Hi, I recently lowered my '06 883R and twice today I bumped the little nub cast into the frame that the jiffy stand spring hooks around. Luckily it just got scratched up a bit but I've read that it can certainly break off. Now I know to avoid just about any speed bump and steep driveway but sometimes we forget or make bonehead moves so crap happens. I know people have welded nubs back on, red-Loctite'd machine screws, etc. but is there another method to avoid the stupid nub altogether? Does somebody make an internal spring jiffy stand for our bikes? I'm just worried that one day I'll bottom out and bust the nub off. I really don't want to have to tap the frame or weld on a painted frame.

 

Whoa, I just had an epiphany... now, it does have a downside, though.

What if instead of dicking with the little spring nub I place a thick plastic block to the bottom of the frame next to the nub. It'd be slightly longer to protect the nub from damage. The downside is of course slightly less ground clearance but it's not such a big deal as long as you ride carefully and avoid drops/bumps.

 

Okay, I took a small piece of round aluminum bar stock we had in the garage and I cross-ziptied it around the flat crossmember on the frame next to the spring nub; it's maybe 1/8 - 1/4" below the nub. It's not super secure but it's not really meant to be. I want to it break away if the hit is too much and if it protect the nub for even just one hit then it's done it's job.

 

Ghetto as **** but this should work decent for now...

Okay, instead of the aluminum bar stock I decided to use some PVC pipe that was laying around. Keep in mind this is only temporary until I can find/buy some delrin stock to mill out. And this isn't meant to take BIG hits like driving off of a high curb. This is only meant to be a one or two time use on minor hits like some dips and speed bumps and if it breaks away then so be it. I didn't want to use anything permanent because it may end up causing damage to the frame. The PVC should be strong enough to protect the nub, at least for the most part, but it'll also have some give if the hit is hard enough. It sits slightly behind the nub around the crossmember of the frame. The zipties will eventually be replaced by some sort of hose clamps or something similar. I thought of doubling the PVC as a stash tube but if it breaks off then there goes whatever I had inside of it...

If anybody has any suggestions then please do tell. I'm always willing to learn from the smart guys. I really wish there were an aftermarket company *wink wink* that'd make/sell something to protect these damn nubs! Apparently it happens so often that Harley rents out a special alignment tool so you can tap a hole to thread a screw in if the nub snaps off. That's cool and all, but what happens if the screw snaps off? Then you're really in trouble.