Featured Project Payday: Customizing My Street Twin

Awesome thread , congrats on your bike and the many updates

 

Funny enough just ripped mine off with my fingers last night, tacky isn't the word so now gone

 

Well done. I hope you've also ripped off the dangerous tyres, useless Mickey Mouse mirrors, cheap & bouncy rear shocks, overlong & heavy end cans and the power-sapping catalytic convertor.

There's quite a good bike underneath all the dodgy bits.

 

Lol

Funny enough......
Only just picked this up last weekend and whilst cleaning it tonight noted the following;

Rear shocks are black and have reservoirs so assume not standard.
Exhaust noise is nice although V&H silencers need some damage repaired, but need a better look as it appears to have an x pipe decat on it.
Tyres are as new Avon Storm rear and Avon Sprint ( I think) front.
Mirrors, yes utter shite aesthetically so will pinch my bar ends off the 675r when I get it on the road.

Any other suggestions?

 

Well now that you've asked..in no particular order:

Change the chrome (why chrome on a no-chrome bike?) fuel cap for Motone.
Bin the crappy plastic front brake fluid reservoir for LSL billet.
Fit a tail tidy. Motone again. Use their billet indicators.
Motone footpegs. Tried TEC (sold 'em to a chap in the Netherlands) but Motone are better.
Triumph barrel grips help reduce vibes through the bars.
Original side panels with the Street Twin logo are long gone and replaced with..yes you guessed it..Motone's finest, logo-free gloss black panels, so my bike is now a plain Triumph Bonneville (it says so on the engine).

Also replaced the front mud guard, chain guard, rad guard and added a sump guard (lots of guards there). Fitted the reg/rec to a bracket which holds it horizontally rather than vertically, so it's much less visible.
Motone were offering 20% off their engine covers a while back and I couldn't say no to that, well, the right side cover anyway. Maybe the left side one day.
Totally 'inappropriate' (don't you just hate that very overused word?) cast wheels switched for spoked..this is a Triumph Bonneville after all, they are supposed to have spoked wheels!

Most drastic change was replacing the original camshaft with the TEC cam. The guys at my Triumph shop did the job a couple of thousand miles ago. No problems. Makes a huge difference to performance (providing the cat's been given the boot).

Some of those changes are purely aesthetic, most of us like our bikes to look a bit different. But performance and handling have been improved and it is a much better bike.

The increase in BHP's highlights the underpowered front brake even more now. Before the upgrade I thought the single disc wasn't really up to the job. At 220+ kgs when fuelled up, this is a heavy bike. Bringing it to a safe stop in a hurry at motorway speeds (and a bit more) is tricky, despite the ABS. Ideally it needs twin discs or a better caliper (just like the one Triumph fitted to the Street Twin 2). I have acquired a bigger disc and gold 4-pot Brembo caliper, yet to be fitted.

Finally, I also came across a brand new ST fuel tank, still boxed, that has a slight dent caused in storage. £140. Custom paint job could be on the cards.

And this bike does get used. In September 2020 it took part it in, and completed, the Malle Rally, Lands End to John O'Groats, 6 day challenge. Just over 2000 miles in all weathers. Absolutely bloody filthy at the end but it scrubbed up well.

 

Lol, man after my own heart ❤️
Chrome doesn't fit here for me and I have easy (daily) access to powdercoating so the big stem bolt is already destined for shot blast and satin black, along with footpegs, gear lever etc.

The front brake reservoir umm yep already thinking of alternatives.
For anyone who's done it;
Does the Brembo caliper and disc upgrade provide a large enough step gain for thd expense involved or should I look elsewhere?
For comparison of expectations I also have a 675R and a 765RS so know what a good front brake feels like but then also know a bad front brake with an Armstrong mt500

 

I also have a few other ideas;
Anyone changed the clocks for another other option including a rev counter?

Any pointers or are there any wiring diagram pdf's etc freely available online?

 

Anyone changed the clocks for another other option including a rev counter?

I changed the clocks on my trophy if that helps. Unit I got is detailed on the build

 

Answers to a couple of the above questions.

The Newfren disc and 4-pot Brembo caliper conversion is available from Freespirits in the US. It is ridiculously expensive. I got it from a chap on this forum who had used it on his ST, which he returned to standard before selling. It cost me £70 (inc.p&p). I stripped and rebuilt the caliper, although it didn't need doing, and it came with a new set of pads. A no-brainer at that price. Would I buy a new one? Nope.

Changing the clocks on the ST is notoriously difficult. Custom bike builder Callum Pryce-Tidd, who owns deBolex Motorcycles, built a custom Street Twin (google it). I met him on the Malle Rally. One of the things they didn't change was the clock set up, in part because it's tricky to do without immobilising the bike, and he would know.
On the other hand Down & Out custom shop in Rotherham have done it. Their orange Street Twin is gorgeous. So unless you're well versed in the art of modern bike electrickery I'd give it a miss.

Eldon, you mentioned the 'big stem bolt'. I guess you mean the steering stem or top yoke nut. You seem pretty determined to make it black. Mine will be replaced with the brushed ally version from the Thruxton, a straight swop..although Motone now do a couple of interesting alternatives..