So far its been a success. Yes, I probably have spent a few more dollars on getting the bike the way I like it than I have saved on gas, however I think that the overall mission was a success. I've had it a little over three months, and have placed close to 1500 miles on it. I would say that 90% of those miles are work travel related, and 10% pleasure riding. Its begun to get very cold here in Indiana, however we are currently at the tail end of what appears to be the final Indian summer of the season.
Completed Projects:
SuperBike Bars
Buell Traction Grips
New Pirelli MT75 Tires
3rd Eye Bar End Mirrors
Upcoming Projects
Ceramic Coating of Exhaust (Black)
New Headlights
Possible New Front Fairing
Rejetting Carb to Run a bit Richer
So it could be a busy summer next year. Lets hope we aren't taxed to death!
7 comments:
Andy, I found your comments about your Blast in the Buell Blast Motorcycle Forum and traced you to here. Ironically, we seem to be kindred spirits. I just bought a Blast 5 weeks ago from HD in Bloomington and live in Greenwood. I too am tall for the Blast at 6'1" and am curious about your project to change the handlebars. Do you agree with others that it is an improvement and how easy was it?
Scott,
Yes. Installing the BikeMaster Superbars basically made it an entirely new bike from a fit and feel perspective. When I changed the bars, I put on some new Buell Traction grips. These are available at the HD store, Southside has them. They are $18 for a set. I picked up the bars from Motorcycle Superstore online. The swap was fairly easy, once you figure out how everything actually goes on the bike.
What year is your Blast? I'm down in Bargersville, and if you would like to see what the superbike bars look like, or how they feel, you could check mine out. But, to answer your question, yes it works, and it is probably the most bang for the buck mod I have done so far.
My Blast is a yellow 2009 model. The only modification I have made was adding the windshield. I didn't like the feeling of the wind pulling me off the bike at 50+ mph. Adding the windshield made it much more comfortable for me to ride on the local highways.
I would like to see your modified bike--unfortunately, this weekend looks a little chilly for riding.
Do you have much experience with motorcycles? This is my first foray into the hobby--my wife says it's my midlife crisis. I don't care what she calls it, as long as she is supportive of me trying it.
This is my first foray into motorcycles as well. I picked up the Blast around the first week of August, and have been loving it. I originally purchased it to save gas money on my 50 mile daily commute to work.
Have you taken the ABATE class yet? I just completed it back in early October, and picked up my endorsement. If you haven't I would highly suggest it. Its decently cheap, and is full of great life saving tips.
When I purchased this motorcycle, I convinced myself that I would take a stab all the repairs/upgrades that I wanted to do before calling in the experts. So far, it has been a super simple bike to work with, and hasn't given me much in the way of trouble.
I took the MSF class offered by Harley Davidson in Bloomington in September. That was my first exposure to the Blast. I decided to continue my learning on the same bike by buying the Blast.
I stopped by the Southside HD today to talk about replacing the handlebars. The man I spoke to was unaware of Blast owners doing this and was of little help. He did suggest that the cables (clutch and front brake) may need to be replaced with different handlebars. Did you need to do this?
I did add the windshield myself, but the idea of changing the handlebars is a little more intimidating to me than swapping shields. Also, does changing the handlebars make for noticeably reduced wind resistance? I wonder if the windshield would be redundant and look odd with the change in bars.
Since I cannot ride today, at least it's fun to think about modifications/upgrades.
The SouthSide store is almost pointless in visiting for ANYTHING Buell. The most info on mods that I have found was on BadWeb. www.badweatherbikers.com. Click on the Thumper Forums. I picked up my BikeMaster SuperBars online, but I think that Cycle Outfitters also carries them. They are at Epler and Madison on the southside. They also have quite a bit of stuff, but not much Blast specific stuff. Also, the superbike bars do not cut down on the wind resistance. I had thought about getting a windshield, but the $200 price tag seemed a little steep. Sounds like we need to get a Johnson County Buell Group going.
Hey, Andy, I like the idea of a Johnson County Buell Group. Unfortunately, you and I are the only two I know who would qualify.
I did find out about Cycle Outfitters. I stopped there earlier this week to pick up a cheap rainsuit for $30, but didn't have much time to look around. I'll check them out.
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