Yeah, it really does need a fender. I think I'll get another front fender (the vz800 is about as wide as the rear tire and they'll match) and mount it the way jkhulon73 did his (on the swing arm.)

The footpegs are just fine for my legs (I'm 6' nothing) so long as the seat pushes me forward onto them, which the new seat does and the last seat didn't. I may put the passenger footpegs back on the bike just to give my knees another position to rest in though. We'll see... I haven't given the new setup a long distance test yet.

I did shorten the rake a little... I put 11.5 inch shocks on the back and dropped the front end just a bit (I can slide the fork tubes up through the triple tree however far I want.) I think I'll get the feel for the bike as it is now though before I get more aggressive.

My big concern now is for the carburetor. I may just have to swap it out. And if I'm going to do that I may as well get a performance one... (see where all my money has gone these past few months?)

Now if I were being really ambitious I would get one of those DIY fuel injection kits and wire up a microsquirt to this beast. Of course I actually want to ride this bike sometime in the next few months so I think I'll hold off on that.

I'd rig the decomp with a manual lever right on the head with a switch for the starter.

The bike will run no problem without the decomp circuit... starting is the issue. (Joke!) Seriously though, I believe Dr_Jim is right that the bike does want a decomp mechanism. They did so much to make this bike cheap that I believe they would have left it off if they thought they could get away with it.

That sad, I am not running a decomp on this bike at the moment. I know I'm taking a risk. (See below about risk taking...) I've got a brand new strong battery and a light touch on the starter button. Usually the bike just starts on the first revolution. Every once in a while the air in the piston pushes back before the starter has had time to build up enough momentum and I just let it stop and then I try again.

I did consider welding a lever to a socket that would fit over the bolt for the decomp mechanism. Just push down with your thumb, start, let go. Stick the socket in your pocket.  I'll do that after I break the case for the first time of course.

But you may not want to follow my example. This is what happens when you demand 50% greater power from your motor but you don't arrange for 50% greater heat dissipation:



I finally have a performance carb to match the performance cam and less restrictive exhaust. So what do I do with it? I break the piston.

I need to take the cylinder off now and find out if I just need a new top end or if I need a whole new engine.

C'est la vie.

Oh, and Islandwahine, the tank holds abut 3 1/2 gallons. It has a big tunnel in it for the Triumph it was really designed for.

I got it from Demonscycle on Ebay for $65.  I'm quite pleased with it.



http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CHOPPER-BOBBER-SOLO-BILLET-MOTORCYCLE-SEAT-FIT...