Brammo Owners Forum
Brammo Empulse Discussion => Brammo Empulse Mods => Topic started by: EmpulseRider on March 29, 2014, 08:55:17 AM
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What method is Brammo using to change the color of the battery bracket / clamp parts? Are they anodized?
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Wow! I was just looking into this... :o
I'm starting to get some corrosion spots and thought about painting them. It may be worth a <$25 shot.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003E2AC0E/ref=pe_385040_30332200_pe_309540_26725410_item (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003E2AC0E/ref=pe_385040_30332200_pe_309540_26725410_item)
I also requested a quote via email from this local shop for mirror polish and/or black chrome.
http://www.qualityanodizing.com/index.html (http://www.qualityanodizing.com/index.html)
I really want black chrome but a mirror polished aluminum would look cool too. Maybe at a later date get the rims done as well.
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I'm also getting some specks of rust which I've stopped with working them over with fine steel wool and, using a q-tip, applying some lightweight gun oil. (EEZX). But the oil film does attract dirt.
If the brackets show rust, then they're not aluminum; a magnet sticks to them, so they're ferrous. Therefore they can't be anodized. Maybe some sort of plating?
Powder coating might be an option. I wish they were made of stainless steel.
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Thanks fellas. I guess powder coating it is. I imagine that I should be able to order a set at the local Brammo dealer.
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What method is Brammo using to change the color of the battery bracket / clamp parts? Are they anodized?
The stock battery brackets are a nickel plated steel. The brackets on the Spec32 bike are powder coated in orange and the ones on the TTX race bike are powder coated in neon yellow. I would recommend powder coating as the best/most durable finish.
(http://i393.photobucket.com/albums/pp17/wisdesign/spec32detail8_zpse9163fe8.jpg)
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Unfortunately, you can't hotlink images from smugmug.
(http://i.imgur.com/vf2DzBW.jpg)
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I got the quote back and they estimate about $30.00 each bracket, final price upon inspection, for the mirror polish. I'm not sure if this is a fair price or not? I asked about the triple plated black chrome but no answer yet... I seem to have a black chrome fetish ??? Black chrome brackets with matching wheels ;)
http://classiccomponents.com/services/black-chrome?nggpage=2 (http://classiccomponents.com/services/black-chrome?nggpage=2)
Of course I don't want to be half-ass and put back dirty hardware so either I polish up the hardware I have or buy new?... What is the availability of a titanium bolt set? I seem to remember something mentioned about that somewhere in the forums...
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I've been wanting to steal the TTX brackets ever since I've seen them.
G
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Unfortunately, you can't hotlink images from smugmug.
(http://i.imgur.com/vf2DzBW.jpg)
This would be a very popular color scheme here in Bronco country.
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You could look into Plastidipping them. Pretty durable satin finish, especially for price and is very forgiving application for rattle canning. I did it to my Winter tire rims...no peeling at all and our Winter was horrible this year. I may go this route if my brackets start to pit.
A good place to look for bolts is http://www.probolt-usa.com/. (http://www.probolt-usa.com/.) They got everything you'd need if you know the sizing. They won't be cheap (especially if Ti), but about as good as it gets for bolts.
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plastidip is a great idea. You can even get crazy custom colors now a days. If used in a professional paint gun and not the rattle can, you can get a really nice look.
http://www.gtrlife.com/forums/topic/97822-goodbye-blurplehelloooo-chameleon-gt-r/ (http://www.gtrlife.com/forums/topic/97822-goodbye-blurplehelloooo-chameleon-gt-r/)
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best part about plastidip...is that it's reversible. So can easily go back to the stock look at a future time.
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here is an off the wall alternative.
There is this guy that frequents the GT-R forum that is also the maker of aeromotion track car wings. Guy seems pretty smart and does CFD specific for the car in making the wing.
http://aeromotions.com (http://aeromotions.com)
funny thing is this is the same guy that came out with the 3D carbon fiber printer!
http://uncrate.com/stuff/mark-one-carbon-fiber-3d-printer/ (http://uncrate.com/stuff/mark-one-carbon-fiber-3d-printer/)
here is his post in this thread.
http://www.gtrheritage.com/topic/2075-the-worlds-first-3-d-printer-that-can-print-carbon-fiber/?hl=%2Bprinter#entry26554 (http://www.gtrheritage.com/topic/2075-the-worlds-first-3-d-printer-that-can-print-carbon-fiber/?hl=%2Bprinter#entry26554)
He said it came about in request for making uprights for his wings. With the printer he could quickly prototype and make them...plus since they are one continuous fiber, its super super strong.
How cool would it be to have these battery clamps in 3d printed carbon fiber!
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best part about plastidip...is that it's reversible. So can easily go back to the stock look at a future time.
Yep, Hydrographics is another option. You can get a CF look.
FYI on PlastiDip...if doing a white or lighter colors you'll need more coats. Those appear to peel/scratch easier than the Black/darker colors.
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Unfortunately, you can't hotlink images from smugmug.
You can hotlink the images, but not from an unlisted gallery, apparently. Since I login to our corporate SmugMug account, the images always show for me when I post them. I'll try to be more aware of this in the future. I reposted with a working link.
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Update!
I decided to have the brackets powder coated and try to match the tank color. I found a color extremely close to the Eclipse Black called Cosmic Black. It's so close that it would be hard to really notice any difference...
One problem I'm now having is the hardware. I would hate to go through all this trouble and put the tarnished hardware back on there but the size of the main bolt for the bracket that attaches to the frame is M8x1.25x16. Proboltt-USA.com only has M8x1.25x20. It's only a difference of 4mm in length but it's not the same (Captain Obvious). Also it's a hell of a lot cheaper for aluminum then titanium (again Captain Obvious) but would the aluminum bolts work just as well? One reason I ask is because I can get the aluminum bolts in anodized black which I like but don't want to compromise the integrity (safety) of the bike.
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I would hate to go through all this trouble and put the tarnished hardware back on there but the size of the main bolt for the bracket that attaches to the frame is M8x1.25x16. Proboltt-USA.com only has M8x1.25x20. It's only a difference of 4mm in length but it's not the same (Captain Obvious). Also it's a hell of a lot cheaper for aluminum then titanium (again Captain Obvious) but would the aluminum bolts work just as well? One reason I ask is because I can get the aluminum bolts in anodized black which I like but don't want to compromise the integrity (safety) of the bike.
Disclaimer: Enertia+ rider, not Empulse, so I don't know *exactly* the lay of the land you've got before you. I will caution against mixing metal types in some applications, as it can easily lead to seizing. You can coat some bolts with grease or more appropriately anti-seize, depending on what they're made of, what they're going in to, and how much load bearing they carry and the torque that load would require.
Trying to be useful now :) you're dealing with cap head screws (aka "allen bolts") from the looks of the pix below. Here's a set, not cheap ($12 for 10) but not Ti-priced, either, and I even selected them in stainless, so if you wanted to polish the heads and make them all shiny they'd be good candidates:
http://www.grainger.com/product/Skt-Cap-Screw-6EA24?s_pp=false (http://www.grainger.com/product/Skt-Cap-Screw-6EA24?s_pp=false)
Roughly half the price for a 25 pack in black:
http://www.grainger.com/product/Skt-Cap-Screw-6EA76?s_pp=false (http://www.grainger.com/product/Skt-Cap-Screw-6EA76?s_pp=false)
in both cases I selected to "low" head, which just doesn't stand as tall.
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Well I got it done! What a chore. The powder coat color didn't come out exactly like the sample but it came out pretty good and I'm satisfied. It seems they were a little heavy handed on the metallic coating but they look good... I got the brackets back in just two days so I didn't have time to shop/order new hardware. So I just took a fine wire wheel and cleaned up the factory hardware. It came out really nice... With the brackets blacked out, to me it kind of looks like a stealth fighter. I had a small scratch on the bars by the seat so I had them done as well.
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With the brackets blacked out, to me it kind of looks like a stealth fighter.
Hmmm...