Forming an Aluminum Pipe Guard??

[jayc]

A little off-topic, but I bought a pipe guard for my CR125 to help withstand the New England granite that I so often like to hit. My GasGas 125 has a carbon-fiber guard, and the last time I had a tipover into a rock, the rock punched through the guard like so much tissue paper. I decided that a metal guard was the way to go, and I choose a Moose "Pipe Armor" guard.

It's really beefy - made from aluminum 1/8" stock (which is only 1/32" thinner than the Moose skid plate I got for the same bike), which leads to my problem. I CAN'T BEND THE THING!! The guard is pre-bent cylindrically, which makes it even stiffer longitudally - but the thing has to be bent into a compound 'U' to go around the pipe. I beat it with a hammer a few times with absolutely no effect.

HOW DOES ONE MOUNT THESE THINGS???

One guy I contacted said that he uses the pipe itself as a mandrel, and forms the guard directly over the pipe with hose clamps and a BIG mallet. My CR, however, has the OEM pipe - painted with seams - I'd have to think that forming the guard would destroy the pipe cosmetics, although I think trying to force-form this particular guard would simply collapse the thing. Any suggestions?

JayC

 

[WoodsRider]

Think of it this way... one wrong spill in a New England rock garden is going to screw up the aesthetics of that pipe a whole lot more.

 

[GMP]

Try heating the area to be bent with a MAPP torch and go from there.

 

[skid jackson]

not sure i'm visualising htis right but .... go get some round logs/branches out in the woods, find ones with the same circumferance as the various sections of your pipe use them to beat on the guard with???

 

[asshat]

Just did this a couple of weeks ago. It was a moose. That aluminum is tough stuff. DO NOT beat it with a hammer, especially on the bike you will destroy the flange on the exhaust and dent the S#@t out of the pipe.

First start at the fat end (I did it on the stock gnarly) and figure out roughly where the thing will finish to make full use of it but not a real tight ending bend.

I put a hose clamp on the top about an inch or less down, heat up with a touch and go down a couple of serrations. Put on another clamp. Tighten down, heat below it and keep working down with clamps. After you get a few clamps on you can take off the first or second one and just leapfrog down. You may wind up in areas of tough or tight bends a clamp on each serration.

O.K here is why it worked well and I was able to do in about 1/2 hr. First I used clamps called AWAB. They are not notched through the clamp so the pull really well. I am in the marine field so I just went to stock and grabbed a hand full. The clamps that come with these things are crap. Any quality clamp might work also. but the awabs are great. Second I used a 3/8 battery powered impact gun with a 7mm socket on it (awabs size) to pull the clamp in, other wise it will take a lot longer.
I realize for you this may be too much hassle. I did have every thing within reach so it worked well. I wound up with 4 clamps on it for keeps. My atk also has one and has held well with 3 clamps.
They also make clamps that use a nut and stud instead of a worm drive. These would be good to form it also.

Also a heads up. There are company's that make these pre bent, for not much more money. I know flatlands does, and I am sure I have seen others.
If I did not have the stuff on hand I would have gone pre bent route.

I have had carbon and it punctures too easily for me. The aluminum is better for me.
Good luck
Pm me if you need more. I am also in new england.
I am asshat

 

[GMP]

I'll bet you can find those clamps or something like them at mcmaster.com.