[spectreman]

I finally got the time yday to sit down & order some additional comfort mods for my black '11 N1K: Driven sport touring grips, Throttlemeister, mirror extenders, Murph's handlebar risers, National Cycle sport touring VScreen, and a new HJC CL16 helmet.

Already have the Sargent seat (altho I'm still not convinced it fits me well enough yet & may require some more, uh, cushion.)

Also have the Kappa bag set up; not yet installed & now I'm wondering if I really want to go hard storage or stay w/my beloved Tourmaster bags. I'm trying to remain open-minded but the more I think about it, the less I like the thought of hard bags mounted on the bike. Just too dang wide for my tastes so they may go up for sale.

I'm also considering frame sliders but am currently on the fence on those. Might install some new wheel tape too; the previous owner installed red wheel tape & did a sloppy job on one side of the front wheel. Not a fan of red anyway so I'm thinking maybe a reflective white or silver to contrast all that black on the bike.

Hope to have all the stuff w/in the next week or so & then get started on the install. Solid afternoon there.

If all this goes well & the bike fits me a tad better, then I'll hit up Ivan's for a PCV loaded w/his maps and the computer reflash that's so popular amongst N1K riders. After that, she be done, lads. I've got a set of carbon fiber Yosh cans on her already but the rest of the exhaust is stock still. Heck, I don't even think I'll do away w/the bread box & see no need for a full header.
Lee

 

[spectreman]

I installed the V-stream shield & mirror extenders today. The shield was a no-brainer on install but I'm sorry to report it's almost as unattractive as the stock screen. Almost, I said. Ok, it's taller by 2+ inches and about 2 " wider so I'm guessing it'll block the wind better @ speed but pretty it ain't. And I ordered a dark tint, which matches the all black paint, but I thought I ordered the light tint. It's just sinister looking now. I honestly would've preferred the lighter tint but I ain't sending it back.

The mirror extenders came w/no instructions. They looked simple enough to install but it took me a bit to figure out how to get the dang things on. They look well made but make the mirrors now stick out like antennae. They really do add to the rear view tho. I can actually see what's behind me now. This is a good thing.

Perhaps most significantly, I ordered a tool kit for the bike (cuz when I bought my bike used, there was no kit) & was able to adjust the suspension, most importantly the rear suspension, w/the spanner. I like a comfy ride so I backed all the suspension settings off, WAY off, front & rear & surprisingly, the bike now offers a far more comfy ride. Amazing how some simple suspension adjustments can change the nature of the bike. I took it out for a short ride, stopping to make additional adjustments as I saw fit & I can now actually feel the tires working w/the suspension as it went over the road. I went from a truly stiff ride to a Cadillac-comfy ride. It's darn near transformational, especially in comparison to my ride in the rain last week, where I was near scared to death cuz I couldn't feel what the tires or suspension was doing.

The owner's manual is a bit out of whack tho; it offers advice for suspension tuning but contradicts itself, offering the same advice to both tighten and lessen various adjustments. Something got lost in the translation, I'm guessing. In one spot, it said the compression adjustment screws could be found at the bottom of both fork legs. Well, I only found one adjustment screw, at the bottom of the right leg & nothing on the left. If there's another, somebody has to give me a hint where it is.

Overall, I'd say today's work was a success. Even the Sargent seat, which I've yet to become enamored with, felt better w/the new suspension set up so we'll see if my tush can readjust to it.

The Murph's bar risers, Driven Grips & Throttlemeister go on tomorrow, I hope. I had wanted to put them on today but I'm guessing all the associated hardware is 'loctited' on and I couldn't budge them. A buddy is gonna help me out w/heat & some extra torque tomorrow & we'll do the rest of the install, along with some new reflective silver wheel tape.

I also looked @ the Kappa bags vs. my Cortech set-up and think I may just stick w/the Cortech. The Kappas are bigger and offer more security, which is why I bought them, but I think for my general purposes, the Cortech bags may prove to be a better fit overall for my needs. The Kappas may be going up for sale shortly.

G'night folks.
Lee

 

[Chagall1012]

Post some photos if you can.

What did you decide on the frame sliders? I'm definitely going to put some on. Deciding between the Puig Pro and the SW-Motech.

 

[spectreman]

I'm on the fence about frame sliders; I may or may not do them.

I will also no longer complain about the V-stream screen's appearance. It works magnificently, effectively redirecting air up, around & over, w/out an ounce of turbulence. Wowsa- I'm really surprised. Never had a simple screen work this well before.

The only issue I had w/the V-stream was in concert w/the new Murph's risers. At full lock left, the r. handlebar comes in contact w/the screen. It needs about another 1/2" of clearance for it all to fit and there's little room to adjust the Murph's or grip set-up further. If you raise the screen to the mid or high position, it's a non-issue, but at its lowest position, there's a slight issue. I'll live w/it.

So here's my final tally. We (and when I say 'we', I mean my buddy Dennis; I just stood there & gawked primarily,) got the rest of the stuff on today- the Murph's risers, the Driven grips, the Throttlemeister throttle lock/bar end weights.

The riser's work well- they decrease the reach forward and down and aid in comfort to my weary shoulders and elbows. Win.

The Throttlemeister is a no-brainer. Anybody who rides w/out them deserves what they get. They are A-W-E-S-O-M-E. Win.

The Driven grips are no better or worse than the stock grips. I don't know why I ever spend $$ on aftermarket grips; ok, the Driven grips look better, as had my previous Pro-gel grips and Oury grips but you know what? Not one of them made a difference in comfort. They were a waste of $14, (plus another $13 for shipping!) Skip them. Lose.

En toto, the V-stream is worth it, as are the mirror extenders, Murph's risers and Throttlemeister. All have aided my comfort level. Not so w/the grips or Sargent seat (I'm sorry to say.) I'm going to take the stock seat to a local shop & see what they can do. After that, I'll probably put the Sargent up for sale.

I've also decided to sell the Kappa bags and keep the Cortech set-up instead. I'll be posting them f/s shortly on the N1K sites.

Dennis also put on some silver wheel rim tape and it looks awesome against the nearly all black '11. Once that was done, he cut 2 thin silver strips of the same material and placed them between the upper part of the fairing and the mid-section of the fairing. It breaks the fairing up a bit & gives it some form. Pretty cool.

I can't post pics here for some reason (I'm tech-tarded) but here's a link to where else the pics are posted; you should be able to see them :
Some Ninja 1000 mods - Page 2

Lee