Boxerworks.com

A set of used 'toaster' side panels just sold for $200 on ebay... so it looks like the times are changing...

I always thought it was BMW's attempt to make a tank like the old BSA Thunderbolts and other bikes of that era with some chrome on them.

In other words, it seemed trendy back then, and it is becoming trendy again. Retro doesn't only apply to clothes and furniture... it seems that it applies to motorcycles too!

jjwithers wrote:A set of used 'toaster' side panels just sold for $200 on ebay... so it looks like the times are changing...

Yeah, I got outbid, by double! At least it wasn't by a dollar. Don'tcha hate it when that happens.

So now what? What can I spend my $91.85 cents of secret bike savings on? A can of paint and a brush?

jjwithers wrote:A set of used 'toaster' side panels just sold for $200 on ebay... so it looks like the times are changing...

I always thought it was BMW's attempt to make a tank like the old BSA Thunderbolts and other bikes of that era with some chrome on them.

In other words, it seemed trendy back then, and it is becoming trendy again. Retro doesn't only apply to clothes and furniture... it seems that it applies to motorcycles too!

God I hate retro and trendy.

Zombie Master wrote: God I hate retro and trendy.

So, ya got the retro/trendy blues, huh?


That's so retro...and trendy.

Back to the magnetic chrome side panels. Great idea. Sort of like Jewelry for added bling when the occasion dictates it.
I would make them from scratch from polished aluminum (I hate chrome). They'ld be lighter too. I'd make some for large tanks too. Not stock, but it could have been... and was probably considered when the /6 came out.
I've got an embarrassing dent by the emblem on the left side. A nice polished aluminum panel would cover that nicely.

mattcfish wrote: I've got an embarrassing dent by the emblem on the left side. A nice polished aluminum panel would cover that nicely.

I've got one on the right side.
Bullet holes work. No-one noticed the dent.

Seems to me that attaching toaster panels to a tank not designed to hold them would present a hazard, especially with only magnets. I sure wouldn't want to be behind you when one comes off. I could be wrong, but on /5 tanks, I believe the roundel area is convex and on /6 tanks (and newer), it is concave (sort of a depression where the roundel goes). Thus, an air pocket of sorts would exist at the roundel hole in the toaster panel whereby air would get under the panel and test the attachment method, be it magnetic or epoxy. Given the way airheads vibrate and the added introduction of air behind the toaster panel, my guess is that one would come off if it wasn't bolted down somehow. Also skeptical of epoxy, but maybe it's just me. I think it's a bad idea, perhaps a candidate for the Darwin Awards. Google it if you aren't familiar with the Darwin Awards. IMO, you'd be better off masking the tank and buying a rattle can of shiny paint.

Also, I didn't think magnets worked on aluminum or am I missing something?

vespajg wrote:
Also, I didn't think magnets worked on aluminum or am I missing something?

Not missing anything, except that it only means that the magnets would have to be attached to the aluminum by a mechanical means.

vespajg wrote:Seems to me that attaching toaster panels to a tank not designed to hold them would present a hazard, especially with only magnets. I sure wouldn't want to be behind you when one comes off. I could be wrong, but on /5 tanks, I believe the roundel area is convex and on /6 tanks (and newer), it is concave (sort of a depression where the roundel goes). Thus, an air pocket of sorts would exist at the roundel hole in the toaster panel whereby air would get under the panel and test the attachment method, be it magnetic or epoxy. Given the way airheads vibrate and the added introduction of air behind the toaster panel, my guess is that one would come off if it wasn't bolted down somehow. Also skeptical of epoxy, but maybe it's just me. I think it's a bad idea, perhaps a candidate for the Darwin Awards. Google it if you aren't familiar with the Darwin Awards. IMO, you'd be better off masking the tank and buying a rattle can of shiny paint.

Also, I didn't think magnets worked on aluminum or am I missing something?

are the toaster tanks aluminum or the panels? both our /6's have steel tanks, LaDonna has used a tank bag for years that is held on by magnets, it's never even moved at highway speeds

I was only speaking from a creative view point. Where there's a will there's a way.
Time and money are the only limiting factors.