Going Naked over winter

[shaggystyle]

Ok, some of you may or may not remember that I had a run-in with bambi (oh deer) way the hell back in May. The damage wasn't very serious and I wasn't in any hurry to replace the headlight or fairing, didn't want to stop riding long enough to fix it. So now that it's starting to cool down I'm putting together a shopping list for all of my winter projects. Although it wasn't initially my plan, I'm considering going naked.

What do you guys think of this headlight? 7" Single Headlight Kits B/O untill 7/01/07 please check back
Any comments on the company, Aztec8 (anyone use them before)?

Also, what options are there for a prefab'd mounting kit for the instrument cluster? It seems like everyone who's gone naked had to build a custom setup.

[Wavex]

Can`t really see the headlight there on that pic... got any better ones? I wouldn`t buy based on that link...

the gauge, you can use some simple clamps and mount them on your handlebar... or you can fab up a little bracket using some sheet metal, and tap your top triple for mounting holes...

Let us know how the project progresses!

[shaggystyle]

oh, well, um.....I already bought it.....and mounted it. Decided not to wait for winter, was a bit too anxious to get started.

Actually I'm really happy with the headlight and would recommend it to anyone else considering going naked. Super bright. One thing that don't mention on the website and you can't really tell form any of the pics is that it also has a small amber lamp inside that I wired up as an always-on running lap. It's a nice accent I think. I got the LED signals with it, that are also pretty badass. The only thing I find kind of sketchy, is that the fork clamps are some kind of plastic or resin material, not metal. They seem sturdy enough, so I'm not too worried about it. I was just expecting metal, oh well.

As for the guage, I picked up a simple metal bracket for mounting the gauges from the same place I got the headlight. I'll need to drill mounting holes for it but it should work out pretty well.

I also bought a set of mirrors form FlyNCycle.com (link on one of your posts). Haven't mounted those yet, ran out of daylight this afternoon. I'll add some more pics when I get those done.

Thanks for the reply man.

[Wavex]

Awesome! That`s going to look great after you clean it all up!

Have you considered a flyscreen? I think it would help you cover up the wire harness, gauge, horn etc... and would look badass with that headlight... something like a Buell XB flyscreen Kryptronic Hybrid X Core (KHXC): Script Execution Error would work great imo!

Anyway, keep us posted man, good job

[shaggystyle]

It's not even winter yet and I'm already done.

This really was an amazingly simple conversion. I don't know why, but for some reason I thought it would be a lot more difficult than it was. I only put about 5 hours of work into it. Mostly working in 1 hour stints at night after work. Easily could have done the whole thing in one afternoon if I'd had the time.

I'm very happy with results. Bike is clean looking and the new headlight is unbelievably bright. The new mirrors actually have good coverage, I think I have a better rearview than I did with the stocks. The turn signals in the mirrors are a nice touch, but they aren't that bright. The LEDs next to the headlight are wonderful though. I need to get a matching set and a FE (I know, I know....way behind on that one) to put on the rear. All told, I removed about 15-18 pounds from the front end, but it feels much lighter. The wheel wants to lift with much less throttle, at least if feels that way to me. There is a drastic increase in wind resistance (especially in my bulky winter suit) at speeds over 70mph, but I'm getting used to it. I'm still getting used to all that plastic being gone, the bike just feels smaller(???) without it.

Anyways, here are the pics....

Before - this is a pretty old pic, notice the stock seat (pre-shagification):


After:


Other Angles:

[MarinaFazer]

COOL MIRRORS! Can you post more info on those and the How-To?

How do you like them compared to the stock ones on the fairing? I'm taking mine off this week for the track and want to see how they stack up...If you had those current mirrors on, would they hit the fairing and windshield?

[shaggystyle]

Mirrors came from here. I found them through this post by WaveX (Links to FZ6N mods!) (Who , btw!). My only comment on them, is that they aren't really bright enough to function as stand alone signals. That's just a personal comfort level thing, others may be ok with them.

As far as a How-To, I'm not going to bother. It's been done before and better by others who did a lot more than I. The most difficult part is rewiring the stock harness to the new lights, and that isn't very hard. Just search the forum for the service manual, it has a great color coded wiring diagram. Other than that it's a simple matter of turning screws, tightening bolts and zip-tying cables/wires out of the way.

[reiobard]

nice setup, i am not sure if the light is my cup of tea, but you have done a nice and clean install. i am also impressed with the mirrors, dd they mount to the stock points?

[Wavex]

Nice Job Shaggy, it looks clean indeed!