| The Big
Cee Shark Fin is a well machined rotor protector that
is a must-have for people who do any amount of
trail riding, and a should-have for everybody.
Compare the price of a rotor to that of the inexpensive
Shark Fin and you'll see what I mean.
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| Dr. Chris Krok
of Big Cee Engineering,
creator of the one and only KLR
FAQ, has done an extraordinary job of designing and
fabricating the Shark Fin. It bolted up perfectly, and
is solidly installed using his mounting instructions.
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| Chris provides
excellent instructions, and a diagram with the Shark Fin.
This is just an expansion of that information, mostly
to provide the following pictures. Each picture will be
ABOVE it's accompanying text. |
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| The
picture above shows what you'll get with your order of
a Shark Fin. There are written instructions on one side
of the document, (shown), and a diagram on the other.
The fasteners were in a sealed envelope, and the fin was
wrapped in protective paper. It arrived in a padded mailing
bag. |
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| The
picture above shows the rear wheel in the process of being
removed. I like to loosen the axle nut with the bike on
the ground, and then jack it up. (That's my Sears
Craftsman Bike / ATV lift that I got on sale through the
Craftsman Club for $89.00!) Nothing special here,
just loosen the axle nut, loosen the adjusting nuts on
the swingarm ends, push the wheel forward as far as you
can, pull out the axle bolt and lower the wheel to the
ground, take the chain off the sprocket and take out the
wheel. |
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| The
picture above shows the inside of the Shark Fin, which
is mounted on the swingarm. The flat side of the fin faces
the rotor, the milled side faces out. Perinstructions,
install but don't tighten down the two blue bolts. Don't
forget the lockwashers, and be sure to use a locking agent,
such as Loctite. |
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| The
picture above shows the outside of the Shark Fin. The
block, included with the kit, has a flat side and a beveled
side. Looking forward from the rear of the bike, the flat
side of the block is down, and the thickest
/ widest part is facing out. (See the
picture below.) |
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| In
the picture above, I'm trying to show the bevel and direction
of the reinforcing block. When it's correctly installed,
there is no gap or space between it and the axle carrier
on the swingarm. When you're sure of how the block should
go on, apply Loctite to the three silver bolts, and fully
tighten them down. Make sure that the reinforcing block
is snug against the axle carrier, and, remembering the
lock washers and Loctite, tighten down the two blue screws.
The Shark fin is installed!
Before you re-install
the wheel, now would be a good time get some grease into
the rear wheel bearings, and maybe even (Shudder),
clean things up back there. The procedure for re-installing
the wheel is simply the reverse of removing it, but be
absolutely sure you haven't left off or knocked off the
rear wheel spacers -
make sure that all the parts that came off, are going
back on!
When you re-install
and adjust your chain, remember that it shouldn't be too
tight. You can use the string
alignment procedure or whatever method works
best for you. Be
sure to sit on the bike, and reach down to test the tightness
of the chain.
A loose chain without weight on the saddle can
become as tight as a piano wire with someone seated on
the bike. |
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| The
picture above shows the "finished product."
It was a completely painless job, due in large part to
the precision machining. I guess from wheel off to wheel
back on, it took about 40 minutes, and about 15 of that
was looking for my glasses, without which I couldn't tell
the beveled side of the block from the flat side... (Yup,
it IS tough getting old!)
Just for the record,
the rear tire isn't showing enormous chicken strips. I
took my own suggestion and cleaned up the rim and rubber.
The dirt is from rolling the bike around in the garage,
not road use. (Grin) |
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