Streetfightering the chopper

[Tarbash 27]

or just take them off, i dont run signals. In my state (NY) 1985 and older motorcycles do not require signals.

[isaac]

or just take them off, i dont run signals. In my state (NY) 1985 and older motorcycles do not require signals.

I appreciate the suggestion. I don't think Florida requires signals. They're pretty lax.

My state doesn't require a helmet but you don't see me taking mine off either. There are some things I think are essential to a bike, and I have a pretty big issue with reducing the safety of a vehicle for the sake of appearance. That's why I've never flushed bumpers on a car or reduced the headlight size or power on any of my bikes.

No signals on this bike would definitely improve the appearance, but I don't like the idea of somebody nailing me because they didn't know I was gonna turn.

[steely]

Damn, that is looking really sharp Isaac! I am glad to see that you ditched the back fender. While I think it looked cool enough, I have always been more partial to less in the rear. I am slowly blacking out my bike as well. I have a leaky head gasket and will be pulling the engine apart to take care of that in the next few weeks. I am thinking of painting the cylinders and heads black while I have them off the bike. I have heard that having a black engine makes these old GSs faster! I dunno about all that, but I do think that the blacker the bike, the tougher it looks.

[steely]

There are some things I think are essential to a bike, and I have a pretty big issue with reducing the safety of a vehicle for the sake of appearance. That's why I've never flushed bumpers on a car or reduced the headlight size or power on any of my bikes.

No signals on this bike would definitely improve the appearance, but I don't like the idea of somebody nailing me because they didn't know I was gonna turn.

Amen to that. I put some of the tiny signals, front and rear, on my bike. A friend of mine was following me in his truck on Christmas Day, and he said he had trouble seeing my signals until he was pretty close to me. I have been throwing hand signals as well as using the blinkers since then. The signals are bright enough that you can't miss them at night, but during the day they largely disappear. I would use hand signals at night, but I wear black gloves and a black jacket, so I believe it is largely useless.

[snowbeard]

Hey Isaac, I sent you a PM about your fender, just in case you just didn't notice... 8-[

[isaac]

Well I rode the bike around with the flipped over and lowered dirtbike bars, and after an hour and a half on the thing I was still feeling fine in the wrists and back department, even with a 25lb flywheel in a backpack on my back that I was taking to and from the machine shop.

Point being: The bars work where they are, and I'm gonna keep em. I might try to lower them some more, but that's gonna have to involve cutting and welding to get them around the forks which were raised up into the tubes. It's either that or I turn them into clip ons by welding them onto a set of clamps. That could be interesting.

At that point, I'd also lower the instrument cluster.

Right now I'm working on a set of dual headlights. They're BMW units joined by a piece of sheet steel that I've cut circles in to fit. I just have to find a way to brace it, then I'll mount it up. At that point the bike will be a hybrid of these bars:



and these headlights:

[beergood]

I like where you've gone with this. I especially want to see it with the new headlights.

Bar end mirrors would really bring the line of that bike down.

[isaac]

I like where you've gone with this. I especially want to see it with the new headlights.

Bar end mirrors would really bring the line of that bike down.

Thanks, and I agree about the bar end mirrors. At the same time, this thing would be damn wide with them, because the bike is already 31.5" wide with the bars.

Here's a new shot:

[beergood]

I felt the same way, but I found a set that adds less than 2 inches to each side. They really clean up the line of the bike. Another thing you can try is just putting one on the left side and foregoing the right.

Either way, I like the way your bike is turning out. I especially like the complete lack of rear fender. Having 2/3rds of the rear tire hanging out there really works.

[80GS1000]

Diggin' the looks there. Looks nice and aggressive.

Next step IMHO is performance. A 'fighter isn't a 'fighter IMO till equal attention has been paid to its performance as its appearance. In terms of offering suggestions for performance mods, you have to ask yourself: How hard do you ride your bike? How much power do you want? And how extensive do you want your mods to be?

A good place to start would be a 4 into 1 Vance & Hines pipe, K&N pod air filters, and a carb rejet which would improve looks and give a nice boost in HP/torque at the same time.

[isaac]

Diggin' the looks there. Looks nice and aggressive.

Next step IMHO is performance. A 'fighter isn't a 'fighter IMO till equal attention has been paid to its performance as its appearance. In terms of offering suggestions for performance mods, you have to ask yourself: How hard do you ride your bike? How much power do you want? And how extensive do you want your mods to be?

A good place to start would be a 4 into 1 Vance & Hines pipe, K&N pod air filters, and a carb rejet which would improve looks and give a nice boost in HP/torque at the same time.

Oh I'm already looking past that. I barely got outbid on a GS1000G motor on ebay. If I can find one, I'll put an 1100 motor in there. I'd also love to do a USD fork conversion of some kind up front. It's a shame the front wheel is so damn narrow because I like it a lot. I just want to put a 120mm tire on there somehow. Right now it has a ridiculous 90mm tire.

BTW here's a PS sans mirrors:

[80GS1000]

Oh I'm already looking past that. I barely got outbid on a GS1000G motor on ebay. If I can find one, I'll put an 1100 motor in there. I'd also love to do a USD fork conversion of some kind up front. It's a shame the front wheel is so damn narrow because I like it a lot. I just want to put a 120mm tire on there somehow. Right now it has a ridiculous 90mm tire.

Well on your way down the performance and 'fighter road then if you're looking to do the motor swap. Go for it!

Sounds like you're leaning toward doing the mods required to run radials and better brakes front and rear. Good stuff. Which forks are you thinking about using? 90-95 GSXR 1100?

[KGB]

Nice job of taking an ugly bike and making it uglier.

So how does that seat work? Come with a jar of preperation h or
you just tough it up?


What a hack job

[pan]

Nice job of taking an ugly bike and making it uglier.

So how does that seat work? Come with a jar of preperation h or
you just tough it up?


What a hack job

OUCH..............that's a bit harsh Keith ;-) not to my taste either but each to their own. A bike only its mother could love?? well maybe.............

[MissFabulous]

OUCH..............that's a bit harsh Keith ;-) not to my taste either but each to their own. A bike only its mother could love?? well maybe.............

Well, isaac was pretty much asking for that, but in another thread... all in good fun... ugly is in the eye of the beholder!