Gaiters on my bike this afternoon. They seem sturdy although the $100 price tag is a little high IMHO...love the look though.
 
I put the Kaw gaiters on my Triumph Bonnie in 2003. As my brother has the bike I get to see it frequently. The gaiters on it still look good and that was my primary reason for going with the pricy Kaw gaiters this time around too. You are right the price is hard to swallow, but in this case appear to be a worthwhile investment.
 
This is a timely thread because I'm about to spring for the gaiters too.
I firmly believe in you get what you pay for most of the time so I was going with the Kawasaki gaiters.
They're even pricier up here at around $125.00 CDN, but with the Canadian dollar at 80 cents US, I'll bite the bullet get them here from a local dealer.
I should have bought them last year when our dollars were near par, sigh :D
 
Ferrett,myself,and others warned about the Taiwanese junk Gaiters back in april. You get what you pay for and it has always been that way!
 
The ferret_imp said:
I put the Kaw gaiters on my Triumph Bonnie in 2003. As my brother has the bike I get to see it frequently. The gaiters on it still look good and that was my primary reason for going with the pricy Kaw gaiters this time around too. You are right the price is hard to swallow, but in this case appear to be a worthwhile investment.
Click to expand...


By the way, your tutorial in the How-To section was very helpful with my install...I'm not the most mechanically gifted guy on this forum by any means.
 
Gaiters? Is this another rubber thingie I need to run faster? So, now my ultra super amazing CB1100 needs another rubber thingie that Honda forgot to put on her? But this one is now from a Kawasaki? I know that has to be just plain wrong. Wrong I tell you. No wonder they start melting after a while, the Kawa gaiter thingie will melt too given time, cause it's being rejected by the Honda. You know, back in the 70s losing the gaiter was all the rage, nice clean forks, especiall the one like on a Kawasaki 500 Mach III were gaiterless so they would cut throught the air without gaiter turbulance, that's what we called it, "gaiter shakes" we called it. I know that's right.
 
Classic, actually no. We know from last year the cheap ones are cheap and the expensive ones aren't LOL.

Yes, I know you were being sarcastic :)
 
Thread starter
jeez, nice replies. sorry fellas, was just trying to assist. i installed these before the others warned about them, and gaiters seem pretty basic to me, so $25 didnt seem overly cheap or like i was buying garbage.

was just trying to help....lesson learned.
 
No 12cb96vfr. I appreciate the post and feedback even if others dissed. Do not take comments hard.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
So, what's next, brothers and sisters?

First it's Kawasaki forked gaiters and then maybe Harley genuine tank protectors in black leather with chrome studs?

I know that's right because Harley Davidson tank protector studs will change your badness by 2 percent plus or minus, and "don't even" buy those cheap off brand tank protector thingies, oh no. I know that's right cause they will melt right down on your special badness thingie and it will not be a good thing(ie). Best you keep the extra rubber and leather off that baby, you know what I'm saying.
 
I think any report of problems is good, 96vfr. You never know when someone might see your post, but miss one of the others. And anyway, since when is the repetition of topics "policed" on this forum?

I'd also take issue with the idea that "you get what you pay for" is some kind of universal truth. It's often true...but sometimes you just overpay, plain and simple. And sometimes you get 90% of the functionality for 25% of the price.

The other thing to keep in mind is that not everyone needs ultimate quality. Lots of people on ADVrider (myself included) are more than happy with the $15 dirtbike footpegs you can buy on eBay...but, then, I'm riding my dual-sport around the woods--not around the world. If I were, I'd probably spring for the expensive ones.

Just sayin'...
 
:biker:
pechorin75_imp said:
I think any report of problems is good, 96vfr. You never know when someone might see your post, but miss one of the others. And anyway, since when is the repetition of topics "policed" on this forum?

I'd also take issue with the idea that "you get what you pay for" is some kind of universal truth. It's often true...but sometimes you just overpay, plain and simple. And sometimes you get 90% of the functionality for 25% of the price.

The other thing to keep in mind is that not everyone needs ultimate quality. Lots of people on ADVrider (myself included) are more than happy with the $15 dirtbike footpegs you can buy on eBay...but, then, I'm riding my dual-sport around the woods--not around the world. If I were, I'd probably spring for the expensive ones.

Just sayin'...
Click to expand...
But in this case it IS true! Just sayin'...:D
 
ClassicVW_imp said:
:biker:
pechorin75_imp said:
I think any report of problems is good, 96vfr. You never know when someone might see your post, but miss one of the others. And anyway, since when is the repetition of topics "policed" on this forum?

I'd also take issue with the idea that "you get what you pay for" is some kind of universal truth. It's often true...but sometimes you just overpay, plain and simple. And sometimes you get 90% of the functionality for 25% of the price.

The other thing to keep in mind is that not everyone needs ultimate quality. Lots of people on ADVrider (myself included) are more than happy with the $15 dirtbike footpegs you can buy on eBay...but, then, I'm riding my dual-sport around the woods--not around the world. If I were, I'd probably spring for the expensive ones.

Just sayin'...
Click to expand...
But in this case it IS true! Just sayin'...:D
Click to expand...
But in this case it IS true! Just sayin'...:D
Which is why you need reports like this one--so the guy who takes a chance with an inexpensive product, hoping to get lucky, can warn the rest of us off if it ends up being no good. Or, alternately, let us know that it actually IS good. Doesn't matter if somebody else already reported. More data is better.

If all the poster gets for his effort are snarky replies that boil down to "Nice going, dummy. You get what you pay for--duh!" next time he'll just shut up and nobody will find out one way or the other.

Also: Why is it so ridiculous on its face that a pair of fork gaiters would cost $25? I mean, after all, they're simple pieces of flexible rubber. You can buy a brand-new Michelin front tire for around $100, and that's a vastly more complex, safety-critical component. Not to mention one that involves more raw materials and is undoubtedly much more expensive to manufacture...and that's before you get to costs associated with marketing, liability, engineering, etc. that don't exist for something like fork gaiters. So given all that, $25 for a couple pieces of accordion-like rubber doesn't sound so crazy to me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

V
The Magical Mystery Tour
2
Replies
24
Views
2K
VLJ_imp
V
Back
Top