"WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOUR MOTORCYCLE TODAY"

[motogrady]

Does look better.
And it looks like you got about 2 inches lower on seat height.
Good deal.


The breaker bar/pipe, ha, I feels ya.
I've got an old piece of 1 inch black pipe, hammered oval on one end, maybe 30inches long.  
Quite frequently, a life saver.  

[Fatfatboy]

After the shock swap I went to the seat fix.

Awhile back I bought a Lepera Solo Cobra seat. It was too thin and made the reach to the bars to far and stretch my left leg far enough that engaging the foot clutch took a bit more effort than I was comfortable with so I sold it and bought a Lebera Bare Bones Upfront seat which is pretty much the same as the Bare Bones seat only thicker on the upside of the seat to push you forward 2+".




It made for a comfortable backrest but put about an inch to far forward and at a weird angle so that I had to lift my leg to push the clutch in so a modification was needed.

I drilled about 40 of the 50 rivets out that hold the cover on, leaving about 10 of the front ones in place and peeled the cover off to expose most of the foam.

<nabble_img src="3.jpg" border="0


 After marking off what I thought needed to come off I got out the wife's best bread knife and cut away some of the foam. I tried using a non-serrated knife on a seat in the past. They don't work so good.

<nabble_img src="4.jpg" border="0"/>


Using a drywall edge shaver along with 80 grit and 200 grit sandpaper I was able to form the foam back to it's somewhat original shape.




After riveting the cover back on and putting the seat back on it feels like a perfect fit. I was afraid the cover would fit like socks on a rooster but I heated it up and stretched so there is no wrinkles in it,, as of yet.




I love spending time in the garage and getting things off my todo list. It's like a double wham-o.
Now if we could just get some decent weather I'd like to get out and try the mods.
Spring can't get here fast enough.

[Fatfatboy]

motogrady wrote

I've got an old piece of 1 inch black pipe, hammered oval on one end, maybe 30inches long.  
Quite frequently, a life saver.

 Black pipe would be a lot better. The pipe I have is a bit too thin and it bends under load loosing some of my clearance sometimes.

[Fatfatboy]

motogrady wrote

And it looks like you got about 2 inches lower on seat height.

 I think you are correct. I didn't measure before putting the bike on the lift and strapping it down. I measured after strapping it down and came up with 11" from the bottom of fender support and center of axle. After the swap that dimension was 9.5".

The shocks came without any instructions but the advertisement said a drop of 1-1/2". I think it could be more and I know that I could extend the adjusters at least another 1/4" but that would drop too far.

[oldironnow]

Even though I like 'air' over the rear tire, I agree this mod yields the better look.

Good work on the seat. And than ks for the phrase 'socks on a rooster.' Nice.

That threaded connection on the new shock worries me. It looks cross-threaded.

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[Fatfatboy]

oldironnow wrote

Even though I like 'air' over the rear tire, I agree this mod yields the better look.

That threaded connection on the new shock worries me. It looks cross-threaded.

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Like most uses of canvases, looks is all that matters. All practicality is gone.

Yeah, I too was concerned about the lean of that adjuster. Only one was like that. The threads looked good, threaded well and mounted with no issues. They are cheap Chinese made shocks. Longevity is questionable.

They are a trial pair. If I like the stance and don't butcher the bike too much I will spring for some Progressives in the future.

[Fatfatboy]

Today I upgraded the Beezer to a more modern rectifier/regulator from Podtronics.
Getting up to 14 volts now.

It replaces the zener that was upfront and still needs air flow but I didn’t want to add the three more wires it requires running from the front of the bike and to the rear so I drilled and tapped a couple holes in a frame cross member under the seat to mount it to.
I think it will still get enough air flow.  

[oldironnow]

But it's right above the oil tank.

[Fatfatboy]

oldironnow wrote

But it's right above the oil tank.

I’m hoping that enough air flows between the oil tank and rectifier that it stays cool enough. Once I get a chance to take her out for a ride I’m going to see how hot it is.

I can always move out front but I didn’t care for the look of it hanging there under the neck. Just didn’t look right and the add of more wires clutters up the minimalist of the bike.
Form before function.

If it runs to hot I’ll move it,, grudgingly.

[Allred]

I rode my bike each of the last three days, not far, about 80 miles each day, but it sure felt good to have the wind in my visor.

The bike has got dusty sitting in the garage, I kept forgetting to put the cover on it after wheeling it out just to start it one day several weeks ago, so I figured I'll check the tire pressures, check the oil, and go for some rides.

Temps are nearly perfect, around 70+ degrees, but a little too much wind, especially today. It was a north wind, and I initially headed south, which of course was fine, but coming home the wind was so strong it was uncomfortable at anything over 70mph. It sure is a great feeling and it does a body good!


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[Fatfatboy]

Good on you Allred. I’m jealous.
It jus now got good enough to get out. It was in the teens just a few days ago.
There is still some snow left in patches.

But you are correct. It does a body good.

[motogrady]

Man, that's a great lookin Nighthawk.

[oldironnow]

motogrady wrote

Man, that's a great lookin Nighthawk.

+1

[Allred]

May is the perfect time of the year here in Northern California for bike riding, so I dragged the Nighthawk out of the garage and went for a 100 mile ride on Saturday.

It was SOOOooo good, temps in the mid-80s to 90 and zero wind. A combination of twisty back roads and freeways.  And, I cannot praise these Michelin Commander II tires enough, they feel so sure, are so stable and predictable, I really like them, and being so limited in tire choices for the old school wheel sizes it is really nice that these tires are available.

I don't want to tempt the gods, but my Nighthawk runs the same these 37 years later as it did the day it was new. It starts first press of the button no matter how long it ends up sitting in the garage unused, it steers well, handles well, stops well and is a smooth riding and comfortable machine, and doesn't need any maintenance other than oil changes. (hydraulic tappets & shaft drive).

It felt so good that I did a similar ride on Sunday, there was a head wind heading out, so at least I enjoyed a tail wind heading home.

As the years go by I ride the Nighthawk less and less, and there have been many days I've thought about selling it, but every time I ride it I cannot think of a reason why.

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[oldironnow]

That's so awesome.

Can I have a little of your warm temps, please?

[m143]

I rode my S bike to work today.

Almost 80°.

[Fatfatboy]

oldironnow wrote

That's so awesome.

Can I have a little of your warm temps, please?

Ditto that from Doublefat. Our May has been cold and wet wet, wet. I think I’ve only rode to work a handful of times.
Wife and I rode together twice and got wet once. Crazy weather.

[oldironnow]

40K
Time for fresh fork oil.




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[Allred]

Gave the old Nighthawk a 3 hour wash and wax this morning. Not sure how it gets so dirty because I don't ride it that much, certainly not as often as I should, and it is parked under a flannel cotton cover most of the time,...........but it always comes up looking good after a bit of a clean.


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[oldironnow]

(my thoughts)

"That's sick...  That's totally amazing...  That's sick."

So much respect!