So..what's the solution to the cracked cover? I have the following to offer up. Some of the pure sport guys are want to show off there "naughty bits",..that is to say the counter shaft sprocket. To do this they perform what is known as the "Nicky Mod" to the front sprocket cover which like the XX holds the slave cylinder to the clutch. The mod consist of basicly cutting away the alum. of the cover that hides the CS. I've only got a couple of pictures to show this. The first one is rather small to see the true effect, but shows the CS cover in "after" modified form. The second is a micro fiche shot of the stock 1000RR/R CS cover which shows the "before" condition of the cover to some degree. You may be able to see that the parts make up and form/function of the cover very much mimic's that of the XX's (have a look at my "behind the scenes" photo's above). If you choose to you might also remove the damaged section of your cover to give a more "race" look.
This is also a common and sought after mod to the older CB-F bikes I ride. In the case of the CB-F the stock cover is something of a two piece affair. One cover covers the sprocket..the second hiden under the first covers the oil pump. The first cover is removed and left off. The second (oil pump cover) is replaced in total with that of the CB900-C (which was the cruiser styled 900cc machine of the 1980's) which shared engine technology with the 750/900/and 1100F's Super Sports or the era. The diff with the 900C was that it ran a split range transmission which effectively gave the bike ten speeds,..this coupled to a shaft drive in lieu of the chain drive of the Super Sports. Anyway..all that to say that the 900C oil pump cover allows for direct bolt up to the standard 750/900/1100 motor (with the inclusion of a new hole or two in the crankcases,..the bosses of which are already provided for in the case). The effect is rather pleasing to the "race" minded guy. This cover also helps to support the shifter rod and shiter lever assembly as a bonus and makes the install very clean.
Now..this is a guess on my part, but it may work depending on where your damage is on the cover. The only thing I'd attempt to change is the exposed face of the cover, nothing else. The rest of the collective hardware behind the cover needs to stay in place to provide the correct clearance for the clutch slave cylinder to function correctly. Also..there is a backing plate that protects the crankcases in the event that the chain departs the sprocket,..it's steel where as the cases are alum. The steel with hold up much better during chain departure then the alum. of the cases...so don't attempt to remove this. In the CB-F shots this shows up as a gold colored "C" shape plate against the cases, located behind the sprocket. I'd hope this mod would look better then a attempted repair. I will also say this, there is more chain type noise with the CS exposed,..but on my F bike it's all apart of the effect and doesn't take away at all from the riding pleasure.
(Speaking of "clean")
Now to get back to off topic..this mod will also allow the "Q-tip challenged" to get in there and clean with somewhat ease.
Tony "lather, rinse, repeat....lather, rinse, repeat...lather rinse, repeat" Bagley
