Saturday, March 20, 2010

VStar Triple Trees




I finally have the new tripletrees from http://www.bikercom.com/ installed. I'm really happy with how this turned out. There will be an adjustment period though, due to the extra length and rake. The price for the triple trees was 415$ plus the additional shipping, as well as powdercoating. This mod was bit time consuming, and you will need an extra set of hands to help hold and line everything up. Overall though, it's not too difficult, and certainly not as much as I previously anticipated. I'm currently trying to decide if I should run fenderless on the front, cut and reshape it, or simply re-install it as is. I will likewise need to re-install the mirrors but, that's not going to take long. Here is a picture of the new, much improved, stance. After I make a decision about the front fender, I'll be back with more pictures. Until then, ride safe....

Monday, March 15, 2010

Half way there!




Well, I've completed half of my project. The painted rear drum and final drive are all shined up and, I've installed both the rear wheel cover, as well as, the driveshaft cover. The back of the bike is completely black with the exception of a few bolts here and there and, the chrome ring I left exposed as an accent around the inside of the tire. I'm extemely pleased with how things turned out. I will hopefully be able to start the frontend by the end of the week. I've tossed in a few pictures of how it looks now but, will post more when everything is finished. Until then,ride safe...

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Finally











After 6 weeks, I have received the last of my order from Scootworks and, the wheel cover, as well as, the triple trees are back from the powdercoat guy. There was a slight bump in the road concerning the installation of the wheel cover. Apparently the little ziplock bag with the hardware, wasn't sealed well and some was lost in shipping. Fortunatly, I was able to locate a local store that carried the matching chrome bolts and spacers needed. I have the wheel cover installed on the wheel however, need to have it balanced before re-installing it on the bike. After this is done, I will start on the front end. I plan to take a nice long ride beforehand though, due to my extended down time during the Scootworks episode. I've included a couple of shots of what I have so far. BTW, I still have no explanation from Scootworks concerning this order.I'm just glad to have what I paid for. After this experience, I will certainly use more caution, and research the vender completely before ordering. Ride safe...

Monday, March 8, 2010

Scootworks update

I have received a partial order. The wheel cover was shipped however, the tube extensions were not included. I'm assuming they are still being made.During my email contact, I was assured on two occasions a week apart that ,"the guys are finishing them now". We are closing in on the sixth week now. I finally made contact with them by acting as though I was a new customer wanting to place a phone order. Otherwise, calling them or sending an email received no response. I wished I had an answer or, a reason for all the trouble. As I've mentioned before, I considered Scootworks to be one of the better internet companies for motorcycle parts. Hopefully, when this is all over with, some sort of explanation will be offered that will help restore my faith in their business practices.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

No parts yet!!!

Well, I'm back with more bad news. It has now been another week gone by and, no shipment from Scootworks yet. My bike is still sitting in pieces. What makes it worse is that now, I can't get a response through email or phone call. They received payment a month ago, and without contact, I can't even try to cancel the order. Up to this point, I felt confident in using Scootworks for my motorcycle needs, and would have recommended them to others. I'm not sure what happened, a change of ownership perhaps.They have lost my business and, I will certainly warn others when ordering from them. I have a few other places in mind I can order the parts from but hesitate, due to my payment to Scootworks being in limbo. If I can't get a return then I will just be stuck waiting on them to drag around until they finally decide to send my order. I will update more later, ride safe.