Fairing,Headlight,Gauge Cluster alignment

lotusseven · November 27th, 2010, 02:53 PM

Hey folks would like some input if you wouldn't mind .
Got my second freebie bike all together and running and fixed all the plastics ,lights mirrors etc .
Now I'm in the process of getting the headlight , gauge cluster and fairing aligned for final assy. Holy mackerral what a pita . I had gauge and headlight perfectly aligned slightly rebending the holder so they all fit the mounting points and not bending the fairing pins but trying to get the fairing points to line up - No Where Close ! Looks like everything is way off .
I'd take fairings and everything off clamp the mount in a vise then do a slight bend , put everything back on , wouldn't fit , take everything back of and repeat a dozen times before I'm anywhere near close but the angle is off enough to stress the plastics again . Anybody have any advice on maybe some prebend dimensions or different technique. Yeah I know I could probably Ebay another mount but that's where this one came from and supposedly was never in a wreck . fairing was just crack fixed so alignment tabs etc are untouched . Cut tack and Weld time ?? No wonder I stuck with plain old naked bikes like my Maxim . Those plastic body alignments can cost you big time headaches !
BTW Happy Turkey Recovery Day

lotusseven · November 27th, 2010, 10:50 PM

OK , nevermind . Got it, I've got plenty of scrap weldable steel so I made a whole new fairing headlight cluster mount . Fairly simple really , duplicated the two curved structures with solid rod for the four fairing points . Then adding headlight tabs aligned to the fairing opening ,then adding tabs to align the cluster to the center of the fairing opening . Lastly cutting back the original bracket and bolting to the headtube then reinstalling my freshly tacked fairing mount headlight cluster assy and visegripping the mount to the original . Then carefully removing everything one last time and welding solid . Whew , Took all of about three hours.
BUT, since I made it from solid rod and 1.8" strap iron I can have a knarly headon crash and I can guarantee I may not have plastics left in one piece but that headlight will still be pointed perfectly straight and the gauges will align as well as a new fairing without any tweaking !
Why did they make that bracket so bendable - too many dimensions to go wrong. Cheers.

November 27th, 2010, 02:53 PM	#1
lotusseven ninjette.org member Name: Ken Location: Texas Join Date: Oct 2010 Motorcycle(s): 81 Yamaha 550 Maxim , 52 Allstate , 81 Kawasaki AR50, Kawasaki Ninja 250 , Honda 250 Nighthawk Posts: 11	Fairing,Headlight,Gauge Cluster alignment Hey folks would like some input if you wouldn't mind . Got my second freebie bike all together and running and fixed all the plastics ,lights mirrors etc . Now I'm in the process of getting the headlight , gauge cluster and fairing aligned for final assy. Holy mackerral what a pita . I had gauge and headlight perfectly aligned slightly rebending the holder so they all fit the mounting points and not bending the fairing pins but trying to get the fairing points to line up - No Where Close ! Looks like everything is way off . I'd take fairings and everything off clamp the mount in a vise then do a slight bend , put everything back on , wouldn't fit , take everything back of and repeat a dozen times before I'm anywhere near close but the angle is off enough to stress the plastics again . Anybody have any advice on maybe some prebend dimensions or different technique. Yeah I know I could probably Ebay another mount but that's where this one came from and supposedly was never in a wreck . fairing was just crack fixed so alignment tabs etc are untouched . Cut tack and Weld time ?? No wonder I stuck with plain old naked bikes like my Maxim . Those plastic body alignments can cost you big time headaches ! BTW Happy Turkey Recovery Day

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November 27th, 2010, 10:50 PM	#2
lotusseven ninjette.org member Name: Ken Location: Texas Join Date: Oct 2010 Motorcycle(s): 81 Yamaha 550 Maxim , 52 Allstate , 81 Kawasaki AR50, Kawasaki Ninja 250 , Honda 250 Nighthawk Posts: 11	OK , nevermind . Got it, I've got plenty of scrap weldable steel so I made a whole new fairing headlight cluster mount . Fairly simple really , duplicated the two curved structures with solid rod for the four fairing points . Then adding headlight tabs aligned to the fairing opening ,then adding tabs to align the cluster to the center of the fairing opening . Lastly cutting back the original bracket and bolting to the headtube then reinstalling my freshly tacked fairing mount headlight cluster assy and visegripping the mount to the original . Then carefully removing everything one last time and welding solid . Whew , Took all of about three hours. BUT, since I made it from solid rod and 1.8" strap iron I can have a knarly headon crash and I can guarantee I may not have plastics left in one piece but that headlight will still be pointed perfectly straight and the gauges will align as well as a new fairing without any tweaking ! Why did they make that bracket so bendable - too many dimensions to go wrong. Cheers.