Hey Everyone,
I have an 05 F and have done a few mods and wanted to share them with you.
Tinted Windscreen – I wanted to black out the windscreen to give the bike a slicker look. Since it has an upright riding position I decided that I did not need to tint the screen and could black it out without compromising safety. I used a matte black spray paint made for plastic and it turned out great. I removed the decals and cleaned the surface with some alcohol pads. Then I masked off the front of the screen and put a few thin coats on the back. When you see the screen you cannot tell it has been spray painted at all and give the bike a really cool look.
(http://server2.uploadit.org/files/leonidasgto-miniDSC02650.JPG)
(http://server3.uploadit.org/files/leonidasgto-miniDSC02656.JPG)
(http://server3.uploadit.org/files/leonidasgto-miniDSC02657.JPG)
Fender-ectomy – I hated the original fender on the bike and wanted to give it a really clean look in the back. I carry a tail bag sometimes so I did not want to get rid of the under tail mounting bar and just decided to cut back some of the plastic. I removed the side and back reflectors, turn signals, and license plate bracket. With a hand saw I got to work and cut back as much material as possible. The turn signals were remounted a bit higher on the plastic under tail, right where there are some dimples that coincide with the small storage space under the seat. All you need to do to move the stalks is to drill a hole into the plastic, screw into place and reconnect the electrical system. The wires may need to be rerouted but no big deal at all. Finally the license plate bracket will need to be mounted upside down at the back. I mounted it a bit high so I needed to grind about half a centimeter of the top of my plate to sit just right. Other threads about this mod exist with more extensive pics than mine.
(http://server3.uploadit.org/files/leonidasgto-miniDSC02695.JPG)
(http://server2.uploadit.org/files/leonidasgto-miniDSC02685.JPG)
Drilled Exhaust – The exhaust was so dam quiet that it was the first thing I wanted to change. I basically took my dremel cut off tool and first removed the protruding neck off the back of the exhaust. Then I took an electric drill with a ½ bit and got to work drilling out the muffler. I went slowly and kept starting the bike to check how load it was getting. It took some time but the outcome is worth it. It sounds amazing. Here are some pics and a video for sound. There are other posts about drilling your exhaust on this site to help guide you.
(http://server3.uploadit.org/files/leonidasgto-miniDSC02671.JPG)
(http://server2.uploadit.org/files/leonidasgto-miniDSC02674.JPG)
wheres the sound clip? i wanna hear!
Me also. I have a drilled exhaust with holes in the back, yours is more like reamed! :laugh: I'd like to hear yours. Nice neat fenderectomy too, and your windscreen looks sharp!
Nice work! Bike is looking good. :thumb: Now you're probably hooked and won't be able to stop. That's what happened to me.
Hey,
I forgot to link the youtube video, here it is. It actually sounds deeper than in the video. Hope you enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9HRg7O0Flk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9HRg7O0Flk)
I am also interested in adding a bigger rear sprocket. Pros and cons? Thanks
Quote from: leonidasgto on April 04, 2008, 10:46:33 PM
Hey,
I forgot to link the youtube video, here it is. It actually sounds deeper than in the video. Hope you enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9HRg7O0Flk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9HRg7O0Flk)
I am also interested in adding a bigger rear sprocket. Pros and cons? Thanks
Ahhhhh.That nice lean popping sound.Time for rejet.
clear alternatives integrated tail and signal lights will really clean up the rear end. great work!
a) good job on your mods.
b) time to reject on that muffler exhaust.... its sounds lean at the end... popopop
might as well do an airbox mod (remove and put K&N Can) and get the reject done for it all.
c) good job !
Thanks Everybody!
I agree that it needs a rejet but I am a bit weary about doing it myself. Would any bike shop be able to handle the job and does anyone know roughly what it would cost to get done?
I was looking into an integrated tail light but kept the original setup for a bit off added safety, god knows that most people don't pay attention on the road.
Nice...yours has everything that mine has...painted windscreen, drilled exhaust, and (extreme on mine) fenderectomy. I went with the drop in air filter and a rejet. Runs, looks, and sounds great imho...btw, mine's a '99.
(http://mysite.verizon.net/oramac9/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/.pond/fairedbike3.jpg.w300h225.jpg)
(http://mysite.verizon.net/oramac9/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/.pond/dsc01025.jpg.w300h225.jpg)
Quote from: frankieG on April 05, 2008, 02:09:16 PM
clear alternatives integrated tail and signal lights will really clean up the rear end.
and is terrible for visibility of your signals. :cookoo:
i respectfully disagree, the integrated lights are LED which are brighter than stock and most people look at the brake light when it comes one. ergo they "should" notice the turn signal too.
Quote from: galahs on April 06, 2008, 01:29:47 AM
Quote from: frankieG on April 05, 2008, 02:09:16 PM
clear alternatives integrated tail and signal lights will really clean up the rear end.
and is terrible for visibility of your signals. :cookoo:
Quote from: galahs on April 06, 2008, 01:29:47 AM
Quote from: frankieG on April 05, 2008, 02:09:16 PM
clear alternatives integrated tail and signal lights will really clean up the rear end.
and is terrible for visibility of your signals. :cookoo:
I dissagree the 60 leds in my smoked tailight is ALOT brighter day or nice than the OEM tailight ever was..
I used to have tailgaiters... now I never do...
ps: okay it may not be 60 .. I did not really count them....lol
I :thumb: love my tailight....
Can you post some info on your tail lights or some pics maybe? I really would like to get rid of the stallks.
Quote from: leonidasgto on April 07, 2008, 03:55:30 PM
Can you post some info on your tail lights or some pics maybe? I really would like to get rid of the stallks.
chekc the wiki : http://cgi.stanford.edu/~sanjayd/gs500/Upgrades/TailLight
pic of tailight
(http://www.longcoeur.com/Motorcycle/technotes/Fenderectomy/S5000716.JPG)
Quote from: leonidasgto on April 05, 2008, 06:00:58 PM
I agree that it needs a rejet but I am a bit weary about doing it myself.
A rejet is actually very easy to do. The only difficulty is getting the carb screws off (http://cgi.stanford.edu/~sanjayd/gs500/Maintenance/FreeSeizedCarbScrews). Other than that it's simply unscrewing things and doing things back up again. Just be methodical.
The main challenge I found with a rejet was trying to decide what size jets to put in! :icon_razz: But if you go with a filter and can combo that others have pioneered, then that takes the guess-work out. :thumb:
Hey,
The truth of the matter is that I do need to rejet the bike. The exhaust backfires a bit and while it does sounds pretty cool I am worried it is harming the engine. Does anyone know of a good shop by Chicago to have this done, I don't think I can do it myself. I also recently installed a 139 db horn bought from auto zone. It is a 12 volt replacement horn so I did not need to install a relay switch. It makes a huge noise over the stock horn!
Thanks