Whilst I was away, cruising up and down the River Shannon in the Land of Eire, I ordered a bunch of stuff from different sources for my newest sidecar rig, the one I just obtained from Hannigan's, which is a 2015 Goldwing w/Hannigan GTL sidecar. This is the rig I will be shipping to Germany next February, so I need to make it as maintenance free as possible, as I won't have access to MY shop whilst in Europe. Do things RIGHT....now...and I won't have problems down the road.
One of the many things I ordered was a small plastic box of Black Rubber Caps, to install on any exposed nuts, etc, to protect them from corrosion, road debris, damage, rusting, etc.
Every one of you that owns a sidecar has experienced corrosion, rusting, debris damage, etc to the fasteners that are used, and exposed, when attaching a sidecar to the motorcycle, and not all of those fasteners come in great quality, so some of them corrode, or rust faster than others that are of better quality.
You will see what I mean in these few pictures. With my newest sidecar rig up on my shop lift (don't be jealous), I found a lot of exposed nuts, threads, etc, that I could foresee would get corroded in time, or damaged...and if I ever wanted to remove said fastener, it may be difficult if that fastener was damaged.
This small box of Black Rubber Caps costs about $ 12.00 from Amazon. Here is the link:
https://www.amazon.com/Pieces-Rubber-Covers-Thread-Protector/dp/B0B4G1F84B?
After receiving the first box of these....and installing about 30 of these different sized rubber caps onto exposed nuts, I decided to order two more boxes of these same Black Rubber Caps, because I have two more sidecar rigs that I can do the same thing to...protect as many exposed fasteners as possible.
Some of the pictures it is difficult to SEE exactly where I placed the Black Rubber Caps, but each of my sidecar rigs will take an average of 36 of these caps, mostly the mid to large sized ones, so you end up with a lot of the smaller caps left over, but...in a shop, a good mechanic can always find use for a rubber cap.
A Tech Tip: You may find that some of the largest of these Black Rubber Caps are slightly loose on the larger nuts, so...use just a drop of Super Glue on one of the flats of the larger nuts, then slide the Black Rubber Cap onto that nut, and the Super Glue will hold that Rubber Cap in place. If and when you need to remove that Rubber Cap to work on that particular nut, just pull on it hard, or cut the Rubber Cap off the nut, but the protection it provided while it was on the nut is worth the price of replacing that Rubber Cap.
Two Million Mile Rider
Exploring the World in Comfort
But where is the link to the rubber cap that will prevent my riding skills from eroding away as my body is exposed to the most corrosive element of them all -- time?
But seriously, Miles, this is a good idea. Thanks!
@ned to paraphrase Jack Reacher: That is a perishing skill. Keep using it so it doesn't perish. 
Illegitemi non carborundum est!
Just a touch cheaper than replacing everything with stainless. And much quicker.
Good one Miles.
Just a touch cheaper than replacing everything with stainless. And much quicker.
Good one Miles.
Bruce, my mate from Western Australia, the one thing I don't believe we can find in stainless, are the U-Bolts, that wrap around a round bar, and that is the one thing I found had rusting exposed threads. Those rusting exposed threads on the U-Bolts are was caused me to order these Rubber Caps.
Some sidecar manufacturers don't use U-Bolts at all, and yet some do.....so it depends on what hardware was used and by whom.
Two Million Mile Rider
Exploring the World in Comfort
Field fix: liquid electrical tape. For odd places. It usually peels off clean.
Nice! 😎
I like the finished look of the caps. Also the caps that fit into hex socket head bolts, to keep them from filling with crud & corrosion.
Hold my keyboard and watch this! 🙃
Hmm I have a couple of stainless U bolts in my box of stainless bits and pieces. 50mm ID with 10mm course thread if I remember correctly.
Shall I leave them out by the mailbox for you?
I was thinking that if such a thing exists, McMaster must have it.
Illegitemi non carborundum est!
Here is yet another simple tip.....specifically for sidecars:
Almost every sidecar has a manufacturers plate, and ID plate, screwed in, or riveted in to the frame, to identify that sidecar frame, much the same as a VIN plate on a motorcycle or automobile or truck.
How many of YOU have looked at that ID/VIN plate and found it marred, scratched over by road debris, painted over, dented, etc ?????
What I have done is to place a piece of seriously heavy duty Duct Tape over the face surface of each of the ID plates, the VIN plates, on each of my sidecars, simply to protect that ID/VIN plate, so that 10 years from now...or 30 years from now, that ID/VIN plate is still legible and readable.
It takes all of 30 seconds to tear a piece of seriously heavy duty duct tape from a roll, then place in over the face of the ID/VIN plate, make sure it is firmly in place, then...forgetaboutit.
The beauty of this 30 seconds exercise is that 10 to 30 years from now, the 3rd or 4th owner of this rig can easily remove that seriously heavy duty duct tape, and clearly read that ID/VIN plate, and know exactly what it reads...clean and clear numbers and letters.
Two Million Mile Rider
Exploring the World in Comfort
