Hugger: bugger!
Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2009 9:51 pm
When I got my '97 TRX over a year ago it was like new. It had done only 1,000 miles in eleven years and had then been kept in a garage and polished! Eager to keep the bike in mint condition, I fitted a front "fender-extender", to keep crap off the engine, and a Pyramid glassfibre hugger, to keep the back end clean.
But I've been thinking! If, perversely, you wanted to fit a device to a bike that would channel rain water and grit and road crap onto your chain, how would you do it? Answer: fit a hugger!!
Because, when you fit a hugger, you have to remove the chain guard that protects the top run of the chain from all the road gunge; whereas a hugger has no "wall" separating the chain from the tyre. So the gunge, while being kept away from the rear shock and suspension linkage (good!), is instead directed partly at the chain (terrible!).
I don't know why this design fault hasn't occurred to me before. So what I reckon I'll do is remove the hugger and Araldite (or pop-rivet) a "wall" between the tyre and the chain. Then the hugger will be doing its job properly, and the chain should once more be protected from the road grit.
But I've been thinking! If, perversely, you wanted to fit a device to a bike that would channel rain water and grit and road crap onto your chain, how would you do it? Answer: fit a hugger!!
Because, when you fit a hugger, you have to remove the chain guard that protects the top run of the chain from all the road gunge; whereas a hugger has no "wall" separating the chain from the tyre. So the gunge, while being kept away from the rear shock and suspension linkage (good!), is instead directed partly at the chain (terrible!).
I don't know why this design fault hasn't occurred to me before. So what I reckon I'll do is remove the hugger and Araldite (or pop-rivet) a "wall" between the tyre and the chain. Then the hugger will be doing its job properly, and the chain should once more be protected from the road grit.
I have a car for rain!!!