One of the cheapest & cleanest RAM handlebar mounts (BuyBits/Ultimate Addons)

[BonesDT]

It's outrageous that Spyder-specific mounts are going for $80 and up. I read lots of people's ideas on this board. I definitely wanted something that didn't require drilling. Probably the most popular is using the RAM-B-252U base, but I didn't like the offset look and it requires fabricating a spacer and sourcing the proper bolts separately.

So I ordered these from England from buybits.com:

http://www.buybits.com/Product/1820...-Use-With-Ram-Sw-motech-Mounts-sku-18207.aspx

It seems other companies, including RAM and Twisted Throttle, used to make similar M10 ball mounts, but now only M9 and less are not discontinued and I could no longer find anywhere to get M10 balls in the States.

NOWHERE does it state what the thread pitch of the M10 bolts are. Our Spyders require M10-1.50mm, but it seems the more popular M10 motorcycle bolts are M10-1.25mm, so I feared that's what I was going to get. I asked several vendors and only one got back to me and said "approximate 1mm pitch" - ?!?! It blows my mind how thread pitch is an afterthought - IT IS JUST AS CRUCIAL A SPECIFICATION AS THE BOLT DIAMETER! And, no, "approximate" pitch does not help - especially when it turns out that vendor was WAY off his estimation!

So enough ranting, I am pleased to report that these bolts are, indeed, M10-1.50mm. You get 3 different length bolts. You'll want to use the longest one, which is 65mm long. Our Spyders' OEM bolts are 40mm long and the metal sleeve of this ball mount is exactly 25mm long, so the longest 65mm bolt is right on target.

There is one mod I had to do. These bolts are "sticky" - although they are the proper pitch, they don't screw in easily and feel like the wrong pitch. They seem to be galvanized or something so the threads may be thicker. So I had to run them through a die to lean them out and then they screwed it nicely:


Remove one of your four OEM handlebar bolts (the OEMs require a 7mm hex socket) and then retain the OEM washer and install in this order:

 

[BonesDT]

The new Ultimate Addons bolts require a 6mm hex socket:


Finally, the kit comes with a nice black rubber cap. It fits fairly snug, but I'm going to try putting a dollop of Scotch Permanent Double Sided Tape (FYI, their "Removable" DS tape is worthless) to make sure I don't lose it:


Now, the one catch is, there's very little clearance for the RAM arms, especially for the front two bolts. As you can see, I get limited rotation with my cup holders, and almost ZERO rotation in the front slot - see how sharp an angle I had to put that medium-sized RAM arm:


I'm going to add one or three additional M10 washers to get a little more height. Just like with the OEM bolts, there's a few mms of bolt length to spare.

Both kits were 28.33 pounds shipped, which my credit card calculated to $47.62 and added on a $1.42 transaction fee. I did not have to pay any customs. So, I got both kits for just under $50. I chose their cheapest shipping, which took a good week and a half.

 

[Cavman]

Thanks for posting. Another good source for MC parts.

 

[DrewNJ]

Nice work!

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[kml354]

Nice but.

View attachment 87962

It's outrageous that Spyder-specific mounts are going for $80 and up. I read lots of people's ideas on this board. I definitely wanted something that didn't require drilling. Probably the most popular is using the RAM-B-252U base, but I didn't like the offset look and it requires fabricating a spacer and sourcing the proper bolts separately.

So I ordered these from England from buybits.com:
View attachment 87963View attachment 87964
http://www.buybits.com/Product/1820...-Use-With-Ram-Sw-motech-Mounts-sku-18207.aspx

It seems other companies, including RAM and Twisted Throttle, used to make similar M10 ball mounts, but now only M9 and less are not discontinued and I could no longer find anywhere to get M10 balls in the States.

NOWHERE does it state what the thread pitch of the M10 bolts are. Our Spyders require M10-1.50mm, but it seems the more popular M10 motorcycle bolts are M10-1.25mm, so I feared that's what I was going to get. I asked several vendors and only one got back to me and said "approximate 1mm pitch" - ?!?! It blows my mind how thread pitch is an afterthought - IT IS JUST AS CRUCIAL A SPECIFICATION AS THE BOLT DIAMETER! And, no, "approximate" pitch does not help - especially when it turns out that vendor was WAY off his estimation!

So enough ranting, I am pleased to report that these bolts are, indeed, M10-1.50mm. You get 3 different length bolts. You'll want to use the longest one, which is 65mm long. Our Spyders' OEM bolts are 40mm long and the metal sleeve of this ball mount is exactly 25mm long, so the longest 65mm bolt is right on target.

There is one mod I had to do. These bolts are "sticky" - although they are the proper pitch, they don't screw in easily and feel like the wrong pitch. They seem to be galvanized or something so the threads may be thicker. So I had to run them through a die to lean them out and then they screwed it nicely:
View attachment 87965

Remove one of your four OEM handlebar bolts (the OEMs require a 7mm hex socket) and then retain the OEM washer and install in this order:
View attachment 87966

http://store.valueaccessories.net/SpyderRTRAMMountKit.aspx. $19.95

 

[Chupaca]

Good to know..!!

alway good to hear and very helpful. Sometimes seems we are being taken advantage of. Just because brp prices on parts and acc are expensive doesn't mean they should try to match them...:lecturef_smilie:

 

[BonesDT]

http://store.valueaccessories.net/SpyderRTRAMMountKit.aspx. $19.95

That's the RAM-B-252U base I was talking about that I didn't like because of the offset look.

 

[cptjam]

ISCI

They have these. And all the bits and pieces! Joe

 

[MDBumblebee]

What I'm wondering is if any of these solutions will also work with the tri-axis handlebars?

 

[jthornton]

If you don't like to take your eyes off the road I offer a mount that goes on top of the dash.



JT

 

[BonesDT]

They have these. And all the bits and pieces! Joe

Starting at $58 for 1 ball and It doesn't look like it fits these newer model handlebars. Otherwise, their systems only work with their hand brake system.


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