GL1800Riders Forums banner

This is why you should have a belly pan

8K views 101 replies 56 participants last post by  Too Tall 
#1 ·
In September a group of us who are from Ireland went touring around France and Italy and on the first day we pulled into a gas station. We all went to different pumps but one of the guys on a 06 1800 wing decided to move from the pump he was at to go to another one. As he turned to move he caught the top edge of a low kerb between the pumps which ripped the expansion bottle. Then oil started to flow out onto the ground as it also put a hole in the bottom of the one engine casing. That was his holiday over.
The repair is going through insurance and this is the bit he found out.
You cannot buy an engine from Honda but you can buy all the parts. The casings are split in two and you must buy a matched machined pair around $4000 in Ireland. The insurance quote for the whole job is around $9000. They have not given him the go ahead yet and it is unlikely that the bike will be written off as they are very expensive to buy in Ireland.
I have a belly pan on my wing but I am going to reinforce it after seeing the damage that was caused.
 
#4 ·
I can't help but shake my head whenever I hear anyone say: " . . . you don't need one. I've been driving for XXX miles and never had a problem. Why waste your money?" They're such cheap insurance and, as your example amply demonstrates, could save you a ton of money. Once I didn't see a concrete wheel blocker in front of my bike's parking space. Thinking I could exit the space going foward, I drove straight ahead, ran up over the block and banged my engine casing pretty good also. But, lucky me, I had a good strong belly pan which prevented any real damage (other than a good dent and some scratches on the belly pan). Whew!!
 
#7 ·
yes I agree a belly pan is a good idea

and / but / also...
the "case" (the lower end)
is not pressurized..
so if the crack is small or the hole is smaller
than a pencil erasure diameter
you can easily fix the damaged area
with any good "two part" epoxy...

... don't ask me how I know ...
(nope, wasn't me)

Dennis
 
#8 ·
we just rode 7 miles of 2 track in n.c.,,,,,,,rocks,stream crossings,leaves,mud,rocks under leave,,,and by some strange reason we seemed to be smart enough to not run over something that mite hit the bottom of the motor,,,,hmmmmmmm

thats 3 wings,7 miles off road ,rocks,stream crossings,not one leak!!!!
 
#9 ·
yes I agree a belly pan is a good idea

and / but / also...
the "case" (the lower end)
is not pressurized..
so if the crack is small or the hole is smaller
than a pencil erasure diameter
you can easily fix the damaged area
with any good two part epoxy...

Dennis
1. Duct tape option should not be discounted.
2. The old chewing gum trick
3. Some cussing and moaning.

BTW - I was recently in Denmark -a used 2004 Goldwing sold for $85,000, of which of course some $70,000 was taxes which you would have to pay if you imported the bike. You may not import the airbag model as it is not "certified" by the Danish motor vehicle dept.
 
#10 ·
I changed my oil yesterday and while removing the front section I found the belly pan damaged, crushed, bent and a gouge in it. I removed the pan completely and found no damage to the crank case, whew! The Belly Pan saved me some considerable grief...............This will be my first purchase for my next Wing, for sure!
 
#11 ·
I can't help but shake my head whenever I hear anyone say: " . . . you don't need one. I've been driving for XXX miles and never had a problem. Why waste your money?" They're such cheap insurance and, as your example amply demonstrates, could save you a ton of money.
we just rode 7 miles of 2 track in n.c.,,,,,,,rocks,stream crossings,leaves,mud,rocks under leave,,,and by some strange reason we seemed to be smart enough to not run over something that mite hit the bottom of the motor,,,,hmmmmmmm

thats 3 wings,7 miles off road ,rocks,stream crossings,not one leak!!!!
:roll: (can you see me shaking my head also?)
 
#12 ·
Interesting. So I just ordered one (2 Pc) in stainless steel from these folks... CycleGiant.com

Special price of $37.99 (retail $69.99) plus $7.99 S&H.
 
#13 ·
I have a belly pan on mine but I don't think it would do any good if I hit a curb (kerb?) hard enough to crack the case.
 
#14 ·
If it's just a hole punched into the engine casing with no internal damage I would try something like JB Weld. Nothing to loose.
 
#16 ·
I don't think a belly pan would have helped in this case. That being said...I had my old '03 wing for about 2 months when I clipped a stone with the front tire. It tore a hole in the oil filter and 4 quarts of oil pumped out of the hole in about 10 seconds. The whole underside of the bike and the entire back tire were coated with oil in an instant! If I hadn't been on a straight stretch of road, it could have turned bad quickly. I ordered a belly pan the next day and will never own one without this accessory again.
 
#19 ·
My question is.........why not have one. Dodging crap on the road is not fool proof.:popcorn:

lets see,600,000 road miles and no problem,yet some cant go one oil change with out issues?
 
#23 ·
Belly pan repalcement

Mine so beat up I have thought about modifing it and adding a 1/8" piece of aluminum in the center from front to back to beef it up and give better protection to the bottom side. I don't know what hits the bottom of the engine go hard and so often to have beat the thing up as bad as it is. Scary for sure as I don't recall having run over but one or two things in the dark that I knew whacked it pretty good, but it looks like I have been driving thru land mines.
 
#24 ·
Gosh, Yellow Wolf, I wish I was as smart as you.

not a matter of being smart,just cant see wasting my money on something i dont need!!!!feel free to spend YOURS anyway you like!!
 
#26 ·
not a matter of being smart,just cant see wasting my money on something i dont need!!!!feel free to spend YOURS anyway you like!!
yellow_wolf said:
lets see,600,000 road miles and no problem,yet some cant go one oil change with out issues?
That's good logic. So how many times have you used your Helmet? I see you wear an armored jacket, how many times have you needed it?

Sleddog
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top