of buying Givi Engine Guards for your 2000-2006 B12's (and maybe your 6's as well...although I'm not sure if they use the same engine guard).
Here's what I found while installing mine.
AA) In Suzuki-speak, Canada is Country E-28. Country E-28 does NOT/NOT use the lower-centre engine mount on the model years listed above BUT the Givi guards are built ONLY for bikes using this mount. "What does this mean to me....the average Canadian shade-tree mechanic ??". What it means is that YOU will have to supply FOUR spacers for the Givi mounting plate and put them between the Givi plate and the lower frame rails on BOTH sides. This will make up for the thickness of the missing engine mounting plate. If you don't do this, the Givi guards will not line up correctly when bolted into place. If you DO somehow force everything into position with a wrecking bar or other unholy means, you will put a tremendous strain on all the welds of the guards themselves AND all the fasteners. This will cause a catastrophic failure of either the welds on the guards or the fasteners or both. It will also put a tremendous strain on the mounting lugs welded into the frame tubes on the front and lower mounts.
BB) Do NOT/NOT use the Givi-supplied longer upper rear engine mount stud with its nuts and washers. This item has TWO main problems:
1) it is manufactured out of some low-rent crap which, in Italy, might be classed as steel but a metallurgical analysis elsewhere in the world would reveal it's probably some kind of extra-strong pasta.
2) this stud is manufactured with coarse threads to keep costs down....BUT coarse threads should NEVER be used on an engine mounting bolt/stud under ANY circumstances. Everyone with even the meanest mechanical knowledge and experience knows this....except for the engineers at Givi, apparently.
What you SHOULD use in place of this POS stud is the lower front engine mount bolt from an early GS750 two valve bike. It's just a little longer than required but not noticeably so. You should get one that's been in the bike from day one and never messed with OR go to your dealer and order a new one with a new self locking nut as well. When you install the new bolt/nut you should use some blue Loctite on it, even though you're using a self locking nut. Take no chances with this important component. Be sure to torque to at least 60-65 ft/lbs as per the factory manual.
CC) You must be extra careful when installing the left side guard because the guard mounting tab that fits on the upper rear engine mount bolt comes VERY close to the output stud/output cable lug on the alternator. Be VERY careful how you position this mounting tab. If I had it to do over again, I would do a little "creative" work on this tab with the bench grinder.
DD) The installation instructions from Givi WOULD be laughable....if you weren't messing with such important stuff like engine mounting bolts and frame lugs. There is not ONE word as to how to proceed with the install. Instead there are two pics: a BEFORE and AFTER of the left side of the engine.....and that's it. Surely SOMEONE at Givi had to design and mount these guards SOMETIME during the whole process. How hard would it have been to come up with an installation procedure and then have it translated into 3 or 4 main languages ?? Apparently harder than I/you think.
Having said all the above, it's still quite a chore to install them even if you have the necessary skills and the tools to do the job. It would have been a lot easier if I hadn't had to sit down and puzzle everything out.....and I certainly don't consider myself as inexperienced....especially at my age.
Anyone not having extensive experience with this kind of work would be well advised to pay to have an expert install these guards, IMO.
I had a nice talk with the Givi expert at the Canadian distributor and he was drafting up an email to send to them about this whole mess....but I don't expect to ever hear back from him or Givi on this. Canada is a very small market for Givi so it would be easier for them to just withdraw the guards from sale here instead of supplying the missing spacers and a proper engine mounting bolt/nut. As for the crappy installation "instructions", I can't imagine the other Euro countries letting them get away with such lame documentation.....but I could be wrong.
In the end, they're very nice looking guards but hopefully I'll never have to test them out. I look at them like I look at life insurance....if you have it, you'll never need it.
Sorry for the long post but I consider that this is VERY important stuff for my fellow Canucks to know.
Topic: WARNING: All You Canadian Folks Thinking..... (Read 6299 times)