Just had to trade down from my old modded VMax, as I commute 1,000 miles/week on fast and twisties, and need something that'll increase my chances of staying alive. And I just can't bear to be sensible and ride a BMW or a VFR.
So I ended up with a very low mileage '04 Speedy, even though I really hated the 'minimal' chrome. So I did a tear-down and kept things cheap and cheerful, with the aim of making the bike look older and meaner, and run a little better:
Name: Speedy Rat
Year: 2004
Model: Speedmaster
Eng size: 790cc air cooled normally aspirated parallel twin, K&N, Stage 1.
Pipes: TOR shorts
Seat: Stock Gunslinger
Wheels: Stock - I love THICK spokies, but given my mileage, the stock wheels give me a better choice of sticky hoops.
Accessories: As little as possible: Scottoiler. Adapted Motrax bar-end mirrors, Flyscreen. Chrome bits blacked using VHT wrinkle-finish, bodywork in Hammerite black satin, pipes using Hammerite BBQ matt black. Downpipes wrapped.
End result - I've got a Speedy that looks more like an old-school rat-rod, and happily runs over a ton (obviously, I wouldn't do that...). And it no longer looks like a Sunday rider's wheels. In fact, the more dirt on her, the better she looks.
I'll probably tinker some more - would love to hard-tail it, but it's not practical for the kind of mileage I do.
So I ended up with a very low mileage '04 Speedy, even though I really hated the 'minimal' chrome. So I did a tear-down and kept things cheap and cheerful, with the aim of making the bike look older and meaner, and run a little better:
Name: Speedy Rat
Year: 2004
Model: Speedmaster
Eng size: 790cc air cooled normally aspirated parallel twin, K&N, Stage 1.
Pipes: TOR shorts
Seat: Stock Gunslinger
Wheels: Stock - I love THICK spokies, but given my mileage, the stock wheels give me a better choice of sticky hoops.
Accessories: As little as possible: Scottoiler. Adapted Motrax bar-end mirrors, Flyscreen. Chrome bits blacked using VHT wrinkle-finish, bodywork in Hammerite black satin, pipes using Hammerite BBQ matt black. Downpipes wrapped.
End result - I've got a Speedy that looks more like an old-school rat-rod, and happily runs over a ton (obviously, I wouldn't do that...). And it no longer looks like a Sunday rider's wheels. In fact, the more dirt on her, the better she looks.
I'll probably tinker some more - would love to hard-tail it, but it's not practical for the kind of mileage I do.
