Ground clearance with the bellypan

[arnaud]

Hello guys.

I recently bought the bellypan from boxer-design and I found out that my ground clearance is quite low now.
I compared it to the 03 boxercup and I am just an inch lower.
With the bike on the side stand I have 4.5inches.
Keep in mind that I have to regular showa suspension (grey spring)
Should I be worried about it is their a minimum required?
So basically is it acceptable or should I find a way to raise the bike
I rode it a little bit and have not experience any trouble so far.

Advises welcome

[arnaud]

Here is a pic

[VetteRacer]

I think the BoxerDesigns pan tapers alot more then the BMW one. The sides of the pan are going to drag before the center. And at that, Im sure the cylinders drag before the bellypan.

Matt

[bradzdotcom]

matt is correct..as usual...dang, that kid knows an awful lot about bikes he's never ridden! he's gonna be a very knowledgably dangerous dude in coming years.

i don't have a clue about your bellypan, but i wouldn't waste time staring at the ceiling at night worrying about it.

here's what i've been told by two guys who have raced the BCR in the cup series (one of which slathered his name on the fairing), using the stock belly pan:

things that usually hit the ground...in order of appearance:

#1.
those little round knobs on the bottom of the footpegs.
if you have your bike set up right, they're the first indicator.
there's a reason for that. it's called the Department of Transportation (DOT).
they make up rules and stuff.
and that's the rule: little round balls under footpegs are always the first thing to grind.

it's just like the rule they have for mirrors (i'm para-phrasing) "rear view mirrors must be the widest element of the motorcycle".

and another favorite of mine: "a bike's primary gear and stated idle speed must result in the bike stalling (not moving forward), if the clutch is suddenly dropped".


anyway....
if you grind those peg knobs down to about 40% of original, you might (if your suspension/tire pressures are way off), do a "number two"

#2. Touch a cylinder to the ground.
this is not a good thing, especially if you're not anticipating it.
it takes the weight off the tires.
and since those cylinders are kinda, sorta in the front, it takes more weight off the front tire than the rear.

either way...in most cases....bad things happen.

i wouldn't worry about the bellypan too much.
even if the fairing is lower, you've got a long way to go before you smack a cylinder into the asphalt, admit defeat/stupidy and start looking for a good landing spot.

watch butch cassidy and the sundance kid.
"You can't swim? Why hell, the fall will probably kill ya."

....brad

[arnaud]

tank you guys but I was more concern about the vertical clearance for potholes when supensions go up. But still you had very interesting comments.
I am also looking at extending the yellow rectangles on to the belly. Do you know if anybody did this before?

[VetteRacer]

arnaud: Id think the clearance for pot holes wouldnt be an issue. Thats enough to clear alot of curbs, if you hit a pothole big enough to worry, your wheels are gonna be F'd, and prolly alot more.
Ive not seen it done that I can remember. Check the Show your Scoot thread. Id love to see it. Been trying to convince my friend who has the same bike to get the pan and do it. But he cant envision it...

Matt

[Anton]

As VetteRacer says, I wouln't worry about potholes, anything that deep is going to be trouble. As for curbs, I never gone up them on a streetbike, but going off a curb, just give it some throttle and you'll be fine. As for cornering clearance, i agree, the cylinder will drag before the bellypan. I must not be DOT legal, because in my limited experience, the head, feeler, and the very end of the brake lever all touch down at the same time.

[arnaud]

Here is a pic of what I am planning to do for painting

[arnaud]

I did that on computer but it looks really nice. This bike pic was found on internet but the bellypan had the reglular logos on it. I fin it more classy with the strip.
I will post the pic once I have done it
Thanks for your comments guys

[bradzdotcom]

really nice look.
bmw should have done that.
....brad

[yetidave]

FWIW, I have Ohlins front and rear set to my exact specs by ProPilot, and I drag in the following order. 1) footpegs 2) Side stand. Its now ground down to the point where it rarely drags 3) cylinder heads. I drag them on the track when I get into a turn a little too hot. 4) BCR belly pan. It only drags when I'm cranked over in a turn and go through a dip in the track that loads the suspension. Actually, after scuffing both sides I just took it off and put it on the shelf.

[Rapid Dog]

ditto the curb thingie under throttle.
I've got the BMW CF "spoiler", not the BCR pan.
I tried the easy-off technique I've always used after parking on a sidewalk, except this time, surprise...big scrape noise .
luckily it just scraped the screw heads.
I be careful now I gots bling...

[Skippy]

The boxerdesign site states that there will be ground clearance issues when you have the regular suspension.It will drag in corners if you lean it over far enough.Do you have the standard paralever strut as well on the rear or already fitted a shorter one?With the shorter one at least the tail of the belly pan will be raidsed a bit but maybe the front even becomes a little lower.I wouldn't paint the design on it right away first ride a round for a bit to see if you scratch anything.

[arnaud]

He gang I upgraded it to the sport shock and feel safer now. Also I got the paint job done. AWSOME I think

[EZ-RIDER]

You may want to trim the back of the spoiler where the torque arm comes close to hitting the spoiler.The Spoiler will drag if the suspension
is to soft.
I have the same type of spoiler on my bike since 2001.