Handlebar solved!

I went downtown to a few accessory shops over the weekend to survey prices for my mods list.
One of them being handlebars. I was eyeing those MX ones or streetfighter ones. But the criteria being they must have the crossbar.
So I went to a few scram shops and found the prices for aftermarket handlebars a bit tad surprising. Or rather out of my projected budget.
So I rode down to Motorworld, one of those shops with every accessory under the sun. Went into the basement section and saw a few nice streetfighter bars on sale. There, the next inspiration came to me.
The sales guy, an avid fan of the GSR bike himself, mentioned that crossbars are sold seperately. He showed me a few JDM cross bars. The whole set costs around SGDD$75, a very cheap alternative. Its simply coz the stock handlebars are pretty good themselves.
So, I decided to head down to good ol' Ah Boy, that man in bike parts and accessories. What you can't get, he can find. And at cutthroat prices.
I asked around and got a simple crossbar. It was black and fits 7/8" bars perfectly. SGD$8. Damnz. I paid on the spot.
Now to fix it on....

SS-hoses? I've got da answer....

Ever since its introduction, stainless steel-braided hoses are one of the hottest "to-do" mods I've heard.
Although its actually targetted for track-oriented riders who wants to have a fast day at the track but needs a fast way to stop without bursting their hoses, many street-riders here swear by them even for normal commuting. Considering the general car-owner's attitude towards bikers, I would agree with them.

Getting a SS-hose setup is beneficial aesthetically. The main downer, however, is cost. An average, reasonable quality one can cost between SGD$170-200 for a 2-line setup.
Considering I'm still saving and allocating my financial resources, a setup is out of question.

Not until I found this alternative, snipped from a local Toyota RAV4 forum (Lexus RX300 to you continental owners):
http://rav4expedition.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=93

Essentially, using cable ties to secure the rubber hoseline. The cable-ties (lots of them) will act as the steel-braid, preventing the rubber hose from "ballooning" and thus less hydraulic pressure loss during braking. I know of some very good industrial strength cable ties that can be had for cheap.
Of course, this mod alone will score an absolute zero in the aesthetics department. Imagine a brake hoseline with close to a hundred cable ties on it. *shivers*
Something's needed to cover it.
That's where Lizard Skins come in.


A little mod and it can be used as a hose / cable cover for the Ghost:


Time to hunt for cable ties tonight....

Weekend's coming...

Ahh....
I can smell the weekend already.
The missus will be working the whole day on Saturday. Half day at her regular job and the other half at Pizza Hut.
So, perfect day for me & the Ghost to hang out and recce the mod list.
Current mod list to date:
1. Dual-Star mirrors
2. Handlebar (Pro-Taper recommended to me)
3. Gauges
4. Helmet skinz for my MX helmet donated to me (all thanks to Boy Naz)

On the side note, I realized I need goggles for my MX helmet. Saw the Oakley Crowbar at Marina and I LOVED IT. Unfortunately, I hated the selling price (SGD$80+).
So sourcing for alternatives.

Someone I know in China is doing a group buy for the new Oakley/Fox goggles:

for.... SGD$49. And these are aithentic stuffs.

A cheaper alternative would be something I just discovered. Paulson's Bubble Goggles:


They're pretty popular with skydivers and equestrian riders, it seems. They were used in Days of Thunder


My only issue with this particular goggle is the strap. Thin, it doesn't look like its meant to wrapped around the helmet, as most MX goggles are. Instead, its meant to be worn around the head itself.
But somehow, I love these bubble goggles. I'm not going off-road or MX. So they dun need high-impact resistance. Rather, just keep out the sand, tiny pebbles, dust and other minor inconveniences on the road.

Hmmmm....

Gauging the Ghost...

I love gauges.
And I mean those automotive gauges that local ricer-boys love to install on their dashboards. But to me, the guages installed has to be meaningful to the type of car, or motorbike for that matter.
I mean, a boost gauge on a normal sedan car without a supercharger installed will look out of place.

For the Ghost, I was thinking vacuum gauges. 4 of them.....


You must be thinking I'm mad, right?
But there is a use for it. You see, all the while on my TL1000R, 90% of the mods I do on it has to either help with the performance or help me monitor what's up with the bike. I rigged a Dealer Mode switch to the Suzuki EFI system to troubleshoot EFI code and had the switch permanently installed on the dashboard so I don't have to stop the bike and take off the rear seat (Gixxer & TL riders will know what I'm talking about). I learnt, by myself on the Internet, to solder and assemble small IC boards and LED setups so that I could install an LED warning system to my modified spark plug wiring.
So, its been my philosophy that mods should have at least 40% usefulness in addition to the aesthetic factor.

Back to the gauges. The Ghost works with 4 intake channels, as with most in-line fours. Whether is EFI or carb technology, the premise is always that the 4 intakes need to be balanced, or in sync. Imbalance intakes mean poor performance in terms of power, acceleration or even problems like funny or dying idling. Bike need constant balancing of the carbs, something I used to DIY with my own built oil manometer (another DIY success story).
To cut short, with 4 vacuum gauges installed and attached to the intakes, I'll be easier to monitor the Ghost's intake performance and will help out a lot when balancing needs to be done. On the aesthetic front, I just love the look of 4 gauges rising up and down everytime you accelerate hard or clutch in. Gives it the tricked out performance look.

Yes, I will admit it. It does make me look like a sad poser. But a poser with a correct purpose... :)

Sap = bane of paintwork

Sap.
Essentially the liquid thingy inside trees. Sort of the lifeblood of the tree.
Now here's a good lessons to be learned:
Some tree saps are hazardous to paintwork.

Believe it or not, the sap of some the of trees at my house carpark are corrosive to paintwork.
At first, my wife did warn me about it. Cars parked under some of the trees there run the risk of getting sap from broken twigs onto the painwork. If not washed or cleaned immediately, it will actually eat into the paintwork, leaving behind a smudge and, if not treated, will actually eat and cause rustspots on the body.
Well, I became the lates victim. It rained heavily last night, snapping off some of the twigs off the tree near the Ghost. Some of the sap splattered onto the tank. Overnight, it has now left 3 spot marks on the tank. Even with repeated water, WD40, GT85 and waxing, the spots are still visible upon closer inspection.
Sigh.......

On the road....

Took the Ghost out for a ride today.
A leisurely Sunday morning ride to neighbouring Johor Bahru for a quick refuel.
Every time I read it makes me glad I picked her instead of another sportsbike.
Not that I dislike sportsbike. Just that, after 2 years on my supersports TL1000R, I needed something else different, comfortable, economic and suited for me.

Anywayz, the ride was superb as always. Mirror vibey as usual. Smooth handling and quick-flick ability.
Currently, I'm getting stares on the road. I understand why. Simply, there's nothing like it on the road. Even after the Duc Monster series and Fazer-600 underseat models, nothing attracts everyone's attention like this. The sound of a litre-bike in the compact frame of a 400.
I've had 2 guys on their CB400s stopping beside me at the Customs gate asking about my bike. The usual questions of "what capacity?" & "how much?". I'm more than happy to oblige them with answers. Even told them there is a 400cc version but just that its release here is still doubtful. Well, maybe if enough people ask Guan Hoe, decisions might change and I might see more mini-Ghosts here.

Mirror mirror = $$$

Everything has a price.
Dual-Star mirrors cost USD$16.95. Per mirror.
So that's around USD$34 for one pair minus shipping.
Time to hunt around for alternatives.

Might never know there's a better one....

Mirror, mirror on the wall.....

Mirrors.
The first serious flaw I've noticed on the Ghost. At high speeds or heavy acceleration, it becomes blurry. At night, God forbid if the only thing I can see behind me are only lights or UFOs.
So its gotta be the first item on the list.
I heard some DRZ-SM riders complaining about the same thing. Big obstrusive mirrors, vibey like hell. Their solution?
Something cool:



A great add-on for a streetfighter. The perfect addition to the Ghostfighter....

The Ghost, Redux...

Well, it has to happen.
Project Ghostfighter. My vision during a cloudless night.
But first, what is really the Ghost? The Suzuki GSR600 K6. All stock & matt black with silver trim. A natural streetfighter.
My newest baby.

By itself, it has killer looks. But to those who ride and own it, its screaming for more.

So I decided to start this little blog as a document of what my own vision for The Ghost redux.

Or rather.... The Ghostfighter....