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After coming perilously close to ordering a generic rear stand on Amazon, my brother emailed to say he had come by a set of Vortex stands that he didn't need. Would I like them for dirt cheap? Does a bear sh.... Yes. Yes I'd love them.
Being completely new to owning a bike without a centerstand (at least since I started doing all my own maintenance), I had some learnin' to do about how these things work. Here's what I've learned, thanks in part to the great folks at riderforums.
I knew that the rear stand lifted on spools bolted to the inserts welded to the underside of the swingarms at the factory. That was pretty straight-forward. All I needed to do was expand the Vortex stand's adjusters to maximum width. To get the rear off the ground, carefully stand the bike vertical, engaging the spools with the lift's notched plates, and lever downward. Here's a good video of the process if you haven't seen it done before.
This is a fairly new model yet, and I haven't come upon a good fairing how-to. Here are some tips that may be helpful. This information applies to 2011, 2012, and presumably 2013 models.
Start by removing the dash panel. Take out the 4 screws (4mm Allen) and work the panel rearward to free it.
A good next step is to remove the plastic fasteners that stitch the fairing side panels to the inner front panel. There are two types. The smaller ones (4 on each side - see photo at right) which are found at the top and sides are removed by pressing the center pin inward. You'll feel a pop when the pin slides in about 1/8", and then the fastener can simply be pulled out with your fingers. A thin-bladed screwdriver or putty knife works well to slide under the head and lift them out. Once these are out you'll want to pop the center pin back out, past flush, to prepare them for reuse. More on that later.
The two larger fasteners (not shown in the photos) are down at the chin of the fairing. Remove them by sliding a small flat screwdriver under the center pin's round head and popping it up. There's a notch on one side that's a good spot to grab. Once the head pops up you can remove the fastener with your fingers.
After nearly 10 seasons and more than 47,000 perfectly carefree miles on the Bandit I've made a change. Opting for newer technology, lighter weight, and better suspension, I've ridden my first 400 miles on the new Kawasaki Ninja 1000 with ABS.
I've added T-Rex frame and fork sliders just in case, mounted my Garmin Zumo 550 to the left brake clamp, installed a Givi topcase rack for the V46 case, and trimmed the rear fenderd down to a reasonable size.
So far the bike has proven amazing. The EFI means no choke to futz with on cold startup and beautiful fuelling from off-idle to redline. Power is linear and impressive. The handling is sharp and far more flickable than the heavier Bandit, even after its upgrades.
Drawbacks are fuel range, which I hope to remedy somewhat with taller gearing, and wind protection, which isn't as good as the Bandit's, particularly on my hands in the cool morning air. An aftermarket windscreen and maybe some seasonal hand guards could help. The really handy adjustment for the windscreen means I can have maximum protection or a cooling breeze as needed.
More to come.
The mercury cleared 50 degrees in my Minnesota city just before the sun broke through the hazy sky. It was early afternoon and a breeze blew lightly from the west. The road called, so I put away my lawn rake and pulled on my riding gear.
I tossed my camera backpack in my Givi top case with the intention of taking some photos. It fit nicely and wouldn’t slide around too much. In my tank bag were some maps and a first aid kit along with a tire gauge and other resident gizmos. I had been refreshing my memory on the use of my tire plug kit that morning, and had grabbed it off the counter on my way out the door. I tossed it in the tank bag and slid the GPS unit into its cradle. I only planned on riding a few hours in an area I know fairly well, but sometimes it’s nice to know where you ended up for later reference.
Here's how I took my stock Bandit headlights out and installed a set of Hella™ 90mm low and high beam modules. They produce superior light to the stock modules, and they should not be succeptible to the black dust that rendered the stock lighting almost useless. The low beam is wide and even, and the high really lights up the world. I was able to retain the use of the stock adjuster plates, so fine tuning of the beam will be as described in the owners manual.
The Hella link is here (myhellalights.com) and the store where I bought them is here (rallylights.com, high-beam, low-beam). My total cost was about $160 including the lights and plugs, wire, rtv silicone, rivets, bolts/washers/nuts, nylon bushings and electrical tape. Total time was around six hours, but I admit I wasn't clocking myself.
Author's note: The following is more a personal diary, a memoir, than it is a piece for public enjoyment. As such, it may seem long-winded and trivial. It was important for me to record my thoughts while they were fresh in my mind, and here they are.
Day 1 was June 21, 2006. We covered over 4400 miles in eight of ten days, riding on 2002 and 2004 Suzuki GSF Bandit 1200S motorcycles.
For some reason, probably ego, I allowed my riding partner Shane to talk me into doing 1000 miles the first day. The idea was to earn our Iron Butt Association SaddleSore 1000 certification and to get the rather mundane ride across western Minnesota and eastern South Dakota behind us quickly. I was anxious about the plan. We'd ridden several 600 mile days without much trouble, and at least one of them was in high heat and included extensive delays over freshly laid asphalt. It wasn't pleasant, so I had concerns about how tough this day would be. I planned meticulously, even purchasing a Camelbak for my tankbag. I'd take no chances with dehydration. I rebuilt my Bandit's seat with memory foam (actually laminate flooring underlayment, but it seemed to work) and strapped on a cut-down beaded seat cover. I figured for 8 bucks I could throw it away if it didn't work.
I have few photos from that day - there was little time to spare. We left at 4 a.m., rode as far as we could before buttburn set in, stopped for gas, and took off again. I had packed two pop-top tubs of Chef Boyardee for quick nourishment and ate one cold at 9 a.m. My new GPS unit, a Garmin Quest 2, kept me informed in brilliant color of our progress. I started noting the 100-mile increments... under 900... under 800... and so on. One step at a time, and keep shifting the weight on my rear.
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