My homemade pipe guard. opinions?

[fatty_k]

My homemade pipe guard! Pics up.
I made this pipe guard and I finally got some pictures of it up. Thought I'd share it all with you. C-Dave gave me the idea so I give credit to him. Anyone have any comments or opinions?
Picture HERE

PS,
C-Dave: If you are still considering puting this up on the JustKDX site, I took some more pics if you want them.

 

[for]

That's pretty nifty mate. What did you make it out of? I've had the idea of making one using fibreglass using the pipe as a mold, but don't know how it would work or if it'd get too hot.

Good job.

Craig

 

[Mikeb]

Fatty .. Take a minute and write the steps down and send them to us and we will be glad to add it to the JustKDX site. If you have any pictures of the process of building it that would be even better.

BTW it looks great. How much time and $ did it cost? I am DEFINITELY interested in doing my own.

 

[70 marlin]

nice job! carbon fiber or fiber glass? epoxy or fiberglass resin? looks just like my fredette pipe guard, also that was spooged out power valve! and your hills look like some fine riding!

 

[Cactus Jim]

Looks great Fatty..... I agree with everyone else, we'd like to know what you used and how you did it. May be easier to post once vs answering a lot of E-mails. My PC pipe is starting to show a few dings and it's not that old. I'd love to build one myself.

Thanks...

 

[superhonkey2]

Hey Fatty! Nice job. I too would be interested in the process you used. Keep us informed. Thanxs

 

[Timr]

I want one too! Directions please.

 

[fatty_k]

Mikeb, I posted this a while ago in the general discussion forum but got no response. C Dave PM'd me and said he would consider putting it up on the JustKDX site. I dont have any pictures of the construction of it though. I know of one guy on DRN that made one himself using my directions and he said it works great! So it can be done. I give credit to C Dave as he was the one that gave me the idea. So thanks do Dave and for all the positive feedback.
Here are the directions. These directions are also up on KDXRidersCommunity



Materials list:

-Paint brush(s)
-Tin foil
-Measuring container (I used a plastic one)
-Acetone (for cleaning paint brush and measuring container)
-Approx. 7-10 sq. feet of fiberglass material (depends on how thick you want it)
-A can of "thick, sag resistant polyester resin" (I bought the resin, fiber glass material and catalyst in a box set called "body pro" from an automotive supply store)
-High temp BBQ paint
-1 or 2 hose clamps (1 works fine for me, make sure they are big enough to go around the biggest part (bell) of your pipe)

Directions:

-Remove pipe from bike, it may be a good idea to clean with a solvent like varsol or something. Wrap the pipe in tin foil to prevent the resin from sticking to the pipe and stuff rags in both ends of the pipe. Mark out where you want the guard to cover on your pipe. Then cut strips of different shapes/sizes of fiberglass in accordance to where they are going to be placed on the pipe. Try to plan out as much as you can before you actually start the process of making it. Next, mix the resin with the catalyst at the amount shown on the can. Move fairly quickly as the stuff gets hard in a couple of minutes. Start spreading down the resin on the tin foil then lay the strips down on the wet resin and keep adding layers of strips and resin until the guard is the shape that you want and it is about 2-3mm thick. Remove the guard from the pipe when it is dry enough to stand on its own without collapsing, and let dry. Make sure to clean the measuring container and the paintbrushes between batches of resin with the acetone. After the guard is dry, add some more layers on to it until it is about 1\4" thick or however thick you feel it should be. While adding on the finishing layers try to mould in a slot for the hose clamp to go through so it is hidden from view. Your finished product should look something like this:

HERE

HERE

AND HERE


Then let it fully dry overnight then sand it with an orbital palm sander and trim the edges to make the desired shape. Next paint it with a few coats of high temperature BBQ paint for a finished look. The tin foil will stick to the inside of the guard; you want this, so don’t try to scrape it out. It acts as a heat guard. If you scrape it out, you will have a sticky mess all over your pipe on the first ride! You will notice a slight smell coming from the guard the first couple of rides, but dont worry about it.

*Note* I know its not the best directions but it helps if you or someone you know has some experience with fiber glass.
Hope this is of any help to you :)

I hope I dont put Jeff Fredett out of buisness. :eek:

PS. It cost me about $10-$15 and 3 hours labour. But you can easily do it in 2 hours. I just wanted to sand it nice and smooth. :)

 

[fatty_k]

Mikeb, empty you PM box please.

 

[Fred T]

Fatty, you rock baby that is awesome. You are going to save a lot of people some money from not having dented pipes. Good job.

 

[Mikeb]

Hey FattyK that is great. I have emptied the PM box out so please resend.

Can we use this on the JustKDX site?

Like Fred T said you may have just saved a few pipes out there.

 

[fatty_k]

Mike, I think it would be awesome if you would put it up on JustKDX! Thanks again for all the positive feedback. It makes it all worth while!

 

[Mikeb]

Fatty K pipe Guard tech tip ONLINE NOW !

The one and only Original Fatty K pipe guard is the new Tech tip of the month on JustKDX. Thanks Fatty for taking time to write down the instructions and share them with us. This is what it is all about helping a fellow KDX'er save some cash or make their bike even better .. Thanks FattyK

 

[fatty_k]

Thank you, thank you, autographs and pictures later please. ;)
No really, it is really my pleasure to help out, not only other KDX'ers, but the off road community. Thank YOU Mikeb and Canadian Dave for helping me out and to spred the word!

 

[superhonkey2]

water pump guard

Hey Fatty,
I just got my bike a few months ago and have been fabricating anything I can myself without spending alot of extra cash. I made my own skidplate and after seeing the picture of your cool pipe guard I noticed the water pump guard. So I had to try and frabricate one of those too. I have one question. The guard appears flat in the photo so I am assuming it must have some sort of spacer behind the guard to get the needed clearance from the water pump.
Did you need to use longer bolts for it to attach to the water pump housing? Or were the stock ones long enough? Anything you can tell me about the install will be a big help. I have the piece cut out and I'm ready to take the bolts out of the pump today.

Thanks

 

[Mikeb]

Superhonkey .. Take pictures, make measurements and share your ideas with all of us. I am all for saving a buck or two plus its cool to tell your riding buds that you made that part.

 

[mackay]

Other stuff

Nice Job fatty_k , I think my WR is about to get some new "stuff".

Has anyone ever built a skid plate out of fiberglass or
carbon fibre (home made) , I remember reading about someone using a traffic sign but never anything else

Anyone ??? :think:

 

[superhonkey2]

Mike b & MacKay,
I used a piece of flat 1/8" sheet aluminium for the skid plate and water pump guard. It is easily cut with a good hack saw and can be formed in a vice with the help of sledge hammer. I'm not able to show you any pictures today but I'll try to take some and post them later.

Making your own parts is cool, my riding friends are jealous. Plus the more I save on building my own stuff the more I can spend other stuff. Makes cents?

 

[fatty_k]

superhonkey, the water pump guard comes with longer bolts and plastic spacers to clear the water pump housing. I am a true beliver in "why spend the money when you can make for 1/4 the price and get some gradification out of it" :) Build away boys!

 

[70 marlin]

If I could share with you? check my gallery and you'll see where I learned my fiber glassing/ epoxy skills. that old boat was a derelict & a ugly brown. just a few tip that might help with your molding for your gaurd. there a couple way's you can keep the fiberglass or epoxy from sticking to your pipe. they have this product call PVA (poly vinly alcohol) it forms a plastic barrier that fiberglass resin will not stick to. you spray it on the surface that you want to remove the fiberglass from. also you first have to wax it a couple times with carnauba wax then spray the PVA over it. you can buy these product at a marine supply store or this supply house. fiberglass coating's 1-800-272-7890 shipping can be very pricey!!!! also I might check into finding if they have a hight temp fiberglass resin or epoxy resin?
also there's other fiber you could use if you really want a trick guard? carbon fiber is very easy to use with various resin, and comes in many weights of cloth or mat.
my son has that other pipe company (PC) and fredette has no a fiber guard for it. I've thought about making a custom fiber unit also!

 

[superhonkey2]

fatty k Thanks for the water pump guard info. I'll be going to get the hardware that's needed today.

Roost ya later!

 

[superhonkey2]

fatty k & friends,
I just put a picture in my gallery of the waterpump guard I fabricated. I still need to drill the holes, get longer cap screws and make spacers.

what do you think?

Thanks for your help.

 

[fatty_k]

Yes, I saw it, Looks great!
Have you ever though about making frame guards or radiator guards too?

 

[70 marlin]

over the edge!

superhonkey2:very neat! are you going to weld the seems? fatty_k: how about this twist too your idea? you can buy liquid latex, then you paint it on your case. real thick, let it cure. peel it from your case very carefully then set the laytex mold into some wet plaster, let it set up. then break out your fiberglass resin. and wet out your mold let it set upto the green stage then wet it out again then carefully lay in some light lets say 4oz mat, make sure you get all the air bubbles out of the mold. then let it completly cure over night. carefully peel the laytex off the resin mold. trim it, sand it smooth and fill it. Now get some carnauba wax and wax the mold a few times, then spray the mold with some PVA(poly vinly alcohol) now with a hobbie air brush you spray into the mold a thined mixture of black fiberglass gelcoat and acetone. let it set up. then wet out carefully the mold again with resin and lay in some very light 4oz mat a couple time. now let it cure for at least 12hrs now care fully peel it from the mold, WAAM! your got a high gloss custom case cover! you'll still need to trim it and drill holes for mounting fastners. also you could substitute the fiber glass mat for carbon fiber. and your female mold you can use many time if your carefull. then you could make covers for all your drn friends?

 

[yzeater]

So the fiberglass resin comes in a liquid form?