Hitchcocks Forum

Hi guys! Just a reflection on "customization" that I would like to share with you and the possible effects is can have.

When I bought my RE500 Classic MY 2010 last year, it only had 1000 km on the meter. It was at that time modified in a number of ways: higher handle bar, longer rear swing, fatter rear tyre, wider rear mudguard, shorter shock absorbers, modified tail light and number plate holder, customized single seat, other indicator lights, extra lights, a shorter silencer.
It was (and still is) painted in a special "Royal Postal red" colour. All in all, a very nice composition if I may say so myself. I got all the original parts in a couple of boxes.

However, the fat rear tyre was a bit too "good to be true": at 140/90 - 15 it was a bit to wide. The modified rear swing could handle it but the tyre side was shafed by the chain, just a bit but anyway. I replaced it with a 130/90 - 15. It worked, but now the wheel diameter got smaller and it simply didn´t look "right" if you know what I mean. It also meant that I got problems with the headlight adjustment.

I therefore replaced the wheel with a 130/70 - 18 (the original rear rim). That was OK, but now I realized something else: the rear swing was not completey aligned, making the rear wheel look a bit askew seen from the rear. I decided to install the original rear swing, together with a 120/80 - 18. This of course meant to also install the original mudguard and original taillight.

Meanwhile, I started to question the slighly higher and wider handlebar; whilst it made you feel like "king of the road" in slow traffic, the upright position when reaching 90 - 100 km/h was somewhat tiring. Would the relatively small difference to the original handlebar be noticeable at all? Only one way to find out: I changed to the original handlebar. This of course meant that I had to replace the longer cables with shorter ones (that I happended to have in one of the boxes). What a difference it made! The bike became much more nimble (if that word can be applied to a RE500...) and the ride much more smooth in all respects.

So, what´s left? Yesterday I replaced my loud silencer with the original, long "cigar" and I also installed the original seat, the one with springs. Perfect! I think I prefer the somewhat muffled thump to the sharper and louder sound from the small silencer and the slightly higher seat gives a better overall riding position, in combination with the handlebar.

Well, I am still not so happy with the original tail light and have started to build my own design, based on the Wipac "Sabrina" lamp, together with smaller bullet like indicators. The two "pointy" things on the lamp will harmonize with the jet shaped bullet indicators. A typical winter project.

I have done some other modifications though: lithium battery, improved wiring for the extra lights, LED headlight, simple bag holder for Ortlieb bags etc, but that´s another story.

Just wanted to share this with you all. Does anyone have other experiences from modifications vs standard configuration?

Best regards,
Gunnar

Some people should just have their tools taken off them. Here is a gumtree purchase of mine. The longer you look, the worse it gets. Thee is so much to list that I won't even start. This "motorcycle" is a collection of parts bolted together into something the same general shape of a motorbike, nothing more.

Thankfully the seller "couldn't get it to run" which is just as well because there were still bits of piston ring left in the bottom of the crankcases from the previous whatever the hell happened to it.

Oh dear!

Caveat emptor?

Presto wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 26, 2020 12:05 pm

Oh dear!

Caveat emptor?

Not too bad in the end. Didn't lose out on the deal. The most annoying bit was it had bored out 350 crankcases I couldn't use for a 612 conversion so I had to buy another basket case.

The engine got rebuilt (having replaced the meteor primary drive componants and gearbox with bullet ones), put in a standard rolling chassis and sold. The frame was kept for my 612 project. I sold the meteor gearbox for enough to buy the bullet one and clutch. I swapped the sidecar double brake front end with our hosts for a bunch of other parts I wanted for my project (casquette, swingarm etc). Many of the cycle parts and the tank have migrated to my 350. I'm still working through the worlds supply of heavy duty electrical wire. I'm sure the steering yoke, modified meteor swingarm and headlamp assembly will come in handy for something somewhere.

If a bike looks like a dog's breakfast it probably IS one.

I understand that some people don't like the casquette headlight casting, I'm one of them, but the parts are available to make a nice neat job of it with a separate headlamp (clue: proper headlamp brackets, speedo mounting cup). Not fitting a set of sidecar forks for solo use is also a good idea.

Gunnar, if we haven't put you off the idea you can always post a photo of your bike, sit back and enjoy the flak! Or the appreciative comments.

A.

This looks like another case of fixing things which aren`t broken; or another way of putting it, fixing things until they ARE broken.
Most of my time with the Bullet, was fixing things which were broken.

Dont forget the rear mudguard going up and down with the swingarm, stylish! However have you seen the cult in japan for choppers with half fairing! Vince

Those forks are Redditch sidecar type =worth a pretty penny !

vince wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 27, 2020 8:06 am

Dont forget the rear mudguard going up and down with the swingarm, stylish! However have you seen the cult in japan for choppers with half fairing! Vince

Mudguard yes, chaingurad no, that was attached to the frame...

Here are three pictures illustrating my gradual transformation from the "bobber-ish" style the bike had when I bought it, via the DGR ride last year here in Gothenburg, to the more or less standard config today. I wouldn´t exactly call it a "dog´s meal" in any of the three stages, but I sort or reluctantly have to admit that it is much nicer to ride today than before.

Best regards,
Gunnar