Friday, April 18, 2014

Rack Fixed and Ready to Travel. Where to go?

sv650

Thanks to my friend Paul, the luggage rack on my SV650 is finally fixed from my Everyday for 7 weeks trip. Where should I go?

While I was on that most fun of trips in 2012, my rack broke twice. I had it welded up and it made it through the trip, but a few months after I got home the rack began to loosen on one side. I was unable to tighten it because the bolt was stuck. I had it tight by using a few zipties between the grab handle and the rack. It worked since I didn’t take any serious trips and very few pleasure rides in 2013. It was a strange year.

sv650 givi rack repair

Paul tried a variety of mechanisms to get the bolt to turn by grabbing it with various tools. None of them worked. It was firmly stuck in place, so he cut it off at the mount point.

sv650 givi rack repair

Then he drilled the mount. We both had a hearty laugh after I showed him this picture. He has a lot of experience working with metal and it was impressive to watch him twist and angle the drill around to get all of the old material out. Like watching a sculptor at work.

sv650 givi rack repair

After making a near perfect hole by hand, he then tapped it with a helicoil kit and them hammered out the end of the coil to allow the new M8 bolt to seat fully.

sv650 givi rack repair

I tested both sides, and was really impressed how much smoother the new bolt hole was compared to the original on the other side. We lubed them up with some anti-seize to reduce the chances of future issues. The rack is as good as new now and properly tight, so I can use the side cases again. A HUGE thank you to Paul for his help! You can check out his moto creations at Manic Salamander.

sv650

The bike is ready for a long trip and so am I. Where should I go?

12 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Meh on yellowknife. A coworker and I have been talking about south america. He has an uncle down there...

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  2. The California Coast is pretty nice, I hear... ;-)

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    Replies
    1. Indeed it is nice. I wish it was closer. Maybe I should move

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  3. Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks in Utah.

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    Replies
    1. Good ideas. Utah looks gorgeous in the videos I have been watching lately.

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  4. Replies
    1. I have watched several videos on route 66, but I still don't get the appeal. Most of the original road is gone on top of it. What makes you like it?

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    2. It's difficult to put that in a few words. I recommend reading The Grapes of Wrath or other literature during the great depression to get into the spirit. For me it had been a journey into American history of migration, and was paired with nostalgia, sights, stories and people you get to meet alongside the Motherroad. Route 66 was my personal idea of understanding the American Dream.

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  5. Yay, fixed and race ready. Figuring out where to go is the hardest part. I hear Austin has sunshine and some pretty good vegan eats, you can ride to eat.

    Heck, Corvallis can be nice this time of year too...... just sayin'.

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    Replies
    1. Haha! I am always riding to eat :-)

      Corvallis huh? Hmm... so tempting

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  6. Chris:

    Atlantic Canada is calling your name. I made it to NB and PEI last year but missed NS and NL

    bob
    A weekend photographer or Riding the Wet Coast

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