This is wild. Some of the most precision shit in life is magnificently simple. Motorsport makes this popular tour-pak rack from a ¼-inch plate of billet aluminum, the masters of billet wheels, but I’ll touch on them in a minute.
The slab of T-6 or 6061 aluminum is billet-machined and then pressed to contour stock H-D Tour-Pak lids. This was the boss’s notion. Ron Loynds owned several manufacturing facilities for decades, and now he’s making products around a sport he enjoys, motorcycling. In fact, this is his bike. Ron’s companies are capable of building almost anything. Since I met him, with longtime associate, Kim Hotinger, I’ve sent them a couple of guys who needed their product notions manufactured in the United States. Actually Ron built bike parts since he tinkered with his first bike, a Mustang, at the age of 15, while working at his dad’s machine shop. In the ’70s he designed and manufactured springers for Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s trikes. He continued to work with Roth throughout the ’70s, and various other builders, such as Matt Hotch, currently, while making parts for the aerospace industry. Recently he started helping custom car wheel manufacturer, MHT, build motorcycle wheels. The car guys decided to unload their Metalsport wheel line and Ron jumped on it.
They make an extensive line of 2D and 3D wheels, plus clear wheels like this one. They currently build Chip Foose-designed wheels, and private-label wheels for Custom Chrome and J&P. In the near future we will examine the difference between 2D and 3D wheels and some cheaters called 2.5D wheels.
Ron’s front wheel center is 1-inch thick Lexan and clear as a bell. He’s also working with 360 brakes and building components for these revolutionary stopping systems. Ron’s dresser has dual 360 brakes mounted up front, similar to airplane brakes.
Unlike wheels involving a myriad of sizes, applications, axle sizes, tire dimensions, and multiple configurations, these racks come in one size, one configuration, one application, and one easy way to mount. The product may be built behind highly complicated machining process, but after Ron found the finest quality chromer in Los Angeles, and manufactured the stand-offs, the customer is faced with the easiest install on the planet.
Next, Ron plans to make luggage racks for saddlebag lids, and fender racks.
“The saddlebag lid racks are in the programming stage right now,” said Kim Hottinger.
So what the hell did we do? We rolled over to Fullerton Harley-Davidson to ensure that a factory-trained and experienced technician would handle the install. Matt has a 12-year career rolling with Fullerton. He’s been installing Metalsport billet luggage racks on dressers since Ron introduced the lightweight item. Often, trained mechanics, who perform a given function thousands of times, make a process look easy. In this case, there were no special tools; but just one.
Plus, if your bike has a tour pack lid rack, it’s simply a matter of taking it off and installing the Metalsport rack. It comes with all the necessary fasteners and standoff spacers. Let’s get to the slippery meat of this chromed business.
If your bike has a tour-pak antenna, open the lid and measure how close the lid gets to the antenna as it swings past. Write the measurement down.
If you don’t currently have a tour-pak rack, put masking tape on the underside of the rack everywhere the rack might come in contact with the lid paint.
Position the rack on top of the tour-pak. Center the rack side-to-side. Position the rack front-to-rear, making sure that it isn’t too far forward and contacts the passenger. If your bike has a tour-pak antenna, make sure that the back edge of the rack isn’t too far back, or it will hit the antenna when you open the lid. Make sure that the Motorsport rack isn’t rearward past the back edge of the lid, more than the measurement you wrote down, minus ½-inch for added clearance.
Once you’ve determined the position, raise the Metalsport rack and place masking tape where you will drill the four holes. Reposition the rack on the lid and mark the Metalsport rack hole centers on the tape. Remove the rack.
The marks you just made are not accurate for drilling. The stand-offs need to be at an angle to the rack or they won’t stand flat on the top of the lid. This means marking new centers. See the diagram supplied with the instructions.
The two rear marks need to be moved 1/16th- in. forward, and 1/16-in. toward the center of the lid from each original mark.
The two front marks need to be moved 1/16-in. toward the center of the Tour-Pak lid from the original mark.
Drill ¼-in. holes through the new marks. Remove all of the masking tape from the lid.
Carefully mount the Motorsport rack to the lid with a rubber washer under each standoff and a metal washer between the inside of the lid and each locknut. Matt used a tiny drop of super-glue to hold the standoff washers in place during assembly.
Matt also noted that one of the fasteners on the bottom of some models is designed for a taillight wire.
Matt installed the rack with Loctite but just snug. Then he shut the lid and made sure the Metalsport rack was positioned perfectly. Then he tightened it down.
That’s it. I’ve used Pledge for years to polish chrome. It’s non-abrasive and protects areas you can’t reach with a rag. Okay goddamnit, was that simple or what?
http://www.metalsportwheels.com/
