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whistler

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Everything posted by whistler

  1. +1. Did this to mine, as well. Just ground down the circumference of a 10mm socket a little on a bench grinder; a Dremel or the like would work fine, too. The modded socket worked like a champ. Then got the urge for something different entirely and installed some Puig mirrors. 😉
  2. Yep, me too. I've heard "Are you outta your f'n mind?!?!" to "Right on, Dude...keep on movin'!" and everything in between. We humans did this to ourselves...we made motorcycles so damned much FUN.
  3. +1 on Blaster X's tail lights. Excellent product...my opinion only.
  4. Got this in an email from Motosport. Sounds like a pretty good deal, if you're in the market. Motosport ad for Michelin tires
  5. Yeah, those rear axle nuts are ridiculously tight. Do a forum search; you'll find some very impassioned postings...
  6. Yep, who knows what can happen during a tinkering session over the winter months, right? 😁
  7. Was poking around in the garage and found my OEM screen. Just for S&G, I decided to chop it down to a shorty/fly screen (I currently run the MRA sport screen in the hot months and a CalSci medium in the winter months). The MRA is an amazing screen that produces very smooth and quiet wind, but that's just my uneducated 2 cents. Measured up from the bottom center 11 1/2", cut straight across with a jig saw, and mitered the corners. Scratched up the inside surface with some 120 grit and then painted it flat black. Took it out for a shakedown ride afterward. First thing I noticed was the increased breeze, AND it was nice and smooth. Liked that a lot. Noticed that in the Low setting, the wind hit me at the chin/throat; the little screen kept the wind off my chest with room to spare. Very tolerable and enjoyable, especially in this Southern MD heat. In the High setting, the wind hit me at eye level with a tiny bit more noise, but still very smooth and no buffeting. I wear plugs, so the slight noise increase was of no consequence to me. Wind management was still great. If I could do it again, I'd make it about 1" taller. Aside from that little adjustment, I'm happy as a clam. I'll likely continue with the "OEM" flyscreen for the hottest months now, switch back to the MRA Sport in the fall, and use the bigger CalSci in the coldest months. Here's a few pics... Low position... Another Low position... A High position... Another High position... Lastly, a cockpit view in the High position.
  8. I used fork clamps w/lightbar below the triple tree and some basic fork brackets w/driving lights lower on the forks. Works well for me.
  9. Just placed an order for a radiator guard, Richard. Thanks very much for the discount!
  10. But it comes in that bitchin' new color... Congrats, Shizzle!
  11. Ho. Lee. Crap. That is nuts. The only deer I've pounded was with my Tacoma...twice...3 months apart. Depressing. I have managed to survive 3 crashes, though, so I got that going for me. Ya'll stay safe out there.
  12. If you get that Vanderhall, you GOTTA post some pics!
  13. We ride motorcycles. In our world, anything is possible. We all make our own choices and decisions based on...us. It's all we can do. I've survived 3 divorces, 3 motorcycle crashes, cancer, and a heart attack. If one day I have to go from 2 to 3 wheels due to age or injury, I'll happily do so. My choice entirely. My outlook on life is not exactly what others may share, but that's what gets me through my day. Gotta keep moving forward...
  14. In this particular case, I'd err on the side of the manual. As BBB stated in his earlier post, 35-45mm while on the center stand is good. My owner's manual and service manual also state the same amount of slack. Also as others have stated elsewhere, a little bit loose is always better than a little bit tight. I made a crude homemade measuring jig out of a 2" x 3/8" plywood strip. Cut the overall length just short enough to hold it just off the garage floor, picked a spot about halfway between the front and rear sprockets and pulled the chain down until it stopped. Then using a chain link pin as a reference, I scribed a pencil line across the plywood. From that line, I measured up to 35mm and scribed another line across the plywood. From THAT line, I measured another 10mm and scribed another line across the plywood. To use, just pull the chain down to the bottom index line, hold the plywood strip still, and then pull the chain up toward the upper 35 and 45mm index lines. As long as the chain's link pin falls between those 2 upper index lines, you're good. if the chain doesn't make it to the 35mm line, the chain's too tight. Conversely, if the chain's upper limit is beyond the 45mm line, it's too loose. Adjust the chain tension until your link pin reference falls between the 35 and 45mm marks, tighten things down, and go ride. No need to overthink things. This is what's worked for me over the last several bikes and 173,000 miles. As always, YMMV. Happy riding!
  15. Yep, totally agree. If it can't be 2 wheels, why not make it 3? Only you can make that call. The rest of the world's opinions just don' t matter.
  16. +1 in the DC Metro/Northern VA area. Definitely comes in handy.
  17. Big Congrats, Wintersdark! Here's to many thousands of miles and smiles on your GT!! 😁
  18. Greetings from Southern MD, JDenkevitz! Pretty sure you'll be groovin' on your Tracer. Welcome to the club!
  19. No worries, Dude. If it turns out you do need it, the offer stands.
  20. If you do send out your OEM seat, JohnMark, let me know and I'll loan you my OEM seat and pillion to use while you get your's customized. You'll need to keep your OEM rider seat bracket, though, as mine is installed on my Sargent. If you don't mind paying for shipping from Maryland, you're welcome to use it. Lemme know...
  21. Just got back from taking the Sargent out for a shakedown ride. Within the first 100 yards of street and before I cleared my neighborhood, I knew I was going to keep it. After the first few miles, I definitely knew it was gonna stay. The nutcracking crown in the seat is gone. The lack of that upswept nose on the OEM seat and removing the crown all the way back to the back edge did the trick. The slightly wider pan at the rear is also a big plus, as is the rounded and narrower front edges; even though the seat is in the High setting, I'm almost flat-footing it on level asphalt (I have a 30" inseam and wear standard-soled Sidi boots). There is no longer a hotspot where the crown used to be; now my hips are resting on a wider and more level surface with no crunching involved. That alone is extremely gratifying. Hard braking affected only the bike and didn't rock me forward into that upswept OEM nose. What a relief! This is a very comfortable seat now; nice and stable with no sliding involved. After thinking on this some more, I'm now wondering if the design intent all along was to make this seat fit the High position only. As I understand things, the Corbin 1-piece seat is also installed in the GT's High position, which could imply that maybe Corbin never intended to make the seat height-adjustable. If that was Sargent's intent, I would think they should advertise the seat as such, since this seat's fitment in the Low position is less than what most riders would reasonably accept. I doubt we'll ever know the why's and wherefore's . . . Anyway, this Sargent seat, at least on my GT, is an easy 9 out of 10. The only negative I can think of is that a rider with a 29" or 28" inseam might find it challenging if they're used to flat-footing a bike. However, if they're used to standing on the balls of their feet when at a complete stop, they might well be quite comfortable with the height of the seat in the High position. Don't know if my seat-of-the-pants review will help anyone out, but if it does, then that's a good thing, I guess. These are just my simple, uneducated perceptions, so please keep that in mind. Now that I've ridden on it, I'm happy with my Sargent. Stay safe out there.
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