Longest lasting fork gaitors?

[NCAmother]

Hi y'all.  I have a pair of ebay fork gators on 35mm forks.  They lasted just this summer.  Can anyone recommend a better, longer lasting gator? Thanks

[Lannis]

Hi y'all.  I have a pair of ebay fork gators on 35mm forks.  They lasted just this summer.  Can anyone recommend a better, longer lasting gator? Thanks

An ongoing discussion for many a year on our Britbike lists, most of which use gaiters in some form or other.

Currently manufactured repros are generally just junk, that split or come apart in the sunlight as if they were manufactured by vampires.     Best success so far comes from using BMW airhead NOS or repro gaiters and "making them fit".   

I'd love to hear if anyone else has a solution; I'll pass it on ....

Lannis

[rodekyll]

I'm getting a couple years out of my pyramid-brand gaiters.  Also looking for something that doesn't self-shred after a year in the weather.



How do companies get away with making stuff out of completely unsuitable materials?

[balvenie]

          I could not buy gaitors that fitted my bike and was forced to improvise, with the help of my GF. Wet suit rubber is the stuff mine are made from. They wrap-around and are secured with velcro, stitched on by GF
          Had them a few years now and the join, which is positioned at the rear of the fork, appears to be waterproof.

Warning::::::::::::This stuff is very expensive

[charlie b]

I had a pair of these on my MZ for 18 months with no splits or any other issues. Still on there with the new owner. Thinking about putting a pair on the Morini.
http://www.mgcycle.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=197_199&products_id=4443

Am glad you got some life out of those.  The ones I ordered and put on the bike split after 6 months.

I was also considering making some with some marine vinyl.  Works on my saddle, why wouldn't it work on the forks?

[NCAmother]

Am glad you got some life out of those.  The ones I ordered and put on the bike split after 6 months.

I was also considering making some with some marine vinyl.  Works on my saddle, why wouldn't it work on the forks?

These are the same gators ordered from MG Cycle that died quick also.

[mrrick]

Here's what I've been using on the Commando.  Lasted several years now, but I'm always parked in the garage, too.
http://www.oldbritts.com/13_065743.html

[guzzista]

If you are not to far from San Jose, you could pop by Rabers, a true mecca for classic  Brit bikes. The gaiters I got there  for my Norton lasted for years

[Sheepdog]

I've had a set of "Super Gaiters" on my Bonneville since 2003 and they remain supple and un-torn. From Bella Corse...they're even on sale:
http://bellacorse.com/shop/parts-for-triumph/chassis/fork-super-gaiters/

[toma nova]

Why not use shock boots from truck / 4x4 aftermarket shocks.  Rancho makes a bunch of colors and these last under trucks for thousands of miles and several years.  Granted, they're not exposed to UV but they're also pretty inexpensive.

V-Strom owners use these when they want to add gaiters.  Maybe check stromtroopers.com.

Tom

[Guzzistajohn]

The ones on my 06 tiger show no signs of wear what so ever with 60,000 miles.

[NCAmother]

Thanks for all the tips guys, looks like the bmw's and british bikes are the route to look at.  I'm about 3 hrs away from San Jose, I guess the most important dimension to find are gaiters with 35mm inlets/outlets!     Thanks guys!!

[charlie b]

Also another thanks.

My bike lives most of it's life out in the sun while I am at work, so UV is important (especially at 5000-7000ft elevations)

[krglorioso]

My 1974 Norton 850 Commando Interstate has had 1970 Norton "Euro" fork boots for 20+ years and they are in fine shape.  I believe the tubes are 35mm.  Length may be a bit long for a Guzzi, which has a shorter distance between the top of the slider and the lower triple clamp.  Raber's should have these boots, as Guzzista advises. 

[SmithSwede]

Have a BMW F800S.  Back in 2007 when I bought the bike, I put Triumph OEM fork gaitors on it, which were meant for the Triumph Scrambler.    8 years and 50,000 miles later, they are still fine.   

Those may be too big for 35 mm tubes however--just saying that OEM Triumph stuff seems to be non-Vampire.

As I recall, I never had issues with durability of OEM gaitors on BMW airheads.   

[v7john]

These gaiters were on my (much missed) 750S3 for years and years and were still in good nick.

I intended to get something similar for my V7Sport so examined them. They were marked "Ariete 06962". I've looked these up on the web to find them described as TOP...32-34MM dia. BOTTOM ....52-54MM dia. Length ......65-300mm.