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Hi everyone, hoping I can get some help/advice.....
I bought PTM mid frame air deflectors from Advanblack. They look great, but Im having a problem with the install..
First the four supplied bolts are very long. They seem needlessly long actually. If I try to thread them into the pre-drilled holes on the frame (both sides) I cannot get them in nearly far enough. Im afraid to put any torque on them because Im afraid Ill snap the bolts. I probably have about half an inch more bolt than I need and since they wont thread in properly, Im not sure I even have the correct size bolt????
anyone know what size fits that pre-drilled, threaded hole in the frame?
My second question is probably just not knowing something simple. The deflectors came with what I think are referred to as special nuts? These seem to slip into a Hexagonal hole in the frame, but they are so loose. They dont seem like they hold a bolt in place? Is there something special to these nuts Im not aware of?
sorry if these are dumb questions. I would appreciate any advice, especially if someone has installed these from Advanblack. Installing these on a 19 SGS.
Put the inserts into the frame holes, then you have to install the bolts and tighten them, once tight take the bolts back out and inserts will stay in place.
Quick update for anyone that comes along later and is looking at Advanblack for these mid-frame heat deflectors.
The hardware they supply is not compatible for newer touring bikes. The supplied bolts do not thread into the existing threaded holes in the frame. The special nuts also do not expand wide enough to actually lock into the hex holes on the frame.
So I had to go to a dealer and buy bolts and special nuts. Not the end of the world, but a bit disappointed when you pay a premium for Advanblack over other Chinese knockoffs.
I also had to drill a hole into the deflector on the right side because there was not a hole that lined up for the pre-drilled frame hole. I tried using the speed clip, but wow that is a crazy tight area to try and get that on the frame. Drilling the hole was no big deal, but again should be there when the advertise these fit newer touring bikes.
I emailed Advanblack yesterday as well to see if I was just missing something about the hardware and the suggestion I received back was to zip tie them to the frame. Lol.
Oh well, theyre installed now and look good. The paint match is bang on. I will definitely praise them for that!
Second quick update - I contacted AdvanBlack again to let them know the supplied hardware does not work on my 2019 Street Glide Special. To their credit, they offered to pay for return shipping and refund my money! Just didn't want it to sound like I was bashing them without telling the whole story.
The paint quality on mine was awful. They offered a replacement or refund. I settled for the refund. Probably just a fluke since others have had success with them. Company stands behind their product and work for sure. Emails, shipping and refund all handled professionally and promptly.
There is actually a different design for the M8 bikes. I had similar problems to the ones described and I looked at their website. The left deflector is the same, the only difference is that the upper bolt needs to be 1/4-20 to fit the already threaded hole. The right deflector is different. If you look at the "Amber Whiskey" ones on the website, you'll see there are two oval holes near the top (and the deflector is a bit wider where the lower hole is). This is in addition to the square hole for the spark plug wire holder. The lower of those oval holes is what's used on the M8 bikes. Like the left side, there is a threaded hole in the frame. The upper hole where the speed nut is used on older bikes is still there, but it's too close to the cylinder head to get a bolt into. I emailed them this eve and told them they needed to swap them. They also should send 1/4-20 bolts for the top and use 1/4-20 "special nuts" on the bottom like Harley does. We'll see what they will do.
I bought their color matched ones and the Harley black ones for my 2020SG. The hardware wouldnt work at all but the Harley hardware worked perfect. The color matched pretty good but not near as much sparkle or flake or whatever as Harley.
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Advanblack mid-frame air deflectors
