Back to the System Cases for my Motorcycles

I'd recently posted a query on the Airheads email list seeking clarification on how my engine guards should fit on Brigitta, my 1987 R80 Beemer.

I wondered if they were the right ones for my motorcycle since I had recently had been forced to loosen the engine guards within their mounts in order to remove the valve covers to check the valve clearances. On another occasion, I'd had to remove the left one totally in order to fully access the finned exhaust nut in order to service it. Kind of annoying you know? Not to mention there was actual contact between the left side engine guard and the leading edge of the valve cover itself!

A few emails later, I learned that they engine guards are probably made by Krauser, and that they've worked fine on one Airhead's /6 motorcycle for over 25 years. This particular owner like them and they had saved some damage on the bike during a particularly bad slide. He also mentioned his hard cases had kept the rear portion of his bike from much damage and more importantly kept the bike from pinning his leg under the bike.

So, back on go the hard cases on Brigitta. I figure it'll be cheaper to replace the lid on a road-rashed system case than replace the rear bike parts that would otherwise probably contact the ground in case of a fall; parts such as the tail plastic, luggage rack, turn signal stalks and exhaust pipe come to mind.

Along with the hard cases, the engine guards are also back on. There's hot debate as to their usefulness within the airhead community but for low speed/parking lot drops I think they'll do fine. Also, they're not the type which apparently BMW sold which one person swears are the devil's own creation (my words). LINK.

I found, with some careful sequencing on the tightening of the mounting bolts, that I could at least achieve a bit of clearance between the bars and the valve covers. So at least there's no physical contact between them now. I'll probably still have to loosen/remove them to remove the valve covers but no big deal, just annoying.