Yesterday when I was looking at the battery stay bar I noticed that the rubber O-ring used to hold the side covers in place had broken... and the thing hasn't even been ridden yet! Not cool, you don't want the things to break, ever, but especially not when you're riding; that = side cover gone! I have bought a couple more but decided to just leave them in the bottom of the under-seat tool bin for Road Repairs. I wanted to see if I could come up w/ something better. Broken O-ring/rubber band thingie:
At first I thought about a little piece of chain w/ a small O-ring on each end but that's too close to the battery terminals to use something metallic. I found of length of 1/8" rubber foam core rod that seemed to be an ideal candidate.
Cut to the right length, make loops secured w/ contact cement, stitch & wrap w/ heavy thread, then cover in heat shrink tubing. The first try was a little rough, the next was smoother:
It should be long-lasting because it doesn't have to be stretched very tight to hold them safely in place. The notches in the tabs on the back of the covers are 3mm, very close to 1/8", so the fit is snug.
When the Odyssey battery came in I could see it needed special attention. It's smaller than the original brick and if you mount it toward the back in the normal place that stay bar would have ended up right over the terminals. Again, something metal too close to the terminals probably isn't a good idea. Originally I used a length of aluminum angle but discovered that it stuck up just enough to interfere w/ the bottom of the under seat tool box. I turned it over and it worked that way but required the battery to be tilted forward a little, putting that bright red battery even more in plain sight behind the engine.
This is what I had, not real pretty or graceful but effective:
I had some more of the perforated stuff i used in the bottom of the tray to hold the battery steady so I cut, formed, and drilled to get it into place. I may switch over to a pair of SS wingnuts if I can find some but for now a couple of 10mm nuts do the job.
Looking at many of the other threads on here I truly wish I'd had the time and opportunity in the past to learn machining skills, fabrication, and how to weld and had acquired the required tools to go with those skills, but at this point in my life I'll just cruise on the best I can w/ what I've got and admire other people's work. As long as the ol' girl doesn't fall apart on the road and doesn't look too cobbled I think it'll be ok.
At first I thought about a little piece of chain w/ a small O-ring on each end but that's too close to the battery terminals to use something metallic. I found of length of 1/8" rubber foam core rod that seemed to be an ideal candidate.
Cut to the right length, make loops secured w/ contact cement, stitch & wrap w/ heavy thread, then cover in heat shrink tubing. The first try was a little rough, the next was smoother:
It should be long-lasting because it doesn't have to be stretched very tight to hold them safely in place. The notches in the tabs on the back of the covers are 3mm, very close to 1/8", so the fit is snug.
When the Odyssey battery came in I could see it needed special attention. It's smaller than the original brick and if you mount it toward the back in the normal place that stay bar would have ended up right over the terminals. Again, something metal too close to the terminals probably isn't a good idea. Originally I used a length of aluminum angle but discovered that it stuck up just enough to interfere w/ the bottom of the under seat tool box. I turned it over and it worked that way but required the battery to be tilted forward a little, putting that bright red battery even more in plain sight behind the engine.
This is what I had, not real pretty or graceful but effective:
I had some more of the perforated stuff i used in the bottom of the tray to hold the battery steady so I cut, formed, and drilled to get it into place. I may switch over to a pair of SS wingnuts if I can find some but for now a couple of 10mm nuts do the job.
Looking at many of the other threads on here I truly wish I'd had the time and opportunity in the past to learn machining skills, fabrication, and how to weld and had acquired the required tools to go with those skills, but at this point in my life I'll just cruise on the best I can w/ what I've got and admire other people's work. As long as the ol' girl doesn't fall apart on the road and doesn't look too cobbled I think it'll be ok.
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