Some time in the years since 1996, the steering cover bolt hole cracked. The steering covers are the roughly triangular plastic on the front of the frame, just behind the front forks.

These covers also hold down the front of the gas tank!

The covers are poorly designed. The bolt hole doesn't have much plastic. I created an aluminium strap, screwed it to each cover, and put a bolt back in the center. I was unable to reuse the stock bolt. I drilled the pilot holes with the covers off the bike.

While I was working up front, I straightened a kink in the throttle cables. Apparently they've gotten hooked on the windshield mount. The National Cycles windshield mount isn't well designed in that regard.

Click any image below for a larger view.

Just in front of the fuel tank you can see the aluminium strap that holds the two halves of the steering cover together at the top.

Here is a closer view of the repair strap. It's a rectangle of 14 or 12 gauge aluminium, with the corners neatly trimmed off

Just another view of the patch.

This is a good view. The center hole is larger, and that screw is longer than stock. It is a small (M5?) metric allen head bolt. I'd recommend stainless steel. The two small screws on either side are 1/4 inch sheetmetal screws. I didn't drill pilot holes for them, I just (carefully) drove them in with the cordless drill and a phillips screw driver bit.

While messing around up there I noticed that the bracket for the National Cycles windshield had kinked the throttle cable. So I put some 3/8 diameter fuel line around the cable. I slit the fuel line length wise. It seems to work well as a strain relief.

Don't make one of these. Before coming up with the strap above, I tried to make a clamp. It did not work. I've only put it here so others can avoid the same mistake.

Another view of something that did NOT work.