bhbdvm
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Brian
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2019
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- 260
- Location
- western NC
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- 2020 Sting Gray Rubicon, 2016 BMW R1200GS
Received an email from Tom at RLD Design USA. He sent over some more pictures and an email to address some questions/concerns about the RLD Canopy. Pretty happy for the people that may have Gen1 canopies and not be completely happy them in terms of fit. I'll post the photos also. Below is the email from RLD Design:
Thank you all for your interest in RLD Design canopies. To answer some questions:
1) We air-freighted one v2 canopy to test-fit and the first two shipments are on the water, but due to the freight timelines we will not have them until March. We had one shipment that was due by the end of January but the drayage firm in South Africa screwed up badly and that container has now been pushed to March as well.
2) We do understand that the v1 canopy may or may not have met customers’ expectations with fitment. We have actually gotten both very positive feedback, and some negative. We regret this is just the type of thing that occurs with R&D when developing a completely new product. We do want to be sure EVERY customer is satisfied though, so if any customers with v1 canopies are unsatisfied we are offering a completely free replacement to a v2 canopy. Please contact your dealer or us directly.
3) There has been some discussion around the material used in our canopies, and some confusion. The stainless steel we use is not the same stainless that is used in say, common stainless nuts and bolts. It is referred to as “Structural stainless”. The more common stainless most people are familiar with is too soft and not strong enough for our uses.
4) The Gladiator canopy weighs 170 lbs - about 15-20 lbs. heavier than the comparable aluminum canopy on the market, and significantly stronger. There are many other benefits of steel over aluminum as well, including repairability, no seam and weld fatigue, and much less frailty over time with stress due to vibration and shock.
Thank you all for your interest in RLD Design canopies. To answer some questions:
1) We air-freighted one v2 canopy to test-fit and the first two shipments are on the water, but due to the freight timelines we will not have them until March. We had one shipment that was due by the end of January but the drayage firm in South Africa screwed up badly and that container has now been pushed to March as well.
2) We do understand that the v1 canopy may or may not have met customers’ expectations with fitment. We have actually gotten both very positive feedback, and some negative. We regret this is just the type of thing that occurs with R&D when developing a completely new product. We do want to be sure EVERY customer is satisfied though, so if any customers with v1 canopies are unsatisfied we are offering a completely free replacement to a v2 canopy. Please contact your dealer or us directly.
3) There has been some discussion around the material used in our canopies, and some confusion. The stainless steel we use is not the same stainless that is used in say, common stainless nuts and bolts. It is referred to as “Structural stainless”. The more common stainless most people are familiar with is too soft and not strong enough for our uses.
4) The Gladiator canopy weighs 170 lbs - about 15-20 lbs. heavier than the comparable aluminum canopy on the market, and significantly stronger. There are many other benefits of steel over aluminum as well, including repairability, no seam and weld fatigue, and much less frailty over time with stress due to vibration and shock.
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