Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums Accessories Cheap Effective Oil Filter Protector

My oil filter protector was made from a tin of Ocean's canned salmon. The can is tapered, with the bottom being a perfect fit for the filter. Also, the can, from the bottom upwards, is one-piece...there is no seam at the bottom. Cut to fit the oil filter length (plus a bit extra for the rare earth magnet disk I use to help secure the can to the bottom of the filter), then rimmed the inside upper edge of the can with a thin layer of cork for a perfect fit.
Painted the outside of the tin with black spray paint.
It works like a ******, cost me $3, and I got a meal out of the salmon. I'll post some pics later.

[image]http://www.bonnevilleamerica.com/photopost/data/500/medium/DSCN0559_Small_.JPG[/image]
[image]http://www.bonnevilleamerica.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=8235[/image]
Here's a shot of the oil filter with a rare earth magnet, and a row of magnets on the sump drain plug. They're super strong, and won't fly off.
[image]http://www.bonnevilleamerica.com/photopost/data/500/medium/DSCN0562_Small_.JPG[/image]
[image]http://www.bonnevilleamerica.com/photopost/data/500/medium/DSCN0565_Small_.JPG[/image]

What am I doing wrong when I try to post these images??

Take out the medium/ in 1, 3, & 4 and 2 is not proper form. Look at the properties on that one and get the line that ends with .jpg.

Here's a couple of them for you.





That is good cheap and easy mod.

Soren

Ummm..... What is that actually going to do besides keep the oil hotter?
Just curious...
thanks
mary

Sometimes people unintentionally run over various & sundry "road debris", which in some cases has been known to flip up and puncture the exposed oil filter. The salmon cover would provide a level of protection.

That, or it's a simple case of recycling gone Madd.

Nice idea .

jh

Being mounted by a magnet I doubt it be strong enough to take a significant knock, but it might act in a sacrificial way for a small one. The oil in the filter's already cool oil from the sump and we do run oil coolers but you could maybe drill some holes for airflow if you're worried about oil temp. What it really needs there is some sort of sump guard but that'd be difficult and untidy because the filter extends beyond the frame and would give less ground clearance.

Soren...thanks for letting me know where I went wrong with the posting of pictures, and also for posting those two pictures.
The second picture also shows the row of magnets I use on the sump drain plug...they're on there solid and won't budge while riding. Before taking the pictures I repainted the can, but I really should have let everyone see how much paint had been removed by road debris....the facing edge of the can was pretty much cleaned off. That oil filter takes a lot of abuse in everyday riding. Since a loss of oil will toast an engine, I figure any protection is better than none at all, and, losing the oil will also slick up the rear tire, which results in loss of traction. The cork liner provides a very snug fit onto the filter, and the magnet is only used as a failsafe. In 600 miles of riding with the protector, it hasn't moved at all, except when I pulled it off to re-paint, and take the pictures.

That is a great idea! I thought a sump protector would be good on these bikes. We have a fair bit of dirt roads here yet, but haven't had a puncture yet.
Here's a skid plate for sale, looks a bit homemade for that price though...probably doesn't fit an America frame.
http://www.newbonneville.com/html/norman_hyde_skid_plate.html

Way to think outside the norm, Robin. It's a great idea!



Travis, it lists for the Bonneville/T100/Thruxton but this pic gives me ideas. How hard could it be to build something like this? Even extend it and angle the back end to protect the filter. It really wouldn't have to have those extra side flairs as the point is to protect the sump and filter! Shoot, it could even sit just inside the lower frame for a cleaner look. It appears the plate is mounted to something like a stretched 'm' that clamps to either frame member. Maybe there's two pieces there but one would be much stronger.

I'm thinking 1/8" aluminum, painted black.



(dang, I did get to rambling there, didn't I )

Phil, I'm all for a sump protector for all the obvious reason when travelling on dirt roads. In fact if I had a one I might be even more likely to plan more "off bitumen" exploints. So I'm really interested if you or someone else can come up with something that doesn't look out of place but does the job.

BTW Phil, I received the feeler gauge

I was looking in my metal bin last night and I think I have the perfect piece of aluminum so I am going to make up a heavy paper template this weekend and see what comes of it.

Quote:

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I received the feeler gauge

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Very glad to hear that!

Perhaps we should have a new section for home-brewed 'solutions'. (An 'anti-tech' forum?!!!)

It may even encourage people to get their thinking hats on.

Hey Robin, I believe this thread has been hijacked and I hate to admit it but I participated. Please accept my apology. New thread on skid plates needed.....

Hey, no sweat...glad the thread is getting people thinking about other good mods we could all use.