Undertail Mods

[PitterB4]

Again, I'm cutting and pasting different threads on this topic into from the old BBS into different messages in this thread.

[PitterB4]

Bandit BBS new BS'er
(2/24/01 2:25 pm)
Fender elimination

What's the concensus on the best way to elimate the bandit fender? I looked into the Lockhart Phillips trick kits, but don't know if any of their kits will fit the 400. I've also heard the old-fashioned hacksaw mentioned on some other sites. I like the economics of that, but wonder about the results.

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Lizardking
(2/24/01 7:52 pm)
Re: Fender elimination

I have looked into this and found a few things....

First, there are a few ways to do this. Personally, i like the look without either fender, and considered getting an underfender, finishing off the underside of the tail. LP has a blank, but i havent had the disposable income to give it a try.

As for the actual upper fender removal, it depends on how far you want to go with it, and where you want to mount the turn signals. If you decide to mount the turn signals on the actual tail plastic, you can cut REAL high, almost flush with the tail, mount the license plate directly under the brake light as a steeper angle. HOWEVER, this is against PA state law (where i live) because you are removeing the license plate light, and havent found a trick for mounting a light (cept for the snazzy underfenders). It seems that most of the people that do this, dont care....

The quick and dirty way is to reove the license plate mount and mount it DIRECTLY under the license plate light, about an inch higher.....now cut a line around the upper fender, right underneath the holes you drilled for the new mount for the plate mount (be sure to leave enough space for the plate holes to have strength).....you should be able to cut a sizable chunk of ugliness off of you bike that way....and its FREE.....free upgrades always give me wood.

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Lizardking
(2/24/01 7:58 pm)
Re: Fender elimination

oh yeah...and with the quick and dirty way, dont forget to remount your turn signals, which may seem hard since you have to unfish the wires out of the old hole and fish them into the new hole.....well, it isnt...trace the wires back to a bundle under the passenger seat and you will find that they are connected with push-together bullet connectors....just disconnect them, and reconnect when you have them in the new higher holes.

And as for turn signal eliminators, the things that make your brake light segmented and flash the outside portion like a turn signal....those are just STUPID imo. you want visibility when driving a bike, and putting those turn blinkers inboard more makes it harder for an upcoming car to see which direction you are turning.....keep the stalks...even if you get the brighter mini-stalks, they are easier to read than the turn-signal eliminators.

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Bandit14E
(2/25/01 3:44 pm)
Cutting fender

The previous owner of mine seem to have cut it with a hacksaw and it looks really crappy. I think die grinders with thin cut-off wheels are the best way to do it. I will have to clean up the bad cut job on my bike.

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Lizardking
(2/25/01 6:45 pm)
Re: cutting

when I cut my aftermarket front fender, i had to cut some radiuses.......what i used was a coping saw, and cut along, with the blade at various angles, so the handle would not get in the way. BUT, in order to make sure i got the cuts right, i scored the traced lines with a utility knife VERY carefully...mad cutting along this groove easy to do.

I cleaned it up with a sanding drum that was attached in a drill press, i think about 100 grit...just to smooth out the rough spots, and when the curve was complete, i hand sanded it with 400 wetdry and wet sanded it with soapy water afterwards....it was smoother than the stock edge.....and the FIRST time i had EVER gotten results this good.

mount the plate mount RIGHT under the light, at the first spot you can (where the bulge for the light stops, and cut the fender along the bottom edge....be sure to use washers when bolting the plate mount on....

thats it....

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JAWESQ
(2/27/01 4:53 pm)
Re: Fender elimination

Because I did not want to destroy the rear fender, I simply removed it.

You can mount the fuses under the rear seat. Acutally I have them mounted under the solo seat cowl. Then, I mounted the license plate, with 4 wire ties, just above the battery. And no I did not add a light for the license plate.

Then, I mounted LP flush mount turnsignals just above the grab/luggage strap rails.

As an attorney, I would have to research the legality of such a retrofit but it may not be within the confines of the law per CA DOT regulations but I would need to charge a client several hours of time to be absolutely sure. Any takers? (hell no I don't think its not legal but neither are most retrofits such as any lockhart turnsignals, many aftermarket mirrors, or pipes but so far I have not had a problem. Had a fender elimination kit been available I would have purchased one but I like the agressive look from the rear now and the license plate is clearly visible from behind albiet at an odd location.

Besides, its cheap, its quick, and it looks pretty cool, not to mention the enormous weight savings (kidding).

One final note, having grown up in PA, I would not suggest this on the east coast where the police are tough.

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE, JUST FRIENDLY MOTORCYCLE ADVICE

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Lizardking
(2/27/01 11:18 pm)
Re: Fender elimination

Im in PA....and have to be very careful about the law right now.....the bike is untitled.

LP turnsignals are not illegal. They are brighter and more visible from steeper angles. HOWEVER, it is NOT legal for someone that is not a certified inspection station to mess with wires like brakes and turn signals (big news aobut it back in 1986 when people started putting third brake lights in their cars and the state got strict on it and failed them for physical inspection)

the only streetfighter type mods that can be considered illegal/stupid are inter-brake light trun signals, flush mount fairing turnsignals, if not stock, lack of a license-plate light, lack of a fender if it is stock (wheel hugger....and they can kiss my ass about that)...and as you said, exhaust, but they have no way of proving it doesnt pass, because of the lack of emmision testing.

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[PitterB4]

stout510
Highway Hamburger!
Posts: 44
(8/3/04 12:02 pm)
  Cleaned or modded tail section / turn indicators
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 I was wondering if people could post a picture and describe what they have done to their tail section to clean them up or mod them. I will probably cut off the whole back flap with the turn signals and install a turn indicator integrator, however I would like to see what other ideas people have. Maybe someone has tried to install a whole separate tail from another bike? I have seen a lot of bikes (not B4) that have really interesting tails from Ducati's and MV Agusta's made to work on a different bike.
 
pitter29
400 Forums Crossing Guard
Posts: 532
(8/3/04 1:48 pm)

   Re: Cleaned or modded tail section / turn indicators
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 I don't think I've ever seen any other tails on a B4. I do think there was someone talking about it here once, though. I would throw Buells into the mix of bikes with cool tails, too. As far as signals are concerned... just my $.02 but i do not like the integrated tail/turn lights. The guy I ride with most of the time has one on his Super Hawk. His intentions are never clear to me. I really don't like it at all.

I don't have a great pic of it but my fender is cut flush with the tail and I have flush-mount signals. I'm still playing with what to do with my plate. Right now, it is zip tied up under the seat.  

Here you can see my signals...

 
 
Red01SuziB12S
Hall Monitor
Posts: 5206
(8/3/04 2:03 pm)

   Re: Cleaned or modded tail section / turn indicators
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 Does the B4 have a dual bulb tail light? I ask because it looks quite similar to the 1G B6/12 tail light and they only have one bulb, making an integrator worthless unless you do some kind of tail conversion to get two tail light bulbs back there.

As for slapping an Agusta, Duc, Buell, R1, GSXR or whatever tail on, all it takes is a little fabbing skills and the willingness to cut and weld on your frame. That's how the vast majoity of custom tails get there. There are a few bolt-on options for a few late models bikes, but for the most part, especially on an older bike like the B4, it's at the hands of a craftsman - or a butcher, depanding on how it comes out when it is done.
Paul W
WWBOC #684
Camano Is. WA, USA
 
ManiacCoder
Roadkill FOSSIL
Posts: 112
(8/3/04 2:45 pm)
   Re: Cleaned or modded tail section / turn indicators
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 The 400 has a single bulb in the tail, unfortunatly. I just picked up a whole taillight unit off ebay for $2, I'm going to try and do a LED conversion on it, once I find a place that has good prices on bright red LEDs. I -might- put a few in there that hook into the blinker system, but I'd never consider using them as primary blinkers. Like Pitter said, they are to close together, it's hard to get a good idea of whats going on from an angle.

Those flush-mounts look sweet, Pitter. Fairly simple to install, yes? Just drill some holes (after measuring, twice or more), and plug in the wires?

Hey, don't knock the zip-ties! If you want to make it a little more permenent, go to a hardware store and check in their cabinatry/mounting hardware section. The should have some 90 degree angle brackets (smallish), just figure out where you want them mounted, screw them in, and then screw your license plate to them. If you need to, a pair of plyers will make them 'adjustable', if you know what I mean.  
 
stout510
Highway Hamburger!
Posts: 45
(8/3/04 3:14 pm)
Re: Cleaned or modded tail section / turn indicators
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 I just assumed that it was a dual bulb set up. Guess that eliminates that option of the integrator. I will probably go with the flushmounts but something even more flush like this link.

www.fourstrokesonly.com/D...lushM.html
 
pitter29
400 Forums Crossing Guard
Posts: 533
(8/3/04 3:35 pm)

   Re: Cleaned or modded tail section / turn indicators
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  Yeah - more like measure 10 times, drill once! Man, I was paranoid about drilling my plastics. I'm eventually going to do that angle bracket thing. The problem is, I need a light on my plate to pass PA inspection. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about that. As of 8/1, it's expired! I looked at those "flusher" signals but wanted something that stuck out a little more for better visibility.
 
Red01SuziB12S
Hall Monitor
Posts: 5208
(8/3/04 5:18 pm)

   Lighting the plate
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 You can get license plate bolts that have lights built in.
I don't have a link off the top of my head, but you should be able to find 'em with a little search. There may even be some posts on them here in the Alley somewhere. You can probably find them at a chain auto parts store like Schucks, Auto Zone, Pep Boys, etc - or JC Whitney.
Paul W
WWBOC #684
Camano Is. WA, USA
 
jasonlarrow
Registered User
Posts: 20
(8/4/04 7:01 am)
Re: Cleaned or modded tail section / turn indicators
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 hey,
While I was on ebay looking for parts, I found a manual for sale in the UK. Unfortunately, the seller wouldn't ship to the US, even though it was only a CD. Anyway, what really caught my attention was the bike on the cover. I was also trying to do something different and custom with my new bike. This may be it. Here's the picture:



Sorry about the quality of the image. I have a rough idea of what I'll need to do to accomplish this, and it won't be that easy. The hardest part will be cutting the frame. Any coments or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

Jason
 
stout510
Highway Hamburger!
Posts: 46
(8/4/04 11:31 am)
Re: Cleaned or modded tail section / turn indicators
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 What kind of swingarm is that? That aint stock on my bike!
 
Red01SuziB12S
Hall Monitor
Posts: 5222
(8/4/04 12:29 pm)

   Re: Cleaned or modded tail section / turn indicators
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 I've seen that bike before... there's a couple of pics of it in the photo section of BanditMania.

Here they are:





It looks like this one ^^^ is the same shot as on the Parts & Service CD ad.
Paul W
WWBOC #684
Camano Is. WA, USA

Edited by: Red01SuziB12S at: 8/4/04 12:36 pm
 
stout510
Highway Hamburger!
Posts: 47
(8/4/04 12:37 pm)
Re: Cleaned or modded tail section / turn indicators
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 Ahhh. The infamous RGV250 swingarm. I would love to smack that baby on the behind of my B4.
 
jasonlarrow
Registered User
Posts: 21
(8/4/04 1:51 pm)
  Re: Cleaned or modded tail section / turn indicators
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 Is that swingarm a direct switch? I've never heard of the infamous RGV250 swingarm.
 
ManiacCoder
Roadkill FOSSIL
Posts: 114
(8/4/04 2:52 pm)
Re: Cleaned or modded tail section / turn indicators
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 Where did you get those signals, Pitter?
 
Red01SuziB12S
Hall Monitor
Posts: 5226
(8/4/04 2:53 pm)

   RGV250 swingarm
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 If you live in the US and never followed the models offered outside the US market, then you probabaly wouldn't know about the famous RG line of race replica 2-stroke street bikes that couldn't pass US regs. The RGV250 had the banana shape on the RH side to make room for a pair of expansion chambers. The 250 was made from '89-'98 and not all of them had that exact swingarm. Early ones had a plain looking arm. The '91-'92's had the arm like on the B4 above, the '93-'96 ones had a braced design and the final '97-'98 versions had a banana arm, but it looks different than the '91-'92 version.

Early banana:



Late banana:




Paul W
WWBOC #684
Camano Is. WA, USA
 
phoenix
Roadkill FOSSIL
Posts: 56
(8/4/04 11:01 pm)
  Re: RGV250 swingarm
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 My tail looks like pitter's. Trimmed the original fender and added tinted flushmounts in about the same area. I mounted the plate on an aftermarket hinge so it can be flipped up while hanging out with other bikers. Here I've seen a ducati 748 tail, a CB400 tail, and several aftermarket fiberglass tails from other bikes grafted on. Among my favorites were the 748 and the race fiber SV400. All required a little fabrication to get brackets that would fit.
 
stout510
Highway Hamburger!
Posts: 48
(8/4/04 11:34 pm)
  Re: Cleaned or modded tail section / turn indicators
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 Possibly an r6 tail would be good.

Edited by: stout510 at: 8/4/04 11:38 pm
 
pitter29
400 Forums Crossing Guard
Posts: 546
(8/7/04 12:28 pm)
 
   Re: Cleaned or modded tail section / turn indicators
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 MC - I got my signals off ebay from Rumble Imports in Montreal. They are pretty cheezy. The bulbs are melting the lenses. I found some at the local shop I like better. The bases are carbon-look to match my decals. They seem better made. I'm going to get them one of these days. I'll let you know who makes them when I get 'em.

Regarding the tails - I have read of a couple guys with B4 race bikes using full Gixxer 600 race bodywork so a tail from the street bike might be a fairly easy swap.
 
stout510
Highway Hamburger!
Posts: 59
(8/7/04 12:31 pm)
   Re: Cleaned or modded tail section / turn indicators
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 A gsxr tail? What year? I would guess 90-95 plastics.
 
ManiacCoder
Roadkill FOSSIL
Posts: 116
(8/7/04 1:39 pm)
  Re: Pitter's Signals
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 Pitter,

I've had a hard time finding flush-mount signals that aren't way to wide to be placed on the lower plastic angle. Most of the one's I've found around here are a little over two inches wide. Although I did just found some K&S flush-mounts that are about an inch wide, is that what you came across?

How are your signals mounted to the radiator in the front? Just metal flanges? I think I like them better there than on the front forks, where mine currently are located.

Man, every time I look at your bike I find something new I like about it.  
 
stout510
Highway Hamburger!
Posts: 61
(8/7/04 1:49 pm)
   Re: Pitter's Signals
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 These look good.

www.kandstech.com/item.jh...ID=1274689
 
ManiacCoder
Roadkill FOSSIL
Posts: 117
(8/7/04 2:00 pm)
  I saw those...
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 I saw those, but...

I'm worried they may not be very bright. There looks to be just one LED in there, meaning it might be washed out in the sun.

I was actually looking at www.kandstech.com/item.jh...RID=615730 (25-8178 I think), which is 2.5" by 1.05" and carbon fiber/clear single filament. It looks larger in the K&S picture...

Right now I've got their DOT mini-stalks on the front and back, I really like those, they are super-bright. One of the things I've been thinking of doing is fabing a bracket for them, and leaving them on, just tucked up a lot closer to the undertail.