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littleprince's '01 freestyle build/mod log

6K views 52 replies 10 participants last post by  littleprince 
#1 ·
Howdy, gonna start this thread to have somewhere to log progress that allows for a bit more interaction than instagram. The bike's still pretty new to me, but I'm the type who can't keep things stock (probably gave my parents a headache with how much I played around with my Civic), and I've already got plenty of ideas in mind.

Picked up the bike in mechanically great shape but with quite a bit of cosmetic damage, which puts me in a great place to start replacing things and patching things up. I don't have much mechanical experience, but I've got access to enough tools to tear the bike apart if I have to and I'm thinking this'll be a very fun learning process.
 
#2 · (Edited)
Just to kick it off, the two mods I've done so far:

Took off the cheap aftermarket front fairing, temporarily ziptied the original headlight in place until I can find a round headlight that works for me.



A custom tail tidy! Wanted the plate to sit a little closer to the tail, might replace the turn signals with something a little lower profile in the future. Cost me a few hours and a $5 steel sheet.

 
#3 ·
Realized I could use this thread to ask questions without clogging up the rest of the forum, so I'll throw these out here in case anyone has any answers:

1) Is it possible to swap in one of those round ebay LED headlights (yes, you get what you pay for, this is more hypothetical)? I know you can't direct swap LED bulbs into the current halogen housing, but I can't seem to find anything about full assembly swaps. Mostly concerned about wiring and voltage/etc.

2) My exhaust pipes have a green tarnish and quite a bit of "pitting", can anyone recommend a good way to clean it up? Was thinking about sanding/polishing and maybe coating with something, but I'm not sure what routes I could go.

3) There's quite a bit of up and down play with the brake and clutch despite tightening down the screws/bolts. Is it likely just a worn pivot? I don't know if these are stock levers (they're adjustable), should I just replace them?
 
#16 ·
Realized I could use this thread to ask questions without clogging up the rest of the forum, so I'll throw these out here in case anyone has any answers:

3) There's quite a bit of up and down play with the brake and clutch despite tightening down the screws/bolts. Is it likely just a worn pivot? I don't know if these are stock levers (they're adjustable), should I just replace them?
Well if you take the lever apart, I just did my brake side, The bolt only allows so much travel the pivot area seems to stop the nut.

I'm thinking a thin nylon washer on the top might eliminate vertical freeplay. My lower mileage one has less slop than my used but not damaged one.

Just some thoughts..
 
#4 ·
I'll just address point 3, and let others help you with the others.
The stock levers are adjustable. Some up and down play should be fine. Mine have about 1/2 inch.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Picked up a set of weighted bar end mirrors, painted them black, and attached some cheap clip-ons. The weighty bar ends definitely help kill some vibration. Yet to test the mirrors, but I feel like they'll work well, especially with the weighted ends. Also removed the lower fairing and put the windscreen back on till I'm a bit more used to high speeds/wind.

Headlight, brackets, and turn signals from 4into1 on the way, and I'll finally be able to replace the mess that's currently on the bike.



Appreciate the reply, mine have quite a bit more (around an inch of play maybe?), so I'll probably end up replacing them eventually, even though I've been riding fine with them. Brake lever's got a scuff from being dropped too, so might as well.

Also big thanks to @ZeroFret for both selling me the bar ends and the headlight recommendation lol
 

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#9 · (Edited)
Headlight and turn signals finally came in and got installed. Taking everything off was easier than I expected, installing everything was little more difficult that expected.

Looks good and works well, even got the turn signal running light functionality back that the PO removed by replacing with a single filament bulb. However - the bulb on the left turn signal burned out, and whether it was my fault or not, it seems a bit shifty. Waiting on 4into1's response on the matter.

As for mounting gauges, I built a custom bracket to attach them to the triple clamp. Super bulky, pictures to come [now], but it's a good enough solution for now, don't feel like dropping a ton of money on new, smaller gauges quite yet. Temporary, even in the state it's in. Gonna shape and shine the bars to make them look pretty, considering 3d printing a custom bottom "cover" for the gauge housing so it's not as sketch-looking.
 

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#10 · (Edited)
Two updates!
1) Started the process of wrapping the bike. Matte metallic black. Looks good, mostly done prep work, gonna get the actual wrapping done over the weekend when my girlfriend can help out.

Getting the front tire off was a pain in the ass, since it was an exercise in the gross misuse of tools. Wrapped the tiny plastic bit that goes over the taillight, and started the fender, and I can say: as a first timer, vinyl is harder to work with than I expected (which was already not easy)

2) My new speedometer came in from 4into1. Decided the stock gauges too much work to keep and still look acceptable. Mounted it using the existing hole where the bracket that holds the ignition cables goes. Keeps it lower compared to the triple clamp like I wanted, and I don't have to lengthen the speedo cable. All that's left is wiring, and hopefully that shouldn't be too hard.

Might pick up a new tach in the future, but given the trouble i've heard about with the wasted spark system and aftermarket tachs, i think i'll hold off for at least a little while.

Also, if anyone sees this and can chime in: Anyone running metal footpegs on their 500? Been considering switching for the look, was wondering if anyone had any experience with swapping the stock pegs.
 

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#11 ·
Updating for posterity:

1) Got the speedo wired up properly, not too many issues. A few notes in case anyone is interested in getting the same speedo:
-Backlight and highbeam light wired up as expected
-Neutral light and oil light leads had to be swapped (positive to original ground and vice versa)
-All 4 signals will flash if you try to just wire up both turn signal lights straight to the single speedo turn signal indicator. You'll need diodes on the main lead to restrict electric flow up into the speedo and not back down into the opposite side signal wire. There are inline diodes for motorcycles, but I went and got a set of two 33W diodes from an electronics store for 98¢, and wired/soldered it up myself. Works fine, if not a bit sketch.
I tucked the excess wire into the headlight housing, so it all looks fairly clean.

2) Attempted to wrap the bike, gave up after attempting to do the first side fairing. Probably possible, but the curves are tough, and it took me about 4 hours to do a garbage job on one fairing. Decided I'm much better at painting, not sure why i didn't decide to go with that in the first place. Oh well, $50 mistake.
 
#46 ·
Updating for posterity:

1) Got the speedo wired up properly, not too many issues. A few notes in case anyone is interested in getting the same speedo:
-Backlight and highbeam light wired up as expected
-Neutral light and oil light leads had to be swapped (positive to original ground and vice versa)
-All 4 signals will flash if you try to just wire up both turn signal lights straight to the single speedo turn signal indicator. You'll need diodes on the main lead to restrict electric flow up into the speedo and not back down into the opposite side signal wire. There are inline diodes for motorcycles, but I went and got a set of two 33W diodes from an electronics store for 98¢, and wired/soldered it up myself. Works fine, if not a bit sketch.
I tucked the excess wire into the headlight housing, so it all looks fairly clean.

2) Attempted to wrap the bike, gave up after attempting to do the first side fairing. Probably possible, but the curves are tough, and it took me about 4 hours to do a garbage job on one fairing. Decided I'm much better at painting, not sure why i didn't decide to go with that in the first place. Oh well, $50 mistake.
@Vecktor just found it, look at point number 1, you'll need this for the Speedo too
 
#12 ·
holy moly youve done so much congratz! so i dropped my bike and the upper fairing is busted. I decided to just streetfighter it so i bought:

- a new round headlight with directional turn signals in it already, mount for it, and housing coming for it
- bar end mirrors

The only problem i ahve is i dont want to drop a bunch of money on a new speedometer and the condition of my stock one is still good, is there any idea youd think of to keep the stock cluster while removing the metal stock frame that holds it up?

*im not very technical with these parts like you but i can learn from youtube
 
#13 ·
Thanks! I used a couple of metal bars to make a bracket (you can kinda see what i had in an earlier post on this thread), but I personally decided it'd be too much work to keep my stock gauges in a way where I was okay with the look.

From the way I had it in the previous post, I would've bent the bars to lower the whole gauge cluster, then would've made a custom bottom cover to hide all the wires/etc. Decided it wasn't personally worth my time when I knew it'd ultimately be temporary. The speedo I bought was ~$70 shipped(imo worth it since it has all the lights too); I've heard some people recommend an old Kawasaki Vulcan speedo; and iirc 99% of old japanese bikes had the same speedo ratio so you could probably find any one you liked as long as the cable screwed on.

If you're set on keeping the stock gauges though, for cost and/or convenience, a custom bracket is the only reasonable suggestion I can come up with. Otherwise, you could try and hack up the whole cluster and make custom housings, but that's out of my ballpark (maybe if I had a spare cluster to tear apart). I recall seeing a post where someone had isolated and mounted their stock speedo in an interesting way, but unfortunately I can't seem to find it.

Either way, good luck with whatever you choose to do!
 
#18 ·
Finally got around to painting the tank! The advantage of sharing this online is that none of you can take a close look at it to see how terrible the paint job actually is lmao.

I bought this bike as a learning experience though, and learned I have. Next time I spray anything I'm getting a proper setup, spraycans and a flimsy PVC/tarp spray booth cause nothing but issues.

Probably gonna let the paint cure for a day or two before I put it back on, and then I'll need to either buy new tank grips or reattach the ones I peeled off (more likely, since tank grips cost like $50 for some reason and my workplace is probably closed for the next month), because this bike really feels way better when my knees don't slip off the tank during hard acceleration. After that it's decals/logos.

Glad to get this thing in a closer-to-complete state, will probably be doing a lot of riding and enjoying the emptier roads (California's finally gone and shut down all non-essential businesses statewide).
 

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#19 · (Edited)
Mounted, tank grips applied. Not the greatest looking up close, but I'm happy with it.

The main vision is largely done, now it's just the details.

-A wash, since it got splashed with some dirty water when I rode it in the wet.
-Sand and spray the headers black
-Decals/logos
-New mufflers, either delkevic or stock if I can find one(I like the look of the delkevic, anyone know if it's too loud?)
-Want to add some gold accents, maybe have a few parts powdercoated. Especially to break up that huge mass of black around the engine.
-Repaint some stuff with chipped paint like the forks and radiator
-Considering replacing the grips and reupholstering the seat to brown, something leather-looking maybe.
-A new tach eventually, if/when I want to deal with the wiring.

Once I get a few hundred more miles under my belt I'll probably install some handling mods, currently eyeing FOG's fogbones; might buy them and hold off on the install until I'm totally comfortable with how the bike feels as is (particularly at low speeds).
 

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#21 · (Edited)
Thanks!

Will also drop a few more pictures I took today after a wash and a trip down the PCH. First non-short trip on a bike (about 80 miles total). 70+ mph without a windscreen gets kind of rough lol

Ended up tailing a pair of dudes on BMW S1000RRs, really opened my eyes up to how much slower the 500 is lol. 50hp vs. 200hp is hilarious, they walked away from me at stoplights without even trying. Also definitely want to buy the fogbones sometime, could really use the quicker turn-in. Passed/was passed by plenty of other bikes, seemed like people were happy to take advantage of the weather today.
 

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#24 ·
apologies for the no reply, the new layout has put me off a bit lol (and also i just bought Animal Crossing), but yeah you just have to force it. The loctite was pretty tough. I think I used a perfectly sized/shaped screw head and used a wrench to turn it lol.

More updates:
1) Got some decals on there. I knew they'd "ruin" the super minimal aesthetic and might put off some people, but it's my bike so...
Says "streetfighter" on the tank and "Junketsu" on the tail.
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2) Painted the exhaust headers and radiator side pieces. Used Rustoleum high-heat spray paint, good for 2000deg. F. Pretty happy with the results. Left the mufflers unpainted, since I'm gonna replace them (or at least the banged-up right side, if I can find a stock can for a decent price).
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3) Dropped it for the first time lol. Short, but tiring ride home from work, pulled into my garage, guess the kickstand wasn't properly down when I got off, and there it fell. Was easier than I expected to pick up, and the only damage was a small scratch near the grab handle where it landed on a bottle of coolant, and a minuscule scuff on the bar end mirror. Live and learn, lol.
 
#26 ·
Thanks! I wasn't aware of that mod, will definitely look into it. Those bits have bothered me for a while, wasn't sure if there was anything I could do about them.
Next visual mod though is probably gonna be replacing the stock coolant overflow resevoir with something sleeker, I was fine with it before but now it's kind of bugging me, replacing it should be reasonably cheap and easy provided I can actually get out and get some parts to do it.
 
#27 ·
For the expansion tank with the Shoei sticker on it: Get some fusion primer and spray the tank. Then, some aerosol truck bed liner or even car trunk paint truk paints needs clearcoat) will make it look less like a tumor.
 
#28 ·
Appreciate the advice, will probably end up painting it in the meanwhile.

Bringing up the coils again, I decided to take a look at them (the right side on anyway, since it sticks out unlike the left side) and realized I could relocate the unit to the other side of the bracket to make it flush with the whole thing. That, and a bit of electric tape because I'm too lazy to paint it, actually makes a pretty nice difference. Anyone know any downsides/dangers? Other than a bit more inconvenience if I ever have to access the thing, doesn't seem like it'd cause issues.
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#34 ·
If you want the sealed, waterproof wiring connectors (a very good idea), you can pick up a salvaged ZX6R or Ninja 650 wiring harness on eBay. You could possibly make up the connectors yourelf, but it doesn't sound like you hacve all thart much wiring experience(?). I don't think the wiring from the EX harness will reach to the coil-on-plug units, but it is easy to make some extensions, or just some .250" male blade terminals crimped or soldered onto the salvaged ZX6R or Ninja 650 connectors. It's easier than it sounds. As to keeping the coils from wobbling on the plugs, you can make a really simple bracket that attaches to the old P.A.I.R. emission valve mounting bosses that are directly ahead of each plug. The pics in the other thread should make it clear.
 
#37 ·
hey so i got the same speedo you recommended, and also i got a round halo headlight. the thing is the headlight has a green and a red wire, one for turn signals and one for ground. how do i connect the 4 wires (r turn signal, L turn signal, ground, running light) to those 2 wires from the headlight?
 
#38 ·
Can you post a pic of the connectors on your headlight? If it's anything like mine the green and red wires are for the turn signals and running light respectively, with an H4 connector running the dipped beam and main beam. The ground for the whole unit runs through the main H4 connector. What I plan on doing is connecting the running light to the side light loom.
 
#50 · (Edited)
@Vecktor I hope I wasn't being too condescending, this is the sort of stuff I needed before I learned what I have.

As a bit of extra info, if the diodes don't have an arrow or a coloured band or anything particularly obvious, it's the negative end that points to the green headlight wire (silver band should be negative)

51191


Hopefully this all works for you :)

@littleprince sorry to hijack your thread a bit :oops:
 
#51 · (Edited)
@ajbenson13, no worries, appreciate you helping the guy out. Haven't been active here much since I've been kinda stressed out with these online classes haha.

Currently not doing much with my bike (and probably won't until all this covid stuff dies down a bit), just been enjoying riding it to work and around town. Somehow developed a slow leak in my front tire though, loses 2-3 PSI a day and I can't find the source, so I might just replace it asap.

PO installed some Shinko SR740s, and while I haven't heard great things about the brand, I've heard good things about the tire itself, and since it's half as expensive as most other options I might buy a new one as a replacement.
 
#52 ·
well, due to my being incredibly picky about the overall flow/aesthetic of my bike (and any other possessions, really), I've made the decision to repaint it satin black. Kinda dumb since it's only been like 2 months, but I decided I don't like all the flaws in my first paint job, and I don't like the way the white accentuates some of the lines on this bike that I don't really like (particularly the way the tank cuts off at like a 40° angle).

decided I also might as well finally repaint the chipped-to-hell forks, and replace the exhaust gaskets which I failed to do when I repainted the exhaust. Might also finally get the front tire replaced while it's off the bike anyway. Also gonna replace the headlight with an LED, and the bar-end mirrors to some more raised up ones. it's gonna be a mess in my garage for the next week lol.

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Another note, for posterity: In truth, I was very tempted to sell this bike for super cheap and buy my dream bike (an original SOHC Honda CB750), but I realized a few things:
1) I've only had this bike for like 3 months and I'd still like to get better at riding and customizing/tinkering with it.
2) COVID means that I have less work hours = less money; and that stores are closed or I have to be super careful outside = pain in the ass to get parts for a new bike.
3) I felt kinda bad just dumping the bike, I wanted to do it justice and make it not look like crap before I sold it lol.
 
#53 · (Edited)
Paint job largely done, gonna need a few touch ups though (the top of the tank looks particularly stripey for some reason). Have new grips and rear turn signals coming in, gonna get some vinyl to reupholster the seat, and about to order a new LED headlight. Plus new tank grips. Not sure if I want to buy some, or DIY a set so I can get the shape I actually want.

51550


[EDIT, 9/14/21] doing this in an edit as i don't need this to pop up in the new posts section, but if you are reading this i have since sold this bike to another new rider for super cheap, and picked up an '04 DL650 full of spiders. truly i cannot stay away from a project.
 
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