alright...for all those hungry for a taste of the bike in progres...here's a couple pics....it's still being worked on (like the chain..haha)...also the lighting in my garage sucks so don't mind the pics....and she's a little dirty..i am so ashamed!!! damn dust in the garage...

 

Alright...i'm a jerk...haha....it takes a lot of time to sit and take pictures and do a write up that i have been lagging....i have done a bunch of stuff and really need to start taking the time to write up the things...that being said...i am going to start today...i can't guarantee i can keep up a steady pace, but i'll try....my biggest problem is i JUST got my new camera so i need to take pics, then upload them, etc....so i have a few pics...so i'll try to start there....as always...let me know if you have any comments...

if there's something particular you want me to explain or take pics of, let me know...i will work on getting the rearsets pictured...

 

realizing i can't possibly post them in the order i did them now...i have done so much lol...here is the first...of one that i have pictures..

Tricktape Headlight Mesh
http://www.tricktape.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3167

Ranking of project 1-10 (10 being worst):
Cost: 3 - pretty cheap ($22.95)
Difficulty: 4 - not very hard, depends on the quality of material
Functionality: 5 - there is no real functional aspect, it works as it should..haha
Visuals: 3 or 9 - looks awesome, HOWEVER, read the notes below
Time: 5 - you need to take your time doing this like any sticker app
Overall: 5 - it's a cool thing to do, if it's done right, many things to consider

Alright...in maintaining my red/black theme...i really wanted somethign to black out my headlights...now...knowing that light is our friend, I wanted something that wouldn't restrict light output but still get close to the effect i wanted.....

a few notes, i considered night shades spray tinting, and i considered actual tinting film...my issue is that i think it would restrict light output...seeing as i don't have my HIDs yet...i wasn't ready to attempt that....i think this is the best compromise although there are some things to watch out for...

alright....down to the install....

1) remove your upper fairing....shouldn't take too long, only a few screws and one wiring harness....take that to a comfy place inside for step 2....

2) take out the headlight assembly...once again, fairly easy...just a few screws....



* at this point i would take a little extra time and clean the whole thing up...if you have never taken it out before, it's likely dusty and dingy....whenever i disassemble something, i take the extra 20 minutes to clean it up....just makes me feel good plus i know stuff is just building up....

3) now get our your vinyl mesh sheet...



as you can see....the sheet is pretty big....(not big enough as you will find out later)....except i didn't measure it and i don't know if the size is true because there is a white portion of the mesh that is unusable....so i don't know if the size they say online includes this white portion or not....turns out...that white portion could have saved me...

here's a closeup of the mesh



4) now unfortunately i was watching a football game as i did this and didn't take any in between pics....so just listen...

make sure the surface of the headlight is clean....AND DRY.....the instructions suggest you work from the inside out...but i found that it was nearly impossible to do because of the size of the sheet needed to work with...so i temporarily laid out the sheet across the light housing and found it was JUST LONG ENOUGH to cover...so i started at one corner....

work very very very very very (did i say very yet?)....slowly placing the mesh on the headlight so that you have at least a small amount to fold over the edge of the housing...you want to slightly pull on it to give it some tension, but not too much as you can easily rip this stuff and muck it up....

just concentrate on laying it on the surfa

 

Well done, thanks for the update - do you have any pictures with the lights on? I would be curious to see both the bike and the actual output (against a wall or something). Before and after would be cool too but that may be asking too much ;-)

We all enjoy your updates, keep them coming.

In the next few weeks I'll get my "diary" going as well, but so far all I have done is vortex sliders which a billion people have done already.


How are those LED's coming along......?

 

I could probably do that...the only issue i have at the moment is that it's snowing outside and very very cold....my bike is in an indoor heated garage at my condo and i can't turn out the lights or anything....so that puts a damper on the light output photos...

as for the LEDs, same sort of deal...i don't have an area to actually work on them...(i need dark to check the placement)...so as it stands i still have 2 pods and 2 stips left to install...the stuff i have installed looks great...but it's not done yet...

i also have a vortex triple clamp to put on and get powdercoated....also have a vortex gas cap coming too...

 

awesome..... i kinda got a look @ the rear sets, what did you have them done in ? flat or gloss ??? its hard to tell...... dont suppose you have any better side shots of the rear pegs or rearsets.....

Looking good though for sure.....

keep it up...

 

ffingers- I did something very similar to your headlight mod with some "tint" from Wal-Mart...Not trying to hijack your thread, just adding to it. You get enough of this stuff to cover the headlights numerous times, so its okay if you make a mistake. link to thread

BTW- your bike is looking good!

 

@carbon they are in gloss....everything in black that i have done is gloss...as for a better shot, i am going to take a few as i have gotten more than a few requests for side shots of the pegs and rearsets...stay tuned...

@onarom...yeah i thought about tinting and MAY move to that as i am not all that impressed with the stuff i got...my only concern is light output...on this stuff...the light output is damn near identical to stock....so i am not really losing anything....with tint, it will dim them a bit...how did your light output change?

and always feel free to add here...this is a thread to help people with ideas for their bike...so additions are always welcomed...

and thanks for the compliment...it's got more stuff than is here...i have since added pazzos, putting on my vortex gas cap, adding the rim stripes on my newly PC'd rims...plus there are LEDs that i haven't taken a picture of yet...so i will update this at some point...just no time lately...too busy working at work and on the bike!

 

The amount of light seems to be the same. The only difference is near the outer edges of the light spread, you can see the pattern (holes of light). I honestly don't even notice it anymore. It holds up really well. And if you are fortunate enough, I bought mine at "Big Lots" for $3.00

 

any up for ffinger's bike as cbrforum's bike of 2007? if not i vote for it... i've seen some nice bikes out there and i would have to say that your is in my top 5

good stuff tony!!! keep it up... i'm liking how the bike's turning out