I ditched the stock Bridgestone Trail Wing tires after 1700 miles. The rear was worn pretty flat with less than 1/4" of tread left in the middle. The front was only slightly cupped but I decided to go ahead and get a matching set and see how they wear. So on the bike now is a set of Pirelli MT21 tires and the first 70 miles on them have been great. I'm still leery about cornering hard on new tires after reading all the stories on the internet about people wiping out on slick, new tires. They corner great (in fact, they seem too good to be true) and really hook up on gravel, dirt, and grass. It feels like the back vibrates pretty hard when braking but I've not tried to pinpoint when that became noticeable and how hard I was on the back brake. Big ups to the guys over at www.litzracing.com for mounting the tires.
I also got a rear cargo rack from Moose Racing but unfortunately it only comes in silver. I had it powder coated matte black and am very happy with the results.
I decided to put some good hand guards on the bike that can take a lick (not just plastic deflectors). I was shocked when I saw the prices for bark busters but the folks over at Litz racing thought they had something that would fit but no dice. I ended up finding a list of mods on Thumper Talk that recommended a set of Tusk bars. They fit nicely, lots of clearance on the front brake's master cylinder and super easy to mount. They almost clear the ball ends on the stock levers, too. For the time being I have the bars tweaked so the levers don't hit (the levers are under the bars so I still have good hand protection). I might pick up some cheap shorties down the road...
I've ordered a Renazco seat which will be made in July... Can't wait to get something better on the tail bone!
Completed so far:
- Pirelli MT21 Rallycross tires
- Moose Racing Expedition Rear Top Rack
- Tusk D-Flex hand guards
Coming this summer:
- Custom suede Renzaco seat
- Rotopax gas cans
