|  | Topic : I'm done...... almost |  |
| | | Thatch | | Thor |  |  | | Reg. Date | : | 24/06/2009 | | Posts | : | 3,655 | | Location | : | Savannah, GA, United States |
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| | Posted : 19 May 2012 - 12:31 Post title : Re: I'm done...... almost (Re: Calveitro) | | | Thanks Calveitro.
As for the bars, I honestly don't recall the brand. It was the cheapest 1" broomstick dragbar I could find. I saw some bars that were $150-200 which for a straight piece of chromed bar was just wrong. I think I paid around $40 for this one. I got a knurled bar but honestly I don't think it matters at all since you have no lever action applied to a straight bar I don't think you'd have any sort of rotational issues with a non-knurled bar. I just had to drill the throttle positioning hole. You do however have to get different risers or riser extensions to get the huge control housing to clear the tank. The cables have to be rerouted a bit as you end up with just too much cabling to take the normal route. Truth be told I should get my cables remade in a shorter length so that it worked a bit better. It's passable the way it is (and has been for over 2 years now)
I had to hunt high and low for the right bar end for my bike. I had a pretty specific vision for the bike and most items just didn't work. I had to rework this one a bit since it is made for a 7/8" bar so I have this odd install where I have to put in an adapter, then slide the mirror into the end hole of my grips, then slide that all on together and tighten the mirror... but it worked.
On the Ohlins, well worth the money, but be ready to sell one of your children to get them. It didn't take long for the price of my mods to be a very significant percentage of the over all cost of the bike new.
Oh the logo, good thing I didn't use my original design, it was significantly further down that road than this one... 
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| | | DizzE | | Thor | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 12/07/2010 | | Posts | : | 3,141 | | Location | : | Sunnyvale, CA, United States |
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| | Posted : 14 Aug 2012 - 14:16 Post title : Re: I'm done...... almost (Re: Thatch) | | | OH, Man! I can't believe I nearly missed this thread. I thought you must mean you were almost done in Germany and you were returning to
the Mother Ship.
So, fantastic ga-ga, very snappy, at first sight. A slight in-draw of breath. Wo!  I can see that old Armor look somehow.
I don't know have you pulled that off. Must be the touches of Gold, and the Gray. (White silk banner?) Seriously, unexpected flooring, for me.
I can't think of much else to say.  Since I could not even imagine it, it must be Art. 
Now, my technical questions.
- Drop in fitting of the 2 Air Filters?
- How much sawing and hacking and swearing?
- You put the Cat back on? For sound?
- What do you think about the performance curve?
- Any dyno tune planned?
- What would you say was a mistake, a deadend, a redo?
- What does your wife think?
EDIT: Never mind, you already answered most of this.
- You put the Cat back on? For sound?
- What do you think about the performance curve?
It somehow looks like one big filter on the inside but two filters on the outside. Maybe I'm 3D challenged or looking at 2 versions?
DuuuH. That's BC.
Could you post a picture of how those filter fit into the airbox area? They seem 1/2 in, 1/2 out?
| | Post edited by DizzE on 14 Aug 2012 - 14:32 |
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| | | cosmic | | Set | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 07/07/2012 | | Posts | : | 209 | | Location | : | Bangladesh |
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| | Posted : 15 Aug 2012 - 12:32 Post title : Re: I'm done...... almost (Re: Thatch) | | | Love your work Thatch, good shocks are more important than those pesky kids. I didn,t think pods would fit on,Don,t forget to fit a magnet into your drainplug, can,t hurt.RC Megs rule
Thatch wrote:
Thanks Calveitro.
As for the bars, I honestly don't recall the brand. It was the cheapest 1" broomstick dragbar I could find. I saw some bars that were $150-200 which for a straight piece of chromed bar was just wrong. I think I paid around $40 for this one. I got a knurled bar but honestly I don't think it matters at all since you have no lever action applied to a straight bar I don't think you'd have any sort of rotational issues with a non-knurled bar. I just had to drill the throttle positioning hole. You do however have to get different risers or riser extensions to get the huge control housing to clear the tank. The cables have to be rerouted a bit as you end up with just too much cabling to take the normal route. Truth be told I should get my cables remade in a shorter length so that it worked a bit better. It's passable the way it is (and has been for over 2 years now)
I had to hunt high and low for the right bar end for my bike. I had a pretty specific vision for the bike and most items just didn't work. I had to rework this one a bit since it is made for a 7/8" bar so I have this odd install where I have to put in an adapter, then slide the mirror into the end hole of my grips, then slide that all on together and tighten the mirror... but it worked.
On the Ohlins, well worth the money, but be ready to sell one of your children to get them. It didn't take long for the price of my mods to be a very significant percentage of the over all cost of the bike new.
Oh the logo, good thing I didn't use my original design, it was significantly further down that road than this one... |
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| Gunmetal silver,Fournale shocks,Custom 7" headlight,Billet Driving light mounts,Custom Reverse Cone Megaphones No cat, Convertible pillion seat/ backrest, Custom quick release sisi bar,Billet quick-release saddle bag mounts.Front guard extension,Magnetic drain plug.Billet LED mirrors,Custom number plate mount,Custom LED rear indicators. 1700cams only.
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| | | Thatch | | Thor | | | | Reg. Date | : | 24/06/2009 | | Posts | : | 3,655 | | Location | : | Savannah, GA, United States |
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| | Posted : 16 Aug 2012 - 10:03 Post title : Re: I'm done...... almost (Re: DizzE) | | | Thanks Dizze and cosmic
Not sure how you missed this one either Dizze, it was fairly active for a while there, but then who knows how many interesting posts I missed simply because of the title or where they were located or some other reason.
Funny you mention armour, I'm not sure it's connected but one of my former careers was working as the assistant restorer to former Royal armourer of the Armoury in Leeds, restoring 15th -18th century arms and armour. I did that while I lived in England and really enjoyed the work. Sadly not so much work in armour restoring in the states so it was back to 'normal' work. I do however still work in and around arms and armor, just the modern type now.
On to your questions..
Pods - No sawing or hacking... shitload of cursing. There is next to no room in the bird to do much of anything, especially remove a semi-rigid rubber snorkel. Between the throttle bodies and the wiring that is routed through that area there's lots to break and not much room to move, but if you take it slow and just ease things free.... you'll still be tugging like a mad man to get the damn thing out. All the while hoping that you can actually get the pods to fit because you have no idea how you'll get the snorkel back in if they don't. The alternative involves taking a hacksaw to the airbox OR dropping the rear wheel to remove / loosen the airbox to get it out of the way OR you could remove the throttle bodies and gain more room. That's probably the easier way to go but I stuck with the 'detach and tug' technique. I'm playing this up a bit, it really wasn't that hard in retrospect, it's just that I was having to pull harder than I wanted while being concerned if the pods would fit.
Be aware the engine sits in the bike asymmetrically. There is less room from the throttle body to the frame top bar on the right side than there is on the left side.
I put the cat back on because I go through Switzerland and Austria on occasion and apparently after the war, that's where all the Nazis went. They all started work for the local DMV/MOT and their totalitarian grip extends out over all motorized vehicles. Apparently they've taken the stance of "If it's fun, cool, or you just look like you're having a good time we're going to take your bike, all your money, sodomize you along side the road and act as smug as possible in the process". Or at least that's my impression. So, to avoid the deflowering of certain parts of my anatomy, I decided that I'd cut the noise down a bit. The switch to the Predator pipes gives me the option since they come ready to attach at the cat or with bypass pipes. A wise move on BC's part. The pipes have a much better sound than the Hogslayers but with the cat in place they're not as loud. The Predators also have a significant performance boost over stock and TOR/hogslayer pipes so the refitting of the cat wasn't noticed.
A dyno is planned. I just have to get the bike up to Koblenz to do it but with the top end noise I'm getting lately I think I might want to get my next service done first before the dyno. I'll be getting a TuneECU tune from the tuners so I'll share it here as well, though it will be more an academic pursuit than a direct benefit since no one is running a similar setup to mine (at this point at least)
Mistakes - There are some things I'd wished I'd pushed the boat out a bit further on. I would of liked to have gone a bit further with the paint, I would of liked to have done a speedo relocation (but I felt there were no good options). Not because I don't mind the current location but I could then visually lower the tank and with the dial out front it would visually lengthen the bike as well. The other thing I really wanted to do and it is planned for a future mod (if I keep the bike as a long term ride) is to do a front end swap. I really want to do Ohlins forks as well with wavy ECB brake disks and push it even further to a sport cruiser mashup. I'm sure that's not to a lot of people's tastes but it works for me.
Wife - She's just glad I'm done. Don't tell her that I'm not of course. The invitation to be in a show this last weekend and to be invited to Triumph Live has helped her to see that I'm not off my nut and just spending money on the bike to spend money. She actually agreed to a business plan to import bikes into Europe, get them legal, mod them a bit and sell them on simply because she saw the results. Only problem is, that is most certainly going to be a Harley simply because of the profit margins involved. (I'll only start out with one and then see how that goes)
Nevermind - yeah, should of read through your whole message before writing the above I guess.
Performance Curve - It's actually great. I spent a week in the Alps and Pyrenees with it and it was a joy to ride. I'm still drinking fuel and that's gotten no better with the pods but it was less than I feared. I was having to fill up about 40 miles before the two other birds BUT both of them had fairly small riders and less gear. I'll never get good mileage. It will be good to see how that changes after the dyno but in general torque has stayed the same and HP has increased. It is very snappy at the 90-100 range while maintaining low end power. The state of my tires after this last trip showed that (also showed I much prefer right hand turns it seems)
Pod look - Not sure what you are seeing. There is only one version. I'll see if I can hunt up (or take) a picture that shows the better but they do stick out from the throttle body and frame a bit at the base but the tapered cone is inside the frame body. There is one filter per throttlebody.
Hope that helps.
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| | | zolti | | Thor | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 23/03/2010 | | Posts | : | 3,127 | | Location | : | newcastle , United Kingdom |
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| | Posted : 16 Aug 2012 - 20:35 Post title : Re: I'm done...... almost (Re: Thatch) | | |
Thatch wrote:
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i was just perusing through your pics looking at the pods when i noticed your lower key,
i cant tell f its touching the casing
but if its touching the chrome beware
as I had a similar key hanging down just touching the chrome
and the chrome started to pit
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| | | DizzE | | Thor | | | | Reg. Date | : | 12/07/2010 | | Posts | : | 3,141 | | Location | : | Sunnyvale, CA, United States |
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| | Posted : 16 Aug 2012 - 20:55 Post title : Re: I'm done...... almost (Re: zolti) | | | Yeah I'm kinda hampered by reading speed. Way too fast.
IAC, I knew that you had worked in the armor line and so thought that was the look you might go for.
I remember even talking about some designs for side covers, (or am dreaming again?)
So, this is subliminal? Works for me.
| | Post edited by DizzE on 16 Aug 2012 - 20:56 |
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| | | Dougl | | Chaac | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 13/07/2012 | | Posts | : | 544 | | Location | : | Reno, Nevada, United States |
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| | Posted : 01 Dec 2012 - 18:58 Post title : Re: I'm done...... almost (Re: Thatch) | | | Thatch - are your pod filters completely exposed? Or do they end under the seat?
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| | | cnas122 | | Set | | | Reg. Date | : | 17/10/2012 | | Posts | : | 85 | | Location | : | United States |
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| | Posted : 01 Dec 2012 - 23:32 Post title : Re: I'm done...... almost (Re: Thatch) | | |
Thatch wrote:
BTW, this is BC's airbox solution...
again, no idea how they are doing it yet, just know what the picture shows.
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Whatever happened with this? Did BC give up on it? I think the mod on your bike is much cooler....but this one seems a bit easier...
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| | | Thatch | | Thor | | | | Reg. Date | : | 24/06/2009 | | Posts | : | 3,655 | | Location | : | Savannah, GA, United States |
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| | Posted : 03 Dec 2012 - 11:43 Post title : Re: I'm done...... almost (Re: Dougl) | | |
Dougl wrote:
Thatch - are your pod filters completely exposed? Or do they end under the seat? |
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They are tucked inside the frame. They don't extend as far as the seat area though. They end just behind the down pipe on the frame (in front of the seat).
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| | | Thatch | | Thor | | | | Reg. Date | : | 24/06/2009 | | Posts | : | 3,655 | | Location | : | Savannah, GA, United States |
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| | Posted : 03 Dec 2012 - 11:51 Post title : Re: I'm done...... almost (Re: cnas122) | | |
cnas122 wrote:
Whatever happened with this? Did BC give up on it? I think the mod on your bike is much cooler....but this one seems a bit easier... |
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No idea actually. There were a couple things including the tail tidy I've not heard anything about. But then they do seem to have an odd system on their parts. I have yet to see the predators show up on their website, but you can get them from Eddy, same with the seat bolts. BC make some good parts and communication with Sean is always good, but I haven't quite figured out their process yet.
I will say I doubt the under seat filter is easier. There would have to be a lot of hacking away at that filter box to make room for the big K&N. Granted you won't have to remove the snorkel, but the box removal can't be easy. I've no details on the specifics of it though and perhaps I'm missing something, but what I know of that area the box is used as a mounting point for a lot of other items, including the fuse / connector boards on both sides of the bike. According to the service manual, the airbox is removed after dropping the rear tire and fender.... I'm not suggesting that's what the BC filter will involve (I'd be fairly surprised if that was the case) but that should give you an idea of how buried in there that whole assembly is.
As always, I could be wrong though.
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| | | TarkMalbot | | Set | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 07/09/2011 | | Posts | : | 143 | | Location | : | Carlisle, Cumbria, United Kingdom |
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| | Posted : 13 Dec 2012 - 17:44 Post title : Re: I'm done...... almost (Re: Thatch) | | |
Thatch wrote:
cnas122 wrote:
Whatever happened with this? Did BC give up on it? I think the mod on your bike is much cooler....but this one seems a bit easier... |
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No idea actually. There were a couple things including the tail tidy I've not heard anything about. But then they do seem to have an odd system on their parts. I have yet to see the predators show up on their website, but you can get them from Eddy, same with the seat bolts. BC make some good parts and communication with Sean is always good, but I haven't quite figured out their process yet.
I will say I doubt the under seat filter is easier. There would have to be a lot of hacking away at that filter box to make room for the big K&N. Granted you won't have to remove the snorkel, but the box removal can't be easy. I've no details on the specifics of it though and perhaps I'm missing something, but what I know of that area the box is used as a mounting point for a lot of other items, including the fuse / connector boards on both sides of the bike. According to the service manual, the airbox is removed after dropping the rear tire and fender.... I'm not suggesting that's what the BC filter will involve (I'd be fairly surprised if that was the case) but that should give you an idea of how buried in there that whole assembly is.
As always, I could be wrong though. |
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Did you notice any difference in performance or sound when putting the pods on? Did you have to adjust the mapping to suit?
PS Bike looks awesome with the flat bars!
| Thunderbird 1700 Big Bore
Tors, IGT, De-Cat, Seat Hack & PCV
T Bars, Dart Screen, LongHaul & Back Rest/Rear Rack
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