Here is what I have so far on the diamond plate covers...
24x12 sheet of 1/16 diamond plate. A new floor mat from a ford pick-up, and a dream... haha.
If you look at kevinelevin's bike... when it was yellow and still with the sof-tail frame, he used diamond plate and it was so bad-ass that i am copying him a little.
Cutting out cardboard templates in the shape of the side covers I want.
If the rectifier/regulator is too far out, I will cut out the rectangle in the diamond plate and attach a small scoop to A- make room for it and B- make sure it gets air to it for cooling purposes. Hopefully I won't have to do that and, from kevineleven's advice, i might not have to.
I want three mounting points on the covers. I am going to use (and hopefully this will work) footpeg frame mounts for the side cover mounts. They are a two piece, clamp mount that will fit tightly around the tube and have a threaded part that, normally, is there to screw the peg adapter in. I am going to be bolting my side covers to those.
The side covers will be the diamond plate cut out in the desired shapes, holes drilled for mounts, and the ford floormat cut to the same shape and slapped on the inside of the diamond plate for dampening reasons and to separate the metal plate from the electrical they will be covering. They will be finished off with a rubber or vinyl trim... most likely something that goes on car doors or something. Thats my plan.

Post pics when you get them done man i think its going to look sick.

You know what they (who the H@#L are they) about "the best laid plans of mice and men" . It sounds like you've thought it through pretty well and the way you describe it, it ought to look NICE...

skillet
BTW like the idea about scoops...

Been there - done that.
I used ot have the diamond plating for side covers on my scoot at one time also. Yes, they're easy to fabricate with a template like you stated. I was going to use rubber on the inside of the plates, but decided against it. I figured over time the vibrations would wear thru it and that wouldn't be good. Instead I used a stiff plastic ( I have a large roll of it)
To attach it to the frame rails, I used screws to the frame on the top two locations, and oneof those broom handle holders you mount on a wall (to hang a broom, duh) They work perfect and snap right onto the frame on the bottom.
I did use them on all three mounting points, but was concerned about them not holding and losing a side cover (like I did the original one)
I have since made mine out of smooth aluminum and painted them to match the bike. i used an old stop sign, which is just the right thickness for bending and holding a shape I made mine to fit the profile of the frame instead of just having them flat.

You get the picture -

I like what you did with the carb hats and the valve cover... the side covers are awesome.
I am having my tank done black with red lettering and detail and was considering red cables and spark plug wires eventually. But was going to do the valve cover red.
I like the idea of molding it to the shape of the frame.
What trips me out the most... and I even mentioned this to Kevineleven, is the clips... I couldn't, for the life of me, remember where I saw them but it was in broom closets! Broom holders! That is what I had initially planned to use and because I couldn't think of what it was I couldn't find them. When I described them to people at menards and home depot, they looked at me cross eyed.
Kein suggested drilling into the frame as he did... but My woman and I together weigh 300 pounds and we do 2 up a lot. I also ride kinda hard and really worry about compromising the structural integrity of the frame. Broom holders. I kid you not, that is exactly what I was thinking. The hardware I was going to use was $35 a pair. I needed three pair!

chuckles_no,
$35 a pair? What the.... are they gold plated or what?
I found them at an Ace hardware store in packs of four for a couple bucks.
I'll try to get out to the shop today and get a photo of the ones I have to make sure we're both on the same page. There are a couple different kinds and there are some different sizes also, so you need to measure the frame before buying them. Or do as I did and buy all sizes for future projects. Or I guess you could always just hang your broom on one!!! Who'da thought? PD

The mounts I was going to buy are frame mounts for footpegs. That is what was going to cost so much. Not that I remember where I usually see them, They were also used to hold the lines secure on the french oil presses I used to work with. I am going to use j-clips at the top and spring clips around the rest. 4 mounts on each side ought to work.

I cut this one out. It is, of course, the right side cover. The other side won't have the space cut out in the middle. I like the look of the rectifier on one side but might still put a small scoop over this...

Started to cut out the other side and used up the rest of the carbide blade before I finished. Hardware store is closed so have to finish cutting tomorrow.

Chuckles,
Yes the air scoop idea sounds great. Keep us posted with the results (and photos!)

It should look pretty cool. Get a picture of it on the bike even if you have to tape it on so we can see what it looks like.

A stock Harley horn cover would look about the right size for an air scoop. Just a thought.

Ok... so here is where I am at on the side cover. I am going to go with this for now and if it looks lame I am going with the scoop. And thanks for the tip on the horn cover. That will be the first thing I check out if I decide to go with a scoop-.


Just need to attach the backing and the spring clips and they will be on the bike. Won't be back to the garage til thursday though.

Ah, things are looking up! Keep up the good work.

I hogged out a hole in my left side cover and airbox and placed a scoop made a scoop made out of 1 1/2" 90* curved pvc tubing in it but the results were almost negligible below 60 except after 10 min or more of 80+ mph cruising when I stop crankcase gasses backed up release and it looks like I have a leak. The crankcase vent to air cleaner system is compromised I guess. I don't actually lose any oil, just fumes, a couple of drips and smoke from the mess getting on the pipes. It does feel a little stronger over 60 though.

So I took the side cover off and carved a 3" hole in the side of the air box disconnected the breather hose with an external air filter and the difference is startling. I'd like to poke it through the side of the side cover with a 90* elbow but I'm afraid it will blow the carb boots or top off of the air box if not the side cover off. I'm afraid to drill holes in the frame and I thought of using diamond plate aluminum with insulated conduit hangers around the frame, i didn't think about trying to insulate the diamond plate itself, I'm pretty sure it will hit the solenoid if not the + battery cable. Thanks for the idea. Oh I moved the ignitor to the original air intake area under the seat and put the rectifier below the air intake on the air box and got rid of that silly piece of plastic in between.

I am just too lazy to figure out relocating the goodies under the seat. I don't have an airbox anymore and since I cut mine out I don't think I will be getting another one anytime soon. I went with pods... made my bed... and I'll sleep in it. Haha. RedLine Cycles in Kenosha WI does my carb tuning. They are all about metric bikes... the older the better.
The scoop Painter and I are talking about will go over the cutout for the rectifier and serves only the purpose of cooling the rectifier. It was made with fins and set in a place where air could get to it so I figure the engineers knew something I didn't. I never felt it get hot... but I have never blocked off it's air before either. Dunno much about them but do know I don't want to compromise cooling in any place cooling is needed.