Recent mods
- Thread starter OldGeezer
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Help Support Buellxb Forum:
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My wife has been asking me what has been wrong lately, I told her im tired from working.... Finally now I can be in a better mood around her. [up]
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Take your time, wrap it tight, for getting the wrap up to the the 02 sensor I made a couple over lapping tight but not too tight wraps and put on the hose clamp then slid that up to the 02 sensor take off the seat and there is a spot where you can get a wrench down to the hose clamp, I tightened the clamp with a socket. Where the pipes meet I just wrapped them as far as I could then wrapped both pipes together.
The rest is pretty sell explanitory just take your time you will be happy you did.
Before
After
The rest is pretty sell explanitory just take your time you will be happy you did.
Before
After
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It is holding up good other than the headers are bent...sigh. The rss rear mount is digging into the wrap. I am in the process of getting a brand new header from Hardley.
And here is a pic of where you can get the socket down to tighten the hose clamp.
And here is a pic of where you can get the socket down to tighten the hose clamp.
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Thanks BTW!
My new pipes I have decided are going to be ceramic coated black. If I dont like it I will wrap them again.
My new pipes I have decided are going to be ceramic coated black. If I dont like it I will wrap them again.
Thanks for the pictures, very helpful! Sorry to hear about the header problem, that sucks.
I was going to get some new headers and have them ceramic coated (the p.o. low-sided the bike and ground a bit of a flat spot on the existing headers) but decided I would wait till I had made up my mind about whether to go with stock headers or get some equal length ones. I was going to go with silver ceramic coating as it supposedly is best at cutting the heat though it doesn't look as sexy as black.
In the meantime the wrap is definitely a nice looking option and practical too.
I was going to get some new headers and have them ceramic coated (the p.o. low-sided the bike and ground a bit of a flat spot on the existing headers) but decided I would wait till I had made up my mind about whether to go with stock headers or get some equal length ones. I was going to go with silver ceramic coating as it supposedly is best at cutting the heat though it doesn't look as sexy as black.
In the meantime the wrap is definitely a nice looking option and practical too.
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The wrap is a good option and look imo. I just feel if I have the pipes off I might as well have them ceramic coated.
[up] GL wrapping them post up some pics so I can pick them apart, you better do a good job or else. Just messing with you!
[up] GL wrapping them post up some pics so I can pick them apart, you better do a good job or else.
Just messing with you![up] I agree 100% on coating them if you have them off . I am a big fan of ceramic coating. A guy I know had his pipes ceramic coated inside and out and you could put your hand on them within a minute or two of shutting down the engine, it was amazing.
Thanks, I will take some pics and do the best job possible knowing a perfectionist (which is not a bad thing) will be reviewing them
Thanks, I will take some pics and do the best job possible knowing a perfectionist (which is not a bad thing) will be reviewing them
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Dont worry I pick my bike apart myself, I am never satisfied. I was born with a curse. My wrap job could have been better imo, that is just the way I am.
OK oh9bolt, here is the new DEI Titanium wrap I put on as well as the new XB Dashboard and the new Kellerman turn signals.
I came darn close to removing the rear shock and fan so I could get the wrap all the way up to the head, past the O2 sensor, but sanity prevailed
Your trick for getting it started up by the O2 sensor works great, it was just the idea of an unwrapped (small) section of header seemed kind of incomplete, like I wasn't doing the job quite right.
Anyway it is done and looks not too bad. I put a new billet oil filter and did the rivet eliminator while I was at it.
I like my new dashboard, thought the pictures don't really do it justice and the new turn signals look pretty good as well I think. I also replaced all my dash bulbs with LEDs while I had it apart. Looks pretty good though I stayed with white LEDs.
I am going to do the hidden caliper next, but need some input from you guys. I not only want to improve the looks with the mod, but also performance. I find the Buell rear brake pretty wooden and anemic.
There have been a number of threads about moding the rear MC, with different MCs recommnded and ways of mounting. Which is the best MC to choose and what is the best way to mount it?
Thanks for the help
I came darn close to removing the rear shock and fan so I could get the wrap all the way up to the head, past the O2 sensor, but sanity prevailed
Your trick for getting it started up by the O2 sensor works great, it was just the idea of an unwrapped (small) section of header seemed kind of incomplete, like I wasn't doing the job quite right.
Anyway it is done and looks not too bad. I put a new billet oil filter and did the rivet eliminator while I was at it.
I like my new dashboard, thought the pictures don't really do it justice and the new turn signals look pretty good as well I think. I also replaced all my dash bulbs with LEDs while I had it apart. Looks pretty good though I stayed with white LEDs.
I am going to do the hidden caliper next, but need some input from you guys. I not only want to improve the looks with the mod, but also performance. I find the Buell rear brake pretty wooden and anemic.
There have been a number of threads about moding the rear MC, with different MCs recommnded and ways of mounting. Which is the best MC to choose and what is the best way to mount it?
Thanks for the help
Where did you get the oil filter??
And here is where I got the caliper with mounting bracket
Twin Motorcycles
And here is where I got the caliper with mounting bracket
Twin Motorcycles
Hi ivlark, thanks for the link! I bought my filter here http://www.americansportbike.com/shoponline/ccp0-prodshow/9034.html
it is not cheap, but on the other hand it is a much better filter, is re-usable and looks good. I change my oils a lot and I always change the filter as well, so I figure I should break even in a couple of years.
In any case, we spend a lot of money on our bikes for looks alone, so 3 times better performance and perhaps a long term savings to go along with the looks was enough to convince me
Cheers
it is not cheap, but on the other hand it is a much better filter, is re-usable and looks good. I change my oils a lot and I always change the filter as well, so I figure I should break even in a couple of years.
In any case, we spend a lot of money on our bikes for looks alone, so 3 times better performance and perhaps a long term savings to go along with the looks was enough to convince me
Cheers
One thing I meant to add, the lens on my dashboard had some pretty visible scratches and a big whitish rub mark (1/4" wide x 2-1/2" long) from something the p.o. did. He was good at keeping the bike mechanically well maintained, but cosmetically not so much…
Anyway it has always bugged me and while I had the dash apart I used some Mothers lens polish on it. It is a kit which is intended to restore oxydized & scratched headlight lenses. I just applied it with a lintfree cloth and rubed it in nicely and was blown away by how fantastic a job it did. You would never know that lens wasn't brand new out of the box.
Just an FYI if any of you have similar scratches or swirl marks on your dash lens. I am going to try it on a hidden piece of body plastic to see how it does on that & will let you all know how it works.
Anyway it has always bugged me and while I had the dash apart I used some Mothers lens polish on it. It is a kit which is intended to restore oxydized & scratched headlight lenses. I just applied it with a lintfree cloth and rubed it in nicely and was blown away by how fantastic a job it did. You would never know that lens wasn't brand new out of the box.
Just an FYI if any of you have similar scratches or swirl marks on your dash lens. I am going to try it on a hidden piece of body plastic to see how it does on that & will let you all know how it works.
A quick review on the Kellermans:
I think they look really nice and are definitely very well made. Two improvements I would sugest and which some of you might find to be cons against them.
1) They do not come with connectors already attached so you have to buy and install bullet connectors and heat shrink tubing in order to plug them in. They do come with crimp marrets (you twist the correcponding bike wire and turnsignal wires together, insert them in a cap which you then crimp) and no heat shrink tubing. Considering how expensive these are I think it is a pretty cheap & cheezy arrangement. Also not removeable so if you ever want to take your fairing off again you'll have to cut the wires and buy the bullet connectors and heat shrink anyway… so pretty bad marketing IMO
2) They don't have a locating tang on them the way the stock ones do, so it requires a bit of fiddling and adjusting to get them to line up properly, especially as the turn signal wants to rotate as you tighten the nut which holds it in place - and they don't provide a couple of flats you can get a wrench on them to hold them with.
Not really big problems, but again details which could definitely be improved and would leave picky ass***** like me with a better opinion of their design philosophy.
To be fair, these LEDs are made to mount on any bike, not just Buells, so the connector issue could simply be that they would have had to include a whole bunch of different connectors to make tem work with any bike. I still think they should have at least provided a male & female bullet conector for each wire along with some heat shrink tubing. I mean these sell for a lot, so what is a couple of extra pennies for the connectors and tubing?
OK that is my rant for the day LOL
I think they look really nice and are definitely very well made. Two improvements I would sugest and which some of you might find to be cons against them.
1) They do not come with connectors already attached so you have to buy and install bullet connectors and heat shrink tubing in order to plug them in. They do come with crimp marrets (you twist the correcponding bike wire and turnsignal wires together, insert them in a cap which you then crimp) and no heat shrink tubing. Considering how expensive these are I think it is a pretty cheap & cheezy arrangement. Also not removeable so if you ever want to take your fairing off again you'll have to cut the wires and buy the bullet connectors and heat shrink anyway… so pretty bad marketing IMO
2) They don't have a locating tang on them the way the stock ones do, so it requires a bit of fiddling and adjusting to get them to line up properly, especially as the turn signal wants to rotate as you tighten the nut which holds it in place - and they don't provide a couple of flats you can get a wrench on them to hold them with.
Not really big problems, but again details which could definitely be improved and would leave picky ass***** like me with a better opinion of their design philosophy.
To be fair, these LEDs are made to mount on any bike, not just Buells, so the connector issue could simply be that they would have had to include a whole bunch of different connectors to make tem work with any bike. I still think they should have at least provided a male & female bullet conector for each wire along with some heat shrink tubing. I mean these sell for a lot, so what is a couple of extra pennies for the connectors and tubing?
OK that is my rant for the day LOL
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[up] looks good, you made a nice job!
Wait your gas is facing the right way, yes I am making a difference...
Wait your gas is facing the right way, yes I am making a difference...
