New to the forum with an intro and the start of a 81 Special project-ish

[mtnbikecrazy55]

My mind is a bit cloudy it seems still so i for some stupid reason still feel as if i can't make progress as efficiently as I'm used to, always loosing train of thought and spacing out on what all i have to do to the bike. But i'm going to make a list that I'll hang in the garage so i'll be able to cross things off, so that should help I'm thinking. But like last night, i was in the garage for like 4 hours and got done what should have taken 1.

But oh well, can only get better as time goes on and life returns to a more normal state.

Anyway, I picked up a blade-style fuse box while I wait for the steering bearings in the mail, As alot of what i have to do involves tearing the front end down, replacing cables and such, rewiring in the ignition, swapping bars, etc.



The old:


Looks sketchy:


Pulled the clips off the holder:


Clipped all of the terminals as close to the end as possible:


My cat Jim was helping me the entire time: (This cat also being the one who rode all the way back from california to wisconsin on the back of my motorcycle - but that's another story, haha)

 

[mtnbikecrazy55]

Back on task here -

Wires stripped:


Supplies ready:


Jim was fading a bit:


Terminal crimped:


Covered in Shrink-Tube:


Fire!


And done!


Midway:


And just like how it is on martha stewart, its all done!


Took the old fuse box and broke off the metal tab:


Mounted upside down in stock location:


Grabbed some screws to secure the new fuseblock:


Screwed right into the old fuse box:


Fuses in:


Cover on!

 

[mtnbikecrazy55]

But when i put the seat pan on, I noticed that it was hitting a bit. Not much at all, and the seat still latched, but i just didn't like it resting against it at all.

So out came the sandpaper!


One 'ear' sanded:


Both sanded:


A little more roughly cleared out on the underside edges where it mounts on the bike:


And sanded:


Back on:


And success!


Next in order was to deal with this little injury:


PO decided that the best remedy was to just throw in an amber bulb and call it good?

Nice to have a parts bike right next to it though!


This area was kinda mangled:


The old:


The frame ear was bent out as well, so that the signal would sit at an angle, and that just cant be happenin'


Out comes the mallet!


Much better:


So i go to grab the signal off the parts bike.... and sadly both have suffered identically:


So i grab a front one!


Buttttt the stalks are different lengths:


Jim is still observing:


Ended up pulling off the rear right signal, and that fit the bill perfectly:

 

[mtnbikecrazy55]

Then, I pulled the stock pipes off the parts bike to replace the 2-1 that was on the bike when i bought it:


Sucks that they're in a good bit worse shape that i had thought, but oh well, gotta work with what i have. But i will offer, if anyone has a decently nice stock exhaust, i'll trade you straight up for the 2-1 that i have!

Snagged the tool kit:


Pulled the remaining part of the tach cable out of the bike:




Went to grab the one from the parts bike....


Dangit! Another part that will have to be purchased :/

such is life i suppose!

Gonna have to deal with this little un-mentioned present from the PO



There's 'some' threads in there, so he had just partially threaded another stud into it. Seems to have worked, but if i could get the rest of it out i would feel much better about it. I drenched it in some kroil so hopefully between that, a torch, and some drill and extractor bits, she'll come out for me.

Then, I went to pull the front brake in its entirety off the bike to rebuild the caliper and mc, but cannot get the upper brake hose support/mount bolt to budge because of its awkward/cramped placement.


So what i was wondering, is how do i remove the front yamaha trim piece? I cant seem to figure it out easily, so i figured instead of spending time and getting frustrated and the possibility of breaking it, i would just ask you guys!

So that's where i am in this adventure, chain and sprockets are in the mail along with the steering bearings, and the tires are waiting at the shop, so things are in place to start cookin' once i have the time to do it!

Hope the pictures wern't too much, if so just let me know and I can tone it down a bit

 

[Spad]

Mtnbikecrazy, Fabulous post, with great pictures, you have solved a small problem for me, fuse box set up....The reason the stalks are shorter is you get to lean further in the corners, just have to remember which side has the short stalk...Jim is a priceless cat I can see. Sorry at this moment can't help with the brake line problem..Will look though. Again,wonderful pictures and really like them...Spad

 

[xschris]

You have to remove the top yoke of the trees and then slide to headlight ears off to remove the yamaha emblem. Great progress

 

[mtnbikecrazy55]

Mtnbikecrazy, Fabulous post, with great pictures, you have solved a small problem for me, fuse box set up....The reason the stalks are shorter is you get to lean further in the corners, just have to remember which side has the short stalk...Jim is a priceless cat I can see. Sorry at this moment can't help with the brake line problem..Will look though. Again,wonderful pictures and really like them...Spad

Glad to have been able to help!

Priceless indeed! Any cat who has ridden a motorcycle 2500 miles across the country on a motorcycle and keeps me company in the garage while working on projects is a keeper no doubt

You have to remove the top yoke of the trees and then slide to headlight ears off to remove the yamaha emblem. Great progress

Thanks! awfully silly the way that was designed i do think, but oh well, I'll have the front end all apart anyway soon enough when i do the steering bearings and all that jazz.

 

[xschris]

Glad to have been able to help!

Priceless indeed! Any cat who has ridden a motorcycle 2500 miles across the country on a motorcycle and keeps me company in the garage while working on projects is a keeper no doubt

That's more miles than most people ride

 

[mtnbikecrazy55]

Couple more Q's!

1. Where to buy the fork dust boots?
- Or suggestions for cool looking gators, if anyone has a picture of some they have on theirs and where they got them from?

2. Replacement fork springs?
- I put in a set of new Progressive Suspension springs in my maxim and it made a world of difference in improving handling and stability, as well as minimizing brake dive. IIRC they were less than 70$ and was money very well spent - Perhaps even more of a noticeable improvement than the 300$ Progressive rears I later installed as well.

But I digress, on the progressive site, i see none listed for the bike:
http://www.progressivesuspension.com/prodSearchResults.aspx?yearID=1981&makeID=48&modelID=992

So if anyone has replaced theirs, what springs did you end up going with and how were they?

I'll be replacing the fork oil to 15wt as i did on my maxim as well (OEM recommendation being 10wt) but new oil wont cure the saggy, tuckered out springs that are in there currently.

Anyone know the oil capacity as well? (fork oil)

Thanks much for everything!

 

[mtnbikecrazy55]

That's more miles than most people ride

haha true!

He's been wanting to get more miles in the saddle himself as well

 

[willem]

Can't help you on those Q's, but I'd really like to know a bit more about your cat-on-the-back setup there? Was there any space for the cat to move inside that box? Seems really awesome to have your cat travel with you.

Thanks for all the nice pics! We need more threads like these

Edit: hold on, I see now that the cat was sitting on top of your luggage? attached with a harness or something?

 

[mtnbikecrazy55]

But yeah, he's the coolest cat ever -

This being from when my sister came to visit and I replaced a leaking(well more like gushing, lol) coolant flange on her Jetta.

 

[Lou Ranger]

Very cool cat. We used to have one that would follow us like a dog on walks - complaining all the time but sticking with us all the way - even up and down a beach with waves lapping. I doubt he would have consented to a bike ride though - lol.

... suggestions for cool looking gators, if anyone has a picture of some they have on theirs and where they got them from?

16VGTIDave may chime in later as I know he made a set for his Maxim (I forget the details though - sorry) and they looked terrific.

... Anyone know the oil capacity as well? (fork oil)

The capacities for the bikes are listed in the routine maintenance sections of the manuals which you can download from the 2nd thread in the GARAGE section. N.B. - the dohc and sohc capacities are different.
Also, if you install new springs which are in any way different from original spec, will they not take up a different volume ("Eureka")* and thereby change the volume of fork oil required? I assume that stronger springs will involve either thicker coils or more coils for a given length.

* Archimedes (225 BC)

 

[mtnbikecrazy55]

Can't help you on those Q's, but I'd really like to know a bit more about your cat-on-the-back setup there? Was there any space for the cat to move inside that box? Seems really awesome to have your cat travel with you.

Thanks for all the nice pics! We need more threads like these

Edit: hold on, I see now that the cat was sitting on top of your luggage? attached with a harness or something?

Awesome it is indeed! Its kind of a longer story, but for those willing to read, here it goes:

My departing statement that I wrote on the XJ forum:

So, long story short, there was a trip planned to go to an indian reservation in south dakota to build homes and work within the community as an option to fulfill one of two practicum requirements for the program I'm in at school. Thing was, that they wanted 2100$ to do so. I couldn't afford to go, so i opted out, having already done a good amount of traveling out west and seen the 'touristy' places they were also planning to go, as it was only two weeks long, one week sightseeing the badlands/mt rushmore/etc, and only spending the second week on the reservation.

But sitting at home yesterday, I saw a picture that a friend posted on facebook of the view on I-90, heading into the city of Chamberlain, overlooking a beautiful valley in South Dakota. This reminded me of all the yearly trips west that we took as a family growing up, my dad always saving all of his vacation for the year, and our family packing down and piling into the station wagon to head west, with not a single destination in mind, merely finding cool places along the way as we went for 3 weeks or as funds allowed. (one year made it to the oregon coast and back for 800$) A couple years after my sister moved away for school, and due to everyones schedules getting ever so complicated as she and i were at a new stage in our lives, we stopped going on our trips west.

The first year that we didn't travel west as a family which was the summer after graduating high school, I instead took a trip out to colorado with one of my best friends having a similar disposition; not having a route or plans other than making it to a mtn bike race in colorado at one point in the trip. These trips have continued annually every summer since, a nice time spent together as he now attends school out in CO. Anyway, because the last semesters were so intense at school, i wasn't able to save up any money to travel with, and made the saddening decision to stay living and working in the city that i'm attending school in, and accepted the fact that this was the summer that i had to stop frolicking around the country in summer and start working a normal job. (previously would do short but intense bouts of random work for people, roofing, construction, etc.)

So while sitting on the couch in the house that i was to be living in, i saw this picture pop up on my facebook newsfeed. It instantly triggered memories of travels west, and I knew i just had to figure out a way to get out there. Although i knew i wouldn't receive school credit, i felt an urge to just go and volunteer just to go and offer my skills. I went down to the gulf coast a few times to help rebuild houses after Katrina, and it being a while since then, i had the itch to again help build some houses as well as simply wanting to travel west. The room that I'll be moving into isn't going to be open for another 10 days so I'm just sleeping on the couch anyway, and i haven't started paying rent yet either obviously, so I figured it would be the perfect opportunity. I then calculated that by taking the bike, it being only 1400 miles or so round trip, it would cost less than $150 in gas and i would just pitch my tent and bring what food i could find around the house and cook it on my backpacking stove.

I then immediately sent an email to the charity, asking just where exactly the reservation was in SD, and just letting them know of my plans and such.

I stayed up late last night working on the bike, checked/adjusted the valves, all were good except one, and i had a spare 265 that was needed so she's good to go now. I changed the oil last night as well, but will most likely need to stop and change it along the way as well as it will be 4k miles at least.

I threw on the luggage rack and threw some things in a duffel bag and trunk, packed lightly bringing only the necessities. It should be a fun trip. Totally spur of the moment, as most of my trips are. Traveling is nothing new to me, so no worries there, I plan on just knocking on doors and sleeping in peoples backyards for the most part, along with a park here and there if they're free.

Well, I woke ready to skip town, but when i opened the email received back from the charities president, i was dumbfounded. His reply to me pretty much said that I was not welcome on the reservation, and that it wouldn't be fair for the others on the trip if i were to just show up on my own. I was shocked, i mean what kind of charity organization denies willing offers to volunteer? So i decided to go anyway, finding what i guessed/hoped to be the reservation literally by satellite/google earth images. When I considered the reality of me showing up just for him to tell me to leave, the idea came to me of just continuing onward west, towards the california coast and seeing where i end up as I've never been there before, rather only to washington and oregon.

I have hardly any money, and odds are that i'll have to stop places along the way and do some temp work, or stop at farms and ask if they have any work, but thats cool, no biggie there.

I'm thinking just a couple weeks, maybe 3, maybe more, and wherever i end up i end up. I don't really have anywhere in mind, headed towards the coast, but exactly where who knows.

SO, if any of you are somewhere between wisconsin and cali, somewhat along I=90, and dont mind me camping in your backyard, that would be way rad! Just post in this thread where you are and shoot me an email or text with your number, and if im nearby and needing somewhere to sleep, I'll give you a jingle and i'd totally be appreciative of pitching a tent in your backyard!

Thanks much and happy riding! I'll throw some pics up along the way as long as my phone has service!

Ride on! 8)

Chris

 

[mtnbikecrazy55]

So off I went, stopped in a city 2 hours out to pick up an atlas, and after riding 15 hours straight minus stopping for gas and to stretch the legs, most of which was spent riding in the rain, by some magical way I found the reservation. I decided that my own ego wasn't worth proving it to the president that I had come anyway, so instead i parked by our school's vans and started writing a short note to my friends just saying hi and that i stopped by, which i was going to just stick under one of the windshield wipers for someone to find later.

But within seconds of pulling up and shutting my bike off, a swarm of maybe 10 children appeared out of nowhere and surrounded me and my bike, just so fascinated by seeing a motorcycle. i talked to them and showed them some things on the bike and let a few sit on it even, because it was just so cool to see how excited they were about it. A few minutes later, a staff member of the org came out and asked who i was and all that jazz. I told her i was just stopping through on my west, just to leave a note as i didn't want to step on the presidents toes and have my actions negatively reflect on the school. She kept insisting that i come inside as it was cold and drizzling out, but i politely declined three times. the fourth time, i straight up told her that bryan (the president) asked me to not show up, that being my reason for not wanting to come in. She kept insisting, and finally i just said fine, and went inside the building with her. Bryan instantly stormed up to me as soon he saw me and then went on to yell at me for "tainting his reputation which he worked so hard to gain" by telling the kids that he did not want me to show up on the reservation. (I was confused and just let him tear at me, as in the moment i hadn't thought i told the kids that because what would be the reason for doing to, but 100 miles down the road i realized what must have happened was that they overheard me telling the staff member the actual situation after trying to decline her invitations to come inside). Anyways, after getting chewed out real good, i left and continued west along my journey.

(I have since found out that what he is doing is basically 'poverty tourism'. When I asked him why it would be unfair to my friends that I came own, he replied along the lines of because people cannot start getting the idea that they can just show up here and have this experience for free and that the other students on the trip paid to have this experience. Sickening, especially after looking up the public financial/tax records after returning home, and seeing that his salary and living/travel compensation is more than 130k..... So much for being a "non-profit)

 

[mtnbikecrazy55]

ANYWAY, to continue:

Solely because of the kindness of strangers, I made my way across the country and back, through total kindness of meeting then strangers/now friends who opened up their hearts and homes to give me beds to sleep in, hot meals to eat, and fantastic conversations shared. I spent more nights sleeping in peoples homes and eating hot home cooked meals, than i did sleeping in my tent and eating canned corn doused in franks hot sauce. When I left home, I had literally less than 40$ in my bank account - but knew I had a job waiting for me at the shop I work at now lined up for whenever I returned. So besides gas, which I charged all to my card, and a new tire that I bought out of necessity in washington after hitting cords, I ended up spending only $4 over the entire month I was on the road. 2$ for fresh apricots from a roadside display in washington state, and 2$ for a loaf of day old frozen bread from a small family bakery on hwy 101 on the oregon coast.

As I could go on and on about the people I met and the places i discovered, and because the inquiry was only about my cat and not my trip, I'll just share that part of the journey as I typed this up for the XJ forum as well:

Made the trek from Cali to Colorado and am staying at my buddies place for a couple days before heading back home.

Made the 1000 mile trek in one shot and have just over 1000 miles left to go so its a nice halfway point as well.

But now that i have a computer to use i can fill you guys in a little more on the cat

He's actually sitting right here helping me type this



So, how the cat came to be, i was headed down the 101 in northern california and was looking for a place to pitch my tent for free as it was getting later in the day.

I stopped at a beach and asked these people sitting on the beach if they were local and knew of any place that was free to stay. We ended up talking for hours about all sorts of things and the lady offered her living room floor to sleep on and that she would fix me a hot meal, to which i graciously accepted.

When we got to her house, there were two cats there to greet us, this being one of them. What happened, is he used to be the neighbors, but they would abuse him and concurrently their kids would hit him, and eventually they just let him go because they didn't want to take care of him anymore since he was no longer a tiny kitten.

Roxanne(the lady who took me in) wanted to take him in herself, but her cat was clearly not a fan of no longer being the only cat in the house, as well as having the expense of another cat just wasn't in the cards at the time. She was however feeding him and letting him sleep inside while trying to find him a forever home.

I ended up sticking around the next day helping her move some things around in her house as she had just moved in a few months ago and due to some health issues she was only supposed to only lift things 10lbs or less.

I have always loved cats, have had them all throughout growing up and have some back home at my folks place, but since going to school and living on my own i have been cat less, besides frequently going to the humane society to pet them

I just had been waiting for the right time to adopt one, s its a big responsibility, both time wise and financially. I like doing things spur of the moment(this trip being an example) and love to travel, so i've always thought it would be best to wait a bit more.

But this cat stole my heart and I couldn't leave him behind. Plus, if he's cool to ride 3000 miles across the country on a motorcycle, I'm sure moving around wont be an issue. I have tons of friends who would help me if i ever needed a cat sitter, as well as roommates.

So i emptied out my trunk, put in it his favorite blanket, and took him on a little test ride to see how he would react. At first i went slow, making sure to turn slowly and not lean too much. But then i realized that I wouldn't be riding home like such, as there were winding mountain passes ahead to be ridden over! So twist went the wrist, blasted through some twisties, dug into the corners, buried the needle, and gave him a taste of what the ride home would truly be like. I figured that if he hated it, i would have left him there as it wouldn't be worth traumatizing him putting him through that all the way home.

When i got back to roxanne's home and opened the lid, to my surprise, he was laying down, purring away. It blew my mind, haha.

I think what may have had something to do with it is him having lived right on hwy 101, which has tons of motorcycle traffic on it. The house/apartment that i stayed in with roxanne was actually the old barracks that the workers who BUILT hwy 101 through the redwoods had lived in during the construction of the highway. That was a cool part of history to experience as well, pretty wild how it all came to be.

So anyway, the next day, i repacked all my stuff, left with a bag of food, a water cup for him, and with the cat in my trunk, i headed to the next town in search of a cabinet shop. I found one, popped in, and asked if i could borrow a hole saw. The guy was super chill, and hooked me up with a drill and a 2" blade, and in a short second i turned my trunk into a kitty carrier, haha.

The holes are plenty big, lots of air to keep him cool, and he can stick his nose and see out of them, but no worry of him falling out.

Back on the road we went, and i stopped 50 miles later, to find him still laying, happily purring away. He's seriously the chillest cat ever, which is surprising after what all he went through being abused and all.

That day was just a few hundred miles, and that night he slept with me in my tent, happy as can be.

- Which is super crazy, as i was considering riding through the night, and would have been RIGHT where that crash was on I-80 a couple days ago - 27 cars, one dead, crazy stuff-

Anyway, we hit the road the next day, and he stayed calm and chill the whole time. I decided to ride through the night and so we rolled into ft. collins yesterday morning, just over 1000 miles later. He was still in good spirits, still purring when i pulled in the driveway. just blows my mind!

I let him out when i fill up and he just sits on my bike and watches me, so so adorable.

So yeah! Thats the story of my kitty and how he came to be, i would find a person hard pressed to say his box is inhumane treatment, when inside the trunk is a purring happy kitty, so I know he's not uncomfortable in there.

Its been such an adventure, such a great time!

Here's some more pictures, haha

Happily sleeping in the tent:


He tried convincing me to let him drive....


At his fueling perch:


Took him into my buddies work and he passed out on the workbench


haha


He likes to sleep alot, but this was from when he was recovering from spending 1000 miles on the road:


Headed home saturday or sunday, then he'll be home for good!

More to come later, and other trip stories and pictures, not just cat updates, haha.

Chris

 

[mtnbikecrazy55]

So that's the story of how I found my favorite furry traveling companion. His name's Jim because over the span of a month that I was on the road, I met and had conversations with that i will never forget - seven people named Jim. Two of which i feel are worth mentioning - One was the man that was with roxanne at the beach in cali, who shared with me some of his life story that I will never forget, who has since actually passed away, and so grateful am i for the opportunity to have met and talked with him. The second was a man i met at a small gas station while getting blissfully off-course in washington state, after realizing I missed a turn and took what ended up being a 200 mile scenic route in the wrong direction, but was ever so worth it, as the roads seemed paved by heavens rays - smooth, winding, pinned mountain roads around mt. st helens. Anyway, I was fueling up and the fellow rider on the other side of the pump noticed I was riding an older bike like he was(79 Honda 400 iirc). We got to talking, and ended up talking for a good hour or so, him telling me about all the old bikes that he had owned in the past that he wished he still had, and all sorts of other stuff. So easy would it have been to say i had to continue on my way, but i find talking to people and hearing their stories interesting, and i had nowhere to be anyway. Nearing the end of our conversation, he asked where i was riding, and so i told him I wasn't really sure, just headed west until i hit the ocean, wherever the road took me. After answering, i then asked him where he was riding, and he then told me he was on a "quit cryin' ride" and went on to say that his twin brother of only 43 years old passed away that morning. He then thanked me for taking the time to talk to him, to listen, and how much he appreciated me stopping and just being there. It was pretty touching, and yet just another reminder that sometimes taking the time out of your seemingly busy day to talk to someone, can mean more to the person than you could ever know. I had a picture that we took of us and our bikes, but sadly it was lost in a technological malfunction He has one on his camera too, but I only know him as "Jim from the middle of the washington mountains." and have no way to ever find him again.

But yeah, that is the story of my summer, my cat, and a mere sliver of my travels.

Its crazy to think of the chain of events that led me to where I am today in life though -
- saw picture on facebook that gave me the idea to travel west
- got denied the ability to volunteer with my friends
- had the spark of an idea to just keep going west
- met so many incredible people, many of which fed me and put a roof over my head
- was put up for 5 days on an old washington homestead by badass couple in their seventies while waiting for a new tire to be shipped to their house because the same tire was uber expensive locally and so they took me in like a son of their own.
- met so many others that i wish i had the time to type about, but maybe i will later.

But i lost track of the original idea i had meant to say - the chain of events that made my current life possible today -

- saw single picture posted by a friend on facebook that gave me the idea to travel west, as if the picture had never been posted none of this would have happened.
- got denied the ability to volunteer with my friends, as if i would have been able to, i would have never thought of just continuing west.
- was taken in and supported by the kindness of complete strangers which allowed me food to eat and places to sleep
- just so happened to choose a random, one of hundreds of beaches along the pacific coast on highway 101
- Jim(the mad at the beach) just so happened to ask Roxanne if she would want to go down to the beach that day
- They ended up going to the same beach as I did, within the same time frame
- Jim(cat) was abused and being fed by Roxanne
- Jim(cat) likes motorcycle rides

Now to get even crazier....

- After I returned home, a friend whom i rarely ever see randomly came by to meet Jim, and along with her was the guy that she was seeing at the time's new roommate who had just moved to town and knew nobody(Sophie).
- I offered to show Sophie around town as my friend was taking a big workload of summer classes
- We ended up becoming good friends
- anddddddd then started dating

She's super rad, and loves going on rides.

Sophie had the idea of going to D.C. to visit her best friend who recently moved there for an internship/job.

I thought, hey why not take the bike?

She was all game

So the first weekend in october, we took the bike to D.C...

2000 miles, one weekend...

Left late thursday night... Stopped to nap only in subways/mcdonalds booths, and in the grass at rest stops..

arrived in D.C saturday at 5:00pm...

showered... went and walked around the monuments and such from 7-9...



had a nice dinner... i passed out on the couch at 10....

Woke up at 11.... left at noon....

Rode some incredible mountain roads in W. Virginia ...more naps in rest stop grasses.... passed out and slept on the sidewalk in front of a travel plaza once..

hit huge storm with a hail advisory......

Parked the bike under cover of a gas station... slept in the booth of the connected 24hr mcdonalds....

left in the a.m. ....made it the rest of the way home.... arrived back home tuesday morning....

2000+ miles later.... 80 hours later.... with one night of legitimate sleep...

Although she got tuckered out along the way...

And she was still smiling when we got home

And alas, all of this being possible......

Because of one single picture on facebook...

Pretty neat huh?

I'll end with this

 

[ratrodder69]

Awesome story I'm a big fan of the furry guys now if you could just teach him to bark at strangers he'd be perfect!!!

Posted via Mobile

 

[xschris]

What a long strange trip it has been.

 

[16VGTIDave]

16VGTIDave may chime in later as I know he made a set for his Maxim (I forget the details though - sorry) and they looked terrific.

Thanks LR! I didn't make them though. I bought them from a local shop, A Vicious Cycle. They are aftermarket replacements intended for a Kawasaki KLR650. They were inexpensive and fit well, though they are a bit long so the lower pleats bunch up. I am more interested in function than form, and they have done what I wanted them to do - keep the bugs and stones off the forks while hiding shiny metal.