Let’s Pimp My Street Twin

IMO writing off "older" riders is a mistake and shows your naivety. Age certaainly can = experience if you live long enough to get there which you may not if you continue riding like you are making out you do. I'm 61 and been road riding for almost 40 years. If you count the bikes I rode off road, pre-licence, I was riding before I had hair on my balls and now I have none on my head and I'm still riding! I get out ridden by riders young and old alike and out ride others, such is life. I have no wish to teach you or anyone else a lesson, I doubt you'd listen anyway. I've had some great riding experiences and some bad ones and like to think I've learned from them. I too have met many 50+ year old drunks and many 20 year old drunks/addicts who can barely walk, let alone pilot a 200bhp missile. I hope you get to "old age" and enjoy doing so as much as I have!

 

@Havit. Time for some gentle words of advice before this becomes the unseemly bear pit it's veering towards.?

 

I still can't understand why you get that bike and try to make it something it is not genuinely?
I would rather see you on a naked sport bike, but not on a cool twin trying to make it running like a sport bike.
It will never. All you'll get will be a bike that push a bit harder on straight line, won't be faster on curves (well curve is maybe more a EU concept for old skilled biker ), and will lead into mechanical issues.
Any rider with a stock Yam R1 or similar will ridicule you in any circumstance.
Like AndyC1, I can understand the motivation of upgrading your bike and will likely look at that.
The testosterone competition you put around is just.. ridiculous.

 

Whoa, isn't some of this getting a bit daft? Some people seem to take offence too easily instead of seeing the funny side and laughing it off, especially when it's clear to me that no offence was intended! Bloody hell, it's hardly life or death and there are FAR more important things to be concerned about.

 

Phew. Now having said that, maybe we can get back to the purpose of this post.

Sage Craver, I mentioned the ST's shocks and you questioned why. I live in Cheshire, where we have many miles of narrow, twisty country lanes. Our roads are rutted and full of potholes and are poorly maintained. The first time I took my ST down some of these roads I was bounced out of the seat and it was an uncomfortable ride. These are cheap units with limited damping. I changed the shocks pretty soon afterwards and things are much improved. I guess if you ride on straighter, better quality roads then the inadequacies of the OEM shocks are not so evident. It's worth noting that changing the standard shocks was (and maybe still is) pretty much par for the course, for us not-quite-so-young-as-you people, who grew up with bikes that had crap suspension from day one. My 2 other (sports) bikes wear after market Nitron shocks.

As for camshafts, as I said, check out TEC Parts. They are available in the US. George Milburn's vid shows step by step how to fit it. I have no idea how it would affect the 2nd gen ST but George is the man to ask.

I don't know what tyres Triumph supply on US bikes but if they're the same shit Pirelli Phantoms as we get, then they should follow the OEM shocks into the bin. A ton of info elsewhere on this forum if you want to know why.

Thanks for your bit on the SW MOTECH gear, always useful to know what fits and how it performs.

 

Looking back at your photos it seems you did get the Phantoms, which are considered dangerous by many ST owners over here. I'm pretty sure we've got the edge over you when it comes to rainfall, so maybe you needn't worry.

 

Yes they look like the Phantom. They came with my Yam FZX in 1994. Ok so far it was dry. I guess they upgraded the rubber since. But they always look the same.

 

Back in the day Pirelli Phantoms were considered a great tyre although I've never used them myself. Maybe they've changed or perhaps there are better choices available now. Tyres are certainly one of, if not the most important choice you can make for your bike. I've just swapped the OEM Metzelers on the Street Scrambler after some nasty moments on wet roads, in the dry they were fine. Can't speak for anyone else but once I've lost confidence in a tyre I find it hard to get back. I'm much happier with the Pirelli Rally's now fitted.

 

That bag is probably full of used w@nk socks.....

 

Dunno if you're still with us Sage Craver but I notice you've binned the mickey mouse mirrors. Mine went for aesthetic reasons, to be replaced with bar ends, which work perfectly well for me. You've also dropped the original indicators, as did I. Replaced mine with a much neater version from Motone. I think I can just make out a front pair on your bike but no rear ones, unless they're hidden under the tail unit, along with (I think) your licence plate. That right? You must have some very understanding coppers over there if you can get away with that. Wouldn't happen here.

 

Do you plan to upload an adapted ECU map after K&N and decat pipes installation?
Without a modified map I'm afraid all thes mods will not release expected results.