So I'm doing a thing...
- Thread starter toast449
- Start date
Looks very smart! I love the idea of an integrated garage opener. Very Batmanish.
grantman102002
contributing rider
Which decals are you talking about here? The ones on the gas tank plastics?
nardustyle
contributing rider
Very cool, does the front fender removal splash you if is wet?
Lozion
expert rider
Beautiful..
Installed a Fuelx lite and went up to a 16 tooth front sprocket. Already dropped to a 44 tooth rear when I went to aluminum earlier. Makes the bike much more enjoyable to ride. First gear lasts a little bit longer (I always found myself needing to shift in the middle of a turn when pulling out onto a road in first gear) and 6th is now good for 75mph on the highway at 6500 rpm. I really don't notice any difference in acceleration but some of that might be the Fuelx. I can say you can definitely feel it when you give it enough throttle to go open loop, there is a small drop in power as it drops back into the stock, overly-lean, tables. Definitely will be getting the full Powertronic and an air filter.
Forgot to mention - I made a tiny modification to the clutch lever. It bugged the hell out of me that the lever had so much slop in it. I machined a .95mm thick bronze washer to act as a bushing and slid it into the gap in the clutch housing on top of the lever. Zero slop now.
That slop is my biggest issue with the bike! Glad to hear there’s a solution. How did you remove the pin? Looks like it’s botched in place?
Some painting info for you do-it-yourselfers. I have painted many parts with standard spray can bases and then SprayMax 2k clear (previous 2 bikes, current 2 bikes). The smoothness of the clear is very much a function of the temperature of the garage, the can and how close you hold the can and how fast you move. My first try on spraying this bike resulted in an unacceptable amount of orange peel. I attempted to flatten the peel using the standard methods and because of all the contours on these panels cut through to the base coat in several spots. Four hours of sanding later I started again and tried the Car-Rep 2k system - it is like the spraymax except it has an endless pot life like a normal can because the epoxy doesn't cure until it hits atmosphere. Total garbage, worst orange peel I have ever seen.
Four more hours of sanding back to the white base. SEM adhesion promoter primer, color base and SprayMax left at a much cooler color. Temp outside was 65 degrees and I let the garage stabilize to that. Warm the can inside before use for better atomization. Could spray the clear from farther away and move slower without any dry spray. End result is so good I don't think I will even sand it, might just do a little levelling with compound before polish. YMMV.
Four more hours of sanding back to the white base. SEM adhesion promoter primer, color base and SprayMax left at a much cooler color. Temp outside was 65 degrees and I let the garage stabilize to that. Warm the can inside before use for better atomization. Could spray the clear from farther away and move slower without any dry spray. End result is so good I don't think I will even sand it, might just do a little levelling with compound before polish. YMMV.
Last edited:
Lock nut comes off the bottom, then the bolt will just unthread. If you don't have access to a lathe a standard thin washer for that size hole is 1mm thick. Some 220 grit sandpaper on a flat surface, move the washer in a figure 8 on both sides for a few minutes and you can get down to exactly the right size. The advantage of bronze or brass would be the slight lubrication effect you get from it - if you go with a standard stainless washer it will be harder than the clutch material and wear that down.
HTOWNGUPPY
fast rider
I love the looks of bikes when they are painted properly. This looks really nice and I hope you’re happy with the clear coat. That was a lot of sanding you had to do and I don’t envy you at all. Are you using mixed paint from an automotive paint supplier or something over the counter? I’ve done a ton of painting, worked in an auto body shop, and have had mixed results with anything out of a can. I try to use a paint gun when spraying but it’s tough to keep water out when using a DIY compressor.
If I decide to paint mine I’ll post the steps out here on the forum. Thanks!
Base coat is just single stage spray can from Express Paint. SprayMax 2k clear. Just did final work tonight, still not terribly happy with the results but it will work for now. I'm going to order the plain plastics from Projekt Racing and do a lot of detail work on them, rounding the corners a little more and doing the clear with a gun.
Got the riser kit mostly mounted, but found I need the longer woodcraft bars if I want to use the bar end mirrors.
Also, finally corrected something that has been annoying me. The rear plastics bow out on all the bikes on the lower edge where they meet the large side panels. I bonded 3mm thick carbon fiber plates to those pieces of plastic, now they are perfectly flat.
Got the riser kit mostly mounted, but found I need the longer woodcraft bars if I want to use the bar end mirrors.
Also, finally corrected something that has been annoying me. The rear plastics bow out on all the bikes on the lower edge where they meet the large side panels. I bonded 3mm thick carbon fiber plates to those pieces of plastic, now they are perfectly flat.
Woodcraft risers installed this past weekend. Lots of time to do this to figure out all the routing necessary, but not a hard job. Amazing what another inch of rise does for comfort. Also, more weight reduction - the stock clip ons are steel and weigh a ton. This setup drops another pound of weight.
Tail section paint done as well, moved to a dark grey from a '10 Yamaha FZ1
Tail section paint done as well, moved to a dark grey from a '10 Yamaha FZ1
After 100 miles of riding the drop of the woodcraft clipons (7 degrees) was kind of bugging me. I just found out they now make different risers with a rotating eccentric barrel around the bar that lets you adjust the angle as well; ordered them this morning. Going to cost a lot of money in total to get this thing to fit me correctly 
Also resprayed the clear on the dark grey section with the SprayMax 2k. Zero orange peel, it looks like glass. The key is a cool garage and a large pot of hot water. Kept the can warm to the touch for the best atomization and the cool garage and parts give a longer flow out time, just have to add more time between coats (I went to 15 minutes). No reason to sand/compound/polish, it just looks amazing.
Also resprayed the clear on the dark grey section with the SprayMax 2k. Zero orange peel, it looks like glass. The key is a cool garage and a large pot of hot water. Kept the can warm to the touch for the best atomization and the cool garage and parts give a longer flow out time, just have to add more time between coats (I went to 15 minutes). No reason to sand/compound/polish, it just looks amazing.
Jester1971
expert rider
This project is great. I think the bike is fantastic base to start modding from. You have done some really unique things like the buttons in the top yoke. I would never have thought of that, genius.
Can I ask if you just cut the red plastic bits (rings above the seals) off of the forks? do they serve no purpose? I'd like to remove mine, the red bugs me.
Can I ask if you just cut the red plastic bits (rings above the seals) off of the forks? do they serve no purpose? I'd like to remove mine, the red bugs me.
Yes. Very boy-racer looks. Fine on a 390 duke, but if I wanted that I would have bought that bike. They do nothing. I also spent a couple hours removing the hundred stickers they put on every component. That isn't so unusual on motorcycles, but this is first bike I've ever had where they leave them in a visible spot...
By the time I'm done I'm pretty sure it won't be that cheap of a bike anymore, but it is just a hoot to ride and I like that I can zip around wringing its neck without worrying about hitting triple digits in three seconds.
By the time I'm done I'm pretty sure it won't be that cheap of a bike anymore, but it is just a hoot to ride and I like that I can zip around wringing its neck without worrying about hitting triple digits in three seconds.
Jester1971
expert rider
Thank you, I will remove the offending red rascals then. The stickers are next on my remove list, I already removed the ones on the top of the tank. Do we really need a sticker warning that riding bikes can be dangerous and one saying to fill with petrol!!
The main reason I bought this bike is exactly as you say, you can ride in a way that is so much fun but without the licence losing speeds. As has been said before, ‘it is more fun to ride a slow bike fast than to ride a fast bike slow’.
Ps, I am a bit envious of your spotless garage, mine mostly looks like I’ve had a break in and they’ve ram sacked the place.
The main reason I bought this bike is exactly as you say, you can ride in a way that is so much fun but without the licence losing speeds. As has been said before, ‘it is more fun to ride a slow bike fast than to ride a fast bike slow’.
Ps, I am a bit envious of your spotless garage, mine mostly looks like I’ve had a break in and they’ve ram sacked the place.