Motorcycle Frame Sliders

Insurance is a good thing. Whether it's a full coverage policy or a cable locking your motorcycle to a pole in bad neighborhood, if buying or installing something reduces your anxiety then it is a good. To help ease your anxieties build a set of frame sliders to protect your motorcycle in the event of a low side to a parking lot tip over thanks to an errant driver. This project will cost less then $30 and you will need to purchase the following: 4 skateboard wheels or roller skate wheels with bearings, threaded rod, four nuts, a hacksaw, pliers, hammer, random washers and loctite.

Start by going to a local thrift store in search of an old skateboard or roller skates. The condition of the wheels doesn't matter as their sole purpose is to be sacrificed to save your bike from getting damaged. Once you have the wheels, go to a hardware store and purchase at least 4 feet of 5/8th-inch threaded rod. Purchase four nuts that screw onto the threaded rod and some loctite. If you don't have pliers, a hammer or a hacksaw, purchase them now.

First, stick the threaded rod through your motorcycle's hollow axle. Slip a wheel over each end of the axle and include a little extra space for the width of the nuts. It is better to have a little extra room then not enough. Once you have the length required, mark the cut off point with your finger and remove the threaded rod. Spin a nut onto the threaded rod to the point where your finger is marking and proceed to cut the threaded rod with a hacksaw. When you are finished cutting, spin the nut off the freshly cut edge to chase the threads.

Repeat this process for the other wheel. Assemble one side with a wheel and a nut and feed the threaded rod through the axle. Install the other wheel and nut and check for fit. Use miscellaneous washers to shim up the rod to allow the wheels to spin freely, which will help them survive the crash better. Once everything is installed, drip some loctite on the end of the nuts and tighten the nuts snug.

Cut the threaded rods flush with the nut then make two cuts forming an X perpendicular to the rod's threads. Hit the X with a hammer to deform the rod's threads and ensure the skateboard wheels don't vibrate loose. Repeat this process for the other wheel. This is just another way to improve your motorcycle experience through making your own parts. The next time you come outside in the morning to find someone knocked over your motorcycle, nothing important will be damaged, which is one less thing to be anxious about.