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VN900 plastic dilemna

19K views 45 replies 22 participants last post by  pacomutt 
#1 · (Edited)
Is anyone else bothered by all the plastic on the VN900? I have a hard time convincing myself that the bike isn't trying to be something it's not, sporting all the chromed plastic the bike does. The chrome plastic "primary drive" cover on the left side of the motor is the WORST, it reminds me of those cheap bicycles they sell at WalMart that have a plastic "engine". I'm seriously considering reducing some of the more blatant chromed plastic on my bike by just taking it off and painting the part they are trying to hide (rear fender struts) or making my own aluminum covers (fake horn cover that actually covers the coils, belt guard, etc). Other parts, I'd just paint (gauge cover, left side engine cover) to minimize their "cheesiness". Have others done this? Links to threads? Or am I the only one this bothers?
 
#9 ·
I like the bike alright, I'd just like to get rid of some of the plastic. I'm in the process of changing the bike anyway and would like some idea of what others have done. I remember someone did something with the "cod piece" but couldn't remember what is was.

I know others can't tell it's plastic going down the road but I know. Kinda like I wish Kawasaki spent more time and money on the seat, stator, and gearing than they spent on chrome plastic covers.
 
#10 ·
The "plastichrome" doesn't really bother me at all. Well, there are some parts that I don't think look good. But, in general; I don't mind it.

I don't think I have seen a modern car or bike manufacturer that doesn't use it in one place or another. As long as it meets any structural requirements necessary; I don't really see a downside.

It is light, age and the elements have little effect on it, it is reduces the cost of the bike and reduces repair costs if it has to be replaced.

If you think it is trying to be something it isn't, take a close look at what you think it is trying to be. Tap and thump all of the shiny and painted bits on it and you will find some plastic there too.

If you don't want to be seen at that dealership :eek:; you can just do a search for 'chromed plastic' on ANY manufactures web forums and find discussions similar to this one.

Scott
 
#17 ·
Vn900 plastic dilemma

Well I hear ya on the chrome plastic. I love chrome, but not thrilled with it being plastic. I looked at HD's (not a big fan, but I do like the fat boy) & some Victory's (really kick ass bikes) @ 4 X's the price of what I Paid for my 08 VN900LT, and I tell you there is a ton of plastic on them too. I was shocked.....Now I don't feel so bad :)

Linda
 
#18 ·
Plastic is lighter, never has to be re-chromed, doesn't rust.....and looks good to the casual observer. Most of all, it keeps the weight down!....so I can keep gaining it...
 
#19 ·
plastic parts

+1 on the reason I bought my bike is #1 price and #2 weight. I didn't want to borrow and got mine new for $6100, I also love the manuevrability around the garage and driveway, plus it's heavy enough to drive on the freeway. I mainly stick to highways for most of my riding. My son has a HD Deuce that was 3 times the price and he always teases me about my bike pretending it is something it's not. I'm sure if Kaw. chromed everything that is plastic the price would be substancially higher.
 
#21 ·
Most of all, it keeps the weight down!....so I can keep gaining it...

too funny ....
 
#23 ·
This type of question really only poses the real one. Why didn't you buy the bike you really wanted?
Because clearly you are not a fan of this one. If the plastic trim bothers you then how do the plastic "tins" make you feel?
I like 50 Mpg and less working on my bike, but maybe thats just me.
 
#24 ·
I for one LOVE my plastic tins because I am a KLUTZ, and have more than once walked into, dropped things on, and generally tripped over my fenders and it is a lot more satisfying to watch then bend and sway than dent!

Of course then again I like plastichrome too... it doesn't pit... my 6 year old 'real' chrome has signs of pitting and such here and there, faint, but it's there, but the 'fake' chrome on the bike looks brand new.

EDIT: Oooh, I have an idea, let's call it 'synthetic high mileage' chrome!
 
#28 · (Edited)
Yep, just been riding the bike back and forth to work, and other local trips. Plus I'm "cell phone equipped" and have breakdown towing on my insurance. So I should be good to go there. Been brushing up on the tutorials here on the stator (great info, BTW) and will be doing that when the weather starts turning bad.

I guess I should have titled this thread "Has anyone replaced or otherwise minimized their chromed plastic?" Really that's what I am looking for here. I like fabricating stuff, have some awesome equipment available, just need some inspiration. Looking more for "homegrown" stuff than billet.
 
#29 ·
The stator is an achilles heel for the 900 but the bike is all around a super reliable bike. A sub $200 repair (if you do it yourself) i
Been brushing up on the tutorials here on the stator
I personally think the whole stator thing is over blown, when you look at the amount of these bikes sold with the amount of stator issues in the sticky, the percenteges of issues are low.

I now have a bike that is 4 years old with 24,000 on it with no issues, then again, all my wiring for passing lights and trailer hook ups etc were done by a certified bike technician. The system is not overloaded, i dont run walmart lights @50w per side, flashing gizmos, and hack into (and possibly create shorts) electrical areas that i (and i suspect some others) know little about.
 
#31 · (Edited)
I think you're right about it being somewhat overblown, but, there is SOME truth to it... it's just not 900 exclusive.

This type of charging system is the same type of charging system in your lawn mower, and for the same reason. Cheap, small, and light. I asked sfair once (the resident expert on the issue) and he re-iterated what I always suspected, cheap, small, and light!

Mine failed at 15,000 miles on a bone stock bike. All I had was an airhawk seat cushion in it. Heck I hadn't even replaced the headlight bulb yet! NOTHING electrical had been done. I was able to (armed with knowledge of what to look for with some research) to find the cause of the failure on mine. It turns out, a tiny hole had worn in the insulation (with evidence of wear all around it) causing an arc and a short, burning up the stator. That's probably what kills most of these stators. (It's not likely that being a little bit over load, or that sort of thing, burns up the stator. It's bad for the bikes electrical system and could cause OTHER issues, but, it's not likely going to cause stator failure from what I understand. A short from bad wiring might, I suppose, but, the stator is always at 100% output, if you overload the charging system you'll just pop fuses and/or have a dead battery at the end of the day, the stator continues to work as hard as it would if you weren't running anything but the FI and the spark plugs!)

Look up the million mile Harley. It's the first known Harley to reach 1 million miles. 9 rebuilds, 3 new engines in that time frame. Oh, and 23 stators (in addition to probably a couple more replaced before they needed to be when he rebuilt and replaced engines!). That's an average of 45,000 miles per. I frequent a Honda forum and the guys riding the older Goldwings talk about swapping stators, and the guys with the higher mileage V-Twin Hondas are swapping stators. It's just not a long lasting design.

Now, why does the 900 get a bad rap about it? Because not a lot of people really put serious miles on their bike, and the 900's stator seems to fail a little earlier. It also seems to be pretty exclusive to the '06 and '07 models so there may have been a tiny defect that Kawasaki quietly fixed. I chalk that up to vibration. Sportbikes rev higher but they rev a little smoother being an inline engine, and don't often pile on the miles. 900's rev quite high for a V-Twin, and vibrate a bit more. It's a mild and 'high frequency' vibration that most people don't really notice until 75+mph, but, it's still there, and is probably faster/higher frequency than the bigger twins, so it has a better opportunity to vibrate and wear through the stator. The stator cannot move AT ALL, there is very little clearance between it and the rotor, so it is SOLIDLY mounted, on the OUTSIDE of the engine case. Er go, more and more vibration piled on.

But, anyway, my point is, the stator is the issue, not the 900. It's just a poor, outdated, unreliable design. (But I'm not an engineer, so perhaps there is no practical way to install a better charging system on a V-Twin motorcycle. What are ya gonna do, incorporate a serpentine belt and an alternator?) Look through this forum you'll see stator failures in all sorts of models. Google 'stator failure' and find all sorts of bikes dealing with it.

I kinda just chalk it up to the additional maintenance of owning a motorcycle. Clutches don't last as long, tires don't last as long, etc. I did it once at 15,000 miles, cost me about 200 bucks, even if I had to do it again at 30,000 miles (though it doesn't sound likely, the Rick's stators are supposed to last longer. They have a much thicker and MUCH harder insulation, so I bet that's why), I still wouldn't be unhappy with my bike. I didn't pay much for the bike, it's done fantastic, and is a great ride. I'd rather NOT pay that of course, but... well you get the idea. I suppose if I was paying $1,200 to have a dealer do it like some, it'd be a bigger deal.. but.. anyway...

Edit: I should also mention that mine is an '06, AND, I ride mostly 55mph +, that's just the way it is where I love, very rural, mostly county roads and state highways (or interstate). So I am in a perfect recipe for early stator failure, lots of CONSTANT SPEED riding (nearly all of it), combined with mine being from one of the two years that the vast overwhelming majority of 900 stator failures seem to be from. Dunno if it's age, or, perhaps a defect in the factory stators (maybe a weak spot in the insulation?)
 
#34 ·
Looks good Paco, I did my instrument bezel and I'm happy with that, so the cod peice will be next, then the aircleaner.

What kind of bikes are they and how much chromed plastic do they have? I don't mind plastic, just not chromed. I've always had sport and standard bikes, out of the 25+ bikes I've owned, I can't think of any chromed plastic on any of them, LOTS of plastic though.
 
#37 ·
So I have been reading up on the plasti dip and can't find much on what kind of prep work needs to be done. I guess it just needs to be clean? Does the plastic chrome need to be sanded before application? Has any one done a whole dip on there bike. Im thinking about it after checking out dipyourcar.com cause I guess if you don't like it it will come off.
 
#39 · (Edited)
No need to prep just keep it clean. It'll bond to just about anything. The beauty of it is, if you change your mind it just peels off! If you are going to sand the surface and do prep work and make it permanent, then just paint it matte black!

Even that dip your car guy doesn't do anything but wash the vehicle before he does it!

I'm not really a 'blacked out' kind of guy... BUT, a dipped 900 would be kinda cool! Other than forking out the money, there's no real risk. Just peel it back off if you don't like it down the road.
 
#38 ·
Plastic! The modern motorcycle is not to different than modern autos. Plastic saves weight, lowers costs, and keeps looking good over time. The 900's are all hot looking bikes. If you look at the Indian, and other American iron you can get away from all the plastic but at a cost. If you look at the capabilities of the 900's, for the money it's not a bad deal.
 
#41 ·
+1!
I just checked on this thread again.
That looks great Ron!

I wonder how that would look on the 1700s dog bowls?

Scott
 
#43 ·
Yamaha V-star 950 has pretty much everything metal, fenders and covers.
but its heavier and slower, not as pretty as VN900.
so pretty much you gain you lose situation. At first i don't like all that plastic on 900, but now i love it and its easier to mod or cut any parts.
 
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