KLX Bashplates

[Dwayne OMember]

Chris wrote “Hey Eagle if your not too far away, might be able to tee up to take a mould off the B&B Bashplate.”

Thanks for the offer Chris,
But that would not be a good thing to do(Legally), Besides I am too far away & have already formed up the mould this week ( took about 3 hours actually)
Ready to do the layup next week when I buy the resin etc
Looking ok at the moment too, maybe not gonna be as strong as Alloy, but for the price I am definitely giving it a go. Carbon is strong shit just the same !!!
Enjoyable to make own stuff too
Cheers

[Dwayne OMember]

Oh Well,
Got the thing thrown together in a mad rush. Didn`t come up as I expected, but it has potential. At least I now have a base to reshape, perfect & pull a new mould off with a good finish. I will run it next week to protect the rad hoses etc then rip it off to start again on the re run HA HA
Still, it`s only cost me $30 so far & some of my time for 4 nights at home instead of in front of the idiot box :laugh:

[Anonymous]

EAGLE`02 wrote:

Quote:

Looking ok at the moment too, maybe not gonna be as strong as Alloy, but for the price I am definitely giving it a go. Carbon is strong shit just the same !!!
Enjoyable to make own stuff too
Cheers

Weaker than Aluminium? I wouldn’t bother if that’s the case. It will be more prone to cracking too than Alloy.

Also, if you don’t lay the fibre and bond it correctly is loses most of it’s strength.

Might have been cheaper to have bought a welder and made you own alloy unit.

I can understand the fun in making your own project though

Just my 2c

[GregMember]

The one on the prject bike is made of a plastic, check it out before you can it Moto

[Anonymous]

Plastic is different. Plastic has many features that lend itself to being a good bash plate. It’s not brittle, it’s flexible and is not prone to impact damage.

Carbon fibre is brittle, doesn’t flex as well although has great impact resistance. And that’s if it has been layered and bonded correctly

[Dwayne OMember]

Man, I gave the trial bashplate a few good whacks yesterday. After I cleaned all the brown shit off the bike today, I can1t see any signs of damage whatsover
I reckon it`s a success, so now I will make a slightly longer bottom & that`s about it. Really glad now that I went ahead with the project cause there would have been some damage without it.
Those plastic models on Chop`s, Ollies & Gavs bikes look to be a good thing as well & a damn site less noisy than Alloy
Cheers

[Anonymous]

You did make a nice job of it Eagle. Glad to see it worked out ok

[shaneMember]

Hell yeah it looked good! Was that the prototype or version 1.2?

I kinda like the alloy ones because you can hear that they’re actually working :laugh: a bit like leaking Euro bikes, it’s the only way you can tell there’s still oil in them!

Since you’ve displayed a knack with making that stuff, what’s the cost for a Vor one?

[Anonymous]

Maybe he can make a nut that stays on your clutch shane! :laugh: It’s agood point though Eagle, once you have the mould for a bike you could easily make them and flog them off. I’m sure you’d get some interest from the Old Bulls.

I’ll give one a proper torture test if you decide to make some more and see how it holds up.

[Dwayne OMember]

Thanks guys, it was actually a prototype thta i didn`t hold a bit degree of confidence in. BUT it seemed to hold up fine, definitely sounded like a .22 going off when it copped a good hit:) I might just add a flat bit to the bottom so it extends further back under the frame rather than starting again. Shape & fit was fine in the end:unsure:
Never even thought of making em in numbers. Would need each different bike for 2-3days to form the basic shape (a bit of head scratching thrown in here & there too) then another day to prepare the mould for layup, day to lay it up, a day to dress & fit to bike. Can be a bit of a process, I can see why the alloy models are the $$$ they ask for them as those guys have to follow the same steps to work out the jigs then cut, bend & weld the alloy.

My plate took my 3-4hrs a night for 4-5 nights, cost was only $30 in epoxy resin, I was lucky enough to scrounge a bit of carbon scrap & the plastic sheet scrap for the mould (it was able to be heated with heat gun & bent to shape), the carbon is the expensive part, can be $2000per roll depending on what weave & weight cloth it is.

So I reckon it is a bit of a daunting process to go into manufacturing mode just yet, but if there was a need for a run of plates for a certain model bike it could be worthwhile. I will ask a local supplier of materials when i see him about $$$ & availability of carbon & keep it in mind. I know that Ollie has been looking for some to do some gasser guards & i think he has found similar hurdles to me.

[DeanMember]

Yep I agree fully with you eagle.you can get away with a top guard made for your bike using a similar technique with fibreglass and resin. not as high a wank factor admittedly but still good. Gili is making an alloy one for me and I will knock up a carbon cover for the expansion pipe.The plastic one I have fitted at the moment is a borrowed item:(

ollie

[Anonymous]

Seriously, you’d gotta rather buy one than have a fibreglass one on your bike.

[Dwayne OMember]

Yeah Ollie,
Carbon has the wank factor, however ya can`t see mine cause I got a few air bubbles that I filled in then painted the guard with Hi temp engine enamel(Wank factor gone from visibility)

You gonna use the borrowed plastic guard to mould off? Worth a try if you have good release agents & some basic wood working to brace the shape on the back of the plastic onr prior to moulding it ???

[Dwayne OMember]

Christ Moto,
Looks like you do need a carbon or fibreglass one to put to the Moto test. :laugh: :laugh:
If the plastic guards are so popular these days, the carbon has to be strong enough. Agreed on your previous comments on the fibre orientation & bonding, mine was hand layed at home. Other option is to vacuum bag it, which pulls all air out, gives perfect resin to fibre ratio = super strong & light too.
Wonder if the dude in Woolongong that runs MOTOCOMPOSITES has done bashplates ???
“MOTO” COMPOSITES, [color=][/color]wonder if this is a sign :woohoo:
Cheers guys

[DeanMember]

Moto wrote:

Quote:

Seriously, you’d gotta rather buy one than have a fibreglass one on your bike.

Moto,I had a fibreglass one fitted to my old 96 WR360 Husky it was painted blue and looked good (not as good as your jacket admittedly:laugh: but still good)and it saved my chamber a number of times. They were actually made on a production basis by a couple of companies especially for the two strokes.

ollie

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