RAM mount kit - a bit pants?

[Lutin]

Maybe I'm being a bit fussy here, but does anyone else think that the RAM mount kit (for affixing yer Prat-Nav to yer bike) is a bit "mickey mouse"?

Yes, I know that they're catering for Metric and Imperial fasteners but, really do the mounting holes in the Handlebar Base have to be so HUGE? Sure clearance is needed for the 1/4" (6.25mm) screws but a hole that's 7mm one side and the hole opens out to damn near 9mm the other side?

And plastic spacers? What's that all about? And the mounting screws - a 4mm hex key for an M6 fastening. I don't know about other bikes but Honda recommend a torque setting of 12lb/ft for the lever retaining clamp bolts, not massive I'll admit - but a 4mm hex!?

This Handlebar Base is meant to connect to either the Clutch or Brake lever mounting - so rather important that the levers don't fall off. I'm not impressed.

Yes, go ahead and tell me I'm worrying about nothing - it might calm me down a bit.

 

[Rubberchicken]

RAM kit is usually sturdy enough, though the balls themselves are a bit poor. Do up the pratnav clamp well enough that it doesn't sag and they deform. Granted, when they've deformed your pratnav isn't sagging anymore on essentially a custom made clamp, but it's not moving anymore either if you'd want it to.

But yeah, sturdy enough. Mine was still there after I'd stuck it into a car at 30 mph.

 

[austin]

I agree with Lutin - they are a bit crap and shonky. Equally though as per Rubber Chicken once installed and fastened up good and tight they don't go anywhere.

 

[Rubberchicken]

It's not the most elegant system in the world by any stretch. Bit agricultural and brutally practical, but that suits the GS...

 

[Lutin]

Now there's odd. Has anyone else noticed that the top of the Motorcycle Mount - the bit with the catch and release button - is magnetic. Not hugely, but definitely magnetic.

Baldrick Mode ON

I have a cunning plan.

Baldrick Mode OFF














Edit: But the plan does not involve magnets - at lest not yet.

 

[hotbulb]

Haven't noticed whether the bike mount has a magnet, but the car mount does..... i wonder if it's to tell the satnag what's being used.....on the 390 at least the fuel etc stuff only displays in bike mount, not in car, even though I haven't specifically changed the unit itself to the different mode.

 

[boboneleg]

I don't have a problem with Ram mount stuff, always worked well on all my bikes. Having said that, I don't like those mounts that utilise the brake/clutch mounts, I use others.

 

[Lutin]

Some progress on the cunning plan. I've decided to make myself a custom mount for the Garmin using the brake lever mounting point.

First off, find an odd piece of 40mm wide and 2mm thick aluminium strip in the shed. Shown with a 6" rule and the Garmin mount -



Next with a few holes cut in the right places -



Now with the mount, err, mounted and showing the rectangular hole nicely lining up with the depression in the mount for the power connector -



And finally from behind - as the bishop said to the actress........



That's it for today folks. Tomorrow I'll decide the height that it will be - and therefore where to drill the two 6mm mounting holes. More later.

 

[austin]

I am mighty impressed with your drilling prowess, especially with the square drill.

 

[Lutin]

I am mighty impressed with your drilling prowess, especially with the square drill.

The age old trick of stitch drilling and some careful filing.

No square drills in my toolbox.

Right, on with the show.....

Decided to slim down the aluminium strip by taking 5mm of each side -



It actually made a pretty good tuning fork at this stage.

So, after a bit of a tidy up of the cut edges I put a bend into the bracket. All done by time worn "she'll be right" technique.





Just whilst I was cogitating all this, I was wondering if the 2mm aluminium strip would not be sturdy enough and that there might be a bit of movement - especially with the weight of the Garmin on the end. So, when I put the bend in the bracket I did it with another 20mm strip of aluminium as bracing. Bending the two together means that I know they'll fit and not have to try and make it fit later - as would be difficult to get the separate bends to match.





Yes, I know that my strengthening strip covers up my lovely square hole. Still pondering that one. But there's plenty of overlap between the two pieces so cutting the narrower strip short should be fine.

And now onto how it looks on the bike....

 

[Lutin]

There we go -



Detail of the spacers to get around the curved handlebar mount. The nuts are 6mm stainless items with the threads drilled out.



And here's the cockpit view -



Seems I might have got the bend in the bracket somewhere near right.

There's still a bit of tidying up to carry out - rounding off of corners, that sort of thing. But I think it's looking OK so far. Just need to decide whether or not to fit the strengthening strip straight off or see how it does without.

 

[boboneleg]

Nice,

what's the string for

 

[Lutin]

Nice,

what's the string for

To stop the brake lever, master cylinder and mirror falling off whilst I've been bolting and unbolting the clamp.

Anyway, more fettling. Decide to cut a slot to give the connector weather cap "lead" somewhere to go -



Now then, as to the electrics - I have a cunning plan for that too..........

 

[Philwhiskeydrinker]

Nice work Lutin

Funny, always thought the various ram mounts have been decent but thinking back, yes the mix of metric & imperial fixings is a bit odd (re American) the handlebar clamps spin on the bar, tighten them & the supplied plastic packer splits so I guess they could be better....
Lately, I just mount a ball directly to the bar clamp & all is good in the world again

I notice you mount it on the rhs, won't this make making adjustments while on the move somewhat tricky? (not as if anyone would carry out such a thing...)

 

[Lutin]

Nice work Lutin

Funny, always thought the various ram mounts have been decent but thinking back, yes the mix of metric & imperial fixings is a bit odd (re American) the handlebar clamps spin on the bar, tighten them & the supplied plastic packer splits so I guess they could be better....
Lately, I just mount a ball directly to the bar clamp & all is good in the world again

I notice you mount it on the rhs, won't this make making adjustments while on the move somewhat tricky? (not as if anyone would carry out such a thing...)

Mounting on the right hand side - I'm right handed, didn't even think about mounting it on the left. How's that for conditioning?

 

[Philwhiskeydrinker]

In Ireland, I thought it was called grooming!

 

[Lutin]

In Ireland, I thought it was called grooming!

You could be right.

 

[Lutin]

After a failed attempt to have some bracing strips welded to the back of the bracket, all due to poor materials (B&Q), I've remade the bracket in 3mm aluminium.



Went round to a small firm here in Galway yesterday, called Radfix, that mend radiators and do other stuff like aluminium welding (and power coating too). The guys had a go at welding the bracket but it wasn't that successful and was given an offcut of 3mm alloy gratis to have another go at making a bracket.

So, here's the Mark 2 version -



This one shouldn't need any bracing.



Just need to get it painted today and get the whole lot installed.

 

[Ian Porter]

should this not be in Bodgers Corner?

 

[Lutin]

should this not be in Bodgers Corner?

How dare you accuse me of bodging! I'll have you know I've just spent the last few minutes cutting down some 20mm M4 screws so that they're now 15mm long and will not have the extra length making the mount look untidy.

But yes, I 'spose you're right. Mind you, it did start off as a bit of a rant........