Madstad bracket does not stay in place

[Ron_Luning]

I have a madstad bracket mounted in the lower position (no crossbar installed), and a medium Calsci shield. In the upper position the madstad bracket slips backwards at speed until the shield is more or less angled back toward me as much as possible. This is extremely annoying now that it is actually cold outside.

Yes, I have tightened the adjusters as much as is reasonable without breaking them. Also, they are installed per the instructions provided by Madstad.

A trip to the hardware store is in my future to fix this for sure. Has anyone already improvised a fix for this issue?

BTW, please don't reply by writing "I don't have this problem" or something to that effect. It is a waste of my time and yours.

 

[trikepilot]

I had this problem to some extent. The screen would slowly creep back to a lower angle at highway speeds.

It was fixed by adding a rubber washer and fender washer for a total fix cost of maybe $2 for the two sides.

Not sure if the lack of a crossbar might be the issue in terms of giving the vertical brackets so more stability?

 

[racer1735]

I had a similar situation with my Wunderlich bracket. I could tell as I was installing that there weren't enough washers included in the kit, as there were threads showing on the fasteners. A couple of washers (I used one metal and one black plastic) per side was the fix.

 

[krussell]

::026:: on the rubber washer. Star washers are another option but it get's ugly if you adjust to different locations.

 

[rfulcher]

I had the same problem. I moved the cross bar up to the curved rake angle adjustment slot. Mounted the bar at the very back of the slot. Now the cross bar keeps the windshield from sliding to far back. The final rake angle is very close to the recommended 30 degrees.

Okay, I actually filed flats on the inside washer to get it to exactly 30 degrees rake. :-\

 

[Ironhand]

Did your bracket come with rubber washers for the adjustment knobs? IIRC, mine did, but it still creeps during long highway rides.

 

[Ron_Luning]

Yes, the included rubber washers are installed. Maybe the cold weather has an impact on their ability to provide grip. Another online forum had a guy who glued wet/dry sandpaper to a fender washer instead of using the rubber. That would be immune to temperature effects. Not sure if I will go that route.

 

[HDFlyer76]

Had a similar problem but fixed who the rubber washer between the two sides of the bike mount and windshield mount. So I now have the bolt, rubber washer, mounting bracket, rubber washer, windshield bracket, rubber washer, metal washer and nut in order on each side. Has not moved now in 4,000 miles.

 

[Ron_Luning]

I think i have it fixed. The original rubber washer between the bracket components was pretty much toast. I replaced those with new thicker rubber washers. Also, the adjustment knob side had a washer and rubber washer originally. Those were warped from trying to tighten it so much. I replaced those with larger diameter fender washers to better match the diameter of the plastic adjustment knob. Instead of a matching rubber washer i epoxied wet/dry sandpaper to the side of the washer that is up against the bracket. Now after putting it all back on the bike it seems that it will hold since if i pull on the top of the windscreen i think the dashboard will break off before the bracket changes adjustment.

 

[terrysig]

Anyone know if it is a similar issue with the touratech bracket? A forum search brings up similar movement?

Starting to think about either an adjustable and it's possible benefits or just a bar to mount the GPS.

 

[CDMartin884]

Madstad used a really thin rubber washer that went toast early on for me. I replaced it with a thicker washer, problem solved ::008::

 

[clint64]

Anyone know if it is a similar issue with the touratech bracket? A forum search brings up similar movement?

Starting to think about either an adjustable and it's possible benefits or just a bar to mount the GPS.

I've had the TT bracket for over 5k miles with no issues of movement in the shield adjustment. I did replace the supplied plastic knobs with metal wing nuts after the first ride since the plastic would not stay tight.

 

[cosmic]

Anyone know if it is a similar issue with the touratech bracket? A forum search brings up similar movement?

Starting to think about either an adjustable and it's possible benefits or just a bar to mount the GPS.

I had mine for the last 10kmls. I set it up once and never thought about it anymore.

©

 

[Camshft]

22,000 km on my Madstad and no issues.....

And I have a Garmin Map496 installed in a Touratech bracket mounted on a thinner crossbar.

 

[patrickg450]

Kinda late coming to the party here.......


I have a one but I have the crossbar bracket, so maybe thats the ticket. Have you called dude in Florida? I spoke with him before I bought it and a few times after. Real good guy, see if he can help ya.

 

[Big Blu]

Kinda late coming to the party here.......


I have a one but I have the crossbar bracket, so maybe thats the ticket. Have you called dude in Florida? I spoke with him before I bought it and a few times after. Real good guy, see if he can help ya.

+1. What he said. Mark makes a great product and provides great customer support too.

Hey but why go to the source to seek resolution, just come to the inter-web the space of all experts . ::025::

Paul

 

[Ron_Luning]

If he knows the solution, then why not design the product correctly the first time?

That being said, the new rubber washers I used seemed adequate in the garage but during on-road testing failed to prevent the bracket from sliding back. The adjustment bolts are tight enough but the rubber washer itself twists and gets squeezed into the adjustment channels, thereby creating the opportunity for slip. This was the same problem with the "stock" Madstad washers in retrospect.

I have now applied a non-slip material to the mating surface of each side of the bracket. I have not yet installed or tested it. I expect adjustment will be more difficult, but it *should* stay in place now.

 

[Big Blu]

If he knows the solution, then why not design the product correctly the first time?

......
..
.

Again.... Suggest you give Mark a call if you have a question about his product. Makes sense, no?

Paul

 

[krussell]

Anyone know if it is a similar issue with the touratech bracket? A forum search brings up similar movement?

Starting to think about either an adjustable and it's possible benefits or just a bar to mount the GPS.

Not so far. I've had the TT bracket, stock winshield, and a Montanna on the crossbar for 3k miles. I'm still running the original adjustable knobs as well. Lots of washboard, but it's stayed snug.

Details of the setup in http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?topic=9802.msg162779#msg162779

 

[terrysig]

Thanks for the link. Nice setup. I'm going to follow your lead.