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Message started by diamond jim on 01/26/09 at 12:13:14

Title: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 01/26/09 at 12:13:14

New pics of bike and mods. I sold my M50 and my wife gave me her stock S40. I thought I'd ride the S40 til I eventually sold it and got another bike. However, after riding it for a little while, I realized how awesome this bike is. I will add another bike to the stable in the future but I'm certainly hanging on the thumper. I figured I'd make it mine though. I wanted to clean the bike up and give it a unique personality while maintaining total usability and function.

Here's where I'm at so far:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh128/russ_diamond_jim/1-12.jpg

Seat:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh128/russ_diamond_jim/3-9.jpg

Rear fender/brakelight/saddlebag mounts:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh128/russ_diamond_jim/4-5.jpg

Close up of saddlebag mounts:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh128/russ_diamond_jim/5-5.jpg

Bar mod with are-end mirror:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh128/russ_diamond_jim/6-2.jpg

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by I once had a mohawk on 01/26/09 at 12:29:51

Your bike looks awsome. I was just talking to a friend lastnight about what I want to do to my 04 Savage and what I see today in your bike is just what I explained yesterday. Very nice bike.

Just a few questions.
1. Are the saddle bag supports from suzuki or are they custom?
2. What year is your S40?
3. Is that the stock seat and did you trim it down?
4. Where did you get the tail light and rear turn signals and were they hard to install?

P.S. I don't know if you forgot but you also have a set of Ed L.'s forward controls.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by SimonTuffGuy on 01/26/09 at 12:33:32

Nice bike. I'm looking to do something similar with my brake and turn signals... Just, not really sure how I want to accomplish it yet. :-P

I like the look with the belt guard off too... But, with the girlfriend riding along, I'd be afraid of having her pants get caught.

Anyone who had the belt guard removed... Do you ever ride with a passenger? Any problems?

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 01/26/09 at 14:04:17

Crap! Sorry Ed! I forgot a close-up of your awesome FC.

Mohawk, it's an '06. I trimmed the seat down. I removed the cover and foam. The plastic seat pan has many valleys and humps- just flip the seat over and you'll see what I mean. I squirted expanding foam over the seat pan. It expanded and filled in all of the valleys. Once dry, I took a hacksaw blade and simply cut through the foam, letting the blade ride across the humps. In doing so I also cut the indention in the seat pan that accomodates the space for the rectifier (i had already moved the rectifier). The result is a super flat, solid seat pan. I covered this with thin but very dense foam and reused the stock seat cover. I love it cause I feel like I'm riding in the bike and not on the bike. On the stock seat I felt like I might flip over the handlebars were I to hit the front brake too hard.

The saddlebag supports were left over from my M50 and include only the vertical sections. The spacers from the fender to the supports and the bolts in them came from a local Lowe's store. The rear fender is more than solid enough to support bags.

Regarding the tail light, when you remove all of the stock stuff you'll find a wonderfully solid bracket inside and towards the back of the fender. It can be used to mount any kind of custom bracket. I made a custom bracket that holds the tail light, turn signals and tag. Taking that big light off of the rear fender really cleans it up. I had the all the holes from the stock light and fender supports welded closed and the fender reapinted. I lowered the rear fender by using 3/4 inch spacers between the fender and where the frame. It's about a 1 1/4 drop at the very back tip of the fender. It gives the illusion of the bike being lowered without sacrificing any suspension.

Simon, I rarley ride with a passenger- maybe 3 times in the last 3 years.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by bluesavage218 on 01/26/09 at 14:10:38

You wouldn't want to go into any detail about your fender lowering mod would you?

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 01/26/09 at 14:14:13

393C2021243B3A27530 wrote:

You wouldn't want to go into any detail about your fender lowering mod would you?

I just went back and added some of the detail to the previous post. When I get home I'll write up a more detailed version.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by serowbot on 01/26/09 at 15:18:22

Very nice,... smooth lines....

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 01/26/09 at 16:03:47

54514D4C4956574A3E0 wrote:

You wouldn't want to go into any detail about your fender lowering mod would you?

Maybe this will help:

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh128/russ_diamond_jim/rearfendermod2.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh128/russ_diamond_jim/fender.jpg

If you have small hands and some patience, you could probably do this mod without removing the wheel. I did it one time like that. Remove the seat. Jack the bike up til the rear tire is off of the ground. Look inside the fender and find the four bolts that hold the fender to the frame. Reach in with a 12mm wrench and remove one of the top bolts. Take that bolt to a hardware store and find another similar metric bolt that is 3/4 to 1 inch longer. Get 2 of them along with spacers that the bolt will go through. When back at the bike remove the other top bolt. Next, loosen the two bottom bolts a little but don't remove them. Back them out maybe a half inch. Now, reach in between the fender and upper frame support and put the spacer in between the fender and frame, sliding one of the new longer bolts through the inside fender hole, the spacer and into the frame threads. Screw the bolt into the frame just enough til the threads catch. Do the same with the other space and new longer bolt. Tighten all four fender bolts and you're done. It's pretty tough to get in there like that but it can be done.

The other time I did it was when I removed the rear tire. Then it's a breeze. Also, if you ride a passenger a lot and want to be sure the bolt is correctly torqued, you need do it with the tire removed. I simply tightened them as tight as they were when I removed them.

The seat/seat pan will flex enough to still get the allen bolt screw in where it secures the seat to the frame. It's a tight fit the first time you do it. I wouldn't go with a 1" spacer.

This mod gives a similar look of a bike that has been lowered some without losing function. There's a pretty good bit of space inside the fender above the back tire than the suspension will allow the tire to move. You could probably do even a 1" spacer. However, if you are concerned about this, maybe because you ride a passenger, try the 3/4" or even the 1/2 inch if it makes you feel better.

Total cost- about $3.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by Gamma742 on 01/26/09 at 17:46:12

Nice work Jim ;)

I sent you a PM

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by smokin_blue on 01/26/09 at 17:51:51

very sweet. Nice clean lines..the way a bike should be! 8-)

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by bluesavage218 on 01/26/09 at 18:14:54

Thanks man, I may give it a try

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 01/26/09 at 19:08:05

Oh, one other nice side effect to the rear fender mod if you use saddlebags connected with a yoke like mine. By lowering the fender it makes the area where the saddlebag's yoke lays across the rear fender more horizontal so it's easier to install bags straighter if thats how you prefer them.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 01/26/09 at 20:59:39

I borrowed KwakNut's picks of his before & after rear shock lowering for some comparison.

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh128/russ_diamond_jim/loweredcompared.jpg

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by strangeling on 01/26/09 at 21:04:05

Diamond Jim,

That bike looks awesome, real nice job man.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 01/26/09 at 21:10:48

Thanks. I had originally started to try lowering the rear shocks. I couldn't get the first shock apart unless I did something that would ultimately ruin them. So I figured there's gotta be a different way to accomplish what I was looking for. The rear fender lowering mod worked for me.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by Jay on 01/26/09 at 21:50:49

Looks great! Love what you did with the seat. Now the all important question, is it comfortable? I'd love to do something like that with mine, especially if it would increase comfort. Thanks.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by Gary On A Savage on 01/26/09 at 22:12:42

Wow Jim! The bike looks great. Very clean lines. I love the seat mod.

I have a modded sportster seat that I cut down, but is still lumpy. I may just try the expanding foam idea. That would do the trick. I'm curious what dense foam you used? I've heard the dense carpet padding works well.

Keep up the good work!

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 01/26/09 at 22:26:17

464D55405C1D1D2C0 wrote:

Looks great! Love what you did with the seat. Now the all important question, is it comfortable? I'd love to do something like that with mine, especially if it would increase comfort. Thanks.

I love it. I always thought I needed lots of cushion to ride comfortably. I unexpectedly found out otherwise. A bit of history here to help explain- I was doing some extensive mods last summer on my M50 seat. It was slow going but it was summer so i wanted to ride. I rode for about a month on just the plastic seat pan. I discovered that I liked it better than with all of the soft cushion. So I ended up doing this mod to my M50 seat and loved it. The longest I rode on the modded M50 seat it in a day was about 7 hours.

Then I bought this '06 S40 new last summer. After the 30 minute ride home my butt hurt so bad. Parts of my legs and butt were numb in areas I've never been numb before. Getting back on the M50 the next day was like pure luxury compared to the stock S40 seat. Now, I ride the S40 about 30 minutes to work and back with no problem.

I'm 6 foot and weigh 240. I used to think more padding was the answer. For me, thin, dense padding plus a shape that "holds" me works best. There is more contact area now for my butt. It feels a lot like sitting in a saddle. Saddles are hard and have no cushion but people can sit in a saddle for hours without a problem. I noticed that most people that I knew that rode horses can sit in a saddle for much longer periods of time than most people that I knew that rode motorcycles. To me it didn't seem to make a lot of sense. That's when I realized that a good seat shape with minimal padding is more comfortable than a not-so-good shaped seat and lots of padding.

If you happen across a an used seat pan or if you ever take yours apart, try laying a thin piece of padding on it and go for a ride. You might like it too.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 01/26/09 at 22:47:50

4543505B7D4D4C437D514354434547220 wrote:

Gary, it was some 1/2" dense gym mat foam.

Be sure to cover your foam (sportster seat foam, gym mat, whatever) with 1) plastic, like a plastic bag for your kitchen garbage can (partly for water protection but mostly so the stuff on top of the foam like the seat cover can slide across it easily when you sit on it or get off of it), and 2) cover the plastic with a layer of cotton batting pictured below and then the seat cover. The cotton batting will fill in/cover any minor imperfections inherent when reshaping seat foam. You can get it at Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby, etc.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh128/russ_diamond_jim/batting.jpg

Cotton batting is the trick upholsterers use to make stuff look so good.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh128/russ_diamond_jim/floral_chair_4.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh128/russ_diamond_jim/floral_chair_header-1.jpg

You may know or have done this already but thought I'd type it just in case you hadn't.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by firetruckredbike on 01/27/09 at 04:41:29

Jim, your bike looks amazing, elegant lines. Like everyone else here, I particularly like the seat - streamlined, great looking.

Amy

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 01/27/09 at 05:56:54

Thanks, Amy. Several people here have mention the "lines" of the bike. I never really thought about it until reading the posts here. I didn't sit down and plan out the mods to achieve this but looking at the pics got me remembering something from a design class I took long ago. The eye likes it when the prominent parts of something, in this case a bike's tank, seat, fenders, exhaust, etc., match and repeat. By match and repeat I mean the main horizontal lines match (level and even) and non-horizontal lines match (parallel to each other) and repeat. The more a design follows this rule the more the eye likes it. The mods have simply brought the lines closer to following this design rule. I know this is waaaaaaay over-analyzing it but I'm totally bored at the moment and I've got nothing better to do!

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh128/russ_diamond_jim/lines.jpg

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by oksavage on 01/27/09 at 17:14:26

are those stock risers? and where did you get the straight bars? As everyone is saying...Holy Crap, awesome job, I'm jealous.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by 88pagan on 01/27/09 at 17:31:28

Here's some good ones (not my auction)-http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CHROME-STRAIGHT-DRAG-BARS-handlebar-bar-custom-chopper_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a1205Q7c66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a12Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1318Q7c301Q3a0Q7c293Q3a1Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem290286679954QQitemZ290286679954QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 01/27/09 at 17:49:47

484C544651464042270 wrote:

are those stock risers? and where did you get the straight bars? As everyone is saying...Holy Crap, awesome job, I'm jealous.

I had trouble finding a broomstick drag bar that was over 30", unknurled and undimpled (both for HD installs). You can find unknurled and undimpled and 26" or less sizes. At least at the time I searched. I think mine were 32" and dimpled, but unknurled. I have trimmed it down to about 27 inches to fit me just right. I think I paid about 25 with S&H included on ebay back in maybe October of last year. The bar-end mirror is one of the $15-20 ones you see on ebay. I love it. It's for 7/8" diameter bars but I used a home crafted adapter.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 01/27/09 at 17:52:50

7D7D36242B2128242B450 wrote:

A buyer should call to check if there is any knurls or dimples. I had a friend who ordered one that "looked" good but arrived with unwanted knurling and dimples.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by 88pagan on 01/27/09 at 18:34:34

Good point. I have the 32" no dimples, no knurling..but, at first the guy accidentally sent me the dimpled ones. Set me back a few weeks sending bars back and forth but I finally got the right ones. I think I also paid $25

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by Jay on 01/28/09 at 01:37:44

diamond jim,
Perfect! Thanks for the info. I've been on the fence as to what to do next for the seat. I've felt like I was close, but missing something. I think you've filled in the missing piece. Thanks. Now I know what my next project is.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 01/28/09 at 06:21:31

Jay, try a layer of cotton batting, put the seat cover on, tack it underneath in a few places to hold the cover on and see how it looks. Spray the seat cover with some Armor All and examine the seat in a very well lit room or outside on a very sunny day. This will will help reveal any high places in the seat cushion that show through. Then do the same in a not so well lit room. Doing so will create shadows and help you identify low spots. More than once I thought a seat looked good when looking at in in the living room with only a ceiling light only to find later, when the seat was on the bike out in the sun, that it still had some fairly obvious bumps. If the imperfections are present but minimal, a second layer of batting will likely be the perfect solution. If bumps are fairly obvious then a little more shaping and a second layer of batting should be perfect.

Other tips: If you are going to do a really low profile seat like mine, you will see a few high spots on the seat pan that you may need to grind down some. Putting the seat cover in the dryer to warm it up will allow it to stretch and fit better when putting the seat cover on for good. Use an electric staple gun. I picked up one from Lowe's for about $30. It will have the power to drive the staples into the plastic.

Here's what i did with that M50 seat about 2 years ago. You can see how it was more of a saddle shape and so comfy.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh128/russ_diamond_jim/seat.jpg

Here's the M50 before I sold it. I had designed and sewn an OD green canvas seat cover that matched the tank/fender paint but the sun quickly faded it. I was going to have a local guy make me a brown leather seat cover to match the saddlebags but I sold the "Hellcat" to a very motivated buyer before I got that done. He crashed it a month later.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh128/russ_diamond_jim/111-1.jpg

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by sakara on 01/28/09 at 08:13:51

Thanks for the excellent seat tips; great lines!

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by flcruzr on 01/28/09 at 15:04:36

606D65696B6A606E6D69040 wrote:

Great Post! Thanks for sharing and great looking S40. Love to see how customs come about on these bikes.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 01/28/09 at 17:58:05

Thanks. This is the original look I was going for and I love the most. Unfortunately, I need to carry stuff with me a lot so I had to add the saddlebags.

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh128/russ_diamond_jim/rearofbike.jpg

The clear lens for the brake light is not on in this pic. I went with clear lenses on the tail light and rear turns to help make them vanish a little. The saddlebags do have a way of making the bike look bigger than it actually is which is not a bad effect.

I went with the bar end mirror because I got tired of inspecting my shoulders all the time and because, on a broomstick drag bar, most mirrors look like bug antenna.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by SimonTuffGuy on 01/28/09 at 18:20:28

Do you have any pictures of how you mounted the turn signals back there?

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 01/28/09 at 19:19:28

I thought I had some pics of it but can't find them. I'll draw something up here in a bit and post.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 01/28/09 at 19:58:22

6B515557566C4D5E5E7F4D41380 wrote:

Do you have any pictures of how you mounted the turn signals back there?

Maybe this will help. I made it out of 16 ga steel. It can't be a 90 degree bracket or else the tail light will have a slight but certainly noticeable downward angle. It will look funny. Of course that is especially so if you do the fender spacer mod that lowers the rear of the fender. On a stock fender you might be able to get away with a 90 degree bracket but I'd still put a little bit of an angle on it to make it look right. I shaped the bracket so that very little of it shows and is hidden by the light and turn signal stems. It think shaping the bracket to the contour of the light gives the whole mod a cleaner, more custom look. I'm kind of picky about those little details.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh128/russ_diamond_jim/lightbracket.jpg

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by Jay on 01/28/09 at 20:30:13

Hellcat was a beautiful bike. Too bad he crashed it.
All in favor of moving this excellent post to the Tech Section, say "aye".
"AYE!"

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 01/29/09 at 04:38:28

Thanks, Jay. That bike was cool. I love modding. I modded that M50 til there was nothing left to mod. My favorite mod on that bike was the custom made intake/airbox, which was fun making and experimenting with the dynamics of air intake at different riding speeds and matching the fuel ratio for best performance at all speeds via an adjustable aftermarket fuel injection manager. I know some of the motorcyclist around my town, but it seemed all of them new that bike. If I was in my car and described the bike to another biker, they always seem to remember seeing it on the road or parked somewhere. However, I like modding the S40 better because everything is metal. The M50 has a whole lot of plastic as do most bike nowadays which makes it more difficult to mod in many aspects. Here's another pic of the bike with the custom intake before I painted the bike flat OD green.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh128/russ_diamond_jim/3a-1.jpg

Two members have asked me about the brake light. I used this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/LED-Cat-Eye-Harley-custom-taillight-plate-holder-CLEAR_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ35575QQihZ024QQitemZ370140152552QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW#ebayphotohosting
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v33/asurada/EBAY/TAILLIGHT/LEDWHITE/image004.jpg

However, I modded the license plate mount. I changed it so that the plate is raised up and snugged right up under the light. I did this because, in this position, the plate doubles as a mud flap and keeps rain/dirt off of the light. Otherwise, if used as it comes, there is a gap between the top of the plate and the bottom of the light. I don't ride much in the rain but occasionally can't help it. I like the fact that I'm helping protect the tail light from excessive water from the rear tire.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh128/russ_diamond_jim/4-5.jpg

Here is a close up of the LED strip that I put around the light. I have it set up so the LED strip only lights up (red, of course) when I brake.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh128/russ_diamond_jim/BRAKELED.jpg

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by SimonTuffGuy on 01/29/09 at 05:27:16

Thanks for the diagram, that helps a lot. :)

Why did you move the plate from where it was before? I really like the plate where you have it in the first picture, semi-bent around the belt area. Did the saddlebags get in the way?

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 01/29/09 at 05:46:20

68525654556F4E5D5D7C4E423B0 wrote:

Yeah, the saddlebags sat right on top of the plate. I did have enough room that I could rotate the side mount tag to near vertical and not touch the bottom of the saddlebag but it looked funny to me, was kind of hidden and was just asking for a cop to stop me and say something. You could only see the tag if you were a good distance behind the bike. Standing 5 feet behind the bike you still had to bend down to fully see the tag. In the past on other bikes I've mounted the tag on the back of the saddlebag itself. I thought about doing that here but decided not to.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by SimonTuffGuy on 01/29/09 at 05:52:35

Thanks again for the reply! :) I just really like the looks of the back of the bike without the plate right below the tail light. Having it off to the side just looks so much better.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 01/29/09 at 05:55:51

08323634350F2E3D3D1C2E225B0 wrote:

Thanks again for the reply! :) I just really like the looks of the back of the bike without the plate right below the tail light. Having it off to the side just looks so much better.

I absolutely agree. I hate compromises but I need storage space so I've got to compromise. I tried figuring out a way to mount a single solo bag on the right so I could keep the side mounted plate on the left but couldn't really come up with anyting that both worked good and looked decent.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by SimonTuffGuy on 01/29/09 at 06:24:02

I agree. What are the details on those bags? (Brand, size?) I have the Suzuki OEM bags now and there's not enough room for much of anything in them! If I relocate the turn signals back further I could go with a much larger bag.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 01/29/09 at 07:28:42

They are River Road Slant bags. I just looked online and saw some like mine on a few bike sites except they have the additional pocket on the back to hold small things like glasses. I love mine. I'd describe them as medium size. I'ce seen smaller and I've seen bigger. Out of all the saddlebags I've had on various bikes these are my favorites. They have the hidden quick release strap which is an option I've never had before. Very well made and run about $110 a set.

I moved the rectifier and am using the bolt holes, where the rectifier mounts to the rear fender from the factory, as anchors for the yoke. Essentially, two bolts go through the yoke and into the rectifier mounting threads.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by PerrydaSavage on 01/29/09 at 15:12:00

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh128/russ_diamond_jim/rearofbike.jpg

WOW!! Impressive!! That has got to be one of the cleanest arse-ends I've ever seen on an LS ... outstanding job!

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by SimonTuffGuy on 01/29/09 at 16:07:11

Any shots of where you moved the rectifier to? I've heard of people relocating it so that the bags don't sit on top... And I've heard of people putting their bags over it anyways (or cutting the bags in that area to go around it).

There's not a whole lot of extra space under the seat.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 01/29/09 at 16:26:23

I've got a pod filter. My airbox is desnorkled and empty so the rectifier is in there. I think I've read where some people have tried that but said they didn't have enough wire to reach for placement in the airbox. I had no problem. Of course, I had taken my entire fender off and moved the rectifier into the airbox before reinstalling the rear fender so I may have cut a wire tie or something else in order to remove it from the fender that ended up freeing up some wire. I don't remember.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by SimonTuffGuy on 01/29/09 at 16:57:53

I've got a pod filter to install too... Will probably de-snorkel at the same time. I'll toss it in there when I go that route. Thanks again for the info!

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by Jay on 01/29/09 at 20:18:04

There is so much great info here. We really need to preserve this thread.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by franch on 01/31/09 at 03:20:35

That is one nice looking savage ! ! !
could you describe in more detail how you did the seat ?
where/how do you move the rectifier.
I put a one piece seat from a 2007 on my 98 and i agree with you that i'm up way too high. i would love to do this mod
thanks

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by Big Nix on 03/28/09 at 09:28:07

Just got done doing my "saddle" seat mod. I was really impressed with 1)how easy it was and 2)how cheap it was (cheap is always good) Haven't rode with it yet because i'm still layed up and now have a big air cast on my left foot. And also because it's been raining for a week straight. But I just wanted to interject my $.02 on the whole thing. I completed the whole thing for eaily under $10 pry almost under $5. The Spray foam I got was for windows so it expands the same but stays some what springy. And went to local carpet store and got a huge piece of carpet padding, (I could eaisly do atleast 4 or 5 more seats) for $4. And it looks great

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 03/28/09 at 09:40:33

Awesome. Pretty easy to do with the only challenging part being the bump in the seat pan for the rectifier. Either you leave the bump and account for it with the cushion or you vut it out. I cut mine out.

It really feels like a different bike. I've always liked cruisers with a sort of out of balance seat/handlebar setup whereas the seat is lower than normal and the bars are higher than normal. When I'm on my bike and see myself in the reflection of a window, my arms look to be about an inch away from being parallel to the ground. That is my favorite riding position. It's more like riding in the bike rather than on the bike.

You know you gotta post some pics now.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by Scottler on 03/28/09 at 13:38:52

One of the sharpest looking Savages I've ever seen. Well done, my friend!

Do you need directions to my house to do that to mine, or would Google Maps be sufficient?? ;D

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by Big Nix on 03/29/09 at 16:21:12

515C54585A5B515F5C58350 wrote:

Okay well here's a couple of pics the back seat was still a little screwed up but i re-did it, and in the first attempt of putting it on i droped the screw in the air box so now i gotta take that off :o
http://67.15.194.28/2009/03/29/bikepics-1617061-full.jpg
here it is don't look to bad for under $10
http://67.15.194.28/2009/03/29/bikepics-1617063-full.jpg
and here's a close up like i said before you can see the wrinkles in the back seat but i re-streched it and it looks alot better now just gotta take the airbox apart to dig the screw out. It's cool though i was gonna do that anyway to do the kamkazi intake mod. But just hit me up if yah like what yah see. 8-)

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 03/29/09 at 17:09:53

The front seat looks great! Awesome job. It really makes the bike look more custom.

You said you've redone the back pillon. If it doesn't look as good as the front seat yet, play around with some more cotton batting. Cut a long strip that's maybe 3" wide, wrap it around the sides to fill it. Wrap it so the top edge is even with the top part of the seat and the bottom rolls under the pillon pan. Then add another layer of batting on top of it all, wrapping underneath to hide the top edge of the extra side batting and staple. That should fill it out nicely. The back corners you may have to fold like military sheets to get a good fit.

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh128/russ_diamond_jim/seatcover.jpg

How's the ride now? Does it feel better? How about when braking?

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by Big Nix on 03/29/09 at 17:52:43

Managed to get the back redone good just stuck the cover in the dryer for like half an hour, then streched the crap out of it and stapled it looks a hell of alot better. And as far as the ride won't be doing that for atleast another 3 weeks had surgery on my left foot about 3 weeks ago, so no riding but did sit on it and it is alot more comfortable. It is kinda funny thought you'd think more padding would equal more comfort but it's actually the complete opposite.
will most some more pics of the whole thing after i take the air box apart to find my other screw.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 03/29/09 at 17:58:29

262125223324257C7D4B0 wrote:

... It is kinda funny though you'd think more padding would equal more comfort but it's actually the complete opposite...

Exactly! It's the saddle thing I mentioned on another post. Shape and support are more important than padding. Glad to hear you got the back done.

Now get healed up so you can ride!

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by Jay on 03/29/09 at 19:58:58

Big Nix, that seat looks real sharp. I'm tearing into mine tommorrow. Can't wait. I've got a nice long ride from Fort Worth to Lubbock coming up, and I'm looking forward to doing it on the reshaped seat.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by bill67 on 03/29/09 at 20:40:00

More padding does make a more comfortable seat,wider is better too.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 04/03/09 at 14:42:27

I got one of them evil K&N filters today. I thought I'd try it out since it's the closest K&N I've found that had some of the characteristics of the Kamikaze intake. Funny story- the first few stops signs by the house I thought my clutch was slipping. One stop sign is on a medium incline. Crap! The bike had never done that before. Yet it rode fine going down the road and showed no other signs of clutch problems. Then it dawned on me- the other intake gave me tons of low end torque and I had gotten used to it. When I got back I put the other one back and tried it just for peace of mind. Yep, that's what it was. And that really sucks big time because I like the look of the K&N more but I like the power of the Kamikaze. I want my cake and eat it too, dang it!

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh128/russ_diamond_jim/wkandn.jpg

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by verslagen1 on 04/03/09 at 14:50:46

Needs the stock rubber ducky and the DJ turbulator.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 04/03/09 at 15:09:36

I got worried there for a minute. Well, I was worried and pissed. It was like I had no power on take off. I was just glad to figure out it wasn't the clutch. A side problem is that my cam chain suddenly started rattling about a week ago. I've only got 1100 miles on the bike. I'm thinking the torque has started to stretch the chain sooner than normal.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by verslagen1 on 04/03/09 at 15:26:38

you better pop the clutch cover and find out what's up.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 04/03/09 at 18:00:55

Will do.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by ineclipse on 04/07/09 at 17:00:47

i know there is a lot of much richer conersation going on here, but say I was going to make some saddlebag supports, how long do you estimate the spacers should be before they cause problems?
Thanks for all the great info friend,
-Luke.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 04/07/09 at 20:32:54

Luke, I'm not sure about the exact measurements and clearances. Here's a pic of the OEM supports that may give you a an idea on the size.
http://www.oneidasuzuki.com/store/files/details/d_3353.jpg

These are the ones I used. They are for the M50/C50. They are considerably larger than the OEM supports.
http://www.rickroushaccessories.com/store/images/990a0-75043.bm

I do know that I had to space mine out on the belt side to clear the sprocket when the suspension compresses. The right side didn't need to be spaced out as much as the left but I did it the same to match the left side. Here's a close up of how I did it:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh128/russ_diamond_jim/2-12.jpg

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by SimonTuffGuy on 04/08/09 at 08:38:27

I'll try to get a measurement of my stock S40 brackets when I head home for lunch this afternoon. I'll let you know then. (if I remember!!!)

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by SimonTuffGuy on 04/08/09 at 09:48:23

My brackets come out 2" from the edge of the rails. I didn't get one from the fender itself out... But, whatever the width of the rail is + 2" should work.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by ineclipse on 04/08/09 at 12:22:24

you guys are great. I'm looking for a set, or looking to make something up. Cost effectiveness is key.
Thanks again,
-Luke.

Title: Re: pics of S40 upgrades
Post by diamond jim on 04/08/09 at 14:05:53

I used mine cause they were sitting on a shelf in the garage looking sad and unwanted.