Author Topic: cab enclosure for 450i  (Read 1229 times)

airshot

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cab enclosure for 450i
« on: December 16, 2017, 01:19:05 AM »
   With another winter approaching I decided it was time to look for a cab enclosure.  Hard side units were as high as 3000 so that was out and also the fact that I want it removed in the summer for trail riding. Thye search for soft side enclosures began, I have found some with only weather resistant materials and some with weather proof materials. I came across a company by the name of Pacific Eagle and it turns out to be a partner to Kurt from Offroad Body Armor a good friend of this forum. My research found that they use a material usually found on high quality marine boat covers and it is weather proof and very tough. After some discussuions with the owner about how these enclosures attach, I was convinced that this was the enclosure for me wants and needs. Their enclosures are modular meaning you can buy all or any piece of the enclosure as they all attach to each other independently. My machine has the factory hard top and a windshield that I made myself so I ordered a back panel and the two side doors, forgoing a soft top and a soft windshield. I was not disappointed when the pkg arrived, well made and professionally sewn, just a good looking enclosure. The instructions were a bit confusing until you have all the pieces laid out to correspond to the pictures and then it came into focus for the install. The entire enclosure is held on and together by some seriously heavy duty 2" wide industrial strength Velcro. Yes you will be adding this self stick Velcro to the roll cage and also to the plastic body panels, but the well thought out design has these attaching points in areas that appear to blend into the body design about as well as can be. From my 50 yrs of being a tool maker with design engineering I knew the self stick Velcro would need some help if it were to stay attached to the plastic body panels for the long haul. After trying a couple different products, the tried and true "goop' was the best added adhesive to use. A newer formula brought out by a competitor is called E-6000 and is the same formula but slightly thinner in texture than the original goop. I have to say after years of using goop for many projects this stuff has never failed me, so I was very comfortable it would serve the purpose intended. Being a modular unit the pieces must be assembled in proper order and that starts with the back panel.
A close rough fitting is needed to see where the Velcro strips are to be added to the roll cage primarily and to some body panel areas. Once marked the Velcro is added in these spots along with some goop to be sure of an almost permanent adhesion. I used painters tape to hold these Velcro strips into position for 24 hrs for the glue to set up. On the roll bars I used long enough strips to around the roll bar completely  and then added the painters tape again to hold while the goop dried.   I adjusted the back for a good fit to clear the cutouts for the seat belt mounting bars sticking out the back then attached all the Velcro straps which held the rear panel very well and kept it taught. The same for the doors, rough alignment to locate areas for the Velcro then glue that into place and wait for it to setup. The initial install is a good 3 day job and the machine must be kept at 60 degrees or higher to allow proper cure for the adhesive.
   I did run across an issue with my doors, it appeared to have the Velcro strip sewn to the wrong side of the door in one area so I called "Mike Pope" at Pacifis eagle and a replacement pair of doors was sent out immediately....talk about good customer service!!  When you look at these doors with all the Velcro strips on various sides of the door to attach to the other modular sections I can see just how easy it might be to sew one on the wrong side, but in any case a prompt replacement was sent along with a heartfelt apology so in 3 days I was back in business and actually allowed me time to get the rear panel properly in place. I also had to locate two bolt holes for the factory top and add grommets where those two holes went thru for long like and keep from tearing out.  I am limited in the number of pics so I am going to stop right now and post what I can then I will continue on after this posting.

airshot

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Re: cab enclosure for 450i
« Reply #1 on: December 16, 2017, 02:15:37 AM »
   After the rear panel is installed you can begin on the doors, keeping in mind the rear must be in position as the doors will attach to the Velcro stitched to the rear panel.  Again aligning roughly each door to mark the areas where the Velcro strips will need to be attached to the roll cage and body panels. On the body panels the rear of the door follows the body contour and on the front fender side it will follow the contour of the front fender. Here it gets interesting as this Velcro will stay with the machine when you remove the enclosure for the summer riding season. Be the fussy SOB that I am, I did trim the Velcro to match the contours of the body and fender so it would have a better appearance when the enclosure was removed. These plastic body panels are difficult to get anything to stick to very well so this is where the goop comes into play. I did use it on all the Velcro attachments on roll bars and body panels as I only wanted to do this once. You will also have to add Velcro to the rocker panel for the door bottom, I choose to sand with 120 grit all the plastic areas to be glued and cleaned with alcohol to be sure of a good bond. Because my windshield was a home job of course all the mounts were right where the Velcro was needed for the doors, so I had to make mods to the mounting clamp areas so many extra holes in the windshield were needed. I just filled the extra holes with SS screws for appearance, but it now looks like my windshield is built like fort knox!  Oh well at least it looks good...Once all the glue was dry some carefull fitting and adjustment was needed to get everything aligned. the zipper was a little sticky so some silicone zipper lube seemed to make things smoother. Getting used to going thru a zippered door takes a little getting used to but not difficult, the loss of cold air blasting your body makes it well worth it. I will be adding a small heater but that is a story for another day.  After all was installed and adjusted including the many mods to the windshield and rear view mirrors we were ready for a road trip. I did notice some areas where cold air came blasting in but nothing with the enclosure. It seems that the area around the tilt steering column allows a lot of cold air in so some trimmed pieces of black closed cell foam stuffed into these areas shut off the cold blast and are easily removed when it is time to remove the enclosure. The hard part is the install, you need to be above 60 for the glue to set properly, it takes 24hrs before you can use the Velcro strips you glued on and with fitting everything I had about three days total. When it comes time to remove it, the roof will need to be removed (4 bolts) then the windshield will need to be loosened to remove the Velcro strips on the roll bars ( just loosen not remove) and the rest is just pulling Velcro, starting with doors first then the back panel.  The rest of the Velcro that was glued on stays with the machine forever.  After a 40 mph road trip the enclosure held up with no issues, nothing came loose, nothing flapped in the wind, it did everything it was supposed to do. Appears to be a quality product, nicely stitched, professionally made and designed at a fair price in todays market. The top gun material used should last for many many years with proper care and the stuff is tough, hard to rip or tear.  Also very light in weight as some of the expensive hard enclosures can weigh up to a few hundred pounds!  I have comfort knowing I will be much warmer this winter while plowing, so....COME ON SNOW !!

airshot

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Re: cab enclosure for 450i/ extra pictures
« Reply #2 on: December 16, 2017, 02:21:15 AM »
  I have extra pic but cannot get them to download here so if your interested let me know and I will find a way to post them

Dayooper

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Re: cab enclosure for 450i
« Reply #3 on: December 18, 2017, 05:52:05 PM »
Thanks - been hunting for a rear windshield.

next time try -
go to postimages.org (no acct needed)
drag and drop your image/s onto that main screen
copy/cut the "direct link" line
click insert image on this forum
past in-between the two [img] brackets w/ no spaces

airshot

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Re: cab enclosure for 450i
« Reply #4 on: December 19, 2017, 12:21:07 AM »
    Thanks, but your talking to an old guy with next to no computer skills....I can build you the finest precision tools money can buy, but cant do squat on a computer....now if you could give me directions in laymans terms I might be able to figure something out...LOL   When my grandson comes home from college I will see if he can help me out....thanks

airshot

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Re: cab enclosure for 450i
« Reply #5 on: December 19, 2017, 12:27:24 AM »
Thanks - been hunting for a rear windshield.

These are heavy duty and well made and will hold on tight as long as you don't tow on an open trailer at highway speeds. It also comes in a zip open model, but I figured only using it for winter I wouldn't need a zip open model.
Depending on what you have for a windshield, you may want to consider making a lexan rear window yourself. I made the windshield myself shown in the pics, it folds down forward. Works great but had to make a number of mods to it. Didn't ever think I would enclose the cab so never thought about where the clamps would mount....done know, just has a few extra holes in it.

airshot

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Re: cab enclosure for 450i
« Reply #6 on: December 20, 2017, 01:35:32 AM »
   Looks like it is easier to post one at a time.

airshot

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Re: cab enclosure for 450i
« Reply #7 on: December 20, 2017, 01:40:06 AM »
Just another pic

Driemeyer25

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Re: cab enclosure for 450i
« Reply #8 on: December 20, 2017, 03:46:51 AM »
Thanks Airshot for the good review! Yes I became partners with Pacific Eagle UTV Enclosures and actually am in the process of adding all of the accessories to the new and improved Offroadbodyarmor.com website. As a promotion for the new website, I will be giving 10% off all Kymco Accessories until the end of January. Just call me and mention this post.

 314.609.2440
Kurt
Off Road Body Armor

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