I just received my new, DF/Ice Bear Bobber!

[FastDoc]

I've heard of that also but not tried it. I have also heard of filling them with Great Stuff (a polyurethane of some sort?). Very light but very potentially messy.

[Weldangrind]

Great Stuff is expanding foam, and it wouldn't be messy once it cures. The trick would be a long straw that allows you to apply it deep into the bars.

[FastDoc]

I know I got that stuff on my haqnds once and no solvent I had in the garage would get it off. If someone uses it they would do well to wear gloves.

[Brockway]

I think its partly your handlebars. Those things have a kind of freaky bend to them. Are your wrists angled comfortably? You can get Bikemaster universal ones in a ton of bends for pretty cheap. Click the Handlebars (universal) to see the other bends. The G.P. Touring, European, or LTD might be good depending on where your hands reach comfortably.

http://www.bikebandit.com/bikemaster...ean-handlebars
http://www.amazon.com/BIKEMASTER-GP-...7282720&sr=8-1

These are my favorite grips ever:

http://www.bikebandit.com/progrip-84...torcycle-grips

I have them on my Triumph, my Tmec, and on my Rebel when I had it. I took the heavy bar ends off the Triumph after installing these and just have small caps now. Plus they are now on closeout for $14!

[GonzoX]

Thx for the imput guys. Great day today. Woohoo!

I ventured out onto the busy streets today. Wow what feeling. Felt like a king on this thing. Put 10 miles on it today. Vibration issue wasnt as bad because I am learning not to have a death grip on the grips.

Went to a bike shop and got a bracket for my State inspection. Handlebar grips were like $75 so I said no thanks to them. Bike shop guy said phoam grips do not do well with vibration either so Ill pass on those as well. Ill use ebay and save some money. I want something with much better grip like the pillow grip ones they put on dirt bikes. State inspection guy had a lot of questions about the bike. He could not believe the price on it. Seems it turns some heads as well.

Before I got on the main roads I went straight to the Valvoline place and got my State inspection. Im all legal now but still waiting for my plates, registration and title.

Had one thing happen that scared the crap out of me. Could not shift and clutch felt weak and spongy. Thought I broke my clutch cable but all it was is that the locking nut for the clutch cable got loose from the vibration. Guess I need to put some locktight on that sucker.

Brother is a bike guy and told me not to even mess with the carb. He rode it and thought it was fine. Popping and sputtering just gave it character in his mind and he warned me that once I mess with a carb its never the same. I guess he has a point. It runs fine when warmed up and the sputter and pop are just mildly annoying at best. Spark plug was black but not foulded so I will leave the carb alone for now.

I did keep it under 30mph for most of my 10 mile trip but I did hit 40 for a bit because traffic was on my azz. Better safe than sorry.

One note, mirrors on this thing suck. The vibration kept moving them. I had to constantly adjust them. I see better mirrors in my future. I did get a leather tool bag for the front but it is a bit too big. I need to figure out where Im going to put it. Im thinking about under the seat maybe. Saddle bags are also in my future.

I can see now that this bike will turn into a money pit. As it is now I will have it paid off before the end of the year so no big deal. Wanted to get it before I get married.

Wow what a day. I have to work Sat so Sun or Mon I will ride the crap out of this thing. Im hooked! Why did I not discover this when I was young? now I know what Im missing. It's almost like being a virgin for 30 years and not knowing it.

[GonzoX]

Originally Posted by Brockway

I think its partly your handlebars. Those things have a kind of freaky bend to them. Are your wrists angled comfortably? You can get Bikemaster universal ones in a ton of bends for pretty cheap. Click the Handlebars (universal) to see the other bends. The G.P. Touring, European, or LTD might be good depending on where your hands reach comfortably.

http://www.bikebandit.com/bikemaster...ean-handlebars
http://www.amazon.com/BIKEMASTER-GP-...7282720&sr=8-1

These are my favorite grips ever:

http://www.bikebandit.com/progrip-84...torcycle-grips

I have them on my Triumph, my Tmec, and on my Rebel when I had it. I took the heavy bar ends off the Triumph after installing these and just have small caps now. Plus they are now on closeout for $14!

Brockway, do the gel grips soak up vibration and grip well?

Looks like they are exactly what I need and the price is good.
Ill check to see if somebody sells these on ebay. Thx.

[SpudRider]

I'm glad you got all your paperwork done, and had a nice ride, Gonzo! Thanks for the update.

Spud

[Brockway]

Yes, they work great on the vibes. There are 2 layers of gel. On my Tmec supermoto the vibes aren't an issue, and my Triumph used to need big bar end weights to cancel out the vibes but now I just use caps. Plus they are nice and grippy, even wet.

[Weldangrind]

Originally Posted by GonzoX

Brother is a bike guy and told me not to even mess with the carb. He rode it and thought it was fine. Popping and sputtering just gave it character in his mind and he warned me that once I mess with a carb its never the same. I guess he has a point. It runs fine when warmed up and the sputter and pop are just mildly annoying at best.

I would say that your brother has a point with properly engineered bikes, but I believe our machines need some help. That said, if you're happy, then just enjoy it for what it is.

[GonzoX]

OK some new photos:


My girl and bike.


Carb says Japan on it. So I guess they licensed it from Japan?



Got my State inspection done.



Left side.


Money is tight now. I still need better handgrips, gloves, mirrors etc but just cant afford to splurge right now. Going on honeymoon in two weeks.

[Weldangrind]

Thanks for the pics.

That carb is definitely a rip-off. If you examine the logo on it, you'll see how it was "inspired" by the Keihin logo.

[SpudRider]

Thanks for posting the photos, Gonzo!

Spud

[GonzoX]

Well some bad news. My bike is currently out of commision.

I made the mistake of letting my brother ride it and he broke my gear shift linkage. Emailed killermotorsports for a replacement. My fear is that it will take a month to get here. I know these folks do not keep the bikes in stock so they probably have zero parts since they are only a drop shipper. My guess is my part will probably have to ship from China or CA.

Here are some photos I sent them:





Seems the metalurgy on these bikes are lacking. The metal looks cast as well.

[Weldangrind]

That almost looks like brass rod! You can certainly make a new one out of redi-rod, which is available at most hardware stores. Just measure the diameter and overall length and cut a piece to suit. You'll likely need to search a bit to find it in Metric, but it's out there. I've found metric redi-rod at my local bearing and fastener shop.

How's your brother? How is he after you got done with him?

[GonzoX]

I thought about that and one thing I noticed is that the threads are reversed on the other end so that when you turn the rod it engages the threads and tighens on both ends at the same time if that makes sense.

I will look into the ready rods and maybe see how much it might be to have one machined from stronger steel. Just dont trust the Chinese metal now.

In the meantime I sent an email to Killermotorsports in Dallas to get a replacement under warranty. I do NOT want this to happen again but if it does I want a spare in my tool bag.

In another forum they also had the suggestion of doubling up the locking nuts and jbwelding them on the threading to beef up the exposed threading on the rod. Tomorrow I will call around to see who can do work like this. Dont really trust myself to do it but I will look none the less at all my options.

As for my Brother, what can I say, he is my brother. Im a little pissed at him but he did say he would pay for a replacement if it was not too steep. He said it should not cost more than $20. Yeah right! Ill give him the bill and see what he does. Needless to say he is never getting on my bike again.