3/8/2004
$8.00 GL1800 Belly Pan
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There has been discussion regarding damage to the underbelly of the GL1800. Most of the potential is due to debris kicked up by the front tire. Several cases of metal angle iron or large rocks smashing into the oil filter or even punching a hole in the oil pan / crank case.
It appears covering the lower part of the engine with a skid pan would deflect or absorb the impact rather than sacrifice a major engine component. Commercial pans run $60.00 or more however I work for free, have a welder and like to build things so.............
My plan was to pickup some aluminum diamond plate and construct one out of that. The only problem is the aluminum 12"x18"x 1/8" plate at Menards was $20.00 and steel was $7.00. After little thought I decided not only is steel cheaper but also stronger and easier to weld. Steel plate it is.
(1)First step was to cut off 6" of the plate with my small edge grinder. I now had a 12" square piece of stock to work with. I made a mild bend down the middle by laying it over the edge of a 2x6 and bearing down on it. I then rounded off the outer edges so they would lay tight on the exhaust headers. Also shaped the 6" piece I cut off and attached it to the 12" square with three 1/4" bolts (2) I welded the bolt head to the larger piece of stock.
I used two 1" pipe clamps to bolt the pan to the exhaust headers (3) Also the front of the pan was shaped to fit into the front cowl assembly. More shaping on the front section to get a good fit ( 4-5)
1/4' bolts welded to the pipe clamps and the proper holes drilled (3) I was able to get the unit bolted in place pretty quickly.
The whole thing fit pretty good on the first try and snugged up very tightly to the pipes and engine. I made the unit in 2 pieces so the front could easily be removed for oil changes.
The entire project took about an hour start to finish - usually things don't go that well.
Finishing touch will be to mask off the painted Tupperware and coat the pan with rubberized undercoat. This will make it look good (although you can't see it without standing on your head) and protect it from rust and rocks.
I ground off all the bolts flush with the nuts so nothing hangs down more than 3/16"
My main concern was to protect the oil filter and under belly - well covered in that area.
NOTE: It's been over a year and the pan is in use with a few added nicks. I have notice nothing related to heat, smell or anything like that. In fact after a good ride you can reach under and hold your hand on the pan which tells me the air entering the cowl area and under the pan keeps it pretty cool. The only drawback is this pan does not help in side winds, I don't possess the secret ingredients for side windage.
Another Project comes to a close.