Battery cover popping open while riding??

[Cosmo Kramer]

Well last year when I was riding if I hit a bad hole or bump (Nightster suspension) my battery cover would pop open. Well now I have crammed more junk under it so it pops open all the time. First I was going to use velcro on the inside but after thinking about it for a while I realized that it could still open up. I decided to do this....someone else may have done this before but I already took the pics so might as well do a write-up.

Here is the front clip that keeps letting my cover fly open. I took a small drill bit (less than 1/8" dia.) and made a series of holes and then used the drill to make all the holes one big slot:






I was originally going to use a plastic covered piece of metal to slide in the slot but the slot wasn't wide enough, so my other thought was to use a clipped piece of zip-tie. I left the clipped end about 2-3" long so that I could slide it in and not worry about it working its way back out of the clip:


Here you can see how the slot in the clip coordinates with the slot in the battery cover:


Here is the cover installed and the zip-tie inserted:


Here is a final pic with the stock seat installed:


I have not taken it for a ride, but I can not pull the cover open with my hands without the bike wanting to tip!

[Phaedrus]

Good idea, I've used the same one for a couple of years with no further problems

[ridinfool]

Yep...mine does the same thing...goin down the freeway at 75 and go over the bridge seams....it pops open everytime....Great pics and descripton Cosmo...thanks a trilli....

[Pork Chop]

excellent...i do something similar but this is a pretty smart idea

[Cosmo Kramer]

Originally Posted by Pork Chop

excellent...i do something similar but this is a pretty smart idea

Thanks guys & Pork Chop. I know some people zip-tie the cover directly to the frame and even leave the clip off and go hole to hole with a zip-tie. Problem is, if you want to open the battery cover you have to cut the zip-tie and install a new one. By doing what I did, you just pull the zip-tie out, open the cover, close the cover and insert the zip-tie.

All I know is that is going to be nice to finally ride without tapping my hand behind my leg to make sure the cover is still in place after hitting a bump in the road.

[Donfunnici]

For those of you that have had their battery cover pop off and hit the pavement i can repaint one cover or both oil tank and bat cover for a good price.Turnaround would be about 7 to 10 days depending on how bad they are messed up.PM me if you have a need for this service.Jason

[Bob F]

I drilled a hole in the top of my cover and use a zip tie around the frame.

[Cosmo Kramer]

Originally Posted by Bob F

I drilled a hole in the top of my cover and use a zip tie around the frame.

Bob F...you would be the one I was referring to. I remember someone did that but couldn't remember who. That was going to be my next step if this didn't work out.

[Tike71]

I knew about this trick but couldn't picture how it looked like. Thanks for the photos!

[Red Red Kroovy]

Cosmo, that's a nice solution you've worked out I had the same problem a couple of weeks ago and haven't had time to sort through it. Thanks for thinking this up and sharing. I'll use it.