First new big bike EVER!

[Druid]

I picked up a used Puig screen and fitted it today.

I'm not entirely sold on the looks,we'll see how it performs. It was cheap,so if there's no benefit,I'll do a Weeksy and punt it on.

Can't make it look any worse

[Asian Boss]

Don't worry about all that brakes-this, exhaust-that bollocks. Get it up on t'back wheel!

[Skub]

Don't worry about all that brakes-this, exhaust-that bollocks. Get it up on t'back wheel!

There's something to be said for that theory.

[Supermofo]

The small Puig screen on the 690 makes a big difference to the wind blast I'd not do without it, bugger the looks.

I wasn't keen on the style of those Kwaks but the more I read about the Z900s the more they are growing on me. (The 900 would be more than enough bike for me)

[Skub]

Well,the screen is back off again.

It copes well with higher speeds and doesn't appear to adversely impact on the handling,but the wind noise does my head in. The screen seems to be angled just right to 'supercharge' the wind noise. Noticeably louder even at modest velocities. My head is ringing after an hour's riding.

So,back to stock and reasonably quiet on most occasions. If I change my lid,I'll maybe try it again,Arai are noisy bastards anyway.

[Rockburner]

I picked up a used Puig screen and fitted it today.

I'm not entirely sold on the looks,we'll see how it performs. It was cheap,so if there's no benefit,I'll do a Weeksy and punt it on.

Can't make it look any worse

Not sure about that..

[Skub]

I don't usually need to ride at night,but sometimes the notion strikes and you have to go.

The lights are a sharply defined rectangle of blue/white light,great dip and beam....on a straight road. On bends,that defined light works against you by causing black areas just where you need to be looking. Pretty shit really. If I was a regular night abuser I'd want a couple of spots filling in the missing light.

More information.

[Skub]

Jeez. More bling and the Winter hasn't even started.

I need to step away from the Paypal.....

[Skub]

An Ermax rear seat cowl jobbie.

Loses the pillion seat which I won't ever use and tidies up the rear.

Things I don't like.

Although it came painted the correct colours,the black is gloss,whereas on my bike it's satin/matt. Any ideas on taking off the shine without it looking like it's been scoured?

The fit required a bit of work and I needed to use a couple of pads under the front to prevent it marking the side panels.

[Supermofo]

I know nothing of paint, but I can't see you changing a colour from gloss to satin without getting it re-painted? Plus I presume the cowl will be lacquered?

[Mr. Dazzle]

When we used to do Satin paint at my old place it basically comes down to doing lacquer a bit shit, but on purpose

I.e. there's not a satin lacquer, its just regular lacquer done with only a partial layer. So in theory you can turn a gloss finish into a satin one with the right application of lacquer.

[Skub]

I hit the relevant parts of the cowl with some matt lacquer,then buffed it to a satin to match the original bodywork. Not perfect,but as good as I can get it,which is close enough to do! Removing the rider's seat strap also helped everything fit better.



I came by a set of R&G hangers for sale on the bay and knowing I'd need to make adjustments to fit my bike,I went ahead and bought them anyway.

The holes line up fine,but the bracket is a mile away from the strap holding the can,so I bought some spacers,neat,black and anodised. I wanted it to look as factory as possible,not like a lashup.

On the right side hanger there is a mounting point for the rear brake reservoir which gets in the way of the bracket holding the remote preload adjuster for the rear shock. Since I've no use for that,I cut it off,cleaned it up and gave it a touch of paint.

I also did away with the rear brake reservoir and used an HRC kit instead.(A hose,two clips and an endcap. ) Less stuff to find mounting positions.

[Skub]

Piper cross air filter bunged in the Zed. Not because I'm chasing imaginary bhp gains,more down to laziness and the fact I don't need to clean it until 20k miles!

The bike seems fairly stress free to work on,lots of little bolts,rubber grommets and velcro. All the plastics needed to come off to lift the tank,but no 'kin bastard moments,actually quite enjoyed the twiddle on a rainy day.

[weeksy]

actually quite enjoyed the twiddle on a rainy day.

It's the sort of thing i'd LOVE to do if it paid the bills. All day stripping a bike, cleaning and giving back to someone, sounds like an awesome day to me.

I've been lucky to have been paid to do it a few times and always really enjoyed it... Never been sure if it was worth the money for them or for me.

[Skub]

It's the sort of thing i'd LOVE to do if it paid the bills. All day stripping a bike, cleaning and giving back to someone, sounds like an awesome day to me.

I've been lucky to have been paid to do it a few times and always really enjoyed it... Never been sure if it was worth the money for them or for me.

I used to love spannering and servicing/repair got me a few quid over the years. The money was nice,but I really worked on bikes because I enjoyed doing it. Then somewhere along the way bikes became more complex and I totally lost my mechanical mojo. I stopped taking on jobs and it was as much as I could stomach to keep my own serviced. I did nothing unless it needed to be done.

This bike has given me a couple of things back. My mileage was shrinking every year and I even toyed with the idea more than once, of selling up altogether. Now it eats me when I can't get out!

So far the Zed seems handy to work on,so a little of that pleasure has come back. The fact that I don't usually have anything brand new,it's good to know other monkeys haven't been buggering up all the screws and bolts. I get to do that first.

[Skub]

I fitted Oxford heated grips yesterday,a relatively fuss free installation,though I needed to remove tank and plastics to get the wiring as neat as possible. I'm going to make a bracket to hold the controller,as the one supplied is a bit of a 'do rightly' effort and I'm not happy with the way it looks. A bit gash.

For Weeksy's benefit,the grips feel a tiny bit thicker than the stock items,but not enough to worry me,in fact I prefer them.

Not had a chance to test the heat as yet,but they feel reassuringly warm sat in the garage.

Edit....Took it for a quick lap and loads of heat at 100%,grips feel fine for everything else too.

[G.P]

Those Mirror blanking thingys are VERY bling.
Glad you're enjoying it. Its looks have grown on me during this thread

[Skub]

Those Mirror blanking thingys are VERY bling.
Glad you're enjoying it. Its looks have grown on me during this thread

Yeah,it's easy to let casual/bored perusal of eBay triumph over good taste. I've tried not to go too far with the tat.

It's funny how your eye gets used to odd things and looks grow on you. That's what Mrs.Skub says about me,anyway.

[Horse]

Its looks have grown on me during this thread

Like warts and acne?

[Skub]

I dislike the looks of stock chainguards (I know,shoot me) so fitted a natty carbon RSR today.