WR farkles

So, I decided to get off my ass and start working on the WR250R. There are a few things that should be arriving next week: rad guard, skidplate, new turn signals and taillight, and a tank bag. These are things that I cannot make or the cost of making them would make it more expensive than purchasing them. But, since I like to make stuff, I decided to make my own tail rack.

 I started with a clean tail and a piece of scrap, 1/4" aluminum.

First order of business was to remove the tail and secure wiring away, then drill four 5/8" holes through the fender. Yamaha conveniently mark the hole locations on the plastic fender.

With the holes done, I made a cardboard template, roughly the size of the final product. I then cut the aluminum to shape, and started working on the final design.

Next, I decided to make some holes for loops to use when securing cargo to the rack. I marked the holes, drilled them, and cut the rest with a saw. Cleaning these up was a real pain (with a file and sandpaper), but I needed to make sure there was a nice, smooth bevel so the straps wouldn't get cut.

The four holes in the plate are not the mounting points. They will be used to either attach something to the rack (like a Rotopax) or just enlarged to get rid of some weight. I had to drill four additional holes in the rear that are used for mounting. Now I'm just waiting for some tapered stainless steel bolts to attach it. For the time being, the plate was attached with plain hex head bolt to ensure proper fit.

The rack rests on 5/8" aluminum spacers that raise it above the fender by about a 3/4 of an inch.