[Wigit]

I finally got my bike off the stand after polishing the forks, powder coating the calipers, and replacing my bars/grips/mirrors. Took it for a 125 km shakedown run today and am happy to report my only issue was a loose mirror. God, it's good to back in the wind again!!

It's tough to see, but in pic#1 you can see the chrome decal on the airbox cover. I was going for "subtle" and I think it works.

I had a heck of a time bleeding the brakes. I completely disassembled them over the winter and had them powder coated at a local shop. I took my time installing the seals and pistons, used teflon tape on the screws, and took extreme caution/care with the fluid. I pretty much "Dexter-ified" the bike, covering everything but the caliper. LOL, you can never be too cautious. That being said, I got fluid on the one square inch that WASN'T covered. Haha. I HATE brake fluid, even though my life depends on it. A friend loaned me his bleeder pump which worked really well, although the rear caliper never seemed to fully clear of bubbles. I ran out of fluid, so I just closed it up and called it a day. We figure it was sucking air through the bleeder screw threads, so I will have to go old-school and do it by hand. No worries. A tad spongy but work when needed.

The stainless brake line looks and works amazing. I went with a Galfer line after tonnes of research and looking through threads here. I was seriously considering the Platinum lines but without being able to see them up close, I decided against it. Thank you Vinish for taking the time to send pics of your rides. For anyone who doesn't know, Vinish has TWO stables, one in MI and one in FL, both with sweet bikes! When I grow up, I want to be just like Vinish. :47b20s0:

The 1.5" bars are cool as hell. No vibration at all. They are slightly higher than the stock bars and pull back only slightly which is what I was looking for. I ran the wires through them, which is a huge PITA, but look great in the end. One problem I ran into...when installing the grips, I pressed the supplied glue onto the throttle sleeve(crazy glue), then pushed the grip onto the sleeve and into place. Within a second the glue was dry. Success! Then I tried to twist the throttle......:banghead: Apparently I plowed the glue into the switch housing. At that point, I lost my shit. LOL I decided to go to bed and figure it out the next day.
The fix was pretty easy. I pulled the switch cover apart and could see the dried glue on the throttle sleeve. Cut it with an exacto blade and chiseled it off. Unfortunately, there is a bit of glue on the chrome switch cover, but there's not much I can do about that.(at least it's clear)

I did the pair valve mod this spring, and it does seem to sound a bit throatier.(is that even a word?) I rode to a friend's house and she commented that my bike sounds different than it used to. Tough to say when you're riding it.:shrugthe bike, not the friend.....sheesh!)

EDIT: I was in a bit of a rush to post this last night, as my son wanted on the computer. LOL, I should really get off my wallet and get the kid a laptop. I forgot to mention the polished forks. This, after all, is the reason why it took so long to get the bike back on the road! Polishing takes time and effort. It is nothing but elbow grease. I spent HOURS sanding with various grits. I ended with 1500, although I did have a couple sheets of 2000.(maybe next year?) There are tiny micro-scratches on the forks still, but with a polisher and some White Diamond, they look like chrome. I got tired of not riding and had to call it.....good enough. I do not recommend polishing for anyone with OCD.

I am quite excited to have it back on the road. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much.:icon_mrha I LOVE my therapist!

Cheers!:cheers:

 

[mjklaser]

^^^ This is awesome!! Great story, man...

 

[sumdatx]

Build Episode I was great, now Episode II is a great follow-up. Love you getting into some hard things to do in pursuing your goals/look. Made me back up a step on jumping into PC'ing my calipers. Need to find a better shop for that.
Way to see it through Jon and you did an excellent job too. Now just ride it some and get your "script" ready for Episode III. :glee: :cheers:

 

[Wigit]

Thanks, Mark. Tom....."Episode III"? Are you INSANE?! LOL

 

[mjklaser]

...I meant to add... your bike is friggin' gorgeous! Great pics...

 

[Wigit]

Thanks again, Mark. Here's some pics of the calipers for anyone who's considering powdercoat.

 

[exharleydude]

Attachments don't open.

Thanks again, Mark. Here's some pics of the calipers for anyone who's considering powdercoat.
View attachment 134330 View attachment 134338

 

[Wigit]

Fixed. Thanks.

 

[sumdatx]

Thanks again, Mark. Here's some pics of the calipers for anyone who's considering powdercoat.
View attachment 134362 View attachment 134370

The contrast is soooooo KOOL. Way to bling out those forks -- hard job as I know too well. Nice pics Jon.

 

[sumdatx]

Thanks, Mark. Tom....."Episode III"? Are you INSANE?! LOL

Yeah, Episode III: page 1: Initial testing of WARP drive module. page 2: installation of leather harness to keep a$$ on bike. :icon_yike:icon_yike:icon_yike:icon_yike
Yeah, must have a small amount of insanity to throw a leg over and get on down the road :choppersm
Yeah, like it's ever really done :stirpot:

 

[Wigit]

I like to think I'm done, but I've already been considering getting another X, adding a Sumo rear, and a fairing. Don't tell my wife I said that.:spank:LOL, it's a sickness.

 

[Wigit]

Now when I say "done", I mean "done buying things for the bike." I still have parts to add that are sitting on the shelf waiting for a rainy day. I plan on polishing the final as well, but I would much rather ride it than tear into the bike again. Maybe if we get a week of torrential rain, I'll consider it. Once I get the rear wheel off, I will be adding this:

It should look nice against the chrome wheel and polished hub.

I also have these coming in the mail:

They will cover the fork pinch bolts as well as the fender bolts.

Anderson930 reminded me that I have a chin spoiler to mod as well. It is for a Yamaha, so I had to trim it to fit. I still may trim it a little more(where the pencil line is), then prime/paint. I will also need to JB Weld some mounting brackets on the inside.

After all that, I will be DONE done! :shrug::icon_mrha

 

[mbarclay]

Looks sweet! A vtx with the 240 is one of the best looking bikes out there

 

[dterry927]

Bikes looking good. Keep up the good work. Makes me want to add a 1300c to my collection


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[Wigit]

Thanks, guys.

 

[anderson930]

After all that, I will be DONE done! :shrug::icon_mrha

Haaaaa!

If things don't work out with that chin fairing, I recommend the Low and Mean chin scoop (http://www.lowandmean.com/index.php...ategory_id=20&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=60). I had it on my bike back in 2009 and it looked great. Granted, I fiberglassed the opening on the front because I didn't like the screen, but there were zero fitment issues.


Looking good man, keep at it!

 

[Randy2575]

Great job Wigit! :cheers: Are those little chrome covers stick-ons? Ebay?

 

[Wigit]

Thanks, Shawn. I looked at the low and mean but was worried that it wouldn't fit the 1300. Pretty pricey for a possible wall hanger. It does look great though.

Eric, thanks. The chrome bolt covers have a plastic part on the back that presses into the hex of the bolt. I did find them on Ebay.

 

[Wigit]

I got back from our annual NY/PA run last night and can say that the bike ran like a dream once again.:swoonstill searching for that elusive 6th gear though!):hmm2: Bikes, beers, and bullshit with the boys....what a great time!(lots of sleep after beers, no drinking and riding here...mountains, rain, and alcohol do not mix.) [end public service announcement]

Speaking of rain, here's what the bike looks like now....

I must apologize for the lack of photos. I often forget that my cell takes pics. Once I cross the border, my cell has no service so I just shut it off until I can use the hotel wi-fi. I must say, for someone who grew up with a rotary phone as the only way of communication, I LOVE the feeling of being away and "not available" until I get home.:bleh:

That being said, I did manage these few:

Anyone been here? We're on the rooftop patio, but the restaurant below is fantastic and the microbrewery on the lower floor is even cooler. We did the full tour, including a walk-through of the "mad scientist's" micro brewery. Cool guy with a cool job.

After a wild night of partying with our NY brothers, six of us branched off to Williamsport, PA. I wasn't the lead, and I'm not one to pay too much attention to what roads we're on, but we took the scenic route. For anyone who hasn't been to Pennsylvania, it is biker paradise. We got a local map at at restaurant and it had colour-coded routes with trip miles and gas station locations. Once you're in the mountains, most roads are well maintained or being upgraded, and are seriously well marked or signed. Every corner has a speed marker, which is great for dumbasses like us that ride 70 mph through the mountains and come upon a 20 mph corner. The rain slowed us down considerably this year, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. We saw a group of three deer attempting to cross and everyone who saw them hit their horns which worked well.(this time) Williamsport seems to be a very successful city/town. We aren't sure why. During dinner, we asked our waitress what the main industry was in the area.....she said "many work in the service industry." :hmm2: Now, I'm no economist or anything like that, but I'm damn sure no waitress makes enough to drive a Ford Raptor! The food was pricey, the beers were even pricier, but....the service was particularly pretty. Money "well spent".

Our trip home brought us by a familiar spot...Hyner View State Park. The road was closed to traffic, but since we had a new guy with us, our lead sport bike rider took a trip down the hill for a look. A few minutes later, he returned to say the road was all clear.(no guardrails) The last time I took this road, I hit a washed out area on a downhill curve when a dump truck was heading my way.:icon_yike This year, I slowed it down a bit, and the traffic was non-existent. The ride back up to the look-out was cool. There are a few corners that you will need to consider oncoming cars/bikes. Take it easy. Last year a pickup truck ran one of our guys off the road into the gravel on a corner. Not cool. This year, all good. The view is amazing. Almost enough to consider hang-gliding. There is a downhill ramp here meant for hang-gliding, and I can say by looking down this hill, it takes BALLS to do this.(or a defective brain)
All in all, PA is a great place to bike. Lots of roads, restaurants, and gas. Beautiful scenery, awesome people..atriot:
(side note: $300 US cost me $393 CAD) If you are an American living close to the border, start Googling Ontario vacation spots. C'mon Up! We LOVE you guys!

 

[sumdatx]

Obviously, you guys had a great time and you successfully validated all your hard work Jon. Congratz :glee:
Now if I could get a look at your attachments. I keep getting some "invalid attachment" message, contact Admin.