It's been a couple of months since my last post, but I really haven't been doing any modding on the bike. After spending the time it took to cut and re-shape the front fender, I decided I liked the looks of my Vstar better without it. I seem to have reached a point where most of my little tasks are complete. I only have a few things left I would like to do. One of them is to add a front wheel, which will take modifying the front forks, enabling me to add a Harley wheel. Most of the wheels I'm interested in are only manufactured for larger bikes, or a Harley. With a little work on the front forks, and machining a new axle, and spacers, I can fit one of several available styles on the 650 Vstar. After adding the black wheel cover on the rear, I would like to stay with black and chrome for the front wheel as well. Another item is paint. Though I plan on sticking with a gloss black base coat, and several layers of clear,there is a very unique coating I would like to add over the top. It's called HolaGrafix. It refracts sunlight, creating a rainbow effect over the black. I'm still debating on the different parts on the bike I would like to paint this way. If you're interested in the coating you can find it at DNA-Custom paints. When I finally get around to a paint job with it, I will certainly let everyone now how it turns out. There are a few other ideas I've been tossing around in my head as well, along the lines of a new rear fender and side plate. I'm not too sure of what I would like to do there. Never the less, I will need to make up my mind before the paint happens. Both the wheel and paint are costly projects, and being a family man, and a Dad, I have other finacial demands that require more attention than my mods. Don't give up on me though. I have high hopes that I can get the ball rolling again real soon. As alway....ride safe.

Front fender mod.

Well, I 'm back at it again. With my trusty Dremel in hand, I went to work on the front fender... finally. I taped the front and back off, made a few quick measurements, sketched out my idea on the fender, and started cutting. I know this look isn't for everyone, but it is growing on me. At first, I thought maybe it was a bit overboard. However, I think I'm staring to like it more everytime I look at it. I'm in the process of making new mounting brackets for it now. I'm lowering the fender around 1/2 inch. I will soon be needing to replace the tires, so I think the 1/2 inch lowered distance will accommodate the new rubber. At any rate, here are a few pictures of what I have so far. Keep in mind, the fender is simply resting on the tire, and not mounted yet. I have an aluminum shed that I do most of my work in, and we've been having thunderstorms everyday now for about a week. As you can imagine, this has delayed my progress immensely. I will post more, hopefully of the completed project, when mother nature allows. Until then...ride safe.

Leftovers

Though I wasn't going to spend anytime working on the bike this summer, it seems I just couldn't help myself. With the addition of all the new glossy parts I've recently added to the front of the bike, the flat black headlight seemed to stick out like a sore thumb. So, I decided with the leftover paint from my last little project, I would remedy that issue. I removed the headlight, and was in between painting coats of gloss black when I happened to spot a small sheet of 16 gauge steel tucked away in the corner of the shed. Again, another left over from a previous project. The wheels in my brain began to spin. I've been wanting to remove the turn signals from the fork tubes, but haven't thought of a plan... until now. Using the vice, and a few well place bends, I shaped a bracket that was about 1/2 inch wider than the base of the headlight. After a little more measuring, and while waiting around to add the clear coat to the headlight, I took a dremel tool and cut the piece down to the height and depth I needed. Now, I simply took the grinding wheel and shaped the ends round, drilled holes to match the lower mount on the headlight, as well as ones for the signals, and started painting away on it as well. I'm pleased with the end results. The headlight is now gloss black and the front forks look much cleaner with the addition of the new mounting bracket for the signals. So, even though I originally said I wasn't going to work on the bike, I'm really glad I did. Until next time...ride safe!

A Little Paint

I have not been doing a whole lot in the way of mods lately. I have finally decided to paint the speedometer housing black, to match everything else. I will probably remove it later and add a few more coats of clear, for that really deep shine I'm after. I have a few things I'm thinking about, but nothing major. From the begining to now, I've progressively become more engrossed with modifying and changing the looks of my bike, and though I still have several things I'm going to do, I will probably take the summer off to simply ride. I have enjoyed searching out and finding all of the parts, as well as watching my bike take on a different personality. So, taking the summer off will be new, and a bit of an adjustment for me. If anyone needs help finding a particular part, please let me know. I'll be happy to pitch in on the search. One last thing before I go, If you happen to be traveling through South Georgia, keep your eyes peeled for me. I'll be out there, and would love to meet some of you. Until then, Ride safe.

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....

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...

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...

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.

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.

I started this blog to tell you of all the parts I've found along with their price, as well as, what my experience was like using different vendors around the internet. I feel it necessary to share with you my on going transaction with Scootworks. Though I'm confident I will eventually receive my purchase, and it will be of good quality, I'm more than a little disappointed with the current situation. I've just received yet another email stating that they are finishing up with my order and, it should ship out by the end of this week. The order was placed, and paid for almost a month ago. Initially, I received the standard email verifying my order. The following day I was contacted, and it was explained there would be a delay but my package would be shipped aound the middle of the following week. This is where I feel there was a communication breakdown. A simple explanation that the delay would be closer to a month instead of a couple of days would have been appreciated. This would have opened up the option, for me the customer, to have received the needed parts sooner, even if it was from a competitor. This simple act would have insured that Scootworks maintained an outstanding business repertoire with it's customer. As it is, my bike is sitting in pieces waiting on parts that have not shipped yet. This would not be an issue if I would have been more informed about the legitimate ETA of my order. So, as you've probably figured out by now, I'm currently at a stand still, awaiting parts to ship "by the end of this week" as I did the week before, and the week before that. I will let you know more later as things continue to develop. Ride safe...

I'm back with a few more parts toward the expected mods in the future of my bike. The triple trees have arrived. They came with spacers and a new axle due to the extra width of this particular set of trees. I believe they will also be slightly taller than the stock trees meaning, the previously mentioned tube covers might not work. Another concern I have is that the axle nut looks considerably larger than the one currently on the bike. If so, I'm not sure the fork bullets will fit either. I'm hoping for the best. I plan to have the triple trees powdercoated gloss black. Once this is done, I will begin to assemble the front end, and take a look at the tube covers, and fork bullets, to see what can be done to make them work. Another stroke of seemingly bad luck hit concerning the wheel cover, and fork extensions. I decided to order these items from Scootworks due to my previous experience with them. I received a polite email stating there would be a delay and, I could expect shipping to resume during the middle of the next week. Well, one week turned into two so, I sent them an email questioning the whereabouts of my order. Again, a very pleasant reply stating it should be shipped within the next day or, perhaps the beginning of the following week. That following week is now upon us and, no confirmation of shipping yet. I will give it another day or so and check back in. Hopefully, this will be resolved soon. In the meantime, I've started disassembly of the rear end, as well as, a little sanding and painting. I've discoverd Rustoleum black primer, with a few layers of clearcoat, looks very similar to the powdercoated parts I already have. This will be the route I take for the parts I intend to paint. I'd like to keep the glossblack parts all similar in color. I have already changed the mirrors from flat to gloss. I'm currently working on the rear drum. I will update later and let you know how things go with the Scootworks order. Ride safe.....