Triumphrat

satansk9 · 09-25-2005

After reading several threads with regards to huggers for the 05 S3, and getting so bored of waiting for the Triumph one to be released, I decided to order one from Fabproducts.co.uk. It is described as having a black polished finished, this turned out be of really poor quality, it looked more brown than black. After fitting it, it looked pretty good.....until I rode with it on for the first time. There is a bolt that attaches the fibre glass hugger to the metal frame, that protrudes on the underside, and catches on the tire. I thought that simply modifying it (bending it away from the tire) would do the job until I had time to grind the bolt down. I didn't account for potholes and divots in the road causing the hugger to vibrate and bounce enough to make the bolt hit the tire whilst riding!!!! A scarey sight when I stop and check it out. My tire got torn to bits, and I may have to replace it. Needles to say, the hugger has come off, and is going straight in the trash.
I am also going to send an email to the company, to let them know of this design floor. I just thought I would warn you all, in case you too got bored of waiting for Triumph to release theirs.

Geof3 · 09-25-2005

I have the same one... No problems with mine. You can adjust it a bit. My only complaint was the "unfinished" sides. I just put a black magic marker to them and VIOLA... It's not like you can see it...

Are you sure it was the hugger that nailed the tire? It's tough for me to believe the bolt would do that much damage as it would need a good bit of force applied to it to actually chew up the tire. The bracket is pretty burly really. It may move a bit, but not enough to really chank a tire... I've done some track time etc. with mine, no worries. I bet the potholes and divots were more the issue...

Why are you driving through potholes anyway? :hammer:

You could use a different bolt setup also.

[ This message was edited by: Geof3 on 2005-09-25 21:29 ]

satansk9 · 09-26-2005

I am sure it was the bolt, there was still pieces of rubber attached to the bolt when I looked. I guess they used one that was too long, I am not sure it requires any amount of force applied to it chew up the tire, just touching the tire alone is enough to do damage.
I agree about the different bolt setup. The guys at the triumph dealer told me to take it in, and they would "modify" it for me. Just annoying to spend that kind of money to and not have that taken into consideration when designing it.
As for the potholes.......it was more uneven road surfaces that made the hugger bounce, I try to avoid potholes, they are not condusive to getting ones knee down.

09-26-2005

Guys,

Just wanted to tell you about the LineaMCJ hugger.

It comes in ABS with a polished aluminium chain guard. I had the ABS painted and it fit beautifully first time. It looks great too - the chain guard really works well with the lower chain guard that comes as standard on the bike.

I've had it on now for a couple of weeks and had no problems with the heat issue that some people on this board were worried about.

Fantastic and well worth it!

freemax

Geof3 · 09-26-2005

Quote:

On 2005-09-26 02:09, satansk9 wrote:
I am sure it was the bolt, there was still pieces of rubber attached to the bolt when I looked. I guess they used one that was too long, I am not sure it requires any amount of force applied to it chew up the tire, just touching the tire alone is enough to do damage.
I agree about the different bolt setup. The guys at the triumph dealer told me to take it in, and they would "modify" it for me. Just annoying to spend that kind of money to and not have that taken into consideration when designing it.
As for the potholes.......it was more uneven road surfaces that made the hugger bounce, I try to avoid potholes, they are not condusive to getting ones knee down.

Do you have any pictures of the tire? If so, the guys at Fab need to be aware. It could be that the bolt picked up some flinging rubber. Mine was covered with mud after my last ride... It could still be that you got the tire into something nasty.

Just a tap from a bolt won't leave a groove in the tire... Just not enough contact time. I'm not trying to argue, just figure out what happened...

Martin_R · 09-26-2005

Quote:

On 2005-09-26 09:17, Geof3 wrote:
Do you have any pictures of the tire? If so, the guys at Fab need to be aware. It could be that the bolt picked up some flinging rubber. Mine was covered with mud after my last ride... It could still be that you got the tire into something nasty.

Just a tap from a bolt won't leave a groove in the tire... Just not enough contact time. I'm not trying to argue, just figure out what happened...

A motorcycle tire spinning faster is of a different radius than a tire spinning more slowly. Not much, but if it is a very tight fit this is something that should be taken into account.

Raynewb · 09-26-2005

I have just fitted my Triumph Hugger and its fine, I think the quality is good and its very ridged, if I have a complaint it is that it provides no protection for the lower suspension parts.
But I'm happy with it.
Should be available in the US shortly.
Ray

[ This message was edited by: Raynewb on 2005-09-26 12:56 ]

satansk9 · 09-26-2005

Geof3, I realize you are not trying to argue, but, it would have to have been a very accurate piece or rubber to land on one bolt, and not the underside of the hugger. There is also a groove in the tire where it has made contact, exact width of the bolt, exact position of the bolt, dead center of the tire.
I emailed the company, he said it is the first time he has had a complaint and blamed it on the installation. Told me to check the instructions on the invoice. I replied, pretty much confirming that I am not an idiot.
Even the triumph dealer mechanic said that is what it was. I guess, unless you see the tire and the positioning of the bolt, that it is hard to imagine or picture. There is no doubt that it was the bolt in the hugger. I will modify it and check the installation, and let you know if it happens after that.

Geof3 · 09-26-2005

How much clearance do you have between the bolt and the tire? I have about an inch and a half. I went and smacked mine around a bit to see if I could figure this out. Mine barely moves. That's after a good smack or two with my hand.

Not to ask an obvious question, but are all the bolts tight? Did you secure the side mount that goes where the stock one would bolt? There is a mount on the top of the chain guard. Is that tightened properly? Just wondering. There HAS to be a reason.

Can you post a pic of the install before you "fix" it? Also, the tire. I'm just baffled at how this occured. Also, a little worried, that maybe I've just been lucky so far... Post pics if you can...

[ This message was edited by: Geof3 on 2005-09-26 13:39 ]

DarkSkies · 09-26-2005

How much did that bent piece of bolt protrude? Alarm bells would have rung in my head during installation at that. It'd have been better to have used a button head caphead on the inside of the hugger and a nut on wherever it fixes. Even when you think you have enough clearance you're best off allowing for a bit of tyre growth at speed.