Inspired by all the RWB's that have made the switch to white wheels, I took advantage of the fact that I needed new tires to have my own wheels powder coated. I went with the Michelin Pilot Road 4's and a local powder coater who has great reviews online. I also changed the valve stems out for the Bridgeport 83 degree stems in chrome. I then took up OOTV on his offer to put it all back together for me with his no-mar tire changer. I thought I'd share the result with a photo I took this morning just before heading into the office. A recent post asking about tank protection made me think about the stomp grips that I've had on for about three years now. I mentioned how they had started to yellow. When I posed my bike for this photo, hoping to get a decent shot to show off to all of you, I really noticed how fricken' dirty those grip pads are! Time to change them out for sure! As I looked closely at the photo I started thinking of other cosmetic changes I could make (ignoring for the moment that I desperately need to change out my brake fluid and possibly overhaul my calipers). New tank protectors (most likely the 3M film but possibly another set of clear stomp grips) are definitely needed. Powder coating my brake calipers gold would be pretty sharp. Maybe a new windscreen. If you look closely, you can see my parking pass taped to the upper right corner of my windscreen. Unfortunately, they rotate guys too often for me to be assured I won't have to stop each time and fumble for the pass so I taped it up there. Still, maybe a tinted windscreen. Not sure what else. After that, I'll probably be happy. Heck, I'm happy now. it's just fun to find little things to add to the bike without taking away from the already great design.
Ahh, finally a shot of the finished product! As far as the tank grip goes. Yeah, time to change that out. Now as far as your brakes, if you're gonna go the powder coating route, you may want to consider just grabbing some used calipers off of an ABS model VFR, as this way you can do a caliper rebuild off the bike and not have to be without your bike for as long as it takes to have them powder coated and rebuilt. Depending on the cost per caliper, it might actually be cheaper to get some used ones anyway. That being said, if you're gonna redo the calipers, you can't just do them without new brake lines otstir:
Haha! I'd love new brake lines. But I can't do new brake lines without upgrading my brake pads! And if I get new lines and new brake pads, I might as well install a super charger that my new brakes will be able to handle no problem. Of course, I can't have stock cans with a super charger ... You're absolutely right about those grip pads. Couldn't stand it a minute longer. Got out the hair drier and a microfiber cloth and went to work! Now, that's what the tank should look like! I need to do a re-do on the photo. As far as the calipers go, that's a great suggestion. I'll keep my eyes open for some used ones but in the meantime, I'll just stick with these and get them operating the way they're supposed to.
