EML tops
emltops.htm
sidecar section #9
© Copyright, 2011, R. Fleischer

 

FIRST Section:
   Various EML tops I have seen or gathered photos on.  It will be added to from time to time.   At the end of these snapshots, will be found a section with photos of my own K1100LT-EML
 and its custom-made top, and SOME details of its construction.   A very considerable amount of effort was put into weatherproofing the installation.

 



 

 

 

Snowbum's K1100LT-EML GT-2

The highest grade of boat topping material, thread, etc., was used in this construction CLICK HERE (for the page on this EML chair tech details) and click for the HOMEPAGE  and bottom of Technical Index page too....to see additional photos of the rig withOUT the top on, so you can see the support tube/bar, etc.

In designing and making the new custom top for the EML sidecar, quite a lot of thought went into this. Even so, after it was done, I could make improvements if I ever made another one.  I DID make some changes to mine.

Standard easy to obtain snap fittings were utilized, which have little of them sticking up into the air and provide a nice appearance.   The rear of the top, as it comes back to the rear portion of the lift/tilt top section of the EML body, has a forward and a rearward flap, described later in the photograph areas.   I was concerned about oncoming wind and any 'lifting', trying to tear the top off the sidecar, so the rear area of the dual-flap of the top folds around the lift/tilt section rear area.....with full-width Velcro.  That worry was totally unfounded, so this top fits the rear in an overkill manner!   The part of the top that goes over the front of the windshield was lined with a silicon-rubber material, with cutouts for the snaps.   This made the windshield waterproof, even in a serious downpour.  Considerable similar effort of design and construction was done to try to ensure weather protection.     The two side-curtain windows use #5 COIL plastic YKK zippers, so that the zippers have no problem going around the curves of the windows.   The zipper pulls, two on each window, are all double types, so the windows can be unzipped from inside or outside the sidecar.   The windows were specifically designed to NOT be removable in normal use.  When the two zipper pulls of each window are pulled to the top, and inwards a bit towards each other, the windows can be rolled-up, and a cloth hangar (with a snap place) to keep them rolled up was incorporated.   Stress and strain reliefs were installed at all major, and some minor attachment points for everything.  Sewing was with a special thread, and was at a minimum doubled...many places have far more stitching.  The stitching pitch was even a consideration.    The top center seam has been sealed.

After this top was completed, installed and tested, I found that the expected UPwards (vacuum) movement of the major portion of the top area did not happen. I had ASSUMED that airflow from the front would flow up the windshield and produce a slight vacuum on the canvas top.  NOT SO, the top would dish downwards a bit, and on some roads Penny was having the top canvas flapping against her helmet.   That was totally unacceptable, so I made a double seamed flap, located INside the top, going fore and aft at the very center, just behind that center snap you see in the photos.  A stainless steel flat strap, with a slight upwards bow, was installed in that flap, and it was just barely stiff enough and springy enough, to keep the top SLIGHTLY bowed upwards.  It worked perfectly, at any speed.  The strap is not very wide.  It runs fully from front to rear on the top portion.
 


                                                              The top part that comes over the              The windows have #5 YKK coil zippers
                                                               windshield and down the sides                 and dual-pulls; the windows ROLL UP;
                                                               has special silicone rubber with lip            there is a hangar/snap unit to keep
                                                               material, as a weather seal.  See just         them up, if desired.
                                                               below for photo of it upside down.           

 


This is an upside-down view of part of the front that snaps over the windshield. 
Note the snap buttons, and particularly note that the snaps fit in holes made in the silicon-rubber
strip-molding type of material....and that molding has a LIP, seen at right side appearing, falsely, to be
almost touching the snap buttons, due to the camera angle.    When this molding is against the front of
the windshield, the lip on it acts as a water (as in RAIN!) barrier, sealing the top to the windshield. 
This sealing strip molding is fitted all the way across the windshield and down the sides too....all
the way to the bottom of the windows.

 


The rear 'flaps' are really two sections/flaps.   One is snap mounted inside, not seen, but under
the photo noted "forward rear flap".  These snap onto the EML lift/tilt section. 
Another flap, with Velcro in two long strips, is REARWARD of the photo forward flap. 
This rearward flap fits into the lipped section of the EML lift/tilt section rear area, going around
and underneath that rearmost section lip.  The two long strips of Velcro thusly fit at 90° to each
other, and are hidden, and provide an exceptionally strong fastening of the top to the lift/tilt section. 
This was done to ensure that the top cannot fly off in the worst possible conditions of high speeds
and winds......a worry that proved to be unfounded, and the second flap mostly unneeded.

 

This below photo shows the top laying on top of the stove in my kitchen for photos, with the vertical three snaps
that fit up and down at the rear of the windshield.  To left is one of the two removable windows, that either roll up and
are kept up by a loop and a snap at the top, or, one can totally unzip them and remove them entirely.

The below photo shows some details of the vertical flap that wraps around the rear of the windshield, next to the
removable or roll-up windows.

 

   of the three side snaps, each has a snap both inside and outside the windshield.
The center vertical silvery thing in the photo is the windshield plastic itself.

                                                               

 
Small red lettering points to the R1100S accessory handguard. 
For an article on them, click on   kguards.htm


The top was made of the highest quality boat topping material.  It is black. 
Only very high quality special twisted thread was used, as was the backing
material, type of seams, multiple sewing, snaps, etc.  ALL stress areas are backed AND multiple-sewn.

rev:
01/31/2008:  add my EML top photos and text
02/05/2008:  update, add photos of more top details
10/06/2008:  very minor updates
01/26/2010:  Add information about the stainless steel strap added.
05/26/2011:  remove link to for sale top; clean up article a bit for clarity
06/27/2011:  Add more photos of details of the top I made

 

© Copyright, 2011, R. Fleischer

Return to Technical Articles LIST Page

Return to HomePage