toast Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 I got the cage installed last night, I like it! The design is pretty cool, it reminds me of the KTM 1190 frame. It looks like it should protect the engine pretty well and the skidplate is very stout and welded nicely. The textured powdercoat is well done and nice and even. There is some welding splatter on the left top side of the engine mount but honestly it doesn't bother me (although for the price it could have been cleaned up better). There is a hole to drain the oil (not quite centered but close enough) which is nice because damn was it a PITA to get a one of those skidplate nuts on! The back right side is a very tight fit because of the cat, make sure to leave the engine bolts loose so a wrench can fit in there. If the nuts were welded onto the pan then it would make assembly much easier. Very nice though, the whole unit is maybe a pound or too heavier then the SW Motech bars they replaced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member jetfixer Posted December 4, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted December 4, 2015 Congrats, it looks good, actually looks better than I expected. Bill 2015 Heeled by the hands of Nel's @ 2WheelDynoworks K-Tech forks and shock lots of other expensive unimportant stuff. The "Ex" 2003 FZ1 Ride more, worry less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suncoaster Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 It looks good, especially with those red panniers and that screen. Is the cage powder coated ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toast Posted December 4, 2015 Author Share Posted December 4, 2015 It is, I have mine powdercoated textured black but you can also get it in Blurple, Red, White, Gloss Black and Raw (clear powdercoat). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member jeff400650 Posted December 5, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted December 5, 2015 It looks great. Like a designed part of the bike, as opposed to some random add on. I guess it only attaches at those 4 points at the engine mounts, right? I wonder if the lower, free hanging part of the cage would flex or bend much with an impact. It sounds like just quickly removing the skid plate part is not really an option. Do you think oil will dribble on it? Pistons or pedals, 2 wheels are where it's at... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toast Posted December 5, 2015 Author Share Posted December 5, 2015 I really doubt it would flex in an impact under any normal conditions. Maybe if you did a motocross jump and it landed on the skid plate then Im sure it would bend it. As far as oil changes, I don't think it'll drip any into the pan. It's a hand made piece so each will be a little different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfjniner Posted December 6, 2015 Share Posted December 6, 2015 I really doubt it would flex in an impact under any normal conditions. Maybe if you did a motocross jump and it landed on the skid plate then Im sure it would bend it. As far as oil changes, I don't think it'll drip any into the pan. It's a hand made piece so each will be a little different. Even in a minor crash, it will bend. Most likely it will be pushed into the side of the engine. Straightening it out may take some doing. I might add, that when I crashed in August, the only thing that got broken, was the turn signal. It was a slow speed crash and the huge bar ends and FJR saddle bags pretty much kept everything else from touching the ground. Even the brake peddle was untouched, but it did have mud on it. My friend Victor had his FJ tossed on the ground by some hoodlings and caused over 4K of damage. Wow. You never know. Ken, Candy Ass L.D.R. Sleeps 8 hours (2)2005 FJR1300abs: 230,000 m 2015 FJ-09: 114,000 m (Replaced engine at 106K) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfjniner Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 I received my cage on Saturday and noticed that there were some bubbles in the paint around the bolt connections to the skid plate. After fingering them and scraping them with my finger nail, they popped open and white powder came out. I concluded that the powder coat was flawed in that area. Being that these are at the skid plate, they will get a lot of water and if left that way, rust. Being that it is also a welded joint with the weld on the other side, leaving a small joint/crack that will let rust exist for ever. All the bolt connections were like this so I contacted Kris at Higdonion. He informed me that he had let out a number of unit to another powder coated to meet his time schedule and to test the new powder coater. This was his first experience with this contractor, and he admitted he overlooked the results. He will have a new unit on its way. The quick resolution of this issue indicates that Kris is backing up his product's quality. Other than that issue, the units are well constructed and fit nice, and if you follow the two sentence instructions, it can be done in an hour or so. If you have a lift and aren't laying on the floor, maybe 30 min. Since my bike is red, you don't need to see pictures as they have already be supplied. Another note: Since the SS frame bolts came out dry, I installed the supplied bolts dry vs. using a seize grease and torqued to 33 ft. lbs. Here are some pictures of the flawed powder coating. 1/1/16: Added this install to the How To Index as (2). Nice pics. Ken, Candy Ass L.D.R. Sleeps 8 hours (2)2005 FJR1300abs: 230,000 m 2015 FJ-09: 114,000 m (Replaced engine at 106K) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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