Hey everybody. I'm new here, I found this forum last wheek whilst searching for some modifications to do to my 1992 GSF400, and loved it. I have read through loads of the stuff and decided to join. I thought I should start by introducing myself and my bike.
My bike is a black 1992 Bandit 400, and has clipons, a top fairing, a bellypan, a beowulf race-can (baffle removed), crash posts (just in case!) and some stickers and transfers. It looks totally unique and I love it. When I got it, it was naked, so I decided to dress it up a bit. I think the fairing and bellypan make it look so much nicer. The race can gives it a nice howl, and the clipons were on it when I got it so I can't compare them to anything, but they do provide a nice position and relatively comfortable riding. And the stickers just make it even more unique, and give it a bit of my own personality. Here are a couple of photos of it.
They are not too good quality as I took them with my phone, but they are the best I have at the moment. The pictures were taken before the crash posts and most of the stickers.
I still have a list of things I want to do to it, a few of which I discovered on this message board. In the near future I want to:
Polish the outside rims of the wheels (will this work on the gold B4 wheels?)
Create a "poor mans ignition advancer"
Buy a gimbel seat cowl (looked for one for ages, finally found a link to the gimbel one on here)
Install a K&N air filter
Install a Scottoiler
Replace all the adonized gold engine casing bolts with nice shiney new silver ones
Get a silver colour carbon fibre effect tax disc holder
Get a carbon fibre effect fuel filler cover
Install a sidelight (the top fairing came with twin headlights, but there is no sidelight)
And a couple of things I would like to do, but don't know if I will ever get round to doing:
Install a fuel gague using the workings and gauge from a B6 or B12
Install a gear indicator
Convert the read end to an R6 or GSXR600 rear end
Get a full front fairing
Install a jackup kit
Get a nice new race can (with burnt stainless steel colours)
My bandit400 is currently off the road due to some engine troubles (It blew up. What? Ot wasn't my fault....) but I have spent the past week frantically trying to get a new engine for it, and managed to pick one up for £200 on ebay, and am getting it delivered from England for £40. So hopefully by Friday I will have my good ol' Bandit back on the road, ready to continue the modifying.
I just passed my test towards the end of May, and find that the bandit is an excellent first "big" bike. My mate on a Triumph Daytona 600 has trouble keeping up with me from 0-100mph if I give it some go, and the bike feels comfortable sitting at 120mph. (But on the roads where I live it's not long before you hav to throttle off for the next corner.) There is quite a lot of wind, as my fairing is more for looks than wind protection, but if I lay low close to the tank, most of the wind is passed over me thanks to the tiny screen on my fairing.
I would really like to wheelie, but as powerwheelies (slamming the throttle open at 9500rpm in first gear and heaving up on the handlebars) seem to be a little too strenious for my engine *cough cough* I would be interested to know if anyone has a good way to do it by slipping the clutch. I have been too afraid to try it, and would be afraid of toppling it by revving it too much.
I have allready learned a lot from this message board, and hope to learn a lot more, and will also gladly impart advice or ideas where I can. You guys have a wicked board here, and I'm glad to now be a part of it.
Anyway, sorry for the enormously huge introduction, but at least you now know who I am, as well as what would appear to be my entire life story.
'Nuff said.