More Streetfighters At Motorcycle Live 2010

Here we go, more eye candy for fighter fans 😀

I Have A Big Lump In My Throat Tonight :-(

My BabyBlade has been on Ebay as she is up for sale and the auction ends tonight 😦

She has hit the reserve I set and pretty soon she will be going on to her new owner.. I feel quite sad about it really, she’s been a bloody brilliant little bike but after riding the Fireblade she was just way too small.

If I’m like this tonight, what on earth am I going to be like the day she actually goes 😦

My BabyBlade

Lowering The Ride Height On A CBR900 Fireblade

As previously reported I had my first ride out on my Fireblade but there was one small problem :-0  I was on tiptoes on a flat surface and when pulling up at some traffic lights my foot was flailing around trying to find the ground before me and my new bike fell over in a rather undiginfied heap 😦

This photo illustrates how much of my foot touched the floor with the bike as standard

On my ride home I was wondering how I could lower the ride height, but without physically lowering the whole machine, as I knew that growing longer legs overnight wasn’t really an option 😉  but I still needed to get my bum closer to the floor..

And then I had a brainwave 🙂

In the garage we had a spare seat from another Blade which wasn’t needed anymore, so as soon as I was home I was set up on my dining room table with the sharpest knives from my kitchen and the spare seat.   I was going to reshape the seat and carve some of the height out of it.

I very quickly removed the cover from the seat and soon had the sections of foam I needed to remove marked out

Sections of foam to be removed marked up

I then started carefully carving the foam away in strips

Shaving off the slices

This is the seat with most of the surplus foam shaved off..

Basics almost done

Now it’s time to tidy things up a little.. So with VERY careful knife cuts I trimmed and neatened the foam so that it was as smooth as possible.  This was the end result 🙂

All neatened up

The finished foam

This photo shows the seat as it was on the bike

This photo shows the stock seat height

and this one shows the seat once I had carved some of the foam out..

The new seat height

The next thing to do was to receover the seat so I don’t get a soggy bottom if it rains 😉

I tried fitting the original seat cover but it was designed to go on a flat seat and I couldn’t get it to fit properly round the new curves so a trip to my local haberdashery shop was called for.   70cm of vinyl fabric (£7.00) later and after digging my staple gun out of the shed I was ready to go 🙂

Fitting the vinyl was a bit of a barsteward as it’s quite stiff to begin with but as you start working it, it starts to soften up and give a little.  I also fitted it on the bias so that would also help the fabric stretch into the curves better.  A short time (and quite a bit of swearing) later I was done 🙂 and the newly covered seat was ready to be fitted to my bike 🙂

And this is what it looks like 🙂

My newly reshaped and recovered seat on my bike

The end result… This is how much of my foot I can get on the floor now 🙂

The end result 🙂

Once I was sat on my bike on Sunday it felt soooo much better and I’m sure it will make all the difference to my confidance riding the Blade.  I’m pretty much flat footed on the left side and even though it was a bit of a hassle doing it, it was well worth it to me 🙂

I’m not kidding when I say that pretty much anyone could do this to a bike seat, you just have to be careful and take your time ESPECIALLY when cutting into the foam.  If you don’t want to mess up the seat on your bike you could always buy a second one cheaply from somewhere like ebay and then modify it.  It’s definately going to be cheaper and easier than physically lowering a bike.

If anyone reading this needs any further advice, just drop me a message and I’ll do my best to help 🙂

Intuitive Race Products On Closeout At New Enough

Due to availability issues New Enough are now offering the following Intuitive Racing Products on closeout.

Don’t delay when they are gone, they’re gone!!

Just click on the links in the bike models to be taken to New Enough’s Website.

Bar End Sliders for the following models

CNC machined

IRP’s own ultra hard plastic offers the perfect balance of strength and flexibility

Sliders are rigid mounted using high tensile strength fasteners (bolts)

All necessary hardware for installation included

Available in Black only

Honda  CBR600 07/08 & CBR1000 08/09 ,
Kawasaki ZX6R – 07/08, ZX14 – 06/09, Ninja 650R – 07/08, ZX6R – 09
Suzuki GSXR600/750 – 06/09, GSXR1000 – 05/09
Yamaha R6S – 06-09, R6 – 06-09, R1 – 07-08

Frame Sliders For the following models

CNC machined

IRP’s own ultra hard plastic offers the perfect balance of strength and flexibility

Sliders are rigid mounted to the frame or engine mounts using high tensile strength fasteners (bolts)

All necessary hardware for installation included

Available in Black only

Honda CBR600 – 07/08, CBR1000RR – 08/09
Kawasaki ZX6R – 07/08, ZX6R – 09, ZX10R – 08/09, ZX14 – 06/09, Ninja 250R – 08/09
Suzuki GSXR 600/750 – 08/09, GSXR1000 – 05/06, GSXR1000 – 07/08, Hayabusa – 08/09
Triumph Daytona 675 – 07/08
Yamaha R6S – 06/07, R6 – 06/07, R6 – 08/09, FZ6 – 04/08, R1 – 07/08

Spool Sliders for the following models

IRP’s own ultra hard plastic will not shatter or chip like Delrin

Dual purpose spool and slider minimizes damage to the swing arm, and axle nut or bolt

V-groove design for aligning rear stand

Highest grade steel bolts

All necessary hardware for installation included

Sold as a pair

Available in Black only

Honda CBR600RR – 07/08, CBR1000RR – 08/09
Kawasaki ZX6R – 07/08, ZX14 – 06/09, ZX10R 08/09, Ninja 250R – 08/09, Ninja 650R – 07-08
Suzuki GSXR600/750 – 06/09, GSXR1000 – 05/09, Hayabusa – 08/09
Truimph Daytona 675 – 07/08
Yamaha R6S – 06/09, R6 – 06/09, FZ6 – 04/08, FZ1 – 06/08, R1 – 07/09

March Madness On Motorbike Parts

Moto-Racing.co.uk are offering 5% off all orders placed between Sunday 1st March and Midnight on the 31st March 2009.

All you have to do is enter the discount code ‘Mad March Sale’ at the checkout on their site and an automatic 5% will be taken off your order.

So if you need parts for any of the following models of bikes, click the image above or below to be taken to their site to check out their prices!

Honda
CBR600F / CBR600RR / CBR900RR / CBR1000RR
Kawasaki
ZX6R / ZX6RR / ZX9R / ZX10R
Suzuki
GSXR600 / GSXR750 / GSXR1000
Triumph
Daytona 675
Yamaha
YZF R6 / YZF R1

The sort of things they can supply include the following

Bodywork – Replica Decals, Fuel Caps, Screens.

Brakes – Pads, Discs, Lines, Calipers, Master cylinders, Caliper spacer kits, and fittings.

Chains & Sprockets – Cahins, Special race chains, spare chain links, Sprockets, Race sprockets, Sprockets for aftermarket wheels, Blank & custom sprockets, Final drive kits.

Crash Protection – Frame sliders, Engine casings.

Exhausts – Road legal silencers & exhaust systems, Race silencers & exhaust systems.

Filters – Oil filters, Air Filters

Frame & Controls – Rear sets, Pegs & pedals, Clip ons, Race grips, Brake/Clutch levers, Subframes

Fueling & Ignition – Power commanders, Jets kits, Spark plugs

Handling & Suspension – Steering dampers, Rear shocks, Forks & springs

Transmission – Clutches

Lubes & Cleaners –  Oils,  Engine oils, Suspension oils: General – Brake fluids, Chain lubes, General maintenence products

Pit & Paddock – Paddock stands, Tyre warmers, Equipment & tools

Accessories – Tax disc holders, Tank protectors, Clean & polish, Keyrings, Tyre gauges, Road maps, Clothing, Knee sliders