Ok, I've scoured the site for Vn 800 rear racks and all that I see are ones that are using the seat mount holes. I must say there are some interesting designs.
I am in the middle of conjuring up my own design but as my brain works different than most, my design would be to attach the mounts to the fender. My reasoning is that because of the unusual suspension the seat moves up and down so why attach there and risk hitting the fender? I also don't like the idea that all that weight is hanging back off the seat brackets. Direct weight onto the back tire makes more sense to me.
I am looking at using the fender to swingarm top mount hole and then a rear support to the fender guards about 6-10" back from that top mount hole.
Am I out in left field on my own or has anyone else tried and succeeded with a fender mount?
R
Check with OR_Seedman as he has made a few of them.....
You should consider that a rack mounted that way would bounce up & down while ridin', and so it would be for everything sittin' on it.
Unless you like shaken stuff, I think it's not worth the effort...
Good point about the shaken luggage and I thought of that also.
But..... From what I have seen regarding the suspension setup, is it not the seat that goes up and down ? When I bought this bike back in december I hauled it home in the back of my pickup. Everytime I hit a rough spot I looked back in the rear veiw to check the bike, and all that I seen was the seat bouncing up and down. Got me to thinking about that goofy mono shock setup. I am guessing that geometrically speaking the fender and the seat would move about the same.
I haven't had a chance to ride this bike yet so I do not know if my theory is correct.
I don't mind being told i'm wrong. That's why i'm asking if any one has this setup?
R
Unlike every other motorcycle I've owned, even those with a mono shock, on a Drifter 800 the rear fender moves up and down with the rear wheel and swingarm.
I'll add to the above that when I bought my bike it had a rear fender rack with a tail bag on it, and it was a little odd for me to feel against my back at times the tail bag going up and down when I went over bumps, because of course when the fender travels up-and-down so does whatever is attached to it. I think that is why many have decided to mount saddlebags to the bike's frame rather than to the swingarm.
Quote from: Tfrank59 on January 09, 2018, 09:16:29 AM
Unlike every other motorcycle I've owned, even those with a mono shock, on a Drifter 800 the rear fender moves up and down with the rear wheel and swingarm.
I'll add to the above that when I bought my bike it had a rear fender rack with a tail bag on it, and it was a little odd for me to feel against my back at times the tail bag going up and down when I went over bumps, because of course when the fender travels up-and-down so does whatever is attached to it. I think that is why many have decided to mount saddlebags to the bike's frame rather than to the swingarm.
I totally agree.
That's the only safe way to mount saddlebags to our Drifters.
Thanks for your valuable insights,guys.
I will rethink my approach to the rack.
R
just to confuse the issue...just bought a Drifter 800 with Saddleman Bags on brackets bolted to the fender bolts....never saw that before, but I guess it has been done.
my various racks & saddlebag mounts for the 800...
OR, i have seen clips of your stuff from posts back in the summer but these pics do your designs justice. I can now see how it all fits together. I worked for JD for over 30 years and seen all sorts of manufactured parts and gotta say that your stuff is of factory built quality. You must be/been an Engineer or a Millwright.
I don't see these on this sites classifieds. I would be interested in the costs if you had some for sale. I would require this setup...........
message me and I can get you a total cost plus shipping. The only issue right now is the chrome rack. I had a good source for them, but can no longer get them at a reasonable price. they are the standard Harley fender rack. I have one in stock that is already mounted on the rack (used for pictures and display). It was mounted on my 800 for a while. I can send you up close pictures of it if you are interested, as I am not using it and keeping it stored. let me know if you are interested in it along with the other pieces....
I bult ( and rebuilt several times) a rack for my Drifter. If you mount the rack on the fender anything on the rack will bounce up and down. Second the fender is plastic not metal so be careful. If you cantilever the rack out over the fender as I did, be aware that the range of fender movement is much more than you think. The space between the fender and the rack also depends on whether you are putting it behind a single or double seat. Due to the suspension geometry, the most extreme up and down movement of the fender is toward the rear of the fender which is about three inches beyond a double seat which is sort of where you want to put your rack.
Good Luck
Jmbo, thanks for the info on the geometries of that suspension. I've got a single seat and am now conversing with OR regarding getting one of his setups. If the costs end up too much I will have to get my thinkin' cap on and attempt my own design. I see that the passengers foot pegs mounts
are nice and solid. Hmmm
Rob
Rob before you get really into this might be a good idea to get someone you trust to ride your bike for you and you follow them and see how your fender acts. I was really surprised the first time I saw the Drifter 800 fender moving........it seems to be in motion all the time. Go to youtube and type in First Northern Drifter Rendezvous and that might give you a hint...as you watch the rear fenders.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cFAAuKBdJU
but the fender is going up and down a lot........
First of all ANDY! You have been holding out on me with this video, what the hell man?!?!?!?! With that being said, that was extremely well done! I have quite a few friends in that exact business in different facets ie: Pure Michigan, Hockey, etc. and that holds up w/ their stuff. Very well done my friend.
>:( not to steal this thread but Sir Grinnell I sent that out to all the people that "should" have attended Rendezvous, but came up with all kinds of reasons for not attending..........The video is the product of on super person and that is our own Rocking Rolly......from Oshawa. Yes he did a fantastic job of putting together what turned out to be an awesome gathering of some really nice people, we had fantastic weather and the riding was awesome. As the video shows the only issue was one bike having a small problem and it was owned by a mechanic...lol.......
Ok back to Rob in Alberta now........
Cool video. Was looking at the bobbing fenders but was distracted by the luggage set ups. Seen 2 that were fender mounted. Thanks for the tip.
I see by the riders, that having a beer gut and being at the tail end of life is a prerequisite to riding a drifter.
I guess I should fit in quite nicely.
Rob
:o >:( beer gut........what...not moi......tail end of life, what the frik.....I am just getting started, yes a lot of the people are elderly, but I am just a youngster........so be nice here.......
That was an interesting video Ratman. I wish I lived a little closer I'd sure join in. I think there are some Drifter groups here in Texas, I just haven't looked into them. I ride my Indian Chieftain more than I do my drifter and I've kind of got caught up in some of there rallys. I go to Durango, CO every year to the Iron Indian Riders Reunion, and to the Indian Rally in Fredricksburg, Tx in April and a few times I've hit the one in Arkansas. But I need to look into what may be available in my area with Drifter guys. Does any one know of any rider groups down here. I live right in the center of Texas. P;us have trailer can travel about anywhere within reason
What?? You have a genuine Drifter AND a Drifter Tribute bike?? Cool! LOL ;D
I, too wish that there were closer get-togethers for all of us out west....distance is a much greater factor out here, you know, since we all live in the boondocks....LOL. The distance I drive to work would take me through a couple states back east.... :o and no, Ratman, I do not have the time or the patience to host a Western Drift-in, especially in the summer which is by far my busiest time of year...not retired just yet!
Why are you yelling at me, I was not even going to suggest it because I understand how busy you are. Now perhaps Tfrank should think about hosting an event.........
ROFLMAO...
Quote from: CDNRatMan on January 12, 2018, 16:12:46 PM
Why are you yelling at me, I was not even going to suggest it because I understand how busy you are. Now perhaps Tfrank should think about hosting an event.........
Who's Tfrank?
Great video. Back to the original issue. ender travel is the issue when it comes to anything hanging out braid the seat on a Drifter. Since the fenders are plastic, a miscalculation can do some damage. The specs on Drifter are supposed to indicate the travel limits on the rear suspension. I can personally attest for the fact that my 250lb butt sitting on a moving Drifter while it bottoms out on a unsuspectingly fought set of rail road tracks greatly exceeds the Drifter spec.
That said, the stock cantilevered two-up seat seems to clear the fender under even the most sever conditions. Copy thoe dimensions and you should be in good shape.
One final comment: Few of us get to see how our own bikes look going down the road. Truth is we look pretty funny. One of my friends described it as well as any. "You look like and inch worm going down the road" Other said you bike looks like "It is broke in the middle" One day I followed another Drifter on a bumpy road. They were right.
jmbo, can this cantilever motion be dampened by tightening up the shock? I see that there is an adjustment of some kind but not sure how effective it is. is there an aftermarket air shock available?
R
I think if you stiffen it too much you'll just have a hard tail, which is what Kawi was trying to imitate with the stealth monoshock.
rob f: Following up on my previous post....the Drifter with the Saddlemen bags mounted to the fender. Not saying it's a great idea, but how I got the bike. Once disassembled, it was obvious this was a homemade fabrication, but not a bad one. I may play with it to get the bags lower and space them off the fender better....but to your question on mounting to the fender:
- as the others have said...not the usual, but can be done.
- this seems to be a fairly secure set-up. The angle bracket supports the bags vertically and the forward lower corner of the bag is drilled to pick up the other fender bolt.
More to follow on the new 800 and how the insurance company calculates how much our Drifters are worth
Thanks for the pics KW but after consideration I am ordering a rack set from OR that attaches to the seat.
A shame to cover up that beautiful fender anyway.
QuoteA shame to cover up that beautiful fender anyway.
amazing such words of wisdom from a Calgarian....amazing...I been saying this for years why cover those fantastic fenders...........
Well I'm not Canadian but I don't want to cover my beautiful back fender either which is why I went with a slim swingarm bag :D
Former Calgarian, Ratman. Moved out in '72 and only head in for Kijiji shopping. Beautiful city but too many people for me.
Living in the wilderness now for 46 years and have earned my "Alberta Redneck" badge.
R
Quote from: rob f on January 14, 2018, 09:15:09 AM
jmbo, can this cantilever motion be dampened by tightening up the shock? I see that there is an adjustment of some kind but not sure how effective it is. is there an aftermarket air shock available?
R
I am sure you can stiffen up the rear suspension however at some point it will effect your ride. Stiffening the ride will not effect the suspension travel under extreme conditions. Might be best to deal with the limitations as they exist. At one time there were Drifter luggage racks available for sale. Might want to find some photos to get ideas.
Can't see what the shock setting is now but will check it out when i remove the pivot mechanism to replace the sheared off grease zerk. Apparently it goes up to 7. I am under 180lbs and never carry passengers so I should be able to stiffen it up with not to much cranking.
R
I think my shock is set at #6, I'm around 200Lbs, and the rear wheel travels quite a bit when I'm on bumps and dips. It's going to be like that. Just give whatever you have mounted over your back fender plenty of clearance, or it will probably hit it possibly damaging or at least scratching the fender.
I designed the rear racks that mount to my saddlebag mounts to have plenty of clearance over the rear fender...even at the lowest setting (3 height settings). The only time I hit mine was when I had it at the lowest setting and went over a huge dip at about 60 mph. a couple of the studs on my fender bib bumped the bottom of the rack slightly. oh, and I weigh about 240...I think that is the only time it ever came close to hitting....the setup I was using at the time is in the attached pic
I built Red's luggage rack while still using the stock shock, and it was set to 7, and I still bottomed out. So off to progressive and bout a 465 mono shock. I then had a few emails back and forth with their tech people. I am or was 250 lbs at the time, and rode 2 up the odd times. The person, think his name was Tom, said for me to do the sag thing with the bike, which I did and then I added 2 full turns to the preload on the ring on the shock, and that was with the setting on 3. I really like the ride on Red now. For Pearl which is going to be a solo set up I am still going to add the 2 full turns to the preload ring. The shock on Pearl is now on 7 so in my mind time to replace the shock.
Found a bike that has a fender mounted rack just like I imagined it in my head. Was starting to second guess myself.
This bike is on kijiji in Norwich Ontario and sounds like the brother has an original exhaust and a solo seat to go along with the bike sale. Maybe if someone needs them they could sweet talk him outta the spare parts?
Quote from: rob f on January 23, 2018, 22:25:23 PM
Found a bike that has a fender mounted rack just like I imagined it in my head. Was starting to second guess myself.
This bike is on kijiji in Norwich Ontario and sounds like the brother has an original exhaust and a solo seat to go along with the bike sale. Maybe if someone needs them they could sweet talk him outta the spare parts?
I wouldn't mind making him an offer for for the exhaust. But I don't know if he would ship to the US.
Rob f: That set up looks like it would work well. Attaching to the fender support also aligns and keeps the bags off the fender. Bracket construction much lighter than what I found on the bike I just bought.
The set up mounted to the fender was very secure on my bike. So like I said, not the usual, but some have done it. On my bike, the bafflectomy was carefully done...have to think it was the same owner that designed the saddlebag brackets to the fender arrangement.
Carry on