Triumphrat

crosstie · 09-07-2006, 12:13 AM

Hey all, been a while. Unfortunately, while my new job ranks much higher on the personal fulfillment scale, it ranks much lower on the cruising-TriumphRat.net-while-at-work scale...

Anyway, just wanted to share the latest batch of mods to my '99 Legend. They were mostly done last winter - I've spent the summer enjoying them. Scroll down if you just want pics.

In a nutshell:
*heated grips (possibly the greatest motorcycle accessory since handlebars) - generic kit from Dual Star, a few extra bits from Radio Shack, instructions from the Canyon Chasers site.
*3-1 exhaust - custom, courtesy of Hibernia's resident gentleman, scholar, and Samaritan, Johny C.
*Pod filters (w/ Jack Lilley adapters). Pilots at 100, mains at 130, factory pro needles. No problems so far, feels nice and strong, but no dyno yet so who knows. Only issue I've notices is a slight hesitation at low RPMs when the engine is good and hot - I'm guessing either my pilots are too small, or my needles need adjusting. The pods are held in place with a turnbuckle and a lumber strap from Home Despot...
*Custom seat - I bought a late-model t-bird seat off eBay, chopped the sides off so it followed the subframe more closely, bought some foam and an electric knife, got spray adhesive everywhere, and had Sargent cover it. Quite comfy for a short-legger like me, and IMO looks way cool.
*FEK - home-made out of sheet aluminum sprayed w/ rust-oleum 'hammered metal' paint - great stuff. Also chopped that honking chrome bell off the horn, filed down the rest, sprayed it, and mounted a generic round horn to it. The FEK took some planning, followed by some swearing, followed by some hammering, followed by some shimming... it's nowhere near as slick as say the MecaTwin one - but on the other hand, it actually fits my bike. Plus I mounted a cool cat-eye LED taillight

I will say, if you're making one, be sure to drill your holes a bit oversize - otherwise you'll take your carefully-applied paint right off when you put the bolts in.
*Ducati Monster front fender - complete with flat black spray paint

I tried a few other things, but ultimately didn't like 'em: Tarozzi/Raask rear-sets (felt weird, too delicate-looking for the bike), a '98 Speed Triple hugger (looked wrong). Anyway, put all that together and you get this: A fat, slow, Ducati Monster :-D

There are lots more pics (including details of the heated grip install and custom bits) in my photo album.

Also, noticed a few comments in there (from last Nov - sorry!) about my USD forks. If you want details, there's a short version and a loooong version.

This winter: green cams & an '02 Daytona rear shock! [Insert maniacal laughter here].

TexasTri · 09-07-2006, 07:35 AM

the Legend keeps getting better and better. I really like the seat change. Never thought about trimming the pan down to get a sleaker look. Very nice.

TBSstunta · 09-07-2006, 07:46 AM

That looks awesome. Did you brace the carbs in any way?

Rincewind · 09-07-2006, 08:22 AM

Quote:

On 2006-09-06 22:13, crosstie wrote:
Anyway, put all that together and you get this: A fat, slow, Ducati Monster :-D

:lollol:

Looks good! Any issues with running the pod filters in the rain?

SWare · 09-07-2006, 08:37 AM

I likes it :-D

Stan

vonbonds · 09-07-2006, 09:30 AM

Wow, simply awesome!

Rhinoe · 09-07-2006, 09:40 AM

Your bike is awesome! I really like everything you have done to it. Your seat is the coolest one I've seen for our bikes yet. Great job. Can you give us any info on the exhaust? Where was it done? How does it sound? Please keep us informed if/when you do get it on a dyno. The bike really rocks.

aeycue · 09-07-2006, 04:38 PM

nice.. how do those heated grips work for you? they seem like a good deal if they work well...

crosstie · 09-08-2006, 01:26 AM

Thanks all for the compliments. I'm pretty happy with it... a bit rough and unfinished looking, but I never like cleaning it much anyway :razz:

Quote:

Did you brace the carbs in any way?

Yup. I took a lumber tie from home depot and bent it around the, um, spine of the bike (under the tank). I had to cut a notch out of it to get around some of the clips that hold the wires. Then I drilled holes in the ends and bent them together like tabs. Attached a $2 turnbuckle (also from the despot) and hooked the other end around the carb, and presto - instant ghetto carb brace. There are some pics in my album, in the 'custom bits' folder.

Quote:

Any issues with running the pod filters in the rain?

I'll tell you when I run it in the rain

It's been beautiful here for the past couple months...

Quote:

Can you give us any info on the exhaust? Where was it done? How does it sound?

I don't have a ton of info. Ex-TBS rider and all-around good egg Johny C. bought it on eBay.co.uk for his Sport - but it didn't fit quite right (different subframe), so he ended up sending it my way (knowing I was on the lookout for a 3-1). Cheers again, Johny, wherever you are! Apparently it was a custom job someone had done at some point - it's very simple, but very nicely put together. As for the sound... it's a bit obnoxious frankly. Not that that's a bad thing :-D Quite loud with the choke on, not too bad at idle, pretty noisy when you crack the throttle. It does have a little 'sport' baffle in the end, which I re-packed, but I may look for something with a bit more 'muffle' in it at some point. It's definitely not Harley-loud (and I haven't heard D&D etc. to compare) - but it has a bit more of a grating 'sportbike' tone than a nice deep rumble. Louder than my TORs. I love the look though...

Quote:

how do those heated grips work for you?

They're great - I got caught in a downpour (pre-pods) 90 miles out, in jeans and summer jacket, in April. But the time I got home I was cold everywhere except my hands. They've definitely saved me on some long trips.

That said, I don't know that I'd count on them if I was doing winter riding in, say, Minnesota. Also I have aftermarket grips, which may be a bit thinner than the stuck triumph ones.

They come with a huge honkin' switch - I swapped it out for a mini-toggle from radio shack, and actually managed to get it mounted in my switchgear - again, detail pics in my album.

Thanks again for the kind words... hopefully the weather stays beautiful through the weekend. It rains a lot here, but when it's nice - it's nice.

johnyC · 09-09-2006, 12:25 PM

Jesse,

I'm still lurking. I love my Scrambler to bits, but trading my t'bird sport was one of the daftest things I did

Anyhow, I've only moved next door:

johny's holidays

ps. lovely bike, glad the pipes fit :-D