looney tunes Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Hi All, my names Tony and this is my Yamaha XVS 650 Custom. when I picked it up it had been modified, cut down rear mudguard, aftermarket indicators and lights, home made exhaust and other bits, on the plus side it had all the bits to take it back to standard, here's how it was advertised. and once it arrived home unfortunately being the Muppet I am when I strapped the bike down I put the ratchet too close to the tank and damaged the paint both sides sounded lovely but after getting insurance quotes for a modified bike I decided to take it back to standard, Exhaust done next thing to do was fit the full mud guard, fit the original indicators and re-wire them, remove the aftermarket front indicators and re-wire them too. still got the ape hangers on it and enjoying them but thinking do I want cow horns or put it back to standard? then there's the pannier bags do I re-fit them too...... well that's what I have been up too I do have a quick question about panniers, I got some with the bike but they were not fitted, if you look at the photos you will see the little supports for the panniers, the thing is I also have them on the actual panniers as well, (firmly attached) do the panniers fix onto the supports that are already fitted or do I have to take the fitted ones off? thanks Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshwan Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Great introduction! well done that man I have no idea how panniers attach to those bikes but would like to welcome you to the YOC none the less! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttaskmaster Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 YAY, another 650 Custom Drag Queen!!! Lots of Draggie riders here and the Custom is always the best choice. Solid bike, very fun ride and perfect for just about anything. I can't say much more, otherwise I'll start gushing and I've plenty of posts like that if you're that innerested, like! What's the mileage, if I may ask? Bars are up to you. If this is a frequently ridden bike, you'll want the originals, set to your own height. If you do them right, the standard mirrors will leave you with NO blind spots!!! Pretty wicked, eh! However: Ditch those other keys on the ring, or they'll swing and scratch the tank when you ride. Keep an eye on the piece-of-shit regulator/rectifier bracket - It tends to snap just above the frame bolt. Keep an eye on your rear monoshock - See my Attention Dragstar Owners thread for further details. Keep the sodding thing as clean as you bloody well can!! Seriously, clean, clean, clean, then polish, then protective coating. You'll regret it if you dont!! Keep it well-serviced. Get the actual Yamaha workshop service manual, as Haynes and Clymer are somewhat erroneous. I can probably help you locate a copy, if you need. Also, can you post up a pic of these odd saddlebags/panniers? Usually, you just take the back seat off, throw the saddlebags over, refit seat and tie them to the supports with the leather thonging. Lastly, this is a public forum, so you may want to open up Paint or something and cover up yer registration plate. Not everyone does, but it's a thought. Oh yeah - Welcome to the forum!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obriens65 Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toutsuite Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Hey Looney, great intro! Amazing how you can transform that bike from rat bobber back to "proper" with a couple of alterations: a rear fender and the exhausts. You mention getting quotes for a modded bike and not liking them. May I ask which mod(s) the insurance companies didn't like? I certainly mentioned my aftermarket pipes on my insurance form, but didn't seem to affect my premium in any way. But then I haven't changed the intake or increased the power in any way. Having said that, and bear in mind this is just my personal taste, but those rat pipes were bloody hideous! You can get a lovely sound, and great looks from something like a set of Vance & Hines Cruzers, or Shortshots, when you get tired of your bike sounding like a sewing machine! And the insurance companies don't seem to mind... As for the paint on the tank, well you'll just have to have it resprayed somewhere. Thankfully it's black so you don't have to source the exact (expensive) Yamaha stock paint. As a stopgap you might even try a bit of hammerite on the bared spots. Won't look great, but better than it looks now! Welcome to the wonderful world of the dragstar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slice Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 Hi Looney, welcome to the YOC, that is a PROPER intro!! Seems you will fit right in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
looney tunes Posted June 26, 2013 Author Share Posted June 26, 2013 Thanks all for the replies, have sussed the panniers out and fitted them, what a horrible job. Will post photos later. The insurance company didn't like the cut down rear mudguard with after market back light and indicators or the exhaust modifications as they are home made ones, they were not too bothered about the handle bars but were concerned about who did the electrical modifications, it was just easier to put it back to standard. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy xs Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 Hi Looney welcome to the madhouse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator DirtyDT Posted June 26, 2013 Moderator Share Posted June 26, 2013 Hi and welcome to the forum. Good to see a good intro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhat250 Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 Welcome loon" whats it like to ride with ape hangers,, they look awfull, ? i"v seen bikes on the M.way with apes. is it comfy,?, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
looney tunes Posted June 27, 2013 Author Share Posted June 27, 2013 well here's the latest progress, not sure if I should be posting this in a different section. here's the side pannier support wasn't sure if it was supposed to be still fitted with the other frame work. a picture of the pannier from the front and from the back showing the fixing points I took the bags of off the framework as it made it easier to fit, it's at this point I found out that the rear indicators have to be moved to accommodate the panniers, fortunately the pannier manufactures also thought of that and included an indicator mount, so I lengthened the wiring (yes I did do it properly soldered the wire and heat shrink, none of this male-female clips malarkey) here's a couple of pictures of the panniers fitted. the observant amongst you will also notice I have fitted a luggage rack (well if was free and came with the bike so why not) also fitted some proper Dragstar mirrors. That's it for now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttaskmaster Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Looking good!! Still not a fan of apehangers, but to each his own. Nice to see you have the square mirrors, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
looney tunes Posted June 27, 2013 Author Share Posted June 27, 2013 I'm not too keen on the ape hangers either but have you seen the price of two new throttle cables, clutch cable and the brake line...... Here's a copy of an email from my local Yamaha dealer. Hi Tony, The cables are available from Yamaha within 3 working days and are priced as follows:- clutch cable - £16.63 inc vat throttle cable 1 - £31.97 inc vat throttle cable 2 - £30.74 inc vat The standard brake line is £148 Just don't have that sort of money at the moment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteffanV Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Great looking bike, welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttaskmaster Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Crimony, a braided brake line would cost about £20 to make!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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