scooter72's 1998 VTR build--The urban street brawler
06-06-2014, 07:22 AM
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scooter72's 1998 VTR build--The urban street brawler
Hey guys,
I bought my Firestorm about 4 years ago, and when I picked it up it was pretty much stock except for some Yoshi slipons ,K&N filter and a aftermarket screen. I always like how the bike pulled like a tractor in every gear, but it definitely had its shortcomings. Having owned nothing but supersport 600's prior to it, I really loved having torque to use and since I don't have a track or decent roads where I live, I thought that it would make a great candidate for a naked bike build.
I never liked how a lot of bikes converted to naked always seemed to looked like they were crashed and cobbled back together, so I wanted to do something that looked classy, but still had some attitude to it. SO with that idea, I started to strip the bike down, sell off the fairings and such and collect parts with the intention of building the bike I imagined.
Unfortunately for my poor VTR, life happened. I had kids, built a house and it got delegated to the back corner of my shop, partially in pieces and covered in boxes of parts that were intended to go on it. I swear I could hear it crying on a quiet night. I really wanted to do something with it, but never could dedicate the time to make it happen.
Luckily for my bike, that time finally came...I spent many late nights in the shop, cursed a lot, and consumed many frosty lager beverages to make my vision come to life. When the smoke cleared, I took a step back and realized that I had just what I wanted...a bike that was comfortable, looking tough but still had a little bit of class. This is just the beginning, as I think I have contracted some OCMD now, so it will only change and improve from here on in.
So, here's a list of all the mods and upgrades that consumed the past 3 weeks of my evenings....
-Hybrid 1998 VTR/2008 CBR1000rr triple trees
-Modded billet 2008 CBR1000rr upper triple tree for dirt bike bars
-2008 CBR1000rr front forks, wheel, brake system, and fender
-Protaper risers and Renthal fatbars and grips
-Russell braided steel brake and clutch lines
-Bar end mirrors
-ASV F3 shorty brake and clutch levers
-Smoked Buell turn signals front and rear
-Custom headlight mount
-blacked out 7inch headlight w/silverstar ultra bulb and custom high power relay system
-Forward wiring harness cleaned up and shortened
-Blacked out and relocated rads w/Engine Ice coolant(don't worry...I only LIGHTLY painted the cores!)
-CBR600rr cluster(not installed yet, still waiting for parts to finish up)
-modified stock CCT housings converted to manual adjustment
-Carbs cleaned and sync'd, #48 pilots installed and TPS reset, new stock filter installed and throttle cables rerouted
-PAIR system delete
-Relocated license plate mount and seat release with fender delete
-LED taillight mod
-Competition Werks GP foot pegs
-15/43 gearing with DID x-ring chain
-Shortened Yoshi cans by 7 inches
That pretty much does it for mods to the bike, and while it was all apart I painted the frame, subframe, swingarm, rearsets and passenger pegs with satin black boxliner coating, I plan on powdercoating all of it this winter, just wanted to get a feel for the look and wanted something somewhat durable. The last pieces were the stock chin fairing and front fender, which received a "not quite color matching" of the stock red. So, heres some pics, feel free to let me know what you guys think of the finished product, comments and suggestions are appreciated!
Don't laugh at my "ghetto" hold down, I needed something to work so I could pick up the back to remove the swingarm.....it worked quite well actually
. Looking forward to taking out for a ride and see what its like, still need to sort out the rear suspension...time for a F4i shock I think!
I bought my Firestorm about 4 years ago, and when I picked it up it was pretty much stock except for some Yoshi slipons ,K&N filter and a aftermarket screen. I always like how the bike pulled like a tractor in every gear, but it definitely had its shortcomings. Having owned nothing but supersport 600's prior to it, I really loved having torque to use and since I don't have a track or decent roads where I live, I thought that it would make a great candidate for a naked bike build.
I never liked how a lot of bikes converted to naked always seemed to looked like they were crashed and cobbled back together, so I wanted to do something that looked classy, but still had some attitude to it. SO with that idea, I started to strip the bike down, sell off the fairings and such and collect parts with the intention of building the bike I imagined.
Unfortunately for my poor VTR, life happened. I had kids, built a house and it got delegated to the back corner of my shop, partially in pieces and covered in boxes of parts that were intended to go on it. I swear I could hear it crying on a quiet night. I really wanted to do something with it, but never could dedicate the time to make it happen.
Luckily for my bike, that time finally came...I spent many late nights in the shop, cursed a lot, and consumed many frosty lager beverages to make my vision come to life. When the smoke cleared, I took a step back and realized that I had just what I wanted...a bike that was comfortable, looking tough but still had a little bit of class. This is just the beginning, as I think I have contracted some OCMD now, so it will only change and improve from here on in.
So, here's a list of all the mods and upgrades that consumed the past 3 weeks of my evenings....
-Hybrid 1998 VTR/2008 CBR1000rr triple trees
-Modded billet 2008 CBR1000rr upper triple tree for dirt bike bars
-2008 CBR1000rr front forks, wheel, brake system, and fender
-Protaper risers and Renthal fatbars and grips
-Russell braided steel brake and clutch lines
-Bar end mirrors
-ASV F3 shorty brake and clutch levers
-Smoked Buell turn signals front and rear
-Custom headlight mount
-blacked out 7inch headlight w/silverstar ultra bulb and custom high power relay system
-Forward wiring harness cleaned up and shortened
-Blacked out and relocated rads w/Engine Ice coolant(don't worry...I only LIGHTLY painted the cores!)
-CBR600rr cluster(not installed yet, still waiting for parts to finish up)
-modified stock CCT housings converted to manual adjustment
-Carbs cleaned and sync'd, #48 pilots installed and TPS reset, new stock filter installed and throttle cables rerouted
-PAIR system delete
-Relocated license plate mount and seat release with fender delete
-LED taillight mod
-Competition Werks GP foot pegs
-15/43 gearing with DID x-ring chain
-Shortened Yoshi cans by 7 inches
That pretty much does it for mods to the bike, and while it was all apart I painted the frame, subframe, swingarm, rearsets and passenger pegs with satin black boxliner coating, I plan on powdercoating all of it this winter, just wanted to get a feel for the look and wanted something somewhat durable. The last pieces were the stock chin fairing and front fender, which received a "not quite color matching" of the stock red. So, heres some pics, feel free to let me know what you guys think of the finished product, comments and suggestions are appreciated!
Don't laugh at my "ghetto" hold down, I needed something to work so I could pick up the back to remove the swingarm.....it worked quite well actually
. Looking forward to taking out for a ride and see what its like, still need to sort out the rear suspension...time for a F4i shock I think!
06-07-2014, 07:03 AM
#4
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Thanks! As for the hold down, I just installed a couple of concrete shields into the floor, so when I need it, I just bolt it to the floor and its good to go, I'm going to make one out of metal just to be a little more durable.
06-08-2014, 02:35 AM
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Looking good mate, how does it ride.
Personally I like the look, however a single radiator in the front or one in the tail would be the icing on the cake so to speak.
Keep us informed as you progress with it please!
Personally I like the look, however a single radiator in the front or one in the tail would be the icing on the cake so to speak.
Keep us informed as you progress with it please!
06-08-2014, 07:18 AM
#7
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Looks great. Amazing how svelt the bike is without the plastics. Of course very monster-sque.
What are you doing for a dash? Did I miss that somewhere in the text?
I would leave the rads on the sides, its exotic cuz no one else has it. Plus the really blend in black with the frame.
Must feel tiny. Had my faring off the other day and the bike just disappeared as I sat on it.
What are you doing for a dash? Did I miss that somewhere in the text?
I would leave the rads on the sides, its exotic cuz no one else has it. Plus the really blend in black with the frame.
Must feel tiny. Had my faring off the other day and the bike just disappeared as I sat on it.
06-08-2014, 08:35 PM
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Looks great. Amazing how svelt the bike is without the plastics. Of course very monster-sque.
What are you doing for a dash? Did I miss that somewhere in the text?
I would leave the rads on the sides, its exotic cuz no one else has it. Plus the really blend in black with the frame.
Must feel tiny. Had my faring off the other day and the bike just disappeared as I sat on it.
What are you doing for a dash? Did I miss that somewhere in the text?
I would leave the rads on the sides, its exotic cuz no one else has it. Plus the really blend in black with the frame.
Must feel tiny. Had my faring off the other day and the bike just disappeared as I sat on it.
I really like having the rads blacked out and in the stock position, I thought about relocating them to the back, but didn't want to give up under seat storage and the fabrication hassles. Where I live it doesn't get crazy hot, so cooling isn't a huge issue either, the gauge never even hit mid point on a 30 min ride, so they'll stay where they are for now.
I was going to use a 600rr cluster that I got for free from a friend, but I'm unsure if I will now....it needs a gauge face and cover from heat damage, plus I will need the harness plug, temp sender and speedo healer to make it all work properly. I may just get a Veypor unit and call it a day. I have the stock cluster installed on the bars for the meantime until I can come up with a decision. I have all my stock parts to sell still(forks, wheel,fender, brakes and levers), so that should fund a new cluster I think.
Thanks a lot to everyone for the compliments, i have more things to finish up, and I'll post new pics to see some more progress soon!
06-08-2014, 10:49 PM
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The 600rr guage does work. I am running one. Since its honda the speed sensor even is accurate. Only the temp sensor needs swapping and you need a 2nd gen fuel sensor for the tank if you want a working guage.
Veypor is way less work and you probly have other stuff to do.
Veypor is way less work and you probly have other stuff to do.
06-09-2014, 08:23 AM
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I know I could get the 600rr cluster to work, but its pretty beat and its an older one off of a 2003, its not as nice as the 07 and up like you have(which looks awesome). I really do want to use it because a fuel gauge and digital speedo would be great, but all the stuff that I need comes close in price to getting a brand new Veypor or Koso gauge. I broke it down to what I needed to make the 600rr gauge work...
-speedohealer(gearing change)-$80
-temp sensor-$30
-used cluster plug-$20
-outer cluster cases-$40
-gauge face-$40
-fuel sender-$45
So as it is, i'm into it for over $200, and these are American prices. So factor in exchange rates and the stupid amount of shipping that companies charge to bring it across the border to Canada, and I could have a decent Koso gauge for around $240, but would have to mess with temp and speed sensors and would still need a fuel sender, so yeah....either way its a tough call. I'm going to mill it around and see what happens, the stock gauges still work, but look really out of place now being so huge and out in the open. I made a small flyscreen headlight fairing last night for it, so with that on i'll see how it looks.
-speedohealer(gearing change)-$80
-temp sensor-$30
-used cluster plug-$20
-outer cluster cases-$40
-gauge face-$40
-fuel sender-$45
So as it is, i'm into it for over $200, and these are American prices. So factor in exchange rates and the stupid amount of shipping that companies charge to bring it across the border to Canada, and I could have a decent Koso gauge for around $240, but would have to mess with temp and speed sensors and would still need a fuel sender, so yeah....either way its a tough call. I'm going to mill it around and see what happens, the stock gauges still work, but look really out of place now being so huge and out in the open. I made a small flyscreen headlight fairing last night for it, so with that on i'll see how it looks.
06-09-2014, 09:13 AM
#12
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I know I could get the 600rr cluster to work, but its pretty beat and its an older one off of a 2003, its not as nice as the 07 and up like you have(which looks awesome). I really do want to use it because a fuel gauge and digital speedo would be great, but all the stuff that I need comes close in price to getting a brand new Veypor or Koso gauge. I broke it down to what I needed to make the 600rr gauge work...
-speedohealer(gearing change)-$80
-temp sensor-$30
-used cluster plug-$20
-outer cluster cases-$40
-gauge face-$40
-fuel sender-$45
So as it is, i'm into it for over $200, and these are American prices. So factor in exchange rates and the stupid amount of shipping that companies charge to bring it across the border to Canada, and I could have a decent Koso gauge for around $240, but would have to mess with temp and speed sensors and would still need a fuel sender, so yeah....either way its a tough call. I'm going to mill it around and see what happens, the stock gauges still work, but look really out of place now being so huge and out in the open. I made a small flyscreen headlight fairing last night for it, so with that on i'll see how it looks.
-speedohealer(gearing change)-$80
-temp sensor-$30
-used cluster plug-$20
-outer cluster cases-$40
-gauge face-$40
-fuel sender-$45
So as it is, i'm into it for over $200, and these are American prices. So factor in exchange rates and the stupid amount of shipping that companies charge to bring it across the border to Canada, and I could have a decent Koso gauge for around $240, but would have to mess with temp and speed sensors and would still need a fuel sender, so yeah....either way its a tough call. I'm going to mill it around and see what happens, the stock gauges still work, but look really out of place now being so huge and out in the open. I made a small flyscreen headlight fairing last night for it, so with that on i'll see how it looks.
Perhaps better wait to buy a koso like gauge for this price so that it has a better look for a street mod.
06-09-2014, 09:38 AM
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That's kind of how i'm thinking, the Koso gauges are nice and small and would look good mounted on the bars without sticking out like a sore thumb like the stock one does now. I would still need the fuel sender though, a working fuel gauge would be a huge plus and something I really want because of the lousy range these bikes have.
06-09-2014, 09:51 AM
#14
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I made a 01' fuel tank mod on my 97' vtr.
I wasn't able to find the corresponding fuel sender so I bought a cheap vfr one that I bent a little the float piece to perfectly fit/calibrate the tank. I had to fit longer wires too. The connector and the bolts are exactly the same ... and on the old 97' tank too.
The resistor of the sender is that order (same in vtr and perhaps some old cbr):
6 Ohms corresponds to full (float part is up)
96 Ohms corresponds to empty (float part is down)
I wasn't able to find the corresponding fuel sender so I bought a cheap vfr one that I bent a little the float piece to perfectly fit/calibrate the tank. I had to fit longer wires too. The connector and the bolts are exactly the same ... and on the old 97' tank too.
The resistor of the sender is that order (same in vtr and perhaps some old cbr):
6 Ohms corresponds to full (float part is up)
96 Ohms corresponds to empty (float part is down)
Last edited by fatom2k; 06-09-2014 at 10:17 AM.
06-09-2014, 10:08 AM
#15
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The resistance is for sure not the same from 600rr dash to 2nd gen float. It will work but never use the full guage.
I like the kosos way better than the veypor since koso makes clusters for many oems.
I got this koso knock off for $40
I like the kosos way better than the veypor since koso makes clusters for many oems.
I got this koso knock off for $40
06-09-2014, 03:02 PM
#16
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Location: Brookfield, WI
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Scooter, are you planning on installing a Trail Tech Vapor or a Veypor VR3? If the latter, I can show you how to wire it.
The Veypor VR3 is an awesome gauge for the money. I love the features! I have had some issues with mine, but after some searching, have found that mine was an isolated case.
The Veypor VR3 is an awesome gauge for the money. I love the features! I have had some issues with mine, but after some searching, have found that mine was an isolated case.
06-09-2014, 06:31 PM
#17
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I used a Cateye Enduro2 bicycle computer (speedometer) on a street legal dirtbike I had years ago. It only read up to 62mph, but the new ones read much higher.
It worked great for staying under the legal speed limit. It didn't have a tach, so I just shifted when the power fell away
It was super stealthy, very small and out of the way.
James
It worked great for staying under the legal speed limit. It didn't have a tach, so I just shifted when the power fell away
It was super stealthy, very small and out of the way.
James
06-14-2014, 09:33 PM
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Did a little more work to it, figured a little windscreen would compliment it a lot better, so I cut up an old windshield that was laying around the garage, shaped it, made some brackets, some paint and this is what it came out like....
I think it turned out great, and didn't cost a dime...just what I like. I mounted the stock gauges on the bars for now until I figure out what I'm going to do with that, they seem to work out pretty well there, but are a little bulky.
I think it turned out great, and didn't cost a dime...just what I like. I mounted the stock gauges on the bars for now until I figure out what I'm going to do with that, they seem to work out pretty well there, but are a little bulky.
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