Reincarnation - SHE'S BACK!!!!!!!
07-06-2006, 07:45 PM
#1
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Reincarnation - SHE'S BACK!!!!!!!
After some time, the ole' Superchicken is back again. Some history: Bought the '02 RC51 and my wife wanted an SV650. I let her ride the Superhawk instead and saved myself $4k. She wrecked it a couple times. I took her to the track a time or two but when I traded my RC for the 1000RR in '04 I sold the race plastics to a buddy of mine to buy plastics for the 1000RR. In '05, I bought my wife the 600RR and since summer of '04 the VTR has sat in the garage gathering dust. I would start her every once in a while just to keep the carbs clean but the battery was going away (original battery, BTW!) so it was mildly inconvenient.
So when I moved up here to NY, I set my mind to getting her back on the road. EmpireGP is a company that repairs and repaints motorcycle bodywork, and they are about 3 hours from where I live. So one day I took a road trip to see what kind of work they do and to decide on a color scheme. $650 later I have new plastics!
I also ordered some new parts. The Vortex rear sprocket was a POS after 5k miles or so and I ordered an Afam. My brother owns NoMar Enterprises, maker of scratch-proof motorcycle tire changers and he does a lot of work with powder coaters, so I sent my wheels to him and had them recoated satin black. New signals in the front and rear, a new windscreen, and a new front CF fender were bought. New mirrors and headlight, both from members of this forum, and a new set of Qualifiers round it all out. Most of these parts had been laying around the garage for over a year waiting for me to get off my ***. Oh, did I mention a LOT of cleaning?!?!?
Here's some pics of the bike, from naked to now, along with pics of the mix-n-match plastics I had:
THIS THREAD IS UPDATED WITH SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT PICS DUE TO THEIR LOSS FROM A SERVER CRASH.
So when I moved up here to NY, I set my mind to getting her back on the road. EmpireGP is a company that repairs and repaints motorcycle bodywork, and they are about 3 hours from where I live. So one day I took a road trip to see what kind of work they do and to decide on a color scheme. $650 later I have new plastics!
I also ordered some new parts. The Vortex rear sprocket was a POS after 5k miles or so and I ordered an Afam. My brother owns NoMar Enterprises, maker of scratch-proof motorcycle tire changers and he does a lot of work with powder coaters, so I sent my wheels to him and had them recoated satin black. New signals in the front and rear, a new windscreen, and a new front CF fender were bought. New mirrors and headlight, both from members of this forum, and a new set of Qualifiers round it all out. Most of these parts had been laying around the garage for over a year waiting for me to get off my ***. Oh, did I mention a LOT of cleaning?!?!?
Here's some pics of the bike, from naked to now, along with pics of the mix-n-match plastics I had:
THIS THREAD IS UPDATED WITH SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT PICS DUE TO THEIR LOSS FROM A SERVER CRASH.
07-06-2006, 07:48 PM
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More before pics...
And also how she looks now! I will take more pics at a local dam with the lake and mountains in the background. We'll see about getting some sunset in there too!
I'm SOOOooo happy to have the old girl back! You guys just have no idea.
And also how she looks now! I will take more pics at a local dam with the lake and mountains in the background. We'll see about getting some sunset in there too!
I'm SOOOooo happy to have the old girl back! You guys just have no idea.
07-06-2006, 07:57 PM
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Oops, also forgot about the frame sliders and I bought some white wheel stripes off ebay but I can't seem to find them anywhere. I think my wife threw them away.
The exhaust is still in process. The left side Hindle is dented and scratched. I am trying for a 2-1 using a Moriwaki Ti can I have but have been unable to establish any contact with the company after several tries. I need to get a midpipe, hanger, and springs for the right side. I have an extra set of headers so when the cut and patch job is done I will have the headers ceramic coated - probably silver to match the frame. I really want a high mount.
A little about the paint: It's PPG pearl white front fairings, and tail is pearl black with the same pearl white number plate. The chin fairing is the same black but with extra hardener and an extra coat for durabilty. EmpireGP did a really nice job. It needs just a tad bit more buffing but it's almost show quality. Superhawk and Honda decals are from Tapeworks. The Honda wing on the tank is cleared over, the others were after the fact.
The exhaust is still in process. The left side Hindle is dented and scratched. I am trying for a 2-1 using a Moriwaki Ti can I have but have been unable to establish any contact with the company after several tries. I need to get a midpipe, hanger, and springs for the right side. I have an extra set of headers so when the cut and patch job is done I will have the headers ceramic coated - probably silver to match the frame. I really want a high mount.
A little about the paint: It's PPG pearl white front fairings, and tail is pearl black with the same pearl white number plate. The chin fairing is the same black but with extra hardener and an extra coat for durabilty. EmpireGP did a really nice job. It needs just a tad bit more buffing but it's almost show quality. Superhawk and Honda decals are from Tapeworks. The Honda wing on the tank is cleared over, the others were after the fact.
07-06-2006, 10:19 PM
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Originally Posted by Hawkrider
More before pics...
And also how she looks now! I will take more pics at a local dam with the lake and mountains in the background. We'll see about getting some sunset in there too!
I'm SOOOooo happy to have the old girl back! You guys just have no idea.
And also how she looks now! I will take more pics at a local dam with the lake and mountains in the background. We'll see about getting some sunset in there too!
I'm SOOOooo happy to have the old girl back! You guys just have no idea.
07-07-2006, 06:56 AM
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Yeah, I've always liked white on a bike, especially one that's half-faired. My first car was white. Had a '99 VW GTI that was white and my Silverado was white as well. It's easy to clean and doesn't show fine scratches. I always liked the look of the older white VFRs too. Those are sharp. The color is pretty close to the pearl white they use on the '06 Interceptor too. Thanks for the compliments guys.
I just called Geico and added the bike to the policy. $157/yr full coverage!!!! Woohoo! Now to go get some plates.........
I just called Geico and added the bike to the policy. $157/yr full coverage!!!! Woohoo! Now to go get some plates.........
07-07-2006, 07:18 AM
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$157/year for full coverage is a great price! I have 2 bikes with Geico, the SH and my '96 Suzuki DR200SE dual sport and they rape me pretty well even though I have a clean record, 36 y/o but single. received a quote from dairyland (my company before the SH and the $1500 they wanted - Geico was a lot better) for under $450 or so. New York always seems to have higher rates to begin with.
Originally Posted by Hawkrider
Yeah, I've always liked white on a bike, especially one that's half-faired. My first car was white. Had a '99 VW GTI that was white and my Silverado was white as well. It's easy to clean and doesn't show fine scratches. I always liked the look of the older white VFRs too. Those are sharp. The color is pretty close to the pearl white they use on the '06 Interceptor too. Thanks for the compliments guys.
I just called Geico and added the bike to the policy. $157/yr full coverage!!!! Woohoo! Now to go get some plates.........
I just called Geico and added the bike to the policy. $157/yr full coverage!!!! Woohoo! Now to go get some plates.........
07-07-2006, 01:47 PM
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Originally Posted by bkelsey
Beautiful.
My 90VFR is sitting in my basement with 70K miles of plastic abuse. I've always wanted to paint it refrigerator white like the 93 model. This may clinch it. How was Empire to deal with?
My 90VFR is sitting in my basement with 70K miles of plastic abuse. I've always wanted to paint it refrigerator white like the 93 model. This may clinch it. How was Empire to deal with?
Empire was great! The owner is super nice and everyone who works there rides. I dropped off the plastics and his son, who happens to live about 20 miles from me, delivered the bodywork and collected the funds. EmpireGP only takes cash, check, or money order, BTW - no credit cards.
Went for a ride this afternoon. Got plates and hit a couple twisties afterwards. Now I remember why I never got rid of this bike. It's awesome in the twisties! I felt more comfortable after 2 hours of riding her (again) than I do on my RR. Granted, I've ridden almost 40K miles on the VTR. I'm still working on the RR setup too, but still, there's nothing like the Superhawk!
Discovered a warped left front rotor. I had an extra set and luckily it is straight as an arrow. I stole a Galfer rear wave rotor off ebay a couple weeks ago and found out it's also bent. I was hoping it would've been a buildup of new powdercoat on the seating surface, but even after cleaning it up it's still not straight. Since it's not floating I may take the ford wrench to it and straighten it out.
That's all for now folks. I'll be taking more pics this evening down by the lake.
07-07-2006, 04:41 PM
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Originally Posted by RickB
$157/year for full coverage is a great price! I have 2 bikes with Geico, the SH and my '96 Suzuki DR200SE dual sport and they rape me pretty well even though I have a clean record, 36 y/o but single. received a quote from dairyland (my company before the SH and the $1500 they wanted - Geico was a lot better) for under $450 or so. New York always seems to have higher rates to begin with.
07-07-2006, 09:17 PM
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Isn't that purty. I was up at Candlewood lake with boat I borrowed from a friend this holiday weekend. Where 'upstate' are you? A friend of mine keeps telling me we need to go ride upstate or in Westchester somewhere but I've yet to find time.
07-07-2006, 10:18 PM
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Originally Posted by superhawk22
Looks good! How do you like that tank bag?
http://www.luggagelocker.com/motorcycle-luggage.htm
Originally Posted by MisterMohawk
Isn't that purty. I was up at Candlewood lake with boat I borrowed from a friend this holiday weekend. Where 'upstate' are you? A friend of mine keeps telling me we need to go ride upstate or in Westchester somewhere but I've yet to find time.
07-08-2006, 12:52 AM
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Originally Posted by MisterMohawk
Isn't that purty. I was up at Candlewood lake with boat I borrowed from a friend this holiday weekend. Where 'upstate' are you? A friend of mine keeps telling me we need to go ride upstate or in Westchester somewhere but I've yet to find time.
08-09-2006, 01:12 PM
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Yeah, it's kinda like going back to an old girlfriend, and then realizing what you missed about her. Yeah, her looks have changed a little. I have since added white rim stripes and it looks different. I have some fork lowers and some other stuff I'm going to have powdercoated black this fall - when it gets too cold to ride. I'm going to revalve the forks for a little more compression damping and also have the single sided exhaust project in the works. I *might* end up doing a front end swap, but since I've got so much into the stock forks already I think it would be taking three steps back while taking one step "forkward".
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