Abbreviated Teatray

[Nasher]

I’m not sure I like it, opinions please.
Although I'll ultimately make my own mind up of course!

When I purchased my 97 M900 4yrs ago it’d already had a ‘Tailchop’ at some time to remove the teatray, and of course the rear of the frame.

Now I know it’s a matter of real debate on here, but I personally prefer my Monsters sans tail.
I think it’s too long and lengthens the bodywork too much.
However, I realise that as a keeper my M900 will be worth more to my family when I’m gone if it had a tail, so I’m also gathering together a kit of parts to convert it back to standard if required.

I’ve also been thinking that there are a few styling elements that really make an early Monster what it is, and regardless of personal opinion the teatray is one of them.

I had a play for an hour over the weekend and bodged together a shortened teatray from a split one I had, just to see what it looked like.
If I decide I do like it, I’ll tidy it up and take a mould from it to make a glass or carbon one.

Please be fully aware that what you’re looking at is a lash-up for testing only, I’m not proud of it.

It’s not as easy as shortening it and bolting it back on somehow, as the teatray is tapered widthways along it’s length so the standard style rear light lens will not fit further along the length of it.

I split it down the centre and used Plummer’s Solvent pipe adhesive to glue the two halves down to a piece of PC/ABS plastic I had in the garage.
I added a 10mm gap, but wish I’d gone for more now so I could make it even shorter.



I then cut it down so I could mount it using two longer bolts in place of those that hold that rear mudguard and seat latch in position.
Obviously I had to cut holes to allow for number plate illumination from below the rear light unit.
I’d also add some extra stiffness with a metal plate if I make a real one.
For this exercise I’ve covered the slot in the middle by infilling the bottom of the tray with carbon Wrapping Film, obviously I’d fill it properly if I use it to make a mould.



Before and with the shortened tray.









What do ‘We’ think?

Is it a Homage?
Or just Horrendous?


Nasher

[Yorkie]

I could lend you my shorter carbon tea-tray if you would like. It is still off the bike while I conduct the rebuild.

I will try and dig a picture out for you.

Yorkie

[Nasher]

I'd like to see some pictures Yorkie.
And thanks for the offer of a loan if needed.

How does yours mount?
Does it need the original frame underneath?

Nasher

[Dukedesmo]

I like it better than a chopped off tail and mine has something similar (one-piece tray that is a little shorter than standard) but I think it would look better with the number plate at the end of the tea tray, that said it may be more 'stealthy' to roadside cameras as is...

[Yorkie]

Originally Posted by Nasher

I'd like to see some pictures Yorkie.
And thanks for the offer of a loan if needed.

How does yours mount?
Does it need the original frame underneath?

Nasher

It mounts on the back two of the original frames bolts, but anything can be adapted if you are going to take a mould.

I will post some pictures at lunch time.

Yorkie

[Nasher]

Originally Posted by Yorkie

I will post some pictures at lunch time.

Yorkie

Ta

[Jez900ie]

I like yours sans tail. Just the way I like mine. Sometimes designers make mistakes, and sometimes those mistakes are in the styling. Adding ugliness to beauty never improves the looks.

If you want to appeal to purists, I agree you will have to come up with a way to refit an original tail which makes the bike look like it arrived from the factory. Personally, looking at the resale prices of these bikes, the numbers that have been produced, the pollution restrictions coming soon, and the probable price of petrol in twenty years I'm not too concerned!

[utopia]

Originally Posted by Nasher

However, I realise that as a keeper my M900 will be worth more to my family when I’m gone if it had a tail, so I’m also gathering together a kit of parts to convert it back to standard if required.


Obviously I had to cut holes to allow for number plate illumination from below the rear light unit.

On the first point, I wouldn't bother about its resale value.
The tail chop isn't going to make any significant difference to your family's inheritance.

On the second, do you need to do that ?
I know the tail light unit has a clear lower section which could illuminate a number plate but on my bike (which has the curvy teatray, not the square one) this is redundant, by design.
There is no cutout in the teatray and the illumination from the bottom section of the tail light goes nowhere.
Instead there is a separate, number plate light fixed to the bottom of the teatray.

I notice that you have the later, oval indicators which were fitted to the later bikes which had the curved teatray, not the square one which you are modifying.
I'm guessing you've gone that way because the square teatray doesn't include attachment points for the indicators, and I can see the logic there but personally I think the curved teatray looks better.
In fact I remember that someone on the forum, possibly yourself even, was considering getting a mould made so that curved trays without indicator mounts could be produced.
That would look better, in my opinion.

Of course none of the above answers your question on the appearance of your shortened tail.
Tbh, I think its hard to judge from photos .. you really need to view it from all angles to get the full effect, but .....
If anything, I think I would go even shorter if you're sticking with the square tray.

If a modded, indicator-free curved tray is a possibility that you might consider, I would like one of those too and would be prepared to share the production costs.
I may even end up doing that myself, but it will have to wait until I've done the other jobs on my list such as the new, single can exhaust, FCR conversion, etc etc.

Interesting to note that you used plumbers' solvent adhesive.
I've wondered about using that myself ... did it work well on the ABS teatray ?

[Yorkie]

Here are some pictures on and off my Monster:

Monster_rear_zps9e76ca8d

IMG_3037

IMG_3035

e69155ab-9665-416c-9642-ae4fe234a4dc_zpsa27fdf9f

Yorkie

[Nasher]

Yorkie/ Utopia

Thanks for the images Yorkie, that looks really good, but isn’t really the look I’m attempting to go for.

Styling is very personal, and there will always be many different views on what looks good and what doesn’t, I’ve asked for opinions as I can sometimes get lost in the technical aspect of making something work and lose sight of what it looks like until I’m finished and don’t like it. It’s very unusual for me to do something purely aesthetic, so am a little out of my comfort zone.

As I said, I think the teatray is a defining feature of the early Monsters, so would like to try and retain the look of the original, and balance making it smaller and more aesthetically pleasing, with turning it into a pure styling feature by separating it from the numberplate.
A smaller version sticking out on it’s own makes a statement without it being overpowering and too big.
I actually prefer the look of the original square tray over the later more rounded one, so would like to work with it.

I feel using the rear light to illuminate the plate is a simple very clean solution which does not involve adding any additional stuck on bits or wiring, and do personally prefer the number plate tucked underneath. Part of the reason I think the original teatray doesn’t work is it sticks out the back too much, and the number plate tacked on the end just makes it worse.
I agree that if I do put more work into this and try to use it I’ll probably need to drop the number plate an inch so it can be seen properly.

I used to be into classic Zeds, and still believe the Z650(and to a certain extent Z900) Duckbill to be the best looking seat unit ever, especially shunted forward and used with a shortened saddle. The original Monster is very similar in some ways, but with the rear light over the styling feature not under it, so perhaps I’m being influenced by my past.

As for the indicators, the bike arrived with me fitted with a set of Silver Billet aluminium very high tech modern looking jobbies, and the oval ones as spares but fitted with Amber lenses.
Not wishing to be rude to Blah-Blah who fitted the Billet ones at great expense, but in my opinion the modern high tech look really didn’t suit the bike at all, and when I was offered money for them by a friend I was only too pleased to let him have them. It also got rid of the untidy extra wiring added to fit the load resistors.

At that stage I didn’t even know the oval ones were not standard, but do prefer them to the early square ones now I know that. I’ve obviously fitted them with the clear lenses as well.
I think I posted once that I really don’t like the practice of fitting modern high tech indicators to bikes whose styling just doesn’t work with them, but think the Oval indicators are a good match with the early Monster styling.

The Plumbers Solvent Glue has worked really well on the two materials actually melting them.

Nasher

[utopia]

Yep, I'm with you on the thinking, for the most part.
Having looked at it a bit longer, I'm starting to wonder if it would look better if it was angled down a little more at the rear ... but again, styling is personal.
For me, maybe a tad shorter still, but in retrospect the angle might be more important.
Hard to tell really, from just two, close up photos.
But basically, I rather like it and I think you've got pretty close to achieving the original look, but cleaner.

[Nasher]

Originally Posted by utopia

I'm starting to wonder if it would look better if it was angled down a little more at the rear

Thanks Ut, you may have hit the nail on the head.
I hadn't thought about it until you mentioned it, the original sits flat, like the frame extension, not angled up.

Annoyingly it will be the weekend before I can play any more, but will see what it looks like. I may have to find a way to angle the rear light so it sits flat on it otherwise it might look odd.

Nasher.

[Luddite]

That's a good look, Nasher.

Have you ever seen these two offerings from Ducati Kämna?

http://www.ducati-kaemna.com/catalog...er-carbon.html

http://www.ducati-kaemna.com/catalog...rbon-2000.html





I think the first one is closest to your vision and it looks like both versions would need a separate number plate light.

[Mr Gazza]

I did away with the standard, heavy number plate illuminator on mine.
I replaced it with lighter and brighter LEDs.
Similar to these https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12V-6LED-...EAAOSwQjNW8ote

I bought long strips of these in White, Red and Green to use on model aeroplanes (very effective indeed for nav and landing lights).
If you look at the picture you will see two pink blobs looking a bit like little elastoplasts.
You can cut the strips at these points and use the LEDs in multiples of three (hence the ones in the ad being 6 LEDs). The elastoplasts are copper pads which you solder your leads to.
I fixed a 6 LED strip inside the rim of the tea tray with glazing tape... Simples!

[Dukedesmo]

Originally Posted by Luddite

I like that, in fact it's similar to mine except mine has built-in indicators which are probably too close together so the one above is better in that respect.

As for number plate light I used an R&G unit;