| Author | Message | ||
     Badbueller |
Should the seat contact/rub against the airbox cover? Mine touches when I sit on the seat. It seems like this would damage the airbox cover over time; especially a translucent one. Is there any adjustment? Bike is a 2005 9sx. I’m seeing the same effect with my street fighter seat and low seat. I don’t remember my first XB9 having this issue, but maybe I was just younger and didn’t notice. (Message edited by Badbueller on November 21, 2020) | ||
| Tpehak |
There are no adjustments. | ||
| 1_mike |
Up front, at your crotch...why sure it's in contact. Would look pretty bad with any gap there. ALL bikes that I've ever seen...the back of the "tank" and seat...have intimate contact. Only some Harleys with a rounded seat front don't have "much" contact. The Buell seat wraps around the "tank" cover, needs to be snugly against each other. Mike | ||
| Badbueller |
Thanks for the response Mike. Good to know that it’s normal. It just seemed like the plastic squeaking/flexing sound wasn’t good. I figured over time it could damage the airbox cover. Yes other bikes do have contact, but they have metal tanks so it’s not as delicate as a plastic tank cover. | ||
| Tpehak |
It damages only translucent plastic airbox cover (it will crack at mounting spots over the time). Solid color airboxes made of flexible durable plastic do not crack. | ||
| Badbueller |
Is there anything that can be done to protect the translucent covers? Mine is hero blue and it seems like they are hard to find these days. | ||
| Shoggin |
You could stop riding it, and leave it in the garage under a blanket. Or spend a couple hundy and put a new one on the shelf. That should eleviate your debilitating fears of some 'possible' plastic scratches. You gotta choose whether your motorcycles is more fun to ride, or more fun to look at. Act accordingly  | ||
| Badbueller |
Shoggin, not sure where the rudeness is coming from. I didn’t say anything derogatory or provoking to anyone. I don’t see a reason why I can’t ride my Buell and keep it in good condition. I’m fine with scratches, but splintering plastic is a different story. If there is something I can do to prevent the plastic from breaking I would like to. I’d also be happy to buy another hero blue airbox cover for a couple hundred, but they aren’t available. Let’s keep things positive aye buddy? | ||
| Skipbarberman |
Shoggin isn't usually like that, he's typically one of the more helpful folks on this forum. Maybe he's stuck with family for the holiday, who knows. I'm not suggesting he is being derogatory, just reading this I see how one might see it that way. Point being, yes - you can take diligent care of it....most of us regulars here do. The translucent.....well all the plastic stuff is really pretty durable and color throughout, and shouldn't really show much wear. Little scratches in the tank/airbox cover can be prevented with a couple of healthy waxing sessions and staying on top of it. Light scratches can be removed with Novus compounds. Spares are going to be fairly difficult to come by, and NOS will be EXPENSIVE, for sure. There should be no ABNORMAL contact/rubbing/squeeking as you describe. I'd be sure the bike wasn't hit/totaled, as you are dealing with only the frame and rear sub-frame mounting points. Loosen all fasteners and try again, else, look for another underlying problem. As Mike stated, yeah...it touches...it's supposed to. But squeeking or gouging start looking for an underlying problem with a staple or foreign object in the front portion of the seat, or, something with the subframe length/mount. Thes bolts on the airbox cover are shouldered, make sure they are seated correctly. (Message edited by skipbarberman on November 22, 2020) | ||
| Court |
I just kept a box of spare Hero blue and translucent blue air box covers thinking I’d use them some day. I think they may have been pitched by the kids I hired to clean the barn but Novus 2 does great on the covers. | ||
| Badbueller |
Thanks Skip for the information. I think my street fighter seat is normal contact, but my low seat that I just bought NOS is much tighter. Maybe something is up with the seat pan. Court, if you have any of the translucent covers let me know! I’d like to buy one. I did use Novus on mine and it did a great job. | ||
| Shoggin |
Hey buddy, I didn't mean to be mean. Just my usual smartass snark, lol. Sorry you took it like that, it was not my intention. I'm happy you want to keep your Buell nice, I keep mine nice too.  | ||
| Badbueller |
Thanks for that Shoggin. Sarcasm doesn’t translate too well in text format; Ask my wife  | ||
| Meggadeath |
Sarcasm-just another "service" I offer also! As I recall, there were little flexible "insulators" that could be installed at the mounting bolt holes to dissuade the inevitable cracking that occurs on the translucent covers. I remember painting the inner airbox cover on my 1125R reflective silver with a translucent blue cover-'twas a very unique look. With the insulators in place the cover did not crack. |
