Navigator/ Jubilee styling panels

Hello John,

here is a pic of my Navigator with styling panles after the first longer ride.

Apparently the panels protect the rear of the bike from a leaking head gasket, haha.

The lower nut goes on the swingarm, the middle one to the lower bolt holding the oil tank and the upper one to the frame cross rod. I fitted no grommets .

Greetings

Uli

Hi John, 

If you go back to the 2020 thread you started on the same subject, styling panels, there are some photos posted that show.

One wiring grommet in the LHS panel. 

The H-section rubber trim that holds the LH and RH panels together under the carb. 

The 5/16 top fixing for each panel on the double diameter top frame stud. 

The half nut that goes on the swinging arm spindle to fix the lower part of each panel. 

I have had three std lightweights and find this system very satisfactory. 

Peter

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Hi John

Now thats an interesting comment - mine has an overlap as well and are very close tolerance around the carb & fuel banjo (had to “adjust” that area of panel to give some clearance). The rubber strip won’t fit between the joining edges either. Does this make them a pair made up later in life or originals that were put in place by Plumstead I wonder - either way they work. Definitely a full “pressing” and not a made up (or panel beaten) pair. Also of interest would be the small angled “chain guard” that fits at the rear of the engine, this is a right angled guard but the form on the styling panel is for a round guard - it does fit but not quite “right”.

And as a further point of interest - they don’t flex or move so I didn’t need any additional fixings over the 2 outside ones either side, they’re quite rigid.

photo, you can just see the overlap and how close to the banjo the LH one comes to it.

Bruce

Hi John,

My first Navigator came from Dorset police in 1969 without the central rubber section. The edges of the two panels just met, nearly, and I was none the wiser about the missing rubber for the time I had the bike. As Bruce says, you can manage without it if the fixing holes are sound.

On my Electra I bought pattern panels (Metal Magic) from the club in 2008 and by then knew how they should fit. Of course they didn't. I'm fairly handy and was able to cut and reshape for more carb clearance, clearance for the later clutch cable entry, clearance for the starter cables, and clearance for the Electra frame reinforcing plates. I restored the rolled edges on the new profile. The hole centres and diameters needed adjusting with a round file. A bit of shape adjusting got the two edges of the panels looking at each other with 2-3 mm between. 

On a 1962 Navigator basket case in 2020, the original panels fitted perfectly. The bike had been in a front end shunt in 1965 and stored dry since then as an insurance write-off.

It just takes a bit of patience. The panels from Metal Magic are not one pressing as the originals. There is sign of cut and weld inside the main corner.

Sounds like you are getting ready for the Easter launch.

Peter

John, have a look at 23172 chain guard extension in the shop, it’s meant for the area you want to fill in I think.

Cheers - Bruce

John, 

You may live to regret ditching the slot for cables. It is difficult often to reach the 3 lucar connectors from the alternator. And inevitably one bullet won't move or breaks off. 

With a slot you can remove the LHS styling panel without breaking the alternator connectors. 

You can protect the cables from the slot edges with a larger grommet that engages the slot edges or the linear grommet. 

Peter

Hello fans - been a while, and as usual lots of chatter for me to catch up with. When I was first told about a H-section rubber between the panels, I didn't get it. How would it fit??...as mine overlapped. See first two pictures. (But then I see Uli's picture above - & its obvious a H-section rubber will fit!). Please explain....

Mine are originals, for the later (post 106838) gearbox, as the clutch cable entry point point would foul, unless there was a specific cut-out - which I have. Also note how tight to the engine - and chain guard extension - they are, so I would not run any cables underneath.

There are two more pictures - (depends if I'm allowed on this post - maybe there will be a 2nd posting??) which show an original L/Hand panel with a hole for the cables - the rusty one with a broken off top bracket, versus a more recent version made by the NOC, showing a slot, manufacture from 2 pieces, and improperly formed scallop for the carb banjo bolt.

All these things are sent to try us.