My bike fell off the side stand on the lawn, yesterday. I heard it, and wasn't too concerned, because it has hit the ground a few times before, but never at quite such a low speed. When I envisioned the possible damages in my head, before I got to my fallen comrade, I hadn't taken into account the fact that it was only about -10 Celcius. This was the result:

Before I go ahead and pick up, or order a replacement from the dealer tomorrow, does anyone have any suggestions of something better/more durable that I should use instead of the OEM reservoir?

 

Meh! That will buff right out (with JB weld!)

 

Got an empty PBR can laying around?

 

That tank is mounted right up against the frame rail. I cracked mine after a few drops. I used an old Oury brand bicycle grip and made a big bumper to wrap around that frame rail. These Oury grips are a thick, mushy cushion. I then used some stick-on foam pads to fit on the inside of the side cover to give more cushioning. After several tipovers and crashes on that side, I haven't had any more issues. That tank has some flex and toughness, but getting mashed against a metal frame, it can only give so much.

 

@ol'klx-er: I thought about going that route, but I think a new one is under $15 US, so probably about $20 here in Canada. I'd rather pay a few bucks than be re-JB'ing it on the trail somewhere. My luck goes that way sometimes.

@go cytocis: I had to Google PBR. I would have picked up on a Moosehead reference, right away.

@TNC: Looks like a good fix. I'll do something similar when I get the replacement.

Thanks for the responses

 

At -10C that plastic would be rather brittle. Even TNC's solution may not have helped in that situation.

 

Mine has a dent in it at almost exactly the same spot, probably happened when it was warmer than -10c (14 F ) though .

 

Ha, you're right, a Moosehead can would match the Kawasaki green better. In my part of the country we'd be more likely to use an empty can of Pil!

 

Move to somewhere warmer? LOL

 

a cyclerack probably would have prevented it from impacting the overflow.