New Hugger...impressed so far

Got my PowerBronze Hugger today. First impressions, out of the box, quite impressed. Came with a protective film, mounting hardware, and decent instructions. Gotta mock it up, then paint it (it's black, I need white).



It's not scratched; just some tears in the protective film. And that's my garage...my house isn't that dirty! More pics to come as the install progresses...

I've been a car & motorcycle tuner/enthusiast for about 9 years now, and I still get giddy :biggrin: when a new part arrives at the door. Is it just me?

 

Hope it fits better on your bike than my 01. Sucker is still in the box. Wasn't even close.

 

Just finished mock up. Fit is 95% perfect. There's a slight cant across the top of the fender, but nothing a little heat won't cure. I could ride with it the way it is, but then OCD would kick in and I'd be bugged until I adjusted it.

Bracket, unbolted

Slight warp...

...that requires only a few cm of correction

Good chain & brake line clearance

View from the right

Overall, nice. Now on to prep and paint!

More to come. Since it's under the body, I'm not going to spend the $$$ on ColorRite; DupliColor has a few off-the-shelf colors that are darn near a perfect match. Wifey thinks I should leave it black, but I think it'll really pop in white. We'll see...

 

I agree with the wifey. Looks great in black.
Not sure about having white down there.
Maybe photoshop a picture to see how it would look in white.

 

I'd like to get a new hugger like this for my 2005. I havne't been able to find one other than something that's made by a French company and I woudl need to have shipped across the pond. this looks great on your bike. Congrats, and I can't wait to get home since I think I might have my new Sargent seat sitting by the back door! Yes new parts are like christmas.

 

Decided to keep it black for now...leave it up to the wife to go the "sensical" route.

"If you don't like it later, you can paint it white...if you paint it now, and don't like it, it'll be that much harder to fix!"

So the paint goes back to AutoZone tomorrow...I H8 it when she makes sense! Just gotta break out the heat gun for that little adjustment to the fender, and I'm back on the road.

 

Go for black with a white stripe down the middle. You definitely won't see too many like that.

You're chain is looking kinda un-loved as well.

KC-10 FE out...
lane: :usa2:

 

Nice idea about hte stripe...I'll keep it in mind "down the road."

Bike's in the garage mostly for parts & maintenance...since the hugger & exhaust are off, I'll be cleaning up the entire rear (chain/wheel/swingarm/sprocket/etc). Thanks for the concern. K&N's getting cleaned as well.

Plan on getting a new chain/sprocket kit in the very near future. 520 conversion, -1 front, +2 rear (15/45), RK XSO chain.

 

ammoman,

Where'd you get it, and how much? I didn't know they made them for our gen.

 

Seattle: Got it from eBay (superbikestore_llc was the seller). I couldn't find the part listed on PowerBronze's website, so it's possible the seller has a lot of new-old-stock. I've seen them listed in black and carbon-look.

They've got two active auctions for huggers like mine: eBay Store: Search results for Powerbronze.

Some of their feedback lists poor communication, but I had no problems with that. The hugger arrived covered with a shrink-wrap film, but there were a couple scratches that made it through to the plastic, either from storage or shipment. It was pretty well packed with wrapping paper and air-packs, but it includes a bracket (see pic above) that may have bounced around in transit inside the box.

At any rate, the seller responded quickly (same day) to my notification of damage, and after submitting pics, I was refunded 25%. Even without the partial refund, it was a great deal and a great part. I'm putting it back on this week and I'm going to try and adjust the fender warp. I'll post again after the attempt.

***Just found another one, posted today: http://cgi.ebay.com/Honda-VFR-750-FL-Hugger_W0QQitemZ140233213891QQihZ004QQcategoryZ35230QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

I am looking at this on Fleabay as well. How has it held up for you?
Thanks

 

Not as well as I'd hoped. It has served well, but it has a limited life. There are vibration/stress cracks at two attachment points, even though they are reinforced with rubber grommets and metal sleeves. I don't know if they happened as a result of suspension compression (doubtful, since I've got it set fairly stiff) or tension due to warping/flex/temperature changes (more likely).

The only difficualty I had with install was on the right side of the swingarm, where the bracket attaches with a "hose" clamp. It was near impossible for me to get the clamp secured around the swingarm and bracket without it slipping off. When you try to use a clamp designed for a circle, it doesn't work so well around a rectangle with rounded edges. I ended up gluing the bracket to the swingarm with automotive Goop (which I've used on a number of projects and it works like a charm and holds forever).

I could repair the cracks, but I have too many other projects right now to make time for that. I will leave it the way it is until it breaks off and then maybe buy another. If I do get another, it'll be a CF piece from Thurn.

HTH

 

I like the Pyramid in carbon. Looks great, fits great, works, does not crack.

Larry