thefieldworker
Guest
Went through many of the posts that described the process of installing the Givi monokey rack, and need to thank all of you (eliliza, igo, etc.) for posting your experiences. Still found ways to mess things up, to make the process take more time that it should have - and in the North Carolina heat (I was hoping to finish the job in the am before the heat). Read the earlier posts (google "givi monokey site:nt-owners.org") first.
Here are a couple more suggestions:
1. Katherine says stuff rags down to avoid dropping spacers, etc. into the abyss.
Well, I did that, but still somehow managed to drop a spacer, a fastener, etc. into the holes that I did not cover up. Use lots of rags and cover up all the spots!
2. Use a hex key that can attach to a 3/8" drive.
I started with using a hex key (like the kind you get from IKEA furniture), and ended up almost stripping one of those fasteners that another member struggled to order (on one of the threads, Katherine lists the part number). Instead of going to my dealer (around 20 miles away), I went to the nearby Yamaha dealer that doesn't seem to have any parts, one of those Harley shops that does custom work (and has a bar/barbeque/pool hall attached to it), and even a NAPA auto parts to try to replace it. Drove more than the 40 miles RT it would have taken to go to the Honda dealer. At the NAPA auto parts store, I at least got smart and picked up a socket that fits the hex bolt, and after taking out the guards (for at least the fifth time, more on that later), I took the fastener out, screwed the bolt in backwards to try to re-establish the threads, then used my magic socket (which allowed me to put more controlled pressure than possible with those l-shaped hex keys), which made everything that much easier to do.
3. Screw everything together off the bike at least once or twice before actually doing it.
The black hex bolts may be pretty, but that paint seems to make it tight enough to cause problems. The first time I tried to bolt everything on, the fastener went askew in its socket, and I had to take the hand guards off again. Second time, the fastener and the spacer went into one of the places that I didn't cover with a rag, and so hand guards off again. Third time (with the crappy hex key, not the socket), it was too tight and I figured (from past experience, especially that 75 CB 360T) I was stripping the impossible to find fastener (trek described earlier). So the final time that I did it, first I put the bolts with spacers onto the handguards with it off the bike, bolted the handguards back, and then gently removed the bolts to put the plastic cover on and then put the bolts on again, but this time with the plastic in place. That did the trick (especially with the small spacers in the hole of the handguard) of keeping the fasteners in their little plastic rectangular home. (If that didn't work, I was going to GOOP the fasteners into the plastic).
4. Don't work in the middle of the day, especially if you are working outdoors in the sun, and live in the south.
Even the parts that were sitting, waiting for me to install them, got really hot and uncomfortable to hold. Should have bought the bike and givi case/rack in February. When you're hot and bothered, dehydrated, you don't make good decisions.
But thanks again for the collective wisdom - it would have turned out to be more of an ordeal, if I hadn't heard the wisdom of the crowd.
Here are a couple more suggestions:
1. Katherine says stuff rags down to avoid dropping spacers, etc. into the abyss.
Well, I did that, but still somehow managed to drop a spacer, a fastener, etc. into the holes that I did not cover up. Use lots of rags and cover up all the spots!
2. Use a hex key that can attach to a 3/8" drive.
I started with using a hex key (like the kind you get from IKEA furniture), and ended up almost stripping one of those fasteners that another member struggled to order (on one of the threads, Katherine lists the part number). Instead of going to my dealer (around 20 miles away), I went to the nearby Yamaha dealer that doesn't seem to have any parts, one of those Harley shops that does custom work (and has a bar/barbeque/pool hall attached to it), and even a NAPA auto parts to try to replace it. Drove more than the 40 miles RT it would have taken to go to the Honda dealer. At the NAPA auto parts store, I at least got smart and picked up a socket that fits the hex bolt, and after taking out the guards (for at least the fifth time, more on that later), I took the fastener out, screwed the bolt in backwards to try to re-establish the threads, then used my magic socket (which allowed me to put more controlled pressure than possible with those l-shaped hex keys), which made everything that much easier to do.
3. Screw everything together off the bike at least once or twice before actually doing it.
The black hex bolts may be pretty, but that paint seems to make it tight enough to cause problems. The first time I tried to bolt everything on, the fastener went askew in its socket, and I had to take the hand guards off again. Second time, the fastener and the spacer went into one of the places that I didn't cover with a rag, and so hand guards off again. Third time (with the crappy hex key, not the socket), it was too tight and I figured (from past experience, especially that 75 CB 360T) I was stripping the impossible to find fastener (trek described earlier). So the final time that I did it, first I put the bolts with spacers onto the handguards with it off the bike, bolted the handguards back, and then gently removed the bolts to put the plastic cover on and then put the bolts on again, but this time with the plastic in place. That did the trick (especially with the small spacers in the hole of the handguard) of keeping the fasteners in their little plastic rectangular home. (If that didn't work, I was going to GOOP the fasteners into the plastic).
4. Don't work in the middle of the day, especially if you are working outdoors in the sun, and live in the south.
Even the parts that were sitting, waiting for me to install them, got really hot and uncomfortable to hold. Should have bought the bike and givi case/rack in February. When you're hot and bothered, dehydrated, you don't make good decisions.
But thanks again for the collective wisdom - it would have turned out to be more of an ordeal, if I hadn't heard the wisdom of the crowd.
