Gyrobob wrote on 03/10/11 at 04:57:15:Yes, ugly is in the eye of the beholder.
My initial assessment seems to be correct. The poser mindset is at work here in that the wrap is done for cosmetics, not for performance.
The wrap, done for these reasons, conflicts with the basic reason for existence of the CS-1. The Cafe Racer concept is about performance. The wrap does nothing for performance; it merely changes the appearance with a visual statement: the owner likes to gorp up the bike with things that add weight, cost, corrosion, maintenance, and complication,..... all for the sake of cosmetics. The poser mindset.
That said, I have no problem at all what anyone wants to do with their bike. If someone wants to add foxtails, exhaust wrap, fishtail mufflers, and under-the-frame-purple-fluorescent lights to his "cafe racer," it makes no never mind to me. It's just hard for me to blend in the gorp with the owner's interpretation of the cafe racer look.
BTW, putting heat resistant paint under the wrap will do nothing to forestall corrosion. In fact, it might speed it up.
Please,... use all the wrap you want. The wrapmakers will be happy. More jobs, more revenue,... help the economy recover. Make your bike look like,.... well,... a bike with exhaust wrap.
Just don't labor under any misconceptions about how it adds to performance, let alone a performance image true to the cafe racer concept.
call me a poser if you want. Doesn't bother me. Seeing as there will be hundreds of these RYCA kits around, is it wrong to make yours unique. Look at Buddha's post- he is polishing every part of his to make is nice and shiney. I am spending money on mine to make it dull and blacked-out. Its called being an individual and if you think that makes me a poser, then you are mistaken.
By the way, do a search on yahoo images for cafe racer and I guarantee you will see tons and tons of cafe bikes with exhaust wrap on them.
I know that wrap isn't going to increase performance. Frankly, nothing you do to the savage will increase performance to make it even close to a performance beast.
Look at any post on here and you will see looks are very important.