Leo Vince High-Mount Slip-On

I finally decided which pipe I wanted to put on my bike and I found a couple of online dealers with the Leo in stock for $429 shipped. My local dealer checked with Parts Unlimited and they showed it OUT OF STOCK and said they would have to order it from Italy! They told him it would take 4-5 weeks for delivery. He priced it to me for $400 plus tax. I told him to order it for me since riding time will be limited this time of year. Well ... two weeks later, I got the call!!! I picked up the pipe and installation went without a hitch. I cut my stock header using a Sawzall. I left off my passenger pegs and plugged the left side mounting holes with some plastic (automotive type) plugs. My right rear turn signal was hitting the pipe, so I had to install some Short Stalk signals. I found some with large enough bulbs to prevent me from getting the dreaded fast-flash rate.

Pictures can be found here. (Better quaility pix will be uploaded as soon as the sun comes back out!!)

Grip Heaters with Distribution Block

I've added Grip Heaters to my SV. My local dealer ordered the Symtec Motorcycle Grip Heaters with Rocker Switch from one of his suppliers. I picked up the rest of the parts at Radio Shack. They include an Auto Relay, 4-Position Dual-Row Barrier Strip, 8-Position Jumper Strip and Heavy-Duty Inline Fuse Holder. I used some wire that i had laying around from previous projects.

I used the instructions found here, but arranged the block a little different than pictured on that page. My Positive terminals are on one end of the block with the Negatives on the opposite end -- instead of using each side for Plus & Minus. I tapped the license plate hot lead to power the relay. I stripped the lead just behind the plug, soldered the relay wire and used heat shrink to seal-the-deal.

Pictures can be found here. (sorry for the poor quality, but it's been raining for three days here!)

Two more mods...

I've made two more updates to the SV. I installed Suzuki's Gel Seat for a little more comfort...




And I installed a Hamicad Tail Tidy to clean up the back of the bike...




You can see all of my latest pix HERE.

First Mods to the SV

I've completed the first two mods to my new SV. They took all of 10 minutes! First, I installed an OEM Rear Cowl including removal of the grab bar. The Suzuki part is of top notch quality and the instructions were very complete.



My second mod was to take the bike to reverse (GP) shift. All it required was to flip the linkage on the shaft - EASY!!

First Pix of SV650

Another day, another bike - the saga continues...

Yes, I've changed bikes again!! This week I bought a new 2008 Suzuki SV650. Jeff, at Sport Cycles, went to great effort to find this bike for me at another dealership and -- as always -- I got a GREAT deal! Thanks, Jeff!! It took me less than 700 miles to figure out that the VTX was just not sporty enough for me. I considered going supermoto, but on a budget. First, I thought about the 2009 Honda CRF230M. After reading comparos between the 230L and its competition, I started leaning towards the 2009 Kawasaki KLX250SF. The staff at Sport Cycles assured me that I wouldn't be happy with a 250 and recommended I look at the 2009 Suzuki DRZ400SM. While checking it out on Suzuki's website, I took notice of the SV. It's a bike that I've seen lots of while at trackdays so I knew it was tried-and-true. Plus, it was priced lower than the 400! The only problem is that it is being replaced this year by the Gladius, which is not available until January. As I mentioned, we were able to find a new 2008 model nearby and now I'm ready to put it through its paces! Pictures coming soon...

My VTX is currently for sale and can be seen at Sport Cycles in Rockingham (910-582-4528 ask for Jeff or Keith). I'm asking $7,998 and all my accessories go with it ... Memphis Shades windshield, Cobra backrest (with insert) & luggage rack, Kuryakyn Dually passenger pegs & curved laydown license plate mount, Marlin talon-mount clock & thermometer and T-Bag.

Made it to Deal's Gap before trading the ST1300

That's right, I have traded my '06 ST1300 -- more on that to come -- but before doing so, Keith and I made a weekend trip to Deal's Gap so I could "earn my wings". We stayed at the Two Wheel Inn and dodged rain while we were there. In fact, we came home one day early because of threatening weather. We were able to eat at Fat Buddies Ribs & Barbeque in Asheville, NC -- one that we've never been to. We also spent alot of time on the Blue Ridge Parkway this trip. We took the skyway into TN and found out about a ~90 mile loop through some really nice scenary.