Baron Engine Guard?????

[alantf]

Originally Posted by HumbleNewRider

Alantf --- they told me that all Suzuki's have really high brake levers.

And this is what I find so shocking. The "experts" either didn't know any better, or couldn't be bothered to set the bikes up. Setting up the bikes correctly is, in my opinion, one of the things that they should have at least mentioned to novice riders. If it was that they really didn't know any better than to say that all Susukis had a high brake pedal (and leave it at that), then they had no business trying to teach new riders how to ride.

[alantf]

It just occurred to me to give you a heads up on how to adjust the brake pedal, in case you're not sure.

Under the brake pedal, you'll find a bolt with a lock nut. Slacken the lock nut and adjust the bolt until the pedal is in the position you want. Tighten the lock nut.

At the rear wheel. adjust the nut on the brake rod until the brake operates with ½" of free play at the pedal. You may have to move the operating arm on the spline, by loosening the nut & bolt, pulling off the arm, and repositioning it. (I needed to do this to give me sufficient thread left for efficient brake adjustment)

Half way along the bike you'll find the adjuster for the brake light (on a spring). Twist the adjuster until the brake light comes on just after you push down on the brake pedal.

Go for a short ride and see if the pedal is in a comfortable position. If not, adjust it until it feels right for you.

It's really easy to do with just a couple of spanners (wrenches?). Just make sure all the nuts & bolts are snugged up, nice and tight. :2tup:

[mrlmd1]

We had this discussion on another thread about the same subject, posted I think by the same member.
When I installed my MC guard, I think I had to move the brake pedal less than an inch, more like a half inch, to get clearance from hitting the bottom of the pedal against the top of the guard. I seriously doubt you will notice any difference in pedal height after you do this and your foot shouldn't be riding or resting on the pedal anyway.
When I looked at the MC guard compared to the Baron, not only was the MC less expensive, but I thought it looked stronger because of the length of the flat horizontal bars that attach the lower end of the guard to the frame on the Baron seemed not as strong as the shorter ones on the MC guard, and their angle is different, making them look more likely to bend or twist because of their excessive length with the torque applied to them if you went down. I have no objective evidence that this is the case, that one is stronger than the other, but if you look at the two of them, you can see this for yourself.
Here is a pic of the MC guard for comparison, and there are many pics on here of these guards installed on GZs if you do a search on here.

[HumbleNewRider]

I ended up ordering the Baron before I saw your post. I "fretted" over what was the right one to get. When you look at enough websites, you discover that sometimes different manufacturer photos of products are used for supposedly the same item. Some of the retail websites at least state that the actual item might vary from the photo. (One of the manufacturer's websites -- can't remember now if it was Baron MC -- even said that about their own product !!! ) Ultimately, I couldn't draw a conclusion about which photos on the retail websites were reliable.

So, I decided the only reliable photos of the Baron and MC guards were those posted by members in the forum. I did notice the longer length of the attachment "lug" on the Baron was probably what created less potential interference w/ the brake lever. And that's why I went with it. The brake lever clearance might not have been an issue on my 2008 bike. The Baron was actually about $25 less than the MC. Paid $176 w/ free shipping for it. But my focus on the fit. I knew I really disliked the high brake lever on the GZs in the class, which was what steered me to the Baron. Probably just one of those things of not having enough knowledge / info about design and adjustment of the brake lever to know that the MC guard was probably fine for my 2008 bike. But, I also just got worn out over the decision process and wanted it to be over! (Ever been there? ) I hadn't thought about the point you raise (the strength of the Baron Guard). I probably would have fretted over that had I thought of it. Hopefully it will at least install easily. And, hopefully my son and I will never need to test their strength.

[HumbleNewRider]

Alantf - thanks for the instructions are adjusting the brake lever. I hadn't studied it. I like your recommendation of getting them near level for quick access. I'll work on that when I install the guards. Just from a quick look, I think my Honda Shadow probably adjusts the same way. I know I need to find the brake light switch for the rear brake and adjust it. I have to really apply that hard before it comes on (during our pre-ride inspection). I try to always use both brakes, so the light is coming on with the front brake, but I'd like it adjusted correctly. Thanks for the info.

[HumbleNewRider]

Boy did I make a mistake with the Baron Engine Guard. It arrived this afternoon and the brake is blocked. My brake pedal must be longer than the one on Kirk's bike (shown in photo above posted Dec 2010). I'll try adjusting the brake pedal, but I think the pedal is going to be much closer to vertical to have enough travel / play to engage the drum pads. These photos are just after installing the engine guard. I've not made any adjustment to the brake yet.

[HumbleNewRider]

Those are the first photos I've posted. They are too small for me to see much in. So, I'm reposting w/ larger images.

[HumbleNewRider]

Well --- they don't look any larger --- and this time I used the size option for message boards.

[HumbleNewRider]

Sorry for the double posting of photos.

Here's photos after adjusting the brake lever.

It still hits the crash guard after positioning the level are high as possible -- and after adjusting the rear nut on the brake rod.

mrlmd1 - the flat horizontal bars on the guard (for it to connect to the lower frame area) does have some play in it with just arm pressure. Not sure how it would hold up in skid. But, I can't imagine my brake level not hitting the MC guard if it hitting this Baron Guard. I think I saw a photo of the guard that Alantf talked about -- and it is well above the pedals all together. But, all I could find to purchase were the MC and Baron. I think I'm out of options -- and this will have to go back. Might have to visit the Suzuki dealership and see if they have any suggestions. (I picked yet a different image size option this time --- hope it actually is larger -- without being too large.)

[HumbleNewRider]

There must be some resizing trick, as the image size that is posting doesn't change even though I'm saying to resize the photos I upload. (But, I know the actual image size of the photos I'm uploading is large that is being displayed.)