2007 Suzuki SV650 paint and restoration
I picked this bike up at the auction a couple of months ago and I’m finally getting around to working on it. Mechanically, it was fine but it needed some cosmetics. I’m taking off the ill-fitting clip-ons and replacing them with the stock risers and some generic superbike bars. One cool addition is the CBR600 rear wheel which allows you to use a 180 rear tire. This doesn’t make much difference for street riding, but it makes a big... [Read More...]
New Moto Guzzi V7 Racer Now Available
Moto Guzzi has announced a very cool new model in a press release today. This genre of motorcycle is quickly gaining market share because the average age of riders continues to increase. But, even some younger riders are into the retro stuff or at least the naked bike/Streetfighter scene. This new Guzzi is a modern day rendition of their old race bikes and it is very well done with great colors and detail. I love the black on red frame… Press... [Read More...]
A Quick Look Inside the Dunlop Proving Grounds
I was over in the Huntsville, Alabama area last week and decided to stop in and see my good friend Danny Roberts who heads up the Dunlop Proving Grounds. We raced together back in the 80′s and have been friends for almost 30 years. This is the facility where they test all of the dirt bike, street bike and race tires for motorcycles. Very cool place for a motorcycle guy (or girl)! I’ll post a few pictures that I took with my phone over... [Read More...]
2010 Triumph Street Triple R
I picked this up at the auction last month. It was a Triumph factory demo bike that got dropped and needed a few parts. They totaled it for some unexplainable reason but that is really my gain since I bought it pretty cheap. As you can see from the pictures, it came with the Full Arrow factory exhaust and from riding it, I sure it has been remapped too. Getting rid of the factory undertail exhaust probably saves at least 20 lbs. I had to replace a... [Read More...]
Yamaha R6 candy red project
This started out as a stock 04 R6 with some slight body work scratches and scrapes. The owner had already gotten the wheels powder coated in the candy red that he wanted the bike painted. So my job was to match the color that was already on the wheels. As you can see, the front and back wheels are not the same shade so I used the front as the guide and worked on the color until I had it nailed. The Yamaha strobe stripe kit is from Tapeworks. I had... [Read More...]
BMW adds antilock brakes to entire line-up
Press release from BMW- After pioneering the concept of antilock brakes (ABS) on motorcycles 23 years ago, BMW Motorrad USA announced today that it will be the first motorcycle manufacturer to offer ABS as standard equipment on its entire range of 2012 model year motorcycles. “Plain and simple, being able to stop a motorcycle faster and more predictably helps prevent a rider from becoming a statistic,” said Pieter de Waal, Vice President, BMW... [Read More...]
Suzuki SV1000 and SV650 high handlebar prototype- part 5
In this picture you can see the cable and hose routing. The throttle cables need to come up from under the tank and pass through the risers instead of around the front of the triple clamp as they are with the clip ons. Both the brake and clutch hoses need to have the banjo bolt cracked loose (just enough to rotate the hose a little) so you can move the hose to get the correct angles for the new bars. The handlebar switches have enough wire length... [Read More...]
Suzuki SV1000 and SV650 high handlebar prototype- part 4
In this picture, you can get a good idea of just how much higher and further back the handlebars are compared to stock. (You can see the stock left handlebar still mounted on the fork tube.) As you can tell, I have already painted the triple clamp, risers and bars in a matte black. If you want, you can leave them silver but they really do look better in black. You can also see that I have relocated the throttle cables so that they will come out under... [Read More...]
Suzuki SV1000 and SV650 high handlebar prototype- part 3
Today, we are going to look at how to locate and drill the triple clamp so that you have the handlebars located in the right place and, just as importantly, you have room on the bottom for the nuts that will hold them on. These are Yamaha FZ1 risers and bars, but you can uses just about anything as long as you are willing to relocate you brake/clutch/throttle lines and cables. I’ll show you how to do this in a later post. But, you will need... [Read More...]
Suzuki SV1000 and SV650 high handlebar prototype- part 2
Basically, what you will need to do is either buy another top triple clamp off ebay and save yours in case you ever want to return it to stock (for when you sell it) or take it off so you can have it drilled at a machine shop. Either way, you need to get it off the bike. Start by removing your upper fairing/headlight assembly. If you can’t do this without instructions, the rest of the project is really beyond your capabilities… The ignition... [Read More...]
Suzuki Recalls 75,000 bikes in the US
If you own pretty much any Suzuki from 2008-2010, you should contact your dealer for info. If you are the original owner of record, you will get a recall notice in the mail. This problem is pretty well known in the GSXR community, but many other bikes are affected as well. From the NHTSA- SUZUKI IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008 THROUGH 2010 MOTORCYCLES MANUFACTURED FROM JULY 2007 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2009, EQUIPPED WITH REGULATOR/RECTIFIER ASSEMBLIES,... [Read More...]
Suzuki SV1000 and SV650 high handlebar prototype
SV650′s and SV1000′s are pretty much legendary for their great engines and nice handling. But, the S models are also well known to be a bit cramped for long rides. The 650 was available as a naked bike for most of it’s production run but there were no S models with the standard high handlebars so you were always trading something away. The 1000′s were only available as a naked/high handlebar model in 2003. So you have to be... [Read More...]
V65 Magna Poject- Part 8
Well, here is the finished product… the owner installed the body work and obviously did a lot of other things while the bike was apart- like recover the seat, paint the fork legs, etc. The dark “shades of gray” looks good on this bike. He also has some black GIVI hard bags that will be installed but we wanted a nice before/after comparison. V65 Magna before/after V65 Magna with flames Read More →
V65 Magna Project- Part 7
Well, the clear coat is on and it looks great. The dark gray/orange contrast really comes out with the clear and the metallic in the gray jumps out as well. It will probably be a few days until the parts are back on the bike, but as soon as they are, I’ll get some pictures posted up… tank- cleared front fender tank and tail Read More →
V65 Magna Project- Part 6
Today we are going to put the flames on. I ordered a kit from Tapeworks.com with a bunch of generic flames in various sizes so we could get creative with where we put them. Flames are not really too easy to install since there are lots of little “fingers” that want to go where the contours of the part takes then- which is not necessarily where you want them to go! At any rate, it takes some patience and skill to get them on without ending... [Read More...]