Check out this bike. It certainly doesn’t look like it needs too much work but artsy pictures on Craigslist can be pretty deceiving. I picked this bike up earlier tonight for a pretty good deal considering its year and mileage. The previous owner seemed like a pretty nice guy, but it looks like he dropped the bike numerous times… on both sides… while moving and not moving. Will this thing be more fun than a Honda S2000 or a BMW M3? Hopefully!

It also has a couple of modifications that I am going to have to remove before this bike can see any track or canyon duty. The bike has a drop of 1.5 to 2.0 inches in both the front and rear; the front was lowered by moving the forks up higher in the triple tree and the back is rocking an aftermarket lowering link from Vortex. It also has a severely shaved seat that feels like I am sitting on a very rigid head of broccoli (that is absolutely the best way I can describe it). Blue/purplish HID lights have also replaced the stock headlights; the HID unit on the low beam is pretty questionable as it turns on when it feels like it. Instead of replacing them with other HID kits, I’m going to just use some stock halogen bulbs in order to do my duty as a motorist and NOT blind every car that is driving in front of me.

Another “casualty” of the lowering frenzy is the kickstand – the same shop that raised the forks and installed the lowering link decided that a shorter kickstand was not necessary. They cut an inch out of the kickstand and then JB welded the now shorty kickstand back together. I’ve had numerous experiences with JB weld in the past and none of them have ended well; today was certainly  not an exception. As I lifted the bike onto the kickstand and rotated it around like I’ve done hundreds of times in the past with other bikes, the JB welded kickstand gave away and snapped in half where it was cut. Thankfully I caught the bike and no more scratches were added tonight.

First Drive Impressions:

This thing has a fantastically peaky motor! With a redline at 17,500 (minus 10%) it only wakes up after 9000 RPM or so. After crossing into the powerband, the front end lifts up easily in first gear and gets very light in second and third. Like I said before, handling has been compromised severely and it pretty much takes an eternity to turn in; manuvering in parking lots & making u-turns is also a lot tougher compared to a stock height sportbike.

I’ve already ordered a couple of parts that should arrive before this weekend, my goal is to restore the razor sharp handling that a modern day supersport 600 should have. Stay tuned for updates on my newest project bike!