Winter in the shop is concluding just in time as it was near 70F today. I finalized the rear shock and tightened everything up. I reversed her direction and lifted the front and set the forks at their proper height. Took some figgitting but it worked out perfectly. It was quite a to-do list and I won't bore any of you with it. I was tore down for about 10 weeks.

 

Not quite done yet . . .

 

Almost done!

 

Header looks so nice along with everything else.

 

The finished project!!!!! Sag party on Sunday!

 

I think that is the cleanest bike I have ever seen,,,,even in a showroom...Dayum man, get her out and rider her til she gets nasty....

 

Wait till he rides it without the chainguard or a hugger. Pretty shock gonna' go bye-bye. BTDT.

Other than that, it looks GREAT! Have you tried out the brakes yet?

 

The bike has been rolled around in the shop - no further. It's going to but not until we set the sag. I wish I could find a hugger that I like. They're just like undertails - I am REALLY unimpressed with everything I see. As far as the shock lasting I don't ride in the rain unless I get caught. I try to keep both the bikes clean because I think it's the easiest way to detect mechanical problems before you get parked unintentionally.

 

Sweet!!
Don't worry about clean. That's a winter project.
Ride her and wash her down. She'll be clean enough.

 

Wow....10 weeks?? And you still put it back together? I have trouble remembering what I just removed after 10 minutes! :P

And I usually end up with extra bolts lying around... :O

 

Hey are those GSXR 1000 brakes?? those really look sick! Nice job on everything.

 

Yes, GSXR years 2000-2002 (confirm this in search) bolts right up. EBC HH pads, Pro-Lite Rotors

 

Doug,

Check out the huggers by Pyramid and NWS:

http://www.streetfightersbydesign.co...1000%20htm.htm
http://www.streetfightersbydesign.co...page%20htm.htm

One from Puig: http://www.dynamohumm.com/Scripts/pr...Category=25257

The Pyramid again: http://www.dynamohumm.com/Scripts/pr...Category=20629

Metisse: http://www.whaccessories.com/VTR%20Accessories.htm

There's also one from Ermax out there at Dynamohumm, but no pic. A Google search may yield a pic.

 

Thanks, Greg! I got a whole list of people to thank for their help in this build and you're at the top of the list. I really liked the look of the chainguard that VTRDarren suggested but it doesn't have a hugger with it. This would be kinda tough because the metal would have to be stamped to shape the tire and then welded to the guard. The idea here is to keep the materials the same. The SA is brushed/polished aluminum and in my ideal little world the hugger/chainguard should be the same. BTW this was one of the parts on my "Custom Parts List" thread that I have been thinking about.

I got the windscreen on tonight and have the boys confirmed for a couple hours on Sunday to help with setting the sag. So I'm really close to putting her on the road. I need a change of plates as the TX DPS and I had a friendly encounter today. His only words were - "You both were speeding - you were faster! That's why I stopped you." (And the D&D tends to lack a modicum of respect) He was really nice about it. I also think he was a little shocked when I took off my matte black helmet with the dark smoke visor. I think for a second there he thought he was going to face off with some twenty year old kid!

 

Looks good Doug. Your 10 weeks was better than my two years!!!

Those headers look good don't they? I have mine done the same.

My hugger is a Powerbronze unit. The hugger itself is nice, but the bracket looked like it was made by a 14 yr old shop student. It was a piece of crap, and I told them so too. You should not have to do this, but I made my own, and all is well now.

My bike is done now too. This weekend is final cleanup if tiime permits. So I will have to take some pics for you guys to see what two years in my shed produces.

Hope you're not disappointed when you see it!

 

I once took a sports car engine apart. Cleaned the parts in the laundry sink, wrapped them in newspaper and put them in a box for two years. When I built it the old guy that I took it to to do the final set up said it ran better than any Saab engine he had worked on of its type.

Exactly my sentiments Bother! It's not about the money but when someone asks me to spend a $150 to $170 for a piece of **** that's where I draw the line.

Exactly my opinion, Rand! Winter does have a reason to exist! Ride 'em, wash 'em, hangar them up!

Thanks, Kev & hope you're almost back to usual! The deal with the exhaust has not turned out well and has nothing to do with the great job that Jet Hot did with the header. The new Jardines came with beautiful cans and cheapass mids that were only mill finish stainless. Just as soon as they started to heat up they started to bronze. I was livid. So I call Jardine and explain that great cans are not enhanced with such cheap looking mids. They are selfrighteous and want to charge me $95 each for an additional pair of mids so I can send them off to Jet Hot and not be down for even more weeks. Now I'm pissed to the rafters! I called Chris Morris at Jet Hot and he can turn them around ($60 for both - you should have heard his comments about Jardine!) in about three weeks unless I want to spend the coin for expedited shipping. These **** ante mids have disrupted the entire look that I was shooting for - chrome all the way back and I'm not sure I'd recommend their product because of it.

Chivalry is not dead, Douglas! I remove my jacket and place it over each puddle before I drive through! Besides the shock is the easiest major component to remove from the bike for periodic cleaning. We used to use a product on the airplanes that is very similar to NanoWax. we used it on windscreens, painted surfaces, the bellies that would get oily and especially the leading edges because when you buff it up the wind drag is highly minimized. It will cut brake dust, oil, bug guts, dirt and fingerprints in seconds. It also lays down a layer of protection that makes dirt and grime very easy to wash off. On parts like the shock you don't have to wipe it - just spray it on and let it dry.

Thanks, Randy! It would be easy to put her on a pedastle but that does more harm to the machine than riding it. While I want her to be perfect I am also a realist about the machine - she's still nasty. If I can soft-foot it through this summer next winter is CCT time so all the things I avoided this time around (removing the tank, removing the fairings, new wheels, tiny oil leak top of front cylinder) will have to be done next time.

I still have some fine tuning to do so I will post up after Sunday when I can get her out on the road. I put the new Puig on night before last and I got some OEM type screws for the Jardines so the passenger pegs are coming off - except for special occasions. Thanks for all your encouraging comments.

 

hey everyone, i have a 98superhawk and am currently rippin it all down after a sucked valve trashed the motor. This is a 400 dollar trash bike that i am bringing back from the dead, any body know where to get aftermarket headers for these bikes? also a website with some used parts would be great, thanks to all, i cant wait to get this beast back on the road

 

Lookin' sharp Doug! Nice work.

 

I thought of you and your metal polishing/finishing skills more than once while I was going through this Captain!!! The swingarm was the worst and I made it worser! I hit an innocent looking little scratch with sandpaper to remove it and all of a sudden the ocean got real deep. I now understand how guys get to that mirror finish shine because there's basically no middle ground. I'm sure you understand. I appreciate your comments. And BTW the 15T front is really good for nine bridges