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| brackforce | | Set |  |  | | Reg. Date | : | 25/04/2010 | | Posts | : | 123 | | Location | : | Fayetteville, NC, United States |
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| | Posted : 27 Mar 2012 - 16:50 Post title : It's finally completely finished....and an inch lower | | | My house has a crawl space underneath and my floors have started creaking. It's an easy fix in the rooms with carpet, but my kitchen was getting bad. Because of the creak I started ripping out the linoleum (which I hated anyway) in the kitchen and laundry room. I fixed the creaks, but had to put in a new floor...hahah. Anyway, I had fresh parts sitting in the garage (thanks, Eddy!!) but couldn't justify fitting them until I finished the floor. 4 or 5 days later I have a new floor and fresh paint. I'm about to rip out the carpet in the living room and put in some wood floors, plus my back deck needed to be stained, but I took the day off from house repairs/improvements to get the bike finished. As Eddy forewarned, if you drop the fender without shocks then it drops all the way to the tire. I knocked the back end off of a jack accidentally and the one shock that was on, but not bolted down came off. Needless to say, the ass dropped and it took me and two neighbors to get the shocks back on plus I smashed my thumb hard enough to bleed out both ends of the nail...there was a lot of profanity involved, but I got it done and it was worth the pain. After I got the Hagon 2810 rear shocks on, I installed a K&N filter and Hagon front springs to finish the bike. Here are some new pics of the finished product with slimline Hagon rear shocks and Rocket III badges:
After taking the pics I noticed that my tank badges might be a bit crooked, but I need to take them off and reform them anyway, so it's not a big deal. I kind of slapped them on with adhesive tape in a hurry. I'll fix those when I get a chance. I've finally done everything that I wanted to do to the bike and feel that it's actually complete. I love the way it turned out. And I, personally, think the 1 inch drop was exactly what it needed looks and performance wise. It's not a ridiculously noticeable improvement, but to me it seems to make everything flow better. I don't feel like that rear fender is up in the air any more and it looks better now than it did when I first removed that back license plate bracket. As far as performance goes, I love it so far. I'm only 5'8" so I've been on my tip toes a few times doing things like backing up the bike. That problem is fixed now. I can sit totally flat footed and it feels much better. The seat feels like it fits me better now, too, and the bike is just more comfortable overall. It seems like 1 measly inch did a lot for me, but it could just be the "I did something new and now everything is a thousand times better" feeling you get when you modify something. Only time will tell , I guess. I'm not a very aggressive rider and I don't take the turns like a maniac. I've never had any problems scraping things and I've rarely touched my floorboards to the ground. I can scrape them with ease now, though. I'm not sure if it's because the bike is so much lower and it's a mechanical thing or if it's my new attitude with it since the drop. It feels so much more comfortable to me and I feel more confidence on it when taking the turns. I like being lower to the ground and feel like I can stabilize myself more easily which boosts my confidence. As far as improvement goes shock wise, I think there's a big one. I hit some nasty bumps pretty hard (on purpose) today while testing them out and it's WAY better than before. Those bumps didn't hurt my ass at all. Before I could get jolted pretty good sometimes, but I think that issue is gone. Another thing that was unexpected is that I feel like I'm MUCH more stable in the wind. I went down a stretch of road that's always windy for some reason and I've felt like I was getting blown side to side or getting sort of wobbly at speed pretty often on that stretch. Today, however, I had NONE of the issues I've had before. The bike felt like the wind didn't bother it in the least. I'm not sure if the front, rear, or combination of the two would have resulted in better stability in wind, but I definitely noticed it. Maybe it's because I'm sitting lower now and my center of gravity is closer to the ground. I'm not sure, but I'm extremely happy with the way things ended up. If I have any issues with the 1 inch drop I'll be sure to let you guys know. So far, though, it's only made the ride more fun and the black springs were a vast improvement to the look of the bike. I'd also like to thank Eddy for his awesome customer service and advice.
| "Smokey, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules."
2010 Black and Blue Haze 1700
2006 Bobbed-out Royal Enfield Bullet Sixty-5
1976 Panzer Grey CJ750 with Sidecar
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| tStorm | | Set | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 13/04/2011 | | Posts | : | 23 | | Location | : | United States |
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| | Posted : 27 Mar 2012 - 17:09 Post title : Re: It's finally completely finished....and an inch lower (Re: brackforce) | | | Hi -- Did you paint or powder coat the headers and mufflers?
What paint/powder coat? Looks great. -- tStorm
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| mag10 | | Set | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 05/02/2010 | | Posts | : | 485 | | Location | : | Wisconsin, United States |
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| | Posted : 27 Mar 2012 - 17:59 Post title : Re: It's finally completely finished....and an inch lower (Re: tStorm) | | | looks great, I really like the black wheels and black pipes, makes the blue stand out more
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| Druid | | Jupiter | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 14/10/2009 | | Posts | : | 1,359 | | Location | : | United Kingdom |
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| | Posted : 27 Mar 2012 - 18:21 Post title : Re: It's finally completely finished....and an inch lower (Re: tStorm) | | | Very nice, I like it.
| Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery - W.Churchill
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| Draeger | | Set | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 28/08/2011 | | Posts | : | 63 | | Location | : | Comox, British Columbia, Canada |
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| | Posted : 27 Mar 2012 - 18:37 Post title : Re: It's finally completely finished....and an inch lower (Re: brackforce) | | | I've said it before and I'll say it again - your bike looks fantastic!
I love the new shocks and your story answered some questions for me about replacing mine. When the time comes next year I'll have the dealer do it.
I don't think the lowering option is for me though - I'm a bit taller and the 'bird feels perfect as is.
I noticed you left off the drive belt cover that covers the rear pulley.
Was that intentional, or are you planning on putting it back on? Seeing that has made me wonder whether that cover is cosmetic or functional? Anyone have opinions on that?
Draeger
| If there is lead in the air, there's still hope.
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| Tilinghetuna | | Set | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 21/05/2011 | | Posts | : | 196 | | Location | : | Nottingham, United Kingdom |
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| | Posted : 27 Mar 2012 - 20:07 Post title : Re: It's finally completely finished....and an inch lower (Re: Draeger) | | | Very impressed with the work you have done - nice o e
| ---------------—------------------------------------
Tilinghetuna = Settlement of Tir's people
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| brackforce | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 25/04/2010 | | Posts | : | 123 | | Location | : | Fayetteville, NC, United States |
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| | Posted : 27 Mar 2012 - 20:19 Post title : Re: It's finally completely finished....and an inch lower | | | I had my dealership paint the headers and they told me that everything they did was powder coat. I'm not sure if they used anything special, but I ordered my bike while I was out of country and had them do the paint work so that it would be ready when I got home. I didn't get into detail with them as to what exactly they used. As for the mufflers, they came black from BC, but the flat black didn't match the rest of the bike so I took them off and painted them myself with high temp VHT from Advance Auto Parts. I put about 3 or 4 coats of flat black followed by 3 or 4 coats of clear and it came out matching the rest of the paint perfectly. They seem to be holding up really well, too. I followed the directions and cooked them on the bike. They don't seem to be scratching too easily, either. I got a couple of smudges the first night I was cooking them because I had some rocks stick to the paint and tried to wipe them off with my finger (I shouldn't have done that) so I might throw another coat on sometime later. It's not noticeable, though, so it really doesn't matter much.
I think the changing of the shocks could easily be done by yourself or with a buddy if you have the right tools. Eddy has done it like 10 times by himself so he's proof. If you have something that you can ratchet the rear fender up towards the ceiling with then you'll be fine. I didn't have that luxury, though, so I had one person lift the fender while the other two put the shocks on simultaneously. That was the only way we could do it. The front springs are no problem as long as you jack up the front. By the way, I made a device to do this sort of thing and it worked out pretty well. I used a 6 x 12 piece of wood with 2x4s on the bottom and bolted down a wheel chock in the center. At angles on the sides I bolted ratchet straps and made a ramp to the chock. I was able to ratchet down the frame on both sides by myself and keep the bike upright and it worked great.
As far as the belt guard goes, while we were trying to get those shocks off a tool hit the guard really hard and made a pretty substantial wound in it. Mine was powder coated with the rest of the bike and I took it off thinking that I would try to fix the problem with spray paint or a scratch removal system. Once I started taking it off I figured that it wasn't really doing anything and seemed purely cosmetic to me. I don't have a chain flinging oil so I'm not sure what the purpose of it is anyway.
| "Smokey, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules."
2010 Black and Blue Haze 1700
2006 Bobbed-out Royal Enfield Bullet Sixty-5
1976 Panzer Grey CJ750 with Sidecar
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| zolti | | Thor | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 23/03/2010 | | Posts | : | 3,127 | | Location | : | newcastle , United Kingdom |
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| | Posted : 27 Mar 2012 - 20:43 Post title : Re: It's finally completely finished....and an inch lower (Re: mag10) | | |
mag10 wrote:
looks great, I really like the black wheels and black pipes, makes the blue stand out more |
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+1, might have stuck with matt black on the engine, but the hogs look much better in black on yours as there is much less emphsis on the kink, good job
persnonally Id dump the "handbag" near the numberplate, only because ive never been confused, bluie might like that though 
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| brackforce | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 25/04/2010 | | Posts | : | 123 | | Location | : | Fayetteville, NC, United States |
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| | Posted : 27 Mar 2012 - 21:39 Post title : Re: It's finally completely finished....and an inch lower (Re: zolti) | | | It's not a handbag...it's a European Carry-all. Actually, I didn't plan on putting it on there. I made the plate bracket without thinking about how crappy the backside of the plate would look and the bracket only covered the top part of the plate. After a quick rummage through the garage I found that tool bag and tried it out. It just happened to be exactly the right fit so I bolted it on there. It's handy for carrying registration/insurance paperwork and some sunglasses or something similar.
| "Smokey, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules."
2010 Black and Blue Haze 1700
2006 Bobbed-out Royal Enfield Bullet Sixty-5
1976 Panzer Grey CJ750 with Sidecar
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| Steve | | Set | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 24/03/2011 | | Posts | : | 480 | | Location | : | Chesham, United Kingdom |
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| | Posted : 27 Mar 2012 - 21:41 Post title : Re: It's finally completely finished....and an inch lower (Re: zolti) | | | Looks really good. Taking off the number plate bracket really cleans the back end up. Do the shocks lift the back end, the mudguard (sorry fender) looks higher off the wheel?
If your going for the black look maybe a bit more black on the foot plates, they seem to stick out visually. Maybe it's just the photo?
Edit: OK that's clever lower the bike and make it look taller. 
 Read the post properly Steve
| | Post edited by Steve on 27 Mar 2012 - 21:44 |
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| mat1600 | | Thunderbird | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 06/03/2010 | | Posts | : | 8,596 | | Location | : | Bridlington, Democratic Independant State of Yorkshire, United Kingdom |
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| | Posted : 27 Mar 2012 - 21:49 Post title : Re: It's finally completely finished....and an inch lower (Re: zolti) | | | Looks great. 10 out of 10. 
| My first natural instinct is to breathe. My second is to evade tax's.
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| brackforce | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 25/04/2010 | | Posts | : | 123 | | Location | : | Fayetteville, NC, United States |
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| | Posted : 27 Mar 2012 - 22:03 Post title : Re: It's finally completely finished....and an inch lower | | | Steve, Taking off that number plate contraption in the back really made the ass end look tall. That's the main reason why I wanted to lower it. You don't notice nearly as much with the plate and signals back there, but I couldn't stand that bracket covering the wheel so I ripped it off. Lowering it an inch REALLY helped. I think the angle of the camera makes is took a bit taller than it does in person. I'm completely happy at this point with everything I've done.
Mat, 10 out of 10? Wow, thanks. I appreciate it, especially reading all of the comments about that custom job with the Apes on it. It definitely feels good to have you guys approve of the mods and hopefully people will get ideas about what they want to do to their bike.
| "Smokey, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules."
2010 Black and Blue Haze 1700
2006 Bobbed-out Royal Enfield Bullet Sixty-5
1976 Panzer Grey CJ750 with Sidecar
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| mat1600 | | Thunderbird | | | | Reg. Date | : | 06/03/2010 | | Posts | : | 8,596 | | Location | : | Bridlington, Democratic Independant State of Yorkshire, United Kingdom |
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| | Posted : 27 Mar 2012 - 22:07 Post title : Re: It's finally completely finished....and an inch lower (Re: brackforce) | | |
brackforce wrote:
Mat, 10 out of 10? Wow, thanks. I appreciate it, especially reading all of the comments about that custom job with the Apes on it. It definitely feels good to have you guys approve of the mods and hopefully people will get ideas about what they want to do to their bike. |
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All apart from the floor boards I would buy a bike like that if it appeared on the dealers floor. I like the black with the blue.
| My first natural instinct is to breathe. My second is to evade tax's.
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| DizzE | | Thor | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 12/07/2010 | | Posts | : | 3,141 | | Location | : | Sunnyvale, CA, United States |
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| | Posted : 01 Apr 2012 - 14:53 Post title : Re: It's finally completely finished....and an inch lower (Re: mat1600) | | |
So those shocks fit, as is? 13"? The Progressives need the outer spacers ground a bit. Need to make a flat spot for clearance.
Seat looks quite good with the lowering.
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| brackforce | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 25/04/2010 | | Posts | : | 123 | | Location | : | Fayetteville, NC, United States |
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| | Posted : 02 Apr 2012 - 16:34 Post title : Re: It's finally completely finished....and an inch lower (Re: DizzE) | | | I ordered those shocks from Fast Eddy and had them made an inch lower. They fit perfectly. I didn't have to modify anything at all, but I had to have one person lift the rear fender while me and another guy put the shocks on simultaneously. If you put one on without the other then it was impossible to get the second one on. They slide right on without issue. I think the seat looks better low, too. I wasn't sure how it would turn out when I ordered it from Corbin because I picked and interesting combination and couldn't visualize what it was really going to look like. It's Alligator on top, Snake around the sides, and Asphalt on the bottom with black studs. I'm happy with it. I think it looks cool and it's a nice ride.
| "Smokey, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules."
2010 Black and Blue Haze 1700
2006 Bobbed-out Royal Enfield Bullet Sixty-5
1976 Panzer Grey CJ750 with Sidecar
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| mat1600 | | Thunderbird | | | | Reg. Date | : | 06/03/2010 | | Posts | : | 8,596 | | Location | : | Bridlington, Democratic Independant State of Yorkshire, United Kingdom |
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| | Posted : 02 Apr 2012 - 20:07 Post title : Re: It's finally completely finished....and an inch lower (Re: brackforce) | | | Still liking it. Super cool. 
| My first natural instinct is to breathe. My second is to evade tax's.
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| Glenby | | Set | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 20/10/2011 | | Posts | : | 31 | | Location | : | Australia |
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| | Posted : 02 Apr 2012 - 21:14 Post title : Re: It's finally completely finished....and an inch lower (Re: mat1600) | | | Seriously Mate your bike looks ridiculously good!!
And with the 104cc and Hog Slayer pipes I bet it sounds and goes brilliantly too
I would challenge someone to post a better 'bird on here
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| motodobe | | Set | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 01/04/2011 | | Posts | : | 156 | | Location | : | Seattle, WA, United States |
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| | Posted : 03 Apr 2012 - 02:11 Post title : Re: It's finally completely finished....and an inch lower (Re: brackforce) | | | Your bike looks great and like no other. Awesome job! One of the things that attracted me to the stock Tbird was just the right amount of chrome. But I really like what you've done with the blacked out parts
| T'birds of a feather, flock together.
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| brackforce | | Set | | | | Reg. Date | : | 25/04/2010 | | Posts | : | 123 | | Location | : | Fayetteville, NC, United States |
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| | Posted : 04 Apr 2012 - 13:58 Post title : Re: It's finally completely finished....and an inch lower | | | Thanks, Guys. I really do appreciate the compliments. It feels good to hear all of this approval after doing a bunch of work (especially when you have the nuts to drill into your fender). Of course if no one liked it that wouldn't change the fact that I love it, but loving it is a lot easier when others do too, especially when they're fellow owners who really care about the bike.
| "Smokey, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules."
2010 Black and Blue Haze 1700
2006 Bobbed-out Royal Enfield Bullet Sixty-5
1976 Panzer Grey CJ750 with Sidecar
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