$5 Engine guard drop protectors

[Peteg]

So I finally figured out how to post pictures to this website. I had to repair my right engine guard and right saddle bag after sliding down the road. The engine guard was a little egg shaped, dented, and had a small scratch.  I couldn’t get hot glue to stick to the chrome at all, but I was able to get the bar back to round and reduce the size of the size of the dent with a small dent repair hammer. I went looking for bar protectors on the internet. The plastic ones for dual sports were for a smaller diameter bar. The heavy duty Harley ones were for a tight corner bend. They cost $400 for a set. Do Harley crash bars cost $2,000 a set??? I found a brushed nickel draw handle at Lowes for $5, bent it to match the engine guard curve, cut it in half, cut off the 2 standoffs for the draw and laminated each to each engine guard with permatex black; so far so good. The previous owner had highway pegs mounted that hit before the engine guards, but his legs were obviously a lot longer than mine, so I moved the pegs back and in. Don’t know if I’ll ever use them, but they don’t hit before the engine guards any more.
I fixed the bag with bondo, it was not the first time the bag had been filled. My repair came out good enough to me. My rattle can touch up looked terrible at first, until my wife came out and told me the color match wasn’t too bad but the touch up needed buffing to get a closer shine match. It looks like the bike was professionally repaired and painted a while ago. I guess Honda delivered full black bikes in 1998, but I don’t think they delivered any without Valkyrie tank emblems? Maybe someone didn’t like the emblems and heated them off, but I’m thinking emblem removal was part a repair repaint project.

[The emperor has no clothes]

Lots of guys remove their tank emblems. Could be a repaint, but not necessarily. Looks like you have aftermarket bags, Interstate trunk, Memphis shield and fork lowers.

[Jess from VA]

I seem to remember someone posting up about some engine guard protectors.

I think they were wrap-around.  And from Europe?

[Peteg]

Sounds good, wrap around protectors would even help if I ever slide down the road again. I just searched this website and the internet and I can't find anything. I guess I could replace my bars and have the bike professionally painted, but I'm pretty happy as is. I bet if I got it back to showroom,  I'd go sliding down the road for sure.

[Jess from VA]

Well, I had an interest in those protectors, since I have one pretty scraped up.

[Bagger John - #3785]

I managed to get a couple sets each Std/Tourer and I/S engine guards back when the getting was good, and laid hands on a couple more scratched-up I/S sets too.

The scratch-and-dent I/S guards were welded, smoothed and either re-chromed (1 set) or powdercoated gloss black (2 sets). I have one more set of scratched/dented I/S guards in the project pile. These are 90% done and depending on what they're needed for I'll either do them in gloss black or bright silver.

My Tourer now has an I/S radiator and pods along with the matching guards. If I munge those up I have a few options. One of those is to use a substance known as Lab-Metal to fill any dents or gouges then have them powdercoated. Lab-Metal is resistant to temps up to 1000F, so baking in a powder coat curing oven isn't going to affect it at all.

The beauty of the stuff is that if you abrade it away, you can patch the guard with it again and repeat the process.

[Peteg]

My damage is really minor and I'm satisfied with how it looks now. So far the brushed nickel is holding well. McMaster Carr sells 1 1/2" polished stainless tubing $24 for a foot, but I think I'd need to buy a 3' piece at $62 to get a good bend to match the engine guard. I think if a took my time I could cut the back off with my band saw, after it was bent, making a solid guard that could slide down the road, but I'd more likely just go with a little piece of split plastic tube painted gloss black if I ever need more than my draw handles. It would be great to find real guards like Jess mentioned. I'd be afraid the engine guard would look worse after I was finished if I tried to repair it.

[Jess from VA]

My recollection of those guard covers (and the problem with them) is they are purpose built to take a fall and slide (functional), but they very obviously make it look as if you plan on dumping your bike (looks).

What I'd like is a curved chromed steel slide-on with hose clamps on the back (exactly like exhaust/header heat shields) so it would look nearly stock.      And then I could order a few to have on hand.    

[RonW]

Wasn't there something about filling the tubing with bb's to prevent dimpling at the point of impact? Myself, I could live with scrapes marks but the dimple is butt ugly.
I haven't installed my new engine guard despite having it for years. The tubing is too thin for my liking.

Right-side engine guard, the expensive side.

[f-Stop]

I've heard good things about these guys concerning Valkyrie engine guards...

https://www.roadstyler.com

FYI...they're in Poland.

[Jess from VA]

https://www.roadstyler.com/en/shop/front-engine-guards-honda-valkyrie-f6c/

Full set (both) front guards are  560 zl = $128.8.   Can that be right?



They also seem to have the discontinued hard to find solo rack (replacing rear seat).

[RonW]

"They also seem to have the discontinued hard to find solo rack (replacing rear seat)."


Try this page at the Polish website.

[97BLKVALK]

I seem to remember someone posting up about some engine guard protectors.

I think they were wrap-around.  And from Europe?

I remember that too.  Same guy who purchased the motorized center stand lift.  
Ken aka glazerbeam


Here's his link.   http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,95039.msg944280.html#msg944280

[Glaserbeam]

I just checked Fehling's website and their heavy duty Valkyrie crash bars are in stock:

https://www.fehling.de/en/product-category/motorcycle-brands/honda-en/for-honda-f6c-valkyrie-sc34-1996-2001/

[Jess from VA]

Those big doofy steel guards are not what I was talking about.

I was talking about some kind of tough polymer wraps that wrap around the standard OE engine guards.

The idea is IF you get into a fall and slide, they would save you from grinding off chunks of the nice OE guards.  (one of mine now looks like it had an industrial belt sander taken to it)

Before my recent fall, I just had the normal minor scrapes on the bottom, which don't even show, unless you lay down underneath them.

[Willow]

The engine guard did its job.  Imagine what damage would've been done to the engine case had the guard not been there.

Live with that.  The expense of replacing the engine guard is the point of avoiding the expense that would be caused to the engine case.

It's a cheap alternative.

[Jess from VA]

I agree.  If you can find one.

[Timbo1]

I'm curious where you live?  Your bike is a bike I picked up from Texas a few years ago as a rescue and traded it in late last year to a local Harley dealership in Tulsa.  This is what your bike looked like when I picked it up probably in late 2020.

https://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,114932.msg1161165.html#msg1161165

If you want to match the paint exactly on the trunk and bags I used.
Dupli-Color BSP200 Jet Black Paint Shop Finish System
Dupli-Color EBSP30000 Clear Coat Paint Shop Finish System

While I did the best I could in a poorly lit garage I know I'm no painter.  I put a ton of sweat equity into that bike just to get it going again and safe to travel and then probably only put a few thousand miles on it before trading it in. lol

[Glaserbeam]

Jess, I know, but 97BLKVALK mentioned those guards so I was trying to be a "completist."

And "doofy" is in the eye of the beholder.  I think they're freakin' beautiful!

And I wouldn't mind adding polymer wraps to parts of them either.

[Jess from VA]

And "doofy" is in the eye of the beholder.

Yes... it is.  The piece is nice looking.  

They just remind me of my mom's walker (for some reason) (though it is not chromed steel)  

Another thing about their design is since the guard top to bottom is so much wider (like Harley's) than the Valk OE tight loop, and since we know that when the Valk goes over it usually hits hard down low on the guard, the question is whether the big ones would bend up in a hard fall and drive the gaurd into the engine.  I've seen a number of hogs with badly bent guards (because of their big loop design).   

I hope to just get a new OE guard (and be done with dinging them up).

[Peteg]

Timbo, I just read your post from January 2021. You did a great job with the bike, certainly better than I could do, thanks. Now I get to enjoy it. All the hydraulics are working perfectly and the bike looks great. I never thought I'd like a trunk, but now that I have the bike, the trunk is really convenient. I'm only 5' 4" but still had significant helmet buffeting. I added Memphis shade lowers to go with the shield which made a drastic improvement.

[Timbo1]

Timbo, I just read your post from January 2021. You did a great job with the bike, certainly better than I could do, thanks. Now I get to enjoy it. All the hydraulics are working perfectly and the bike looks great. I never thought I'd like a trunk, but now that I have the bike, the trunk is really convenient. I'm only 5' 4" but still had significant helmet buffeting. I added Memphis shade lowers to go with the shield which made a drastic improvement.

Thanks for the compliment & I'm glad your enjoying it.  On the trunk the main reason I put it on is my wife is petite at at about 5" and just a little over 100lbs she always had a problem with wind and bumps making her feel insecure.  The slight wrap around of the trunk was a huge improvement for her enjoyment.

As to the helmet buffeting I think it's just something that each rider has to adjust for.  After trading the black Valk in and getting another bike that has much less buffeting I'm now thinking about a bat wing for my blue Valk.

[Peteg]

For me the buffeting air was mostly coming from below the shield, up over the tank, and up my chest. The lowers really didn't look like they were made exactly for the bike so I was really suspect while I was installing them, I was really surprised at the improvement.

[Swinborg]

Not sure if it’s any help,

These guys are based in Poland post above shows items.  I thought I would share again as they have been a real pleasure to deal with very attentive  - contact is Izabella - I have ordered from them recently - although I get the impression some items are made to order and can take a little while.

https://www.roadstyler.com/en/shop/front-engine-guards-honda-valkyrie-f6c/

Max

[h13man]

https://www.roadstyler.com/en/shop/front-engine-guards-honda-valkyrie-f6c/

The spec's on these turn out to be 1.260 in dia. compared to 1.125 stock dia. thus allowing easier fitment of more nominal sized accessories, clamps, etc. at 1.250 not mention 3mm wall thickness.