RSD clarity clutch inspection cover

[Toejam503]

Thanks for the update!

[Nibelungen]

you welcome

i was aware of bad reviews of the clarity line when bought the item...
but i bought it nonotheless since for the Sporty the lexan window is way more little than in the products of the BTs line...

in addition since their service repair kits ('cause they have these kit precisely for the cracks they developed overtime) have all the windows panels for BTs and only the Sporty one is not in the list... i thought it would not crack...

i was wrong...

now i am curious how it ends this story...
250 Euro for an item that last only one year is IMO far too much from reality...

RSD make really cool items... but if i will not have some answers and a bit of assistance... i have done with them...

[Toejam503]

I was thinking of buying one of these covers when I dumped gear oil on my drive way, a few years ago. I'm glad I waited to see your "test".

[Steve9]

Polycarb/lexan is very soft material. If it doesn't crack I'm pretty sure it will become less transparent with time.

Hope you get some satisfaction from RSD.

They make nice stuff but are quite proud of it

[Nibelungen]

today installed the oem derby cover
then disassembled the window pan of the RSD clutch cover from the cover itself...

the cover was made of thick well machined alum... painted black in some areas... and polished in other... a good piece of work...

the window pane it's a misery... a pity... a cheap piece of junk... it seem to me a cheaper plastic toy you gave at some toddler...

maybe four millimeters thick... extremely light weight... it was designed to not survive at more than one summer... (the previous summer i had my bike grounded since blowed up the engine... so this is the first summer this piece had ran)...

in april it was perfect... so i think the heat of this summer temps caused that cracks to the window panel... due to the expansion of the metal of the cover... and this subsequently caused precisely the crack of the plastic glass panel screwed onto it...
i think for 250 Euros... or... figure out... more than 600 for the rocker cover for BTs... you could expect hard tempered glass panels... guaranteed for a lifespan... instead... no... piece of cheap plastic... and they have even the courage to sell repair kits for 55 Euros...

i think these people are accustomed to sell things to wealthy guys who like more to own show bikes... than real running ones...

they have done with me... a pity because the alum part is top notch... maybe someday i will meet someone who can cut tempered glass (my old man did know one... did this if i rember well... with a high pressure water/sandblast electronic saw... but that guy nowadays is retired) and will repair that piece properly.

[motorfish]

The Clarity series do look good, when new and unused, I too was looking at this derby cover, then suspicion of potential leakage won the better of me.
There is rather popular version of small air cleaner by Rough Crafts, knock offs from China being sold for around 30 bucks, with the lexan window cracking under the screws within days on both much more expensive original and the Chinese version of it. I bought the cheap one,knowing beforehand that K&N filter is necessary to have proper filtration, and the transparent plastic was replaced by carbon on the day I got it.
Now back to RSD, last week I replaced the lexan window with carbon sheet for a customer on RSD Clarity air cleaner....Guess why.....cracks originating in every screw hole in the transparent window. And it looks better in carbon, too.
Do not think that cracks in air cleaner window would pose too much risk of an intake leak big enough to mess A/F ratio, but it looks bad, especially considering the cost of it.
Derby cover dripping oil is a fail not worth 250 Euro for sure.
Will be interesting to read what (if) RSD has to say.

[sportsterpaul]

Daniele, sorry for your issue with the quality of the cover window. I too have admired the quality and machine work of their products. It appears they would be better to stay with metal and stay away from plastic. Then again should they step up and make it right it could be an excellent public relations opportunity as well to apply their expertise to plastics. It needs to be “made right”!

[Tim The Grim]

Could you rotate the cover 180 deg. so the window is at the top and less subject to leaking ?

[Nibelungen]

Originally Posted by Tim The Grim

Could you rotate the cover 180 deg. so the window is at the top and less subject to leaking ?

i am afraid not
6 screws derby cover has a notch at 7 o'clock circa for the clutch cable...

thanks for the tip anyway

[Nibelungen]

Originally Posted by sportsterpaul

Daniele, sorry for your issue with the quality of the cover window. I too have admired the quality and machine work of their products. It appears they would be better to stay with metal and stay away from plastic. Then again should the step up and make it right it could be an excellent public relations opportunity as well to apply their expertise to plastics. It needs to be “made right”!

correct
in addition in my opinion is also a costs saving issue

using Lexan poly instead of hard tempered or even armoured glass... has the goal to keep costs low and revenues high...

i made researchs
Lexan max resistance is around 120 Celsius... then worn out...
Lexan does expand far less (if it even does) than alum when hot...

these things together made possible that EVERY item of the Clarity line survive only one summer... they know this very well... at least nowadays... but this fact does not prevent them to set and keep the price of these items very high... as we know very well...

different it would be with a window panel made of proper armoured glass... that expands when hot similar as the alum does

for saving money... they ruined their reputation... too bad...

by the way no answer from them so far