TopCats Bikes Thread

[TopCat1127]

This ones all about my own bikes, although i've had many over the years lol I tend to stick with a few now, although I have recently changed one, but you'll see..........

Will add pics later

Thumper
A 1999 Suzuki TL1000R
Had this a while now, for those who remember I bought this about a year before i bought Stripes (My frosty Cougar) so i've owned it since before i joined up here!!
It's had a few minor upgrades, air filter is K&N panel, Yoshimura end cans, TRE (Timing retard eliminator), Uprated fuel pump, double bubble screen, Bendix MRR brake pads, shorty levers, and a GSXR750K7 back end which has been modified with a custom subframe to fit the TLR.

Post automatically merged: Mar 20, 2021

Kate
A 1976 Kawasaki KZ400D
Bought this a few years ago with a mind to build something......no idea what lol so it sort of emerged as whats called a tracker, loud proud, and fun, knobbly tyres, LED headlight, CX500C chrome tank, ebay seat, Norton peashooter silencers, LED rear light, cone filters, one-off carbon fibre side panels, and bar end mirrors, with Ammo cases as panniers which have been made to be detachable with 2 pit pins.

Post automatically merged: Mar 20, 2021

JUGS.
1999 Suzuki AN400 Burgman or Burgervan as i call it lol
Now I know i'll get some stick cos basically it's a ped lol but in the year i've owned it, it's helped me out and i've helped it out, so it's all good lol no mods apart from LeoVinci end can which came with it.
Sold last week to make way for the new kid on the block lol

Post automatically merged: Mar 20, 2021

DR X
1993 Suzuki DR650RSE
Been looking for a while, for something like this and this one came up at silly money so it would have been rude not to lol, just chucked on some new rubber, got a pair of end cans ready to go on when i get time, and just sorted the headlight with a HID upgrade (Standard ones poo lol)

 

[backseateducation]

I didn't realise you were running a GSXR back end Tony, is that a common mod? What's the reasoning behind it?

 

[TopCat1127]

I didn't realise you were running a GSXR back end Tony, is that a common mod? What's the reasoning behind it?

Styling more than anything Matt, lol not too keen on the OE ducks bum lol so this came up and i really like the way it fits the bike

 

[backseateducation]

I thought I could see the handholds for a grasstrack style sidecar on the side of Kate, then I realised she was just parked next to some of those steel tubes you lock bikes to

 

[shirtyzeus]

i love that kawasaki

 

[TopCat1127]

i love that kawasaki

Me too Paul, having carb and ignition issues, but once those are sorted it'll be stripped completely and finished properly before being rebuilt

 

[TopCat1127]

Well it's been a while, but I managed to get the exhausts done on DRX, I've also picked up a couple of left side panels NOS which I thought was a bit of a find tbh, am also in the process of making a rack for a couple of ebay boxes from germany

 

[mabo]

Looking good TC, I did similar maybe 10 years ago, I had some Hepco and Becker side cases ( or panniers in my world ) I then bought a fitting kit at bargain price but the wrong one for my Suzi GSX 1400, cut and welded to make it fit, to be fair yours looks neater than mine.
I did a trip into France, Italy, Germany and Belgium. She was firkin wide though, I had to be careful when splitting traffic. With me in front and my brother on a VFR750 with soft panniers behind he knew if I fitted then he could sail through the gap.

 

[TopCat1127]

Even the H&B stuff ain't cheap now lol boxes were 90 each and frame was 50 but was for a TT600 Yam, I may take the plunge on a fitting kit tho which is 60 quid, but will save me some aggro lol

 

[backseateducation]

Looks great Tony.
Seems a very versatile bike from what I've read.

 

[TopCat1127]

Done some more this weekend, got most of the left side done, just a bit more bracketry on the right side before painting it all.
Also found some push button key locks which means i'll be able to leave them attached and locked, so will fit those once they arrive.

 

[mabo]

Impressive.

 

[TopCat1127]

I'm a sheet metal guy who transferred to be an aircraft mech/structures fitter many moons ago so this stuff is just fun for me, lol I enjoy messing with stuff, especially if i have to make a fair bit of it.
All in this little lot owes me less than 300 quid, so i've saved a bloody fortune over Givi or Hepco and Becker stuff.

 

[backseateducation]

Glad to see you've incorporated some wood

 

[TopCat1127]

Fnar Fnar it had to be you that spotted it didn't it

 

[TopCat1127]

Got the boxes finished a couple of weeks ago now, spent a bit of time on them.
Made all the mount brackets and fitted them, modded the mount frames and fitted them too, even found some pop locks so made a couple of brackets for them too, so now the boxes can be left on the bike completely locked on and secure.
Also acquired some foam so lined them too, after i had waterproofed all the seams and joints.











New adjusters for front fork preload



Been playing with some reflective stuff (by hand) as I still am learning on the plotter/cutter, but this was in response to some numbnuts in tesco car park almost wiping me out!!! Bet he can see me now lol

 

[mabo]

You’ve done a job to be proud of TC. Those big blank box sides were begging for some vinyl, I suspected it wouldn’t be long coming.
I’ve never had Ali side cases, they work well on off road style bikes though. Did you make the boxes ?

I need to pull my back wheel and get the puncture I picked up late last year sorted. I’ll get to it in the next month or so.

I went back to look at the bike again and spotted a low flying Cougar.

 

[HogMonster]

That’s a fabulous job and a very nice DR too!
I looked at a kit for the framework and a pair of panniers for my Fazer thou and it came in at over £600

 

[TopCat1127]

I've done this on a budget, as I usually do if I can lol
Boxes are from Germany, company called Motea who sell on ebay as Motea.uk and at £90 each were a no brainer, they do plenty of other designs too, I kinda cheated the import too by ordering singular items lol
Framework was what started the whole thing off as I spotted them on the bay for a Yamaha XT660 and chucked in a silly bid of £50...........the rest is history lol bit of chopping, welding and fabbing, couple of bushes on the lathe and hey presto so with all i've spent i'm in for under £300 which is a happy place lol
And yes a full set of Givi's or similar is racking up to way over what i paid for the bike, so happy days for me

 

[poose]

Don't blame you making your bike more visible as some car drivers are downright dangerous. I've only had one bump in 40 years of riding scooters touch wood.
This was back in 84, a marina driver didn't give way when he should, usual sorry mate I didn't see you. I treat all car drivers like they want to kill me especially these days as they seem to be more aggressive and I've had a few close ones.
Luckily the last time I was hit I was in a nice solid car, same again I didn't see you.