Helmet Locks for your 6th Gen VFR

Discussion in 'Gear & Accessories' started by BASFjon, Apr 3, 2010.

  1. BASFjon

    BASFjon New Member

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    Motion-Pro Helmet Locks for your 6th Gen VFR


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    The Story


    I do a lot of 2-up riding with the wife, and we’ve been running into an issue with not having room in the Saddlebags for the Helmets over the Jackets and Gear for the late cold rides back at night. I came across a post of a guy who had bought a universal helmet lock and bolted it to the frame tube on his VFR that runs just below the front portion of the seat.

    So I located a Bolt-on Helmet Lock in the Dennis Kirk Catalog (free if you sign up for one at their website) – and took measurements of the frame tube. The VFR tube is 1” exactly. The only available Locks are in 7/8” and 1”. Oddly enough, the only ones in Black are the 7/8” Locks. Chrome is the other option – but it’s the only one that fits the VFR.

    I looked at the lock in the picture and decided what the hell. The 7/8” ones could be ground open a bit, and the bolts where long enough to bridge the gap it would make. So I bought two of the 7/8” Black Locks - because it’s just two crowded for two Helmet on one lock-set; and this way there would be one Lock per side.

    When I got them in I found that mounting it to the rear of the bar against the passenger footpeg bracket would be the best spot because in the forward position in would rub my leg. I also rotated it downward so that it wouldn’t stick out (it’s somewhat tall), and so that I wouldn’t have to cut the plastic cover pieces beneath the seats.

    I ground out the locks on the sides and trimmed them a bit. Then I moved them into position and mounted them. The only modification that needed to be made was on the Right side of the VFR in the lower Plastic Piece as seen in the picture (below the right tube). It has to be notched for the backside bracket of the lock to clear the tube. On the Left side, the backside bracket had to be inserted at the front of the tube and slid backwards, pushing on the battery cover and sliding it into the final position at the back side.

    The Bolts aren’t black – and it’s something I am going to eventually work on, but they are designed to prevent someone from turning the Bolts (Machine Screws) back out.

    Overall I am pleases with them. Other Bikes like the Honda Shadow and a lot of the Kawasaki Cruiser/Streetbikes (not sport) have these as add-on options. In fact, something I considered exploring was to look up these bikes and seeing if they came in Black. One big reason why I did not paint a chrome one myself is that a key would easily scratch the paint off it. And powdercoating one is complicated because the powder gets sucked into the lock mechanism and there are moving parts and such – I just was thinking it would be easier to modify a black one and install it – and I am happy with what I’ve worked out.


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    Sourcing Parts

    Dennis Kirk Catalog #501385
    (enter the above in a google search for the Dennis Kirk Product Description Page)
    Motion Pro 7/8 in. Mount Black Helmet Lock
    $22.99 a set, $45.98 for two sets, $6.95 for UPS Shipping, for a Total of $52.93
     
  2. cebuVFR

    cebuVFR Member

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    Nice find and thanks for sharing!
     
  3. Scubalong

    Scubalong Official Greeter?

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    Cool, Nice find :) Thanks forr sharing.
     
  4. CBR600F4i

    CBR600F4i New Member

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    You know there are helmet hooks under the seat, right? You need to take the seat off to use them, but IMO that beats carrying another key.
     
  5. Knobber

    Knobber New Member

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    Yeah, the ones under the seat are a pain in the rear and I think Honda really screwed up with that short cut but it does beat another key. My old Sabre had a helmet lock that worked on the ignition key and it was an '85.
     
  6. weekend_junkie

    weekend_junkie New Member

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    I recently found out the hooks are hard to use when I have GIVI saddlebags mounted. The simple solution would be to have helmet lock extensions. I already have enough keys with the GIVI set.

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  7. Sea_Otter

    Sea_Otter New Member

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    Looks like you can unscrew those bolts pretty easily.
     
  8. CBR600F4i

    CBR600F4i New Member

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    Thanks for the tip, I'd never heard of those extensions. I'll have to get a set.
     
  9. BASFjon

    BASFjon New Member

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    Well helmet lock extenders are about $6-10 a set, locks were $50.00. Personally, I thought about these, but if you lost it, you'd be out a helmet if someone took yours, secondly you have to tote it around in your jacket, on your bike's tankbag, or probably smartest - in the toolbag under your seat, or something quick to get to that keeps it from sliding out under the seat fairing. Wouldn't take much to grab it with a set of vice grips and worked a bend in it, and bend it back and forth 5 or 6 times to break the steel. Just to me not worth it. But again, that just depends on where you leave the bike.
     
  10. BASFjon

    BASFjon New Member

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    No you can't. They are flat-head fasteners on the installation direction, but the removal direction is cut and swept back to make it impossible to turn a screwdriver the other way - tried this, doesn't happen. You'd have to take a hammer and smack a flathead screwdriver's tip into the metal to make an impression to get any kind go reverse direction bite to remove these fasteners. Not only that, but I threadlocked mine with the red compound. Just not gonna happen.
     
  11. BASFjon

    BASFjon New Member

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    Been using these well over a year now, still work great. Have been out in a lot of rain, lock cylinders have never failed or ceased up. Excellent upgrade if anyone ever considers it.
     
  12. judobrian

    judobrian New Member

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    How much grinding did you have to do on this? Im thinking about this but could always paint the chrome one....
     
  13. Balooe

    Balooe New Member

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  14. Valentino Robbie

    Valentino Robbie New Member

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    I got a coiled cycle lock I'd use incase I feel the need to lock my helmet to the bike...I always have a fair of a dog cocking a leg up to it though...
     
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