Manky Monkey Motors

Well, it's finished!

I quickly abandoned my home-made sissy-bar as I don't have any fabrication skills and i couldn't figure out a way to do it so it looked good on the bike and would be quick release...

But while browing the net I found a picture of the Kuryakyn Raptor bar and thought it looked awesome.

BUT... the Raptor bar isn't made for Kawasakis... Kuryakyn don't make any brackets for it that fit the Vulcan range, so I had to get a friend to contact a fabricator he knows to help me out.
Well the friend was very slow in contacting the fabricator, but eventually we arranged a day to meet up and discuss the brackets i needed etc. I took the day off work to meet this guy (as he only works Monday and Tuesday), took the bike along with the Raptor bar, and he got measuring and drawing.
We used reference photos of the OEM Kawasaki sissybar bracket, he made measurements, did some drawings and then said he had other things to do but would get to work on my brackets ASAP.... i was a little annoyed i took a day off work for the 20 mins he spent measuring etc, but i trusted him.

That was 3-4 weeks ago, and I've been busy since so was only able to go pick up the brackets on Wednesday. They looked awesome and everything was going great until i tried to bolt them to my bike...
... the vertical posts weren't tall enough, so the part which holds the sissy-bar itself were touching and scratching the plastic rear bumper!
I called him to express my complaint that I spent a day off work so he could take all the correct measurements, and he'd kinda rushed the job before going to do other things, and he apologied but said the best way to make them fit would be to leave my bike with them for the day.
Well they work about 40 mins from where i live and over these specific days there was the tube strike, so getting there and back on my own was no mean feat, but I went as passenger on Dad's VFR (for the first time) after dropping the bike off that night; and then went with him again to pick it up the next day (yesterday) when they called to say it was done.

And wow. It's perfect.

BUT
I was riding home with it on and heard a clunk, so i stop and turn around to figure out what the noise was. He'd obviously only hand-tightened the screws that hold the pad on to the bar itself (the pad's removeable)... and it had fallen off while i was riding! Thankfully, the pad was fine, and the little securing plate was fine, and i found one of the screws that hold the pad in... but the other screw must have dropped out at any point after leaving the shop... so i now have to contact Kuryakyn to try and get a replacement screw... *sigh*

Anyway, here's some pics of it fitted. Sorry the bike's filfthy, it was raining when i had to go out on it and haven't got round to cleaning it yet.
And our bathroom is being refurnished, so lots of crap in the garage.

Thanks for all your help with the hypothetical designing of the quick-detatch sissy bar.

(http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q95/steve_cky_uk/CIMG2705.jpg)
(http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q95/steve_cky_uk/CIMG2706.jpg)(http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q95/steve_cky_uk/CIMG2707.jpg)
(http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q95/steve_cky_uk/CIMG2713.jpg)
(http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q95/steve_cky_uk/CIMG2715.jpg)(http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q95/steve_cky_uk/CIMG2716.jpg)
(http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q95/steve_cky_uk/CIMG2719.jpg)(http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q95/steve_cky_uk/CIMG2720.jpg)
(http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q95/steve_cky_uk/CIMG2722.jpg)(http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q95/steve_cky_uk/CIMG2726.jpg)

Nice.

Unusual pad. So is it strong enough to support your good lady &/or luggage?

well i won't be putting a luggage rack on it, but the brackets are made from the same stuff that manufacturer's brackets are made from....
don't see why it shouldn't be strong enough....  ??? :-\

Wasn't criticising, honest  ;D Must admit I've never been a cissy bar man myself -cissy, yes, but I don't drink, so don't go into bars. It looks great mate.

 ;D
muchas gracias.
i just wish it was something i could have done myself :( woulda been more fun.