Last couple of days, sorting and tidying rear light with the nice big round XS2 lens.
When you move away from stock, just seems there's always issues. One issue - because the round lens is so deep, the retaining screws are barely long enough, and because of the vast distance twixt screw head and the tip, it's almost bloody impossible to engage the screws with the threaded holes in the backplate. After some thought, the solution was to buy some M4 spacers. I remember ones like this holding the timing plate on the Triumph TR6 - see photo below, three are now inside the rear light. And with suitably cut-down screws, it's now easy-peasy to remove and refit the plastic lens.
Second issue - the whole light fitting has become loose and wobbly. Took it apart and found the backplate is so flimsy, the threaded holes for the two mounting bolts are starting to pull through, if you know what I mean, so just tightening the bolts is not going to work. After some more thought, the solution has been to fit two nuts to the outside* of the backplate with JP Weld - gives a much better fitting for the mounting bolts. But means those bolts bottom out too early, before the light unit is snug. After a lot of trying different things, used two plain bolts instead of originals with phat shanks. And to make the skinny new bolts themselves nice and snug in the rubber spacers, cut some short sections of pipe - the untidy bit in the photo is a left-over bit.
*No room to fit them inside due to the reflector plate.
The bolts now tighten up, but the whole unit is further back because of the new nuts. So cut some bits of old inner tube to take up the gap.
We got there eventually, so that's a win.
When you move away from stock, just seems there's always issues. One issue - because the round lens is so deep, the retaining screws are barely long enough, and because of the vast distance twixt screw head and the tip, it's almost bloody impossible to engage the screws with the threaded holes in the backplate. After some thought, the solution was to buy some M4 spacers. I remember ones like this holding the timing plate on the Triumph TR6 - see photo below, three are now inside the rear light. And with suitably cut-down screws, it's now easy-peasy to remove and refit the plastic lens.
Second issue - the whole light fitting has become loose and wobbly. Took it apart and found the backplate is so flimsy, the threaded holes for the two mounting bolts are starting to pull through, if you know what I mean, so just tightening the bolts is not going to work. After some more thought, the solution has been to fit two nuts to the outside* of the backplate with JP Weld - gives a much better fitting for the mounting bolts. But means those bolts bottom out too early, before the light unit is snug. After a lot of trying different things, used two plain bolts instead of originals with phat shanks. And to make the skinny new bolts themselves nice and snug in the rubber spacers, cut some short sections of pipe - the untidy bit in the photo is a left-over bit.
*No room to fit them inside due to the reflector plate.
The bolts now tighten up, but the whole unit is further back because of the new nuts. So cut some bits of old inner tube to take up the gap.
We got there eventually, so that's a win.
