Putting the Mesh on my Kat...Stage 1

So I went out last nite, to Tractor Supply, they dont have the gutter mesh at all..then I go to Lowes, and they dont have it in sheets, only sizes to fit gutters, so then I go where I was planning on going in the first place, Home Depot, and they were able to hook me up with a 10ft x 5ft sheet for $7.00 . So im good to go. Thats what I get for being lazy, should have just went to home depot in the first place. So today, Im taking the plastic off the bike, and of course there is 50,000 allen bolts to hold it all on!! :rant: So here is the pics of my naked Kat. As soon as the other half gets home, we'll start putting on the mesh on the plastic. I could have started it now, but I left it in the truck of her car :bonk: Oh and of course just my luck, I get all the plastic off, and find out that my left headlight bulb is burned out on the low beam :smash: ..so now I gotta hit up our local dealer, Action Motorsports and pick up 2 new bulbs. I figure I might as well replace both of them since all the plastic is off. knowing my luck and past experience, when one bulb goes, the other isnt far behind. Also gave all the plastic a good washdown, and vacuumed out the cooler and rinsed it down too.

See you should have gone to Home Depot like we all told you too. LOL We will be waiting for the pics of the job done. Hope you get it done tonight. :)

Is that a camera phone? I hear ya regarding the allen bolts, mine's the same way and I have very little bodywork.

Always goto Home Depot first!! :damn: Anyways, beyond that I use a set of hyper white auto bulbs in the front of my 9R. They look better and are ALOT brighter! I get them from Murrays for about $35 for a set! Just a thought!

I get them from Murrays for about $35 for a set! Just a thought! Oh man, you're bringing up old memories now mentioning Murrays. I used to go to the one on Walled Lake all the time. Now it's Murry's Discount Auto and jewelry? WTF? PS: Sorry for the hijack. :sorry:

So today, Im taking the plastic off the bike, and of course there is 50,000 allen bolts to hold it all on!! I have to take off more than that just to change the oil and filter. That's why the dealers charge so much.

yeah i've about had it with allen bolts for 1 night...got most of the mesh, its setting right now, in a couple more hours, I'll take some pics and put them up. yeah, its a camera phone..dont have a digital anymore..and wanted to put the pics up..i'll try and borrow one for the finished product so its better quality pics. Yeah, im definately looking at the hyper whites..love the look and the light is staggeringly bright!! :dthumb:

Can't wait to see the finished product. It's gonna look great. Washing the plastic was a good idea. :)

Can't wait to see the finished product. It's gonna look great. Washing the plastic was a good idea. :) btw jdog, i was using the pics you put up awhile ago of the mesh, for reference. Thanks! one quick question though, the most rear cutout, has some foam padding around it, ...did you have many problems with the expoxy messing up the foam cushioning ? those 2 small cutous are all thats left..the other 4 are finished.

Hey, I was just talking to a buddy of mine, told him what I was doing, he said why didnt you just use duct tape to hold the mesh on ???? I was like, wont that melt with the heat of the engine? he said he recently worked a friends bike who used it to hold on the mesh, and its been 2 years since the guy put it on, and hasnt had a problem since??

Matt....Duct tape???? Not sure about that. I put mesh on one of my first bikes. And I used zip ties but that wouldn't work for your application. I'm thinking JB Weld, maybe even a glue gun!! Also, as said before, any type of epoxy would work great! Are these comments you are looking for Matt? If I was there I would love to help out with the mod. I love doing these type of cheap, yet cool mods!!!

Matt....Duct tape???? Not sure about that. I put mesh on one of my first bikes. And I used zip ties but that wouldn't work for your application. I'm thinking JB Weld, maybe even a glue gun!! Also, as said before, any type of epoxy would work great! Are these comments you are looking for Matt? If I was there I would love to help out with the mod. I love doing these type of cheap, yet cool mods!!! yup, thats what I needed to know..im using JB weld on it..I tried to find welders epoxy, but Home Depot was out of it!! :eek: and the JB weld was in such small tubes I had to buy 3 packets of it and still dont have quite enough to finish the last cutouts. :eek: Im gonna check out a few other places tomorrow morning when Im out getting the bulbs..and see if I cant find a bigger tube of the stuff. I dont know about the duct tape either..I just assume not have to this again next season. Update..the JD weld is nearly set..so by tomorrow nite, we should be back in business..just in time to rain on tuesday!! :rant:

O yeah JB Weld is awesome stuff. Duct tape is too. But not for this. Duct tape is a "in a bind fix". We used some radiator JB Weld on Twisty's bike once, on his radiator of his TLS in Toledo. He raced and drove on that JB Weld until the bike bit the dust like 2 years later. ROCK ON WITH THE JB WELD!!!

Cool, thanks for the info chris!! Geez I hate knowing that I cant ride to work tomorrow! but atleast Im getting my first official mod completed. next up is that previously mentioned stock can.. :puke: oh yeah, working on that magnet as well to see if it really helps at the lights..just have to figure out where to mount it..

OK, the project is 2/3 of the way done..just have 2 cutouts to put the mesh on tomorrow...ran out of JB Weld, so Im kinda at a standstill. Why arent Home Depot's open 24 hrs???? :crazy: Ah well, here the pics up to date..and yeah, its still my crappy camera phone, but when they are done tomorrow, I'll have a digital camera to take the final pics of.

1 more... So far, Im quite pleased with the way it looks !!

Dude. That looks sweet as hell. I can't wait to see it tuesday. :)

That looks really nice Matt. Did you use all JB Weld or what? Hopefully I can come out and see it first hand!!!

That looks really nice Matt. Did you use all JB Weld or what? Hopefully I can come out and see it first hand!!! Yeah so far its all JB weld..but of course I ran out of the stuff, so Im leavin here shortly to go out and get the new bulbs and some more JB weld goop :D yeah if you guys come down this way, we'll definately get that first official TWF meetup that Shan has been mentioning :thumbs:

Yeah everything looks great. Just cut back on the mesh near the foam or cut the foam back a little don't worry about it. I think you already know what to do, just do it. If I recall it's kinda flat in that area so just pull the foam back a little. Wait till it's back on the cycle. Cheap azz mods gonna make the cycle look awesome. NO DUCT TAPE, that's a quick fix type of thing. Do it right the first time.

ok...all the mesh is on and is currently setting as we speak..should be able to start putting her back together tonite when I get home, and if I dont finish it tonite, should be good to go tomorrow. Also got 2 new headlight bulbs, just got the stock bulbs..I wanted to go with hyper whites or an equivilant but that'll have to wait as we've got some birthdays and my anniversary coming up in october..so i'll add those to the list for over the winter/mods. :D BTW..im borrowing my bro's digital camera tonite, so I'll have some decent pics to put up by tomorrow of the finished product.

Was able to get her back together this morning, started up like usual, no probs, headlights work (both new bulbs) signals all good.. Look pretty sweet if you ask me. CrunchieJD is picking up a digital camera tonite so we can take some pics when I get home, and put them up as the finished product, tonite. Total Mod cost: 22.00 for both Mesh & Adhesive.. :thumbs: and about 2 total days to complete (that includes time to allow the ahesive/epoxy to set) Not too bad!!

Was able to get her back together this morning, started up like usual, no probs, headlights work (both new bulbs) signals all good.. Look pretty sweet if you ask me. CrunchieJD is picking up a digital camera tonite so we can take some pics when I get home, and put them up as the finished product, tonite. Total Mod cost: 22.00 for both Mesh & Adhesive.. :thumbs: and about 2 total days to complete (that includes time to allow the ahesive/epoxy to set) Not too bad!! I know we all will be looking forward to seeing the pics and I will get to see it in person. :)

:wtf: :loud: We need pics!!! Now not later... :yesnod:

:wtf: :loud: We need pics!!! Now not later... :yesnod: I picked up the digital camera and we tried taking some pics tonite when Matt got home, but they wouldnt come out :cursin: So we'll try it again in the morning when its light and the rain has stopped.

look'n good matt :dthumb:

:dthumb: Looking good!!

I've got 0 luck when it comes to cameras it seems...the pics w/ the dig. just didnt come out clear it all, and since it isnt mine, im gonna have to check w/ my bro and make sure Im working it correctly, but as per the old standby( :puke: ) camera phone, here are a couple of em just taken this morning...

The first mod on the bike looks great. Very nice job Matt. :dthumb:

Lookin' good... I think. ;) It's not going to rust is it? :flush:

Lookin' good... I think. ;) It's not going to rust is it? :flush: Good point Shan. And it does look alot nice!!

Nope, wont rust..I was checking w/ the Home Depot guy there, and he said im good to go, and actually the stuff he sold me, was the same type of stuff he used to use when putting mesh on cars, in the performance shop he used to work in awhile back...just a different pattern. :cool:

Thats good it won't rust. That would suck and be a waste of time you just spent on doing it. Bring it by later and show me. :)

Lookin' good Mr. Kotter! :p:

Looks almost as good as mine. LOL. Nice job bro.

Looks almost as good as mine. LOL. Nice job bro. Thanks jdog & everyone..I really like the looks of it...I road to work today, and all seems well. Finally got the first mod done !! I got the fever for it now even more!! :dthumb:

Well. Swing by the house tonight after work and show us. We will still be up. :)

Lookin good Matt, that will probably be my first mod on my kat. One question though. Can you still get at you idle screw through the holes in the mesh, or do you need to take the plastics off?

REally depends on the type of mesh you get..some of it has the smaller holes that it would be harder to get a screwdriver thru..mine has a bit larger holes so that its still pretty easy to slip one thru it if necessary. Its a real easy mod, and looks way cool!! :dthumb:

I'll probably start doing mine in the next couple weeks. I think i'm going to use some metal putty for mounting so i can drill and tap it. Then i can screw the mesh to that for easy removal later on. Might be tough but i like a challenge, i see what happens when i get into it. I will post some pics though.

I'll probably start doing mine in the next couple weeks. I think i'm going to use some metal putty for mounting so i can drill and tap it. Then i can screw the mesh to that for easy removal later on. Might be tough but i like a challenge, i see what happens when i get into it. I will post some pics though. yeah definately start up a thread with your pics, and the progress you've made. The good thing is, since this is all on the underside of the plastic..it doesnt really matter how much you mess it up on the inside, since lookin in from the outside will look sweet either way. There isnt a whole lotta room between the plastic and frame/engine so becareful how much do to it when you get started. :)

ya, there didn't feel like much room behind there in a couple spots, but i'll see what I can work with when I rip'er open. Good news is that the weather is starting to get a little colder up here (ontario, canada) in the morning so I wont mind having the bike out of action for a few days. Dan

I'll probably start doing mine in the next couple weeks. I think i'm going to use some metal putty for mounting so i can drill and tap it. Then i can screw the mesh to that for easy removal later on. Might be tough but i like a challenge, i see what happens when i get into it. I will post some pics though. Looking forward to your post with the pics as you do it. Do you plan on doing any other mods after that one? :)

yup, good luck..its a real easy mod, and very inexpensive to do. You'll really like the results when your done! I know I do. Keep us up to date on your progress! :thumbs:

I'm :sorry: but I think Dan is thinking too hard. Idle adjustment, I haven't touched mine but once shortly after I bought my bike. Making the mesh removable????? Why? I could be severly off, not being a Kat owner and all but niether of those ideas seem like to be worth all of that. :2cents:

[QUOTE=Gas Man] Making the mesh removable????? Why?:[QUOTE] Just for the challenge. I like to make things appear like a factory option, looks good but without losing functionality. Plus i'm just a tinkerer, I like to build things and find new and unique ways to do it. It's the whole process for me, concept-design-build-end result, I love it all.

I'm :sorry: but I think Dan is thinking too hard. Idle adjustment, I haven't touched mine but once shortly after I bought my bike. Making the mesh removable????? Why? I could be severly off, not being a Kat owner and all but niether of those ideas seem like to be worth all of that. :2cents: Do you mean the mesh on the bike??? If so, looking at the pics Matt has of his bike before and after look ok in pics but if you see it in person it does look alot better. You have to really see it to know how good it looks. :)

NO NO, I just didn't understand why, to make the mesh removeable or worry about the idle screw. I know the mesh looks WAY better...that was never questioning that!!

Do you mean the mesh on the bike??? If so, looking at the pics Matt has of his bike before and after look ok in pics but if you see it in person it does look alot better. You have to really see it to know how good it looks. :) I think Chris is more talking about the need for idle adjustment and making the mesh removeable..but I could be way off too..LOL

NO NO, I just didn't understand why, to make the mesh removeable or worry about the idle screw. I know the mesh looks WAY better...that was never questioning that!! Got you. Your right about that one. :)

I think Chris is more talking about the need for idle adjustment and making the mesh removeable..but I could be way off too..LOL Great minds think alike chris...and so do ours.. :lol:

Did you just quote your self. LOL :bash:

LMAO..yup, .that's the first time I think i've done that..my bad, was trying to quote chris...oh well, :D

I saw that and was like WTF. hehehehe Its all good. :D

WOW, you 2 are great fun! Yes, great minds think alike. But you guys crack me up!! :lol:

We do try. Were glad we can keep everyone entertained in here. You can make deposits to my paypal account if think it will make you feel better. :D

My Kat's that naked right now. I'm hoping to get the plastics back from the painter soon.

My Kat's that naked right now. I'm hoping to get the plastics back from the painter soon. you getting the same paint scheme redone on your kat, captain? or going with something different?

Exact same thing. One side of the plastic was fine except for a couple minor scrathes. The painter is going to repair that side, and then paint the new piece to match. If I planned on keeping the bike, I would have gone totally different. But I'm just going to sell it, so why spend the extra money? ;)

Exact same thing. One side of the plastic was fine except for a couple minor scrathes. The painter is going to repair that side, and then paint the new piece to match. If I planned on keeping the bike, I would have gone totally different. But I'm just going to sell it, so why spend the extra money? ;) agreed ! its a rockin paint scheme to begin with..CJD was telling me the other nite how much she liked it!

agreed ! its a rockin paint scheme to begin with..CJD was telling me the other nite how much she liked it! you're welcome to take pictures to a paint shop if you want a similar paint job. Since I won't have the bike much longer, I don't care if someone copies the paint now. :lol:

you're welcome to take pictures to a paint shop if you want a similar paint job. Since I won't have the bike much longer, I don't care if someone copies the paint now. :lol: that could be smokin in a black n yellow type deal..hhmmm, the wheels are turning now. I may just day that..thanks!! :dthumb: