Hello from St Louis

[vwkurt]

Hello everybody,

Thank you for all the great contributions. I just pulled the trigger on a brand new Tao TBR7. I also ordered about a million upgrades, including new tubes, sprockets and chain, Nibbi carb and jet kit, JFG exhaust, coil, E3 plug, CDI, Hawk digital dash, and a couple of LED off road lights and headlight, and an oil cooler.

So here's my question: do I install all this at once before I even start the engine, or do I just change the oil, adjust the valves, break it in, and then start swapping parts?

Any thoughts on the best path?

[JerryHawk250]

Welcome aboard! Do everything you just described before doing any modifications.

[bigdano711]

There are some things on your list I would install right away. The digital dash, the spark plug, the off-road lights. I would leave everything else for after break-in and when you feel ready to deal with it. That carb, for instance. Unless you're good with carbs, it's going to be tough to figure out. I don't know about the stock chain on the TBR7, but the one on the Hawk is pretty crappy and needed to be swapped out right after break in. The tubes I would hold off on until you need them. My Hawk's tubes are doing fine after over 1200 miles, but I don't do crazy stuff, either.


Have fun with it first before breaking it down for modding. Change the oil before you start it. Check the valves and adjust if needed. Check tire pressure, fire it up and ride it!!

[TominMO]

IMO change oil, check valve adjustment, check tire pressure, then ride it as is, changing only one thing at a time to see what difference it makes. Then after some break-in miles, install the better plug. After riding it like that a bit, consider the other upgrades.

[vwkurt]

Thank you all for your helpful replies. I'll do a you suggest... Oil and valves (and other adjustments), a gallon of loctite, and just ride it because making major mods. I think I'll keep a log of fuel economy, 0-50 times, and top speed as well as a seat-of-the-pants measurement to see what each mod does individually as well as cumulative performance.

I'll see you on the trails in Missouri!

[Thumper]

What Tom said. My questions would be..."What did I get?, How does it run-OEM?", etc. But not before I checked a few safety things like swingarm/axel position, chain tension, front fork bolts, axel, brakes, lights. Then after a few short rides? Dump the oil hot, put a quart of 5W-40, adjust the valves (again after a few heat cycles).
I guess after that you will have priorities!

Have fun :tup:

[bigdano711]

Install the digital dash, especially if the bike is shipped to you and you have to assemble it and you have the better dash in hand. Otherwise, when, not if but when, the stock dash goes out, or you just happen to decide it's time to change it, you won't have to add X miles to the odometer for a true reading. Unless you're ok with that.

[vwkurt]

My roommate and I were just poking around the interwebs when we came across these Amazon beauties! I had a hard time choosing between the Hawk, Hawk EFI, the X-Pro Templar, and the TBR7. I ended up choosing the $1399 TBR7 because it was the cheapest, it had the adjustable rear shock, a rack on the back and, if I'm not mistaken, a tiny little tool container. Plus I thought the scalloped brake rotors looked fun! I don't even have my bike yet and part of me wishes I had spent the extra $600 on the Templar with the 6 speed box and counterbalanced OHC engine and inverted forks. Sigh. Maybe next time.

I think the real reason I chose the CHEAPEST bike is because I'm not really sure how well this will all work out. You see, I only have one arm. No nub, no nothing on the left side. No prosthetic either. I'm installing a thumb throttle and moving the clutch lever to the right side, so every start from a stop will be a lovely little thumb and finger ballet. Yup. I'll record the show. Sit down with some popcorn and enjoy. My TBR7 delivery is scheduled for November 27, but I won't even get to unbox it until December 3rd when I get home from Oregon.

So I'll unbox and assemble on Sunday and install the digi-dash, thumb throttle and extra lights during assembly. Initially I'm putting the clutch on the left because my roommate and neighbors want to try it out. I think they're tempted to pull the trigger on one themselves! After their test rides I'll swap the clutch lever (and probably trim the lever for one or two-finger operation) and then record the hilarity of my first ride and first impressions. I drive a stick shift and I'm also a pilot, so I'm pretty sure I can do this, too! As I assemble I'll be checking and loctiting everything as I go. If I don't like all the welds then I'll probably fix some of them, too. Safety third!

Anyway, I'll post a link to the video when it's all done. Or my roommate will post it posthumously. I'll probably call it "One armed idiot rides a Chamaha" or some such nonsense. Just a little FYI - this isn't my first motorcycle ever. I grew up riding motorcycles. I lost my left arm in a motorcycle accident in 2000 in San Diego when I was in the Navy. I think you can all see where this foolishness is headed... Sigh.

Alright. Enough of this verbal vomit. It's 5:30am and I driving up to Coleville, WA today. I'll see you on the trails when I get back to St Louis!!!

-=<Kurt>=-
-------------------------------
Hire the handicapped... We're fun to watch!
202? TBR7 from Amazon - Delivery soon!

[Thumper]

OK, I think it can be done.

You can probably find compatible cable pull lever for the right side and put the clutch there. How to get a front brake? Maybe combine front and rear brake circuits with the right foot?

[bigdano711]

God bless you, vwkurt. I'll be saying at least one prayer for you. You must've been thinking about this for a while. True grit.


I know how hard it is to get back on and I didn't even get hit/hurt. Woman blew a red and missed me by about .2 seconds, passed in front of me. I pulled over, got off the bike and kissed the ground...nearly puked. Almost couldn't get back on.


You got this.

[Do©Hawk]

Welcome and good luck!

[McQueen216]

"You see, I only have one arm..."


Well, this escalated quickly.


Normally, this is when I scratch my head and start thinking through all the interesting resources I know. CVMA. The states and county folks in and around me. Obviousy, the VA - does this count as VocRehab? LOL. Hmmmm. I'm sure this has been done before.



Hmmmmm. This is really, really interesting. Where and how are best practices for something like this shared.

[Thumper]

This is what I was thinking to take off hydraulic from the rear brake and route it to the front wheel. This one is on the right handlebar, but could be done behind the engine. You could use braided steel to give it a little more pressure at the front:

30468

Unfortunately, Tao downgraded the rear brake. I think it will be a mechanical drum brake actuated from the right foot peg on the 2024 model shown in that pic. So you won't be able to piggyback the hydraulic line.

It will take some clever engineering to figure this out! I don't suppose there's time to cancel the order. Other bikes DO have the hydraulic rear brake.

[Texas Pete]

Some of the name brands are releasing motorcycles with linked brakes. When you activate one brake it activates the other brake. It has a preset percentage of how much front and rear to activate. That could be something to look into if you want to minimize controls.

[vwkurt]

So... I'm back from my West Coast trip and was excited to see that my TBR7 was actually an upgraded TBR7D, so I got the heavier chain and sprockets, skid plates, USB port, LED lights, etc. It seems to have a slightly better quality swing arm, too. I got it all put together with the Nibbi pe28, the Nibbi coil, the "racing" CDI, and the JFG exhaust. I had to make a bracket using some of the steel from the packing crate to mount the muffler, but it's all good. The CDI I purchased is way too advanced. The bike would barely turn over. The engine HATED the aftermarket CDI, so I returned it and remounted the stock CDI. Super happy engine now. Adjusted the valves, too. Really tight! I get quite a bit of popping as I decelerate. I'm wondering if my jets are too rich. 115 and 35 on the middle seat.

Anyway, I got my one handed setup all done. Thumb throttle, aftermarket clutch lever over the brake lever. I'm getting pretty smooth at the starts now! This bike has front and rear disc so I'm happy about that. I decided not to connect them together because I plan to do a lot of dirt road riding and I don't want the front tire falling out from in front of me! I still have full access to the front brake. A little thumb and finger dance and I'm off to the races! I don't bother with the clutch for upshifts, but definitely use it for downshifts. I've attached a couple photos to show you the setup. I milled out part of the clutch lever assembly to allow the strange angle required to fit my oddball setup, but it doesn't seem to be hurting anything.

If you see room for improvement, please let me know!

[bigdano711]

Dude, so cool. How was your first time back on the bike? Had to be some residuals...

[vwkurt]

So... I finally made the time to finish everything up and had my first ride. AMAZING! I topped out at 73mph with the stock CDI and sprockets.

I posted my ride in Ride Reports. It's called: FIRST RIDE since August 2000

Thank you all for your help and comments.

[vwkurt]

Dude, so cool. How was your first time back on the bike? Had to be some residuals...

Thanks for asking, and good insight! I was surprisingly at ease. The ride was AMAZING! I wrote about it in the Ride Reports section (FIRST RIDE since August 2000). I think my focus on using the right-hand clutch and thumb throttle kept me from focusing on past PTSD issues. (Great group therapy session at the VA helped, too!)

Blessings, brother. Keep riding!

[vwkurt]

This is what I was thinking to take off hydraulic from the rear brake and route it to the front wheel. This one is on the right handlebar, but could be done behind the engine. You could use braided steel to give it a little more pressure at the front:

30468

Unfortunately, Tao downgraded the rear brake. I think it will be a mechanical drum brake actuated from the right foot peg on the 2024 model shown in that pic. So you won't be able to piggyback the hydraulic line.

It will take some clever engineering to figure this out! I don't suppose there's time to cancel the order. Other bikes DO have the hydraulic rear brake.

So they delivered a TBR7D which, among other upgrades, has a hydraulic rear disk brake. Right now I'm not having any issues with both the clutch and brake levers being on the same side together, but I'm definitely thinking HARD about combining the two brakes into just the foot pedal brake. A brass T and some braided steel line is about all I think I'd need.
30713

[Thumper]

Unstoppable bike fan!

Maybe just get a banjo bolt long enough for two banjos on the rear master cylinder? Run SS braided to the front to favor better transmission. This might give you closer to 60/40 front/rear.