PROJECT BIKE ME! RACE BIKE PART IX

by Dino

The GB kit unwrapped

I love testing anything to do with motorcycles. Er, nearly anything.

I don't love testing crash protection products, no matter how good they are.

But saying that I would much rather have them than not have them. That is one of the reasons I have just fitted a full set of GB Racing crash bobbins and case savers to the BIKE ME! Triumph 675 race bike.

The other reason is Motorcycling Australia has followed suit with the UK and Europe and made it compulsory for all Road Racing motorcycles competing in Australia to fit engine case guards so as not to grind through or crack them in an accident and spill the slippy juice on the track, which coming from a racers point of view is a very good thing. Maybe not so for the spectators as it's always exciting to watch a crash or two.

The new rule 15,2,3,4 Page 106 2008 MA Manual of Motor Sport, states: "Engine end case protectors must be mounted using at least 2 of the original bolt locations, and to protrude no more than 20mm. This will relate to all 4 stroke machines."

Well this is not so bad, especially when the fine people at GB Racing Products are creating such high quality products for such reasonable prices.

Right side done...

I fitted a full set to the Triumph 675 today in less than 40 minutes including removing race fairings and refitting them whilst taking photos. Admittedly for a road going version of my bike it would take a while longer and unless you are confident in what you are doing it does recommend you have them fitted by a qualified technician.

As can be seen from the before and after pics mine has a little gravel rash already and after I fitted them --you would never have guessed! And a hell of a lot cheaper than replacing all the covers or even getting them professionally repaired.

Another valid reason to get a set me thinks. I also think they look shit hot but that maybe just me!

Left side showing existing battle damage

Left side after fitting protectors

I am astounded at the quality and fit, they slotted into place perfectly and obviously a hell of a lot of thought has gone into these as they have to skirt the clutch arm and cable and the crash bobbin mounts are a two point fixing that has to fit under the fairing. This means the bobbin is very short and doesn't stress any one point on impact and the bobbins are sold as a separate replaceable part. I can tell you from experience (I have dropped the odd machine on the track) that this is a definite plus.

The case savers appear very thin but they are very, very, strong as they are constructed from high impact long glass filled nylon material. They are also endorsed by the British equivalent of our M.A. so I feel they will take a fair old slide down the track before they go through, and this gets me back to the beginning, the part where I don't like testing crash protection.

Sure as eggs its going down some time so I will be able to report on how they fared one day. I just hope it's not from a hospital bed as I am a racer and there only three kinds: those that go really fast and crash, those that go really slow and crash and those that just crash crash crash.

You can check the whole range out at CARRERAGROUP on Ebay as this the sole Australian importer or for more in depth information you can visit www.gbracing.eu.

Dino would like to say a big "thank you" to the following, for their help and generosity, without which this project could not have got this far:

Steve Eric Arthur & Roger At Motocycle Weaponry
Geoff Bonfield and all at Mat Mladin Imports
Karl From GB Racing Products Mosman
Dataloc: Thanks for the art Col
Ray at Easy Rider Imports

And a big thanks to Ebay.