So I thought I would introduce you all to myself and my bike a little and lay out my plans for it.
Bought the XJ(which is my first bike) in April of this year for $1500 with 10.8k miles. Probably over paid for it a little with it being in the condition it was in, but it had everything I was looking for in a first bike. (Sport Touring, 600cc, cheap insurance, lower miles, not naked, tires were in good condition). It had been laid down. the front fairing had a big scuff and a small crack, windshield was cracked, gas tank was scratched and had a couple small dents in it, front brake lever was broke, was missing the front turn signals, horn didn't work, the engine covers had some scuff on them, and the carbs needed to be cleaned and synced(still do). All that and it was dirty dirty dirty. But I liked how it rode, and was decently comfortable on it.( Im 6'4" around 180lbs).
First thing I did when I got it home was tear all of the fairings off, and give it a good wipe down and cleaning. The frame started as a murky grey color, and ended up being bright red.lol I then cleaned the contacts for the horn, and wa la, the horn worked great. Next on my list was to find front turn signals, and the bracket for them. I found a listing on ebay for a box of parts from a 95 secca for $30 that came with the complete front turn signal setup. Seeing as how most people we asking $45+ for the complete front setup, I thought it was a pretty good deal. Uuuuuunfortunately the person's packing skills were extremely sub-par, and the bracket was mangled during shipping :censor: . I was able to bend it back into shape somewhat though. The last thing Ive done was to buy handlebars that were closer to stock. The ones that it came with were stock and didn't allow lock to lock turning.
Thats where the bike sits now! I have OEM Yamaha brake pads and caliper rebuild kits for the front and back, but I am not sure if I am going to use them now due to my plans for the bike.
I honestly bought this bike just to learn on and to sell after a year of riding, but the darn things grown on me. Its moderately fast, gets decent mpg(averaging 35-37 even with the carb issues) and its just fun to ride :cruise: . So I've decided to at least keep around around for a couple more years for a 2 up bike/longer rides bike. Planning on a zr6(636cc) or a r6 next year.
So my list of future mods is as following...
1. FZR 600 front end swap. I would like more braking power as it is now, but with 2 up riding, I am definitely going to have to do this upgrade.
2. VStar rear shock.
3. FZR rear wheel. Not sure if I am going to do this, but I've read that the wider rear tire is nice.
4. Top case trunk and backrest. I had originally planned on buying a Corbin seat with backrest, but I can't justify the price for this bike. I just ordered a Givi E26 case with brake light and backrest. Ill have to figure out a rear rack for it to mount to, but I'm not *too* worried about that. Plus this way I kill two birds with one stone. I am able to transport stuff, plus get a backrest for the old lady.
5. Upgrade the headlight to HID and/or add some fog lights. Stock lighting is so so. Not sure which route I will go.
6. If I can find one and figure out how to weld up and make a bracket for it, a gsxr steering stabilizer.
7. I'd like to get some heated grips, and maybe some mirrors with LED indicators on them.
8. Over the winter I want to fix the front fairing, and repaint all of the fairings. Going to keep it the stock red color, the paints just faded right now. I also want to paint the forks, triple tree, and probably a few other parts subaru gold to match the yamaha stickers on it now.
That is all I can think of right now. Not sure when exactly I will be able to do everything. More than likely will happen over the winter. Don't want to be without a bike for more than a day or two during the summer and fall months. Gotta take everyday you can up here in Michigan.
Pics will come shortly. Only have semi decent camera phone pictures. I want to borrow a nicer camera and get some good pictures.
-Aaron
