[Jeffrey.Rodriguez]

My original motivation for a thinstrom project was stylistic. The original thinstroms, look great of course. But I really like those that had a more 'cruiser' style look that I've seen on a few Stroms. I'd also been wanting to add some extras to make my Wee a bit more offroad worthy and comfortable

I basically tore off the whole front end:
Headlights (and bracket)
Fairings
Windscreen
Fender
Extra plastics

I then welded together a very simple bracket out of angle iron. The turn signals are about the only thing I reused.

Here are the bike's extras:

5" Headlight Assembly & HID Ballast+Bulb
A friend gave me an H4 HID kit. I picked up a 5" headlight enclosure and bolted it onto the bracket.

Rigid Industries 6" LED Light Bar
I probably spent an unreasonable amount of money on this little guy, but it looks cool It's hooked up to the high beam switch. Originally I wanted to use this exclusively, but the beam pattern would blind other drivers and I'd probably end up getting pulled over for non-DOT equipment.

Galfer Braided Brake Lines
When you remove the fender, the brake runs across the top of the tire. This makes it unreasonably easy to tear open a brake line.

1" Raising Links from Burkhart Cycle
For that little bit of extra clearance

Homemade Tool Tube
Just some 4" ABS pipe, fittings, and clamps from home depot. I keep tools and a liter of fuel in it.

Richland Rick's Radiator Guard
Another risk when you remove the fender is destroying your radiator.

Richland Rick's Fork Brace
This is a must-have addon. Tramlining used to be extremely disconcerting, now I don't even notice it. I can ride a line in the road like it's not even there.

Richland Rick's Peg Lowering Kit
It's a bit like tetris getting the things on properly, but they're really nice for my 36" inseam.

Chopped Springs
I cut about 3 inches off the fork springs. The OEM fork springs are progressively wound, and super soft. Seeing as I weigh in around 280, they're way too soft for me. This is about the easiest surgery you can do to the bike. It dramatically stiffens up the ride. It no longer dives under heavy braking. The ride is a bit rougher, but it feels more controllable. I had some chain link fence pipe hanging around that I used for replacement spacers.

Advanced Motorcycle Products Offset Bar Risers
These bring the handlebar up and back a bit. It's a little of a stretch for some of the cabling, but it's works.

Loobman Chain Oiler 2
Easy to use chain oiler from across the pond. This is the 'new' version with a hard plastic oil bottle.

15 Tooth Sprocket
I'm not sure what the stock sprocket is, but the bike had a 17 tooth sprocket when I bought it used. Having used both, I think 16 teeth is probably ideal. 15 has plenty of torque, but you've got a lot of shifting to do on surface streets and the RPMs are a little high on the freeway. It's sure zippy though.

12v Cigarette Lighter Plug
A USB adapter powers my Android. I have a bluetooth Interphone F4 on my helmet and listen to Pandora during my commute.

Seat beads
Hacked up from a car's seat beads.

Joe Rocket Tank Bag
Love it. I keep a can of Fix-a-flat, some tire plugs, and some other extras in it.

GIVI 36L Side Cases
Great storage. I packed away more camping gear than my car-camping friends could believe.

Suzuki Top Case
Came with the bike

GIVI Crash Bars
Came with the bike.

Hepco and Becker Bash Plate
Came with the bike.

Handguards
Came with the bike

Corbin Seat
Came with the bike

Center Stand
Came with the bike

 

[The Golden Monkey]

Nice. I don't understand what you mean by "cruiser" look though -- that word never came to mind for me when viewing the various thinstroms.
- I'd like to see a photo of the beam pattern of that light bar.
- 15T is the stock size countershaft sprocket for the wee, 47 on the rear.
- That is definitely the longest tool tube I've seen!

 

[Jeffrey.Rodriguez]

Nice. I don't understand what you mean by "cruiser" look though -- that word never came to mind for me when viewing the various thinstroms.

Yeah, none of glitch_oz' looked like cruisers. Delta88's Strom was a major influence. This unclaimed bike, and the SV650.

- That is definitely the longest tool tube I've seen!

Haha, yeah. I was going to cut it down, but it's not *that* much longer than the back of the bike when the top case is on. I figure: Why reduce my storage space when I don't really need to?

Images:
*57.jpg - HID
*58.jpg - LED
*59.jpg - Both
*67.jpg - HID
*73.jpg - LED

The beam pattern on the LED is a "Combo" of spot and flood.

 

[honest bob]

I don't think the tool tube is too long.:beatnik: (Holy spudzuka Batman.):green_lol: All it needs now are Heidenau K60's, or TK80's:thumbup: Seriously, glad you were able to find the bike you like in there.

 

[The Golden Monkey]

Yeah, none of glitch_oz' looked like cruisers. Delta88's Strom was a major influence. This unclaimed bike, and the SV650.

I've seen those too, I just don't think "cruiser" when I look at them, rather "standard". But I think I understand what you mean.
And I just realized -- no instruments?

 

[Jeffrey.Rodriguez]

I've seen those too, I just don't think "cruiser" when I look at them, rather "standard". But I think I understand what you mean.
And I just realized -- no instruments?

You're right on the standard/cruiser thing, just doesn't sound as cool

And yeah, I'm running sans-instruments right now. Haven't run out of gas yet :hurray:. Ultimately, I'd like to get them back on the bike, but I need to decide how I want to mount them. I'm probably going to use the bolts in the offset handlebar risers as a mounting point.

 

[Stromin'Nroman]

My original motivation for a thinstrom project was stylistic.

C'mon, fess up: usually the motivation for one of these is the cost of replacement plastics after an unscheduled horizonalificazation.

 

[Jeffrey.Rodriguez]

C'mon, fess up: usually the motivation for one of these is the cost of replacement plastics after an unplanned horizonalificazation.

Haha! Actually not in my case. I'm planning on selling my old plastics

 

[Stromin'Nroman]

Haha! Actually not in my case. I'm planning on selling my old plastics

In that case..................................

 

[The Golden Monkey]

In that case..................................

Does this mean you're starting your own thinstrom project?

 

[Stromin'Nroman]

Does this mean you're starting your own thinstrom project?

No.

That would be much too ambitious for me.

I have instead employed the advanced technologies of duct tape, PVC glue and FOMOCO touch-up paint which just happened to be found on the floor of my garage when I was looking for loose change under my workbench.

 

[fredellarby]

In that case..................................

I knew they liked to nap. I didn't know about the suntanning. Yet another worry.
By the way, do Harleys suntan?

 

[MikeB]

I'm a fan of thinstroms (mine is a thinnie) but I can't see the practical value of doing away with the front fender. I thought the whole idea was to create a more usable vehicle rather than a styling exercise. With the radiator and oil cooler exposed as mud/stone catchers there are some places you won't want to go.

 

[Stromin'Nroman]

I knew they liked to nap. I didn't know about the suntanning. Yet another worry.
By the way, do Harleys suntan?

Not the one's ridden by my wife.

She had the good sense to stop just before where the sand had blown up onto the asphalt.

I soldiered on, thinking the road continued to where I "parked".

It was packed pretty hard, up to where ATV's had done donuts, which is where I "parked".

I was fully loaded for a two-week trip with almost a full tank of gas.

It was surreal, lifting my bike in full riding gear, under the blazinf sun while topless supermodels looked on sipping Pina Colada's with detatched interest.

Nobody offered help, I felt like a space alien crash-landed onto this beach.

I lifted it, started it while holding it up and walked it off the beach under power.

I wonder if anybody videoed my spill?

 

[rockitcity]

...It was surreal, lifting my bike in full riding gear, under the blazinf sun while topless supermodels looked on sipping Pina Colada's with detatched interest...

I wonder if anybody videoed my spill?

I wonder if anyone video'd the topless supermodels? :thumbup:

 

[kick]

Maybe i'm just not seeing what others are seeing but to me it just looks like an un-finished bike with pieces missing.

 

[ZenPuddleJumper]

braking effectiveness with front fairings removed?

Hey guys, I'm tempted to go thin myself (post-crash), but after easily locking up my front wheel going for a test ride, I was wondering if losing that extra 25-30lbs over the front wheel is decreasing my braking effectiveness. Any thoughts? I already have all the used replacement plastics, but I don't have much motivation to start putting them back on just yet.
-b

Haha! Actually not in my case. I'm planning on selling my old plastics

 

[MikeB]

I was wondering if losing that extra 25-30lbs over the front wheel is decreasing my braking effectiveness.

25-30 lbs? I would make it more like 5 lbs for both tank side panels and the chin piece, total. It's inconceivable that such a slight weight reduction wold make any difference in braking. The super-sized burger you had for lunch is more significant than that, and even more so anything you may have in a trunk or tail bag (the bike's, not yours:mrgreen.

But I DO believe that (without any objective evidence, I admit) that the absence of tank side panels reduces the high-speed instability many owners report. That's a lot of air -- and thus lift -- trapped under there.

 

[SittingDuck]

"I was wondering if losing that extra 25-30lbs over the front wheel is decreasing my braking effectiveness. "

Brake effectiveness is helped by transfering weight forward, not by already having it there (which is why racers prefer their cars to be tail-heavy, like 60-40)...
All other things being equal (tire, weather, speed, brake pad, swept area, mass), the vehicle with the most static weight in the back will stop the best.

 

[ZenPuddleJumper]

Right now I have nothing at all in front of the forks. No braket, no plastics, nada.

That big metal bracket has got to weight more than 5lbs, no?
-b

25-30 lbs? I would make it more like 5 lbs for both tank side panels and the chin piece, total. It's inconceivable that such a slight weight reduction wold make any difference in braking. The super-sized burger you had for lunch is more significant than that, and even more so anything you may have in a trunk or tail bag (the bike's, not yours:mrgreen.

But I DO believe that (without any objective evidence, I admit) that the absence of tank side panels reduces the high-speed instability many owners report. That's a lot of air -- and thus lift -- trapped under there.