My big fat oversize leg shields

Edit 2: Attaching these with hardware or other permanent solution could cause your feet to not move out fast enough for an emergency. Consider the safety aspect in your own design. As designed below, your foot will kick out the shield if you bump it. If you make other attaching methods consider shortening the side on the floorboard side to have more room to remove your feet.

My first set of leg shields were made for my Burgman with $1 cutting mats from the local dollar store.
I then made another set for my Forza. The dollar store didn't restock, so I ordered some online and paid an outrageous price of $4.00 each in a pack of 4. Geez.

First step was laying it flat with the longest length from left to right and just cutting diagonally from upper left corner to bottom right corner(yes, I know they are rounded, but you know what I mean). I then inserted it between the tupperware and the floorboard(Edit:short side goes up, long side side goes along floor board, the side you cut faces you.). Using another piece of scrap plastic I inserted it between the cutting mat and the outside tupperware.
Since they were both white, you can't see what I was doing, so I removed the triangular piece of the mat and just inserted the scrap piece to illustrate how I found the mounting point to cut the inserts:

Once I located one, I would raise the left end of the scrap so it was almost level and used a pencil to place a mark on the mat where I needed to cut the indent.

After you have found all four, cut the indents about and inch (2.5 cm) into the mat and half the distance to each side.
This can be ugly or very neat if you want, but it doesn't show. After fitting, I found I needed to cut about an additional 1/4"(.6cm) +/- on the top indent to allow it to insert far enough for the indents below to fully insert.
My original shields on the Forza stayed in fine. I found that after 10 miles testing on the Swing, the mats had slowly slide out a bit.
I got a pair of pliers and bent the edges of the mat tabs between the indents so they were curved a bit and held better once inserted.

If you make a set and slide them into place, make sure they are fully inserted to those tupperware mounting points. If you have any cut outs showing, it just means you need to trim one or more of the others in a bit more.
You can use a straight edge to get the bottom 3 of equal distance.

Take a ride and see if they stay in place. If your tupperware isn't tight or the space is too loose, a small section of velcro between the footboard edge and the mat may work. I've not done this, but someone on another board told me they had used this method to anchor them on their scooter. Another said they used one small screw. For me, I just cut the indent a bit deeper until it stayed put. I'm now considering trying to make a small set of bubbles in the plastic mat just inside the line where they go into the tupperware to create a friction point. Maybe something like ball bearing hammered lightly while it is on a wooden support?

Cutting the mat is easy. Good pair of heavy scissors, a knife, Dremmel Tool, or push it against a grinding wheel. If you are making adjustments on the road while testing them, you can use your pocket knife.

Cut a little at a time to adjust. You can cut more off, but you can't add it back.

Cutting mats are slick. I'm not much good at painting. The paint didn't do so well on the stock surface. Another rider with more experience told me I should scuff it up with something like 400 grit to get the paint to adhere, but be careful as it is thin already.

Some of you guys that are more skilled will start a set of these and improve on them. When you do, please share. I'm a tinkerer and only good at coming up with the idea, not so good at implementing.

Hope this makes sense......

Looks good. Thanks for posting the pics and the explanation.

thank you, good job. I may try this. CTM I've never ridden in the rain on this scoot, and by all appearances the former owners may have not as when detailing the bike I haven't come across the hidden grimy spots.

Willjabir, there is a new verb out to describe what you ( and myself ) do at times to improve our rides. It's called "mcgivering". That's a great bit of mcgivering you are doing there. I tried a similar leg shield with a heavy plexiglass that I cut to fit and attached with shelving brackets (yeah!). Sadly the SWing got totalled on the test ride, not because of the shields but some idiot doing an illegal U-turn.
Those cutting mats must have the right amount of flexibility and rigidity to do the job and they worked on your Forza, no reason why not on the SWing !
Jay.

@cotetoi ,
I tried other materials. When I used the mats, it was one of those Eureka moments. I was using it to make a template. It flexed out just the right amount, easily molded, easy to cut, and then I tested it before moving on to a more rigid plastic I had setting there for the final product.
I wasn't sure, but then I saw my reflection in the garage door glass and there was a light above my head. I figured out why. It was the garage light.....oh well.

Next, as others with better imagination and ingenuity start to make their own versions, this will become a better product. Some will over engineer of course, others will over simplify, but there will be a general acceptance that will become the best overall. Then someone with better writing skills will do a better pictorial or video. Then I will upgrade mine. 90% will agree with the design, 10% will be critical of any mod being dangerous, 40% will actually consider making them with about 20% actually taking action to some degree.

You mentioned painting your shields and I wonder if the periodic bending and straightening as you remove and replace them might cause the paint to fail. Have you considered using 3M body wrap...maybe the 1080 series for your color? This stuff has come a long way in the past few years. Most people I've talked to are concerned about bubbles when installing. This grade I mentioned has micro holes in it which makes it much easier to install without bubbles and it has a lifespan of about 7 years in sunlight. If you think this might work for you go to ebay and search 3M body wrap.

Here's a link to a Japanese Silverwing site showing another version of DIY legshields. Somewhat similar to Willajabir's but mounted differently. Google translated from original site:

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ja&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fsilverwing.xrea.jp%2F03_custum_02_gaisou%2F002_sideviser%2F05_yukimi%2Funtitled.htm

Aluminum tape for mounting and it appears he has one small bracket at the one screw.
I tried different tape, including Gorilla 2 sided adhesive and couldn't get it to stick to the cutting mat.
A different type of surface would probably be better and have more ways to mount.
Slightly stiff yet very flexible source?

Just had another idea looking at that site. The place where that screw is, the mat could be cut so there is a foldable tab to turn under to anchor with that screw at the top of the floorboard.......That would mean you can't just pull 'em off, but one screw wouldn't be much hindrance.

Going shopping for more ideas......

Could a heat gun be used to reform the tabs?

Cosmic_Jumper wrote:

Could a heat gun be used to reform the tabs?

Low heat would work as this is very thin. It almost stay in position from just force bending with pliers. Bending with the pliers puts a nice crease where you bend it.

I just purchased this sheet of plastic to work with. It is big enough for 4 shields (2 sets).
It is more stiff than regular the flexible cutting board sheet. AND....TADA...it's already black.
By the time it gets here, I should be able to implement the improvements mentioned here.

https://www.amazon.com/HDPE-HIGH-DENSITY-POLYETHYLENE-BLACK-0-060-THICK-PICK/dp/B0788MBV1R/ref=sr_1_51?ie=UTF8&qid=1520630925&sr=8-51&keywords=black%2Bpolyethylene%2Bsheet&th=1

Look what you've started Larry ! LOL

I don't know about you, but I'll go to the garage for 4 hours and only accomplish 15-30 minutes of work.
I have lots of tools, plastics, scrap metal, pieces of flower pots, mangled and twisted unrecognizable forms sitting on the shelf. My wife just looks and says something along the lines of "More jewelry for your girlfriend?"

Exactly ! If I don't do the job I went out there for at once there is a good chance I'll sit there looking around at all the things I COULD be doing and completely forget why I went out there to start with. When this happens I usually....uh.....what time is it?.....where am I?......who are you? It sucks getting old sometimes.

I'm a little curious...do you actually save broken flower pots? Also, "mangled and twisted unrecognizable forms sitting on my shelf" brings a momentary pause. I guess one man's trash IS another man's treasure.

Saving parts from previous experiments has provided a cheap source for my experimentation.
One month ago we got some junk haulers to come in and clear it out. Now I got room for new junk.

I have a decent collection of grips I change between rides also. Good thing is the new CTX has the same size bars as the scooter. On the CTX1300 I used an old grip zip tied as a holder for the GPS 12V adapter. Recycle everything hahahaha

Now that is a real good use for something otherwise unusable. I can't even begin to count the number of pairs of old grips I've thrown in the trash. What is the matter with me?