My Ilmberger Hugger Fix

[Schneller]

Hi All,

I've come up with a simple but elegant solution for strengthening the Ilmberger hugger's mounting bracket in the area where it seems to have been breaking. Whether the failure is attributed to a flawed bracket or contact with the suspension or both has yet to be demonstrated. I've taken the safe route & sought to strengthen the bracket while still retaining the elegant look of the bracket & hugger. For you do-it yourselfers & Ilmberger GmbH here it goes...

First I traced a cardboard template of the Ilmberger mounting bracket and widened it in the area between the arc & where the CFK ends. Next I used this template to cut out my reinforcement plate out of 1/8 inch aluminum.



This plate will ultimately be mounted on the back side of the hugger bracket. Since the thickness of the bracket will increase, it is necessary to buzz a notch in the original bracket to accomodate the differential vent. The notch is visible in the photo above. The original mounting bracket is strenghthened in two dimensions: side to side (by thickening) & also fore & aft ( the direction in which they seem to fail) by widening the bracket itself.

So how will I mount this bracket to the hugger you ask? Well the aerospace industry has trickled down some technology that is popular among body shops these days... panel bonding adhesives. Yes, sometimes that new 1/4 panel or roof skin isn't welded onto your car, it's glued, and the resulting joint if properly done, is stronger than the surrounding metal. I've used it w/ great success in fixing rusty floors in old BMWs. Anyway, the stuff I used is from WURTH:



Preparation is important! Buzz off all the black paint & some of the CFK from the back of the hugger. Give the reinforcement bracket's surface a good roughening as well. Clean all surfaces with a solvent before applying any adhesives!

[img]
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads3/Hugger+Solution+0101094523492.jpg[/img]

Test fit the reinforcement against the bracket & fit it with longer bolts on the bike to get the it right. The reinforcement also requires a slight kink so that it follows the shape of the hugger's bracket.





The kink is evident at the second hash mark from the left.



Once you're happy with the fit, apply the panel bond adhesive (mine came out of a gun that mixed two parts together through a nozzle much like a caulking gun). Clamp the two parts together & wipe off any excess ooze with a Q-Tip. Allow the peices to fully cure.



Once things are cured, prep the bracket & paint. I used a rustoleum metal flake black.


BackSide...



Front with differential vent relief...



Here it is on the BoxerCup...





Piece of cake!

Schneller

[Don Ro]

Why not?
.

[Flatbutt1]

nice work!

[Schneller]

Thanks Flatbutt!

I was happy with the results. The hugger is held much more firmly now & doesn't wiggle all over the place as it did before. It should be an improvement and at least offer some peace of mind as I do really like the looks of that hugger.

Schneller

[Moybin]

Beautiful workmanship! Which leaves one to wonder why Ilmberger could make such a good looking piece but leave it so flimsy in the first place? Too much trust in CF and not enough experience with metal?

[JonyRR]

CF has laways made me nervous in 'structural' applications; as we have extensively BS'd about here before, CF doesn't have the 'track record' of other materials. Finite structure analysis has been discovering some surprising (and disconcerting) issues with long-term CF durability. Hope I'm not a 'test case' when that 7X7 CF fuselodge starts to delaminate in flight after 15,000 hours of 'stress testing'....

[Rapid Dog]

Good work! Wh didn't I think of that?
I can digit, but where do you get that adhesive? Auto paint stores?

[rob_wijhenke]

Nice work but why bother? If it breaks get it replaced under extended warranty cause this is a known problem...

[Rapid Dog]

mmmm....I'm thinkin' it's insurance Rob...these huggies break and can/have wedged in between the tire and swingarm.
I'm gonna make one, maybe a few...

[markjenn]

Extended warranty? Has anybody got Ilmberger to ante up a new hugger after one breaks?

Looks like a neat fix. I've radiused the sharp corners on mine and with 35K+ on the hugger, no issues. I do try and keep an eye on it, especially when it's off during tire changes.

- Mark

[Schneller]

Rapid Dog,

The adhesive is available through autobody supply shops. I happened to use the WURTH/Sabestos brand. There is another available under the brand name FUSOR. It takes very little adhesive to complete this project and so it makes sense to have a few other projects ready for gluing at the same time to most efficiently use your product.

Schneller

[Rapid Dog]

Is it a mix epoxy or straight outta the package type?

[Schneller]

Rapid Dog,

It's a 2 part mix. The cartridge is a dual cylinder and uses a "special" caulking gun that has 2 pistons (one for each part). The 2 parts are forced into a single nozzel where a rotating cork screw mixes the 2 parts together. By the time the mix comes out the end it is perfectly blended & ready to apply. If you don't use the whole tube it is resealable, although you'll need to use a new mixing nozzle the next time around. Most kits I've seen come w/ at least 2 mixing nozzles. The gun is somewhat pricy. If you've got a good relationship w/ a local collision shop they may let you borrow the gun and buy your own adhesive & nozzles.

Just a note of caution, when using a new mixing nozzle, discard the 1st 3 inches of adhesive as the 2 parts are not flowing completely equally in the begining. Hence the 1st 3 inches won't cure properly.

Schneller

[boxercup]

Greetings,

I have read Schneller's posts for some time. He is an excellent asset to this board. Knows his stuff and shares it with us freely.

Excellent!

Thanks Schneller!

[bikpaintr]

I've used a similar product made by Duramix for several years. These are actually Urethane adhesives not epoxy & they are available with different set up times from 30 sec up to 3 minutes. If you make sure both openings in the cartridge are flowing before installing the nozzle there is much less waste. Since one side is clear & the other black you can see when they are mixing properly. While it seems to work well for bonding metal the material will soften if heated. If used directly under a painted surface the heat from buffing will affect it & cause it to move leaving a defect in the paint.

[Schneller]

Thanks BoxerCup!

I'll keep it coming when I can.

I need to get some DB killers for my Boxer Cup Laser race system that I purchased from you. Are they still available?

Schneller