Ratcatcher belly pan anyone?

[Constantinos]

View attachment 44790Hey guys...so after a long 3 months I finally got my bike back!!! I am psyched. During the last 3 months one of the jobs that the restorer had to do is install a ratcatcher belly pan identical to the one exactrep is selling. You can see this here:

http://www.exactrep.com/acatalog/----Ratcatcher--Bellypan---Exactrep-127.html#SID=15

After painting and installing this is the outcome. It seems to me that there is simply not enough clearance between the belly pan and the front wheel. I test drove the bike on an uneven terrain and the wheel barely touches the belly pan but it does touch it nonetheless. I am wondering whether anyone else has any experience with this. I am guessing on a nice road they would not touch but this is not the case in Cyprus. I put a small aluminium tape strip on the point where the front wheel touches to prevent paint from peeling. At first I thought that it was not installed correctly but now I just don't know....

 

[vbober]

stock tire size?

 

[DMAN999]

It may just be the angle of those pictures but your fender looks really close to the radiator as well.
Are the forks slid up in the trees at all or do you have custom triples ?
I have my stock forks slid up 1/2" in stock triples and they just clear the Radiator cover I have on it when under full braking, at 1" up in the triples the fender actually hit the radiator cover.

 

[m-cman]

Definitely looks like the wheel is too close to the radiator. The front end and tire looks stock but it just doesn't look right. :confused2:

 

[Constantinos]

No the radiator is not an issue at all. I believe it is the photos that can trick you. Front wheel is stock. Tire is a Metzeler cant remember the size. I will look tomorrow morning and let you know. There was never an issue with the frame or the front forks.

 

[Rollie]

Definately too close to the wheel. Mine is not the same model , but you can see the difference in clearance. Is that the only location you can mount the ratcatcher ?

 

[robmac]

Looks like it's mounted too far up the front rails causing the bottom to stick out more than it should.

 

[gentsvmax]

I can finally show what I had to do to make mine fit as a slave to the mod monkey. I can see that the top of yours isn't lining up with the bottom of the radiator the same as mine didn't . But if you hold it in a lined up position to the radiator and looking correct to the bike only one mount will actually be right....A bad model or mockup?
So here's the pics of how I did make it fit, I cut off the fiberglass mounts and made new ones out of aluminum and used an epoxy to hold them tight.
Locating the mounts took a lot of positioning and repositioning to get it right.

By the way Exact crap would only say that they have exact models to mold from, that's it.

 

[gentsvmax]

I can finally show what I had to do to make mine fit as a slave to the mod monkey. I can see that the top of yours isn't lining up with the bottom of the radiator the same as mine didn't . But if you hold it in a lined up position to the radiator and looking correct to the bike only one mount will actually be right....A bad model or mockup?
So here's the pics of how I did make it fit, I cut off the fiberglass mounts and made new ones out of aluminum and used an epoxy to hold them tight.
Locating the mounts took a lot of positioning and repositioning to get it right.

By the way Exact crap would only say that they have exact models to mold from, that's it.

 

[gentsvmax]

I can finally show what I had to do to make mine fit as a slave to the mod monkey. I can see that the top of yours isn't lining up with the bottom of the radiator the same as mine didn't . But if you hold it in a lined up position to the radiator and looking correct to the bike only one mount will actually be right....A bad model or mockup?
So here's the pics of how I did make it fit, I cut off the fiberglass mounts and made new ones out of aluminum and used an epoxy to hold them tight.
Locating the mounts took a lot of positioning and repositioning to get it right.

By the way Exact crap would only say that they have exact models to mold from, that's it.

 

[gentsvmax]

Sorry, I didn't mean to post three of the same.

 

[Constantinos]

So good to find someone with the same problems as I have....a question. On the right hand side as you are facing the bike (you are looking at the headlight) is the bellypan supposed to be screwed on the frame or the engine mount?

 

[V-Four]

Definitely looks like the wheel is too close to the radiator. The front end and tire looks stock but it just doesn't look right. :confused2:

I agree here..
MAYBE the pics, but if you look at GENTS photos of his front end, the wheel/fender look MUCH further away from rad. :ummm:

Just an illusion?

 

[fmcandrew]

Are those stock tees? To me the rake looks shallow...but that could be the angle of the pic taken...

 

[Rusty McNeil]

I can't tell for sure but it looks like it is mounted completely wrong. Maybe better pics, better lighting, would help us help you.

 

[Rusty McNeil]

Here is a properly mounted rat catcher
Doesn't look to me like it'll work with case guards that use the upper engine mount bolts.

 

[jagco1]

Wow that's close, I would not ride with it until you mod to fit. I had a lockhart fairing on my old fz750 man the thing cracked when I road on a gravel drive way. Mind was real to the front tire.

 

[Constantinos]

Actually gentsvmax got it right. The darn thing was completely twisted and the mount points did not match the mounts on the bike. We had to drill new holes and reinstall and it now looks much better. The clearance is a lot better as well. I will post photos tomorrow.

 

[gentsvmax]

The best answer I can give is with these pics. one showing a mock-up attempt and how far off the mounting holes are, notice the bottom of the radiator in relation to the ratcatcher top edge. Another showing the one usable mount still had to be altered. I also show the whole ratcatcher as received, the mounts are different then the one shown in the example a couple threads up, those mounts have straight edges and no curves like it was an earlier
mold maybe? So I guess the answer is the top bolt of the two motor mount to frame bolts.

 

[fmcandrew]

Can someone please send me pics of one of these from all angles? I've got a plasma cutter coming and I want a metal one so I'm gonna fab one up (I want to PC it). If I can make reasonble templates that would be the ultimate goal...