Well, it seems that I haven't updated this thread in ages! I've been busy with work and have been piecing together all the loose ends for the bike. So the motorcycle is now officially a Speedtona! I have finished all but a few mechanical and cosmetic touches, and have been riding the heck out of the bike the last three days. It is 100% street legal and I obtained a temporary moving permit from the DMV. All that is left to do is to ride over to the DMV and have someone do the final inspection of the bike so I can get the plate and tags.
I ended up purchasing LSL Fatbar risers and handlebar from a TRat member. After installing the setup I found that the bar had been trimmed off too much and because I'm not running bar end mirrors there was nothing to make up the space. I purchased a new LSL Fatbar and installed that. I think I will end up cutting about .25 inch of the ends, but I'm going to wait and make sure that will work before doing so.
The bought a cherry set of '06 Speed Triple mirrors off a TheS3.com member which look really bitchin'.
Due to the fact that I switched from clipons to the bar, the old Galfer Braided SS brake lines were too short. I put in a custom order through
Cyclebrakes.com which fit perfectly. The tech that took my order was Melissa who was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. I highly recommend this business if you need any brake parts.
I picked up two sets of tail fairings from TRat members which I made a perfect set out of. I also scored the carbon fiber inlays--dang hard to find used!
So now for the story on how she rides... I cannot believe this thing! It smooths over rough terrain like a Cadillac, yet is easier to throw around than my TT600! I don't really understand why, but I feel much more comfortable and safer on the Speedtona than the TT600. The front brakes are outright ridiculous. I think if I had to I could get the thing up on just the front wheel using my pinkie! And talk about power! I went to pass a car on El Camino and grabbed a little to much throttle in first gear. The front end came off the ground by about 3 feet. That surprised the heck out of me, and probably the woman in the car I was passing!
When I first took the bike out after installing the handlebar, I couldn'tât help but laugh hysterically when I pulled out of the driveway; it felt as if I had ape-hangers on the bike! I said to myself that this was screwed up and there'd be no way I could ride this thing with bars. But after three days of riding I really like the bars. The riding position is extremely relaxed which makes the ride that much more enjoyable. I find that I can counter-steer a lot easier with the bar than the clipons, which also gives me a greater amount of feedback from the front end.
I wonder if this is normal--or maybe I should be put in a loony bin--but I can't get the grin off my face when I'm cruising and look down at the duel headlights. It's just something about the whole look and feel of the bike that is just amazing. And the compliments from fellow riders began from the get-go. Tonight I rode over to a restaurant on the coast where a friend works. When I pulled up there was a 03ish Ducati 999 that just pulled in. The man and woman got off the bike and both looked at each other and said, "Wow, that's a nice bike!" This leads me to a comical story.
I went to the bar where my friend got me an English Breakfast tea with cream (it was cold and I like tea
:razz: ) So I'm sitting there sipping on a British drink with my Triumph parked outside, and I look over to the two Ducati riders and there they are sipping on glasses of wine over a pasta dinner! HaHa! Stereotypes all the way around!
So that's about all I have time to type for now. I'm planning on pulling the front wheel tomorrow and getting my new front tire mounted. Thanks again for all who have contributed to the ongoing project. This is a great gang of motorcycle enthusiasts and friends! Here are the current pictures:
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