New guy, first bike.

[Tat2demon]

It was a toss up this winter on which way to go. Forwards or rears. Because of my back I settled on forwards. With the flatter bars and forwards I feel great after riding. Give my back just the right stretch.

[jetmechmarty]

That is a fine looking seat and I think you got a bargain. It's a fine looking bike as well. IMHO, that bike begs for rearsets rather than forward controls, not that I'm telling you what to do. I am also 6'4" and the big XS is a bit cramped. Believe it or not, my XS650 has more room between the seat and the pegs than the 11.

[Tat2demon]

Wow now that really stands out! BTW I cant imagine getting used to the forward shift pedal...its not even a heel/toe type so you have to keep your feet forward in order to shift up or down...the brake pedal too... cool additions something you do not see everyday...I have a similar type of double bucket touring seat..it has been reworked by Saddleman but I am still not 100% convinced i like it...its on my '79XS1100 now and I've only had the bike since april...but your guy did a fantastic job...Pm me as to how much it was if ya dont wanna make it public...

The forward controls did take some getting use to but I love them. Im 6'4" so the stock locations were pretty cramped. I will eventually take off the stock pegs but I need to have some spacers made first.

The seat work cost me $200 but in the end it turned out to be a lot more work than he thought it would be. Not sure what he is going to charge from here on out. The gel part is pretty spendy ($50/sq.ft) so if you didnt want or need that Im sure it would drop the price a bit.

With the seat cut down, the drivers area moved back, flatter handle bars and forward controls, it really feels like riding a modern chopper.

[madmax-im]

Wow now that really stands out! BTW I cant imagine getting used to the forward shift pedal...its not even a heel/toe type so you have to keep your feet forward in order to shift up or down...the brake pedal too... cool additions something you do not see everyday...I have a similar type of double bucket touring seat..it has been reworked by Saddleman but I am still not 100% convinced i like it...its on my '79XS1100 now and I've only had the bike since april...but your guy did a fantastic job...Pm me as to how much it was if ya dont wanna make it public...

[Tat2demon]

[madmax-im]

beautiful bike...welcome to CH.11

[Tat2demon]

A shot of the gel pad installed.

[Tat2demon]

Got the seat and it turned out better than I hoped it would. The main cussion under the drivers area is gel pad and memory foam. Heres some pics of it on my bed. Ill get some of it on the bike tomorrow.

It was done by Wade Cotton here in Sioux Falls. He does very excellent work. He does a lot of online orders so if anyone is interested in having theirs done his email is - streetskinns@gmail.com. More pictures of his work can be seen on his Facebook Page.

[Tat2demon]

Ran buy the radar 3 times at different speeds and the gauge is still on.

Luckily the person I got the seat from found another cowl in good shape and sent it to me.

[donebysunday]

Superglue and backing soda. It would take a bit of superglue, but it is quite permanent!

I agree, used the super glue /baking soda trick many times but if you add a little bit of old T-shirt pressed into the mixture it will add to the strength.

[Tat2demon]

Pfft, those things are just there for looks anyway.

I hadnt thought of that. Theres a radar installation not far from here with a readout on it. Ill have to swing by later and check it out.

[crazy steve]

Just a warning, applying paint to the needles probably threw the accuracy off (yes, they are that sensitive) so you might want to check so you don't get any tickets....

[Tat2demon]

I repaired my fuel gauge a couple weeks back and yesterday I finally got around to testing it. The bimetal strip broke and I was able to repair it with some epoxy. Its working fine but Im not sure how accurate it is.

I figured since I now had one cleaned up and pretty I would do the speedo too. Then I thought about how nice it would be to have non-faded needles so yesterday I tore both completely apart, cleaned and repainted inside and out.

Before-




After-




While uploading the pics I realized I had just turned ofer 26k miles!



After doing the gauges I decided to try taking my side cover lock off. I hadnt been able to open it since last fall. After digging in it with a screwdriver for over an hour I finally got the side cover off. Pulled off the lock and opened it up to find the tip of the original side cover broken off and stuck behind the slide. After cleaning it out and greasing the insides it opens nice as can be.

My seat will be done tomorrow afternoon so more pics then!

[Tat2demon]

Yeah its a bit of a forward lean. Helps my back.

Love the grips. Havent ridden for more than a few minutes since I put them on but will get a good test this weekend.

[sparkfly88]

Nice bike for sure!!

Thanks for the angled photos.

I don't think the daytona bars would be much of a change other than height, to compared my drag bar currently on it.

Looks like I'd still have to lean foward a bit?

I'm installing the same grips on my buddies 650 honda for him while he's in the Army, how do you like em?