Ways to Mod a Cruiser

[Relax]

Hi, I'm Troy Maclure.

You may remember me from such forum posts as 'Contemplating Cruisers' and 'Super Quick Until I Die.'
Lol, anyways, as you can see, I've been contemplating cruisers. One of the biggest kicks for me is that they're such versatile machines. For me, speed isn't everything. I would take the sexiest looking sluggish bike over an ugly ass super speed racer.

So what I'm aiming for is a bobber/cafe ish bike. The donor bike I've chosen is the XVS, I simply love the lines in the frame. I've test ridden a 250 (not that exciting) but I did sit on a 750 and I think that'll be the perfect one for me. So, in 6 months time, I'll be looking forward to buying my cruiser. Until then, I'll be researching ways to mod my future cruiser.

I'm thinkin rear hugger with no front fender. Is it legal to have no front fender? I do have a missus and she would love for me to take her on a cruiser, so are there any rear huggers with seats I can bolt on and off when I need it? Or something along those lines?

Handlebars. As much as I love the cruiser look, I really prefer race clip ons. Has anyone ridden a cruiser with race clip ons before? What's it like? Totally incompatible, uncomfortable?

Exhausts. With my sports bike, there were only really a few options but I've seen soooo many different styles of exhausts on cruisers, I simply don't know where to start. What are they all? And heat wraps, I really dig their looks, what do you think about them?

Pegs/foot controls. I hear a lot about peg scraping and that scares me abit as I get quite low on the lean with my sporty and every now and then my foot will scrape the road and freak the fuck outta me. Can I mod the position of the foot controls? What other options do I have?

And last, but definitely the most important. Will I look like a tool wearing a full face helmet?

Cheers guys! More questions to follow when they pop up in me head.

[Hooligan]

Hi, I'm Troy Maclure.

You may remember me from such forum posts as 'Contemplating Cruisers' and 'Super Quick Until I Die.'
Lol, anyways, as you can see, I've been contemplating cruisers. One of the biggest kicks for me is that they're such versatile machines. For me, speed isn't everything. I would take the sexiest looking sluggish bike over an ugly ass super speed racer.

So what I'm aiming for is a bobber/cafe ish bike. The donor bike I've chosen is the XVS, I simply love the lines in the frame. I've test ridden a 250 (not that exciting) but I did sit on a 750 and I think that'll be the perfect one for me. So, in 6 months time, I'll be looking forward to buying my cruiser. Until then, I'll be researching ways to mod my future cruiser.

I'm thinkin rear hugger with no front fender. Is it legal to have no front fender? I do have a missus and she would love for me to take her on a cruiser, so are there any rear huggers with seats I can bolt on and off when I need it? Or something along those lines?

Handlebars. As much as I love the cruiser look, I really prefer race clip ons. Has anyone ridden a cruiser with race clip ons before? What's it like? Totally incompatible, uncomfortable?

Exhausts. With my sports bike, there were only really a few options but I've seen soooo many different styles of exhausts on cruisers, I simply don't know where to start. What are they all? And heat wraps, I really dig their looks, what do you think about them?

Pegs/foot controls. I hear a lot about peg scraping and that scares me abit as I get quite low on the lean with my sporty and every now and then my foot will scrape the road and freak the fuck outta me. Can I mod the position of the foot controls? What other options do I have?

And last, but definitely the most important. Will I look like a tool wearing a full face helmet?

Cheers guys! More questions to follow when they pop up in me head.

I can comment on a couple of your questions:-

Full face helmet - I wear a full face helmet on my cruiser for two reasons - a) I have one helmet and 3 bikes, the other two are not cruisers b) I choose to wear full face for protection and don't care how i look. I am considering buying a german style helmet and skullmask to wear occasionally just to take the piss.

Exhausts - My advice is to seek a forum for the cruiser you choose, there you will find a heap of info, pictures, videos and opinions from other owners on various exhausts (and everything else really). Buying from USA is still cheaper than buying local. Always retain your original pipes. Personally I am planning on modding a standard exhaust (a spare one) with black ceramic coating and drilling out baffles etc.

Peg scraping - your pegs have feelers under them which will take the scraping, the peg will fold upwards and allow some leeway. Don't worry about scraping pegs but be aware if you lean too low you may scrape other stuff (I have scraped my exhaust on the 109 a few times). You will learn to ride the cruiser differently and will soon get a feel for how far you can lean. I added titanium feelers to my pegs so I can give everyone a show when they touch down

Cruisers are fun as there are so many ways you can personalize them. Good luck with it.

[El Skitzo]

So what I'm aiming for is a bobber/cafe ish bike. The donor bike I've chosen is the XVS, I simply love the lines in the frame. I've test ridden a 250 (not that exciting) but I did sit on a 750 and I think that'll be the perfect one for me. So, in 6 months time, I'll be looking forward to buying my cruiser. Until then, I'll be researching ways to mod my future cruiser.

You sure that wasn't a 650?

I'm thinkin rear hugger with no front fender. Is it legal to have no front fender?

For a hugging rear fender you can now just buy a kit:
Yamaha V-Star 650

It is illegal to run without a front fender.

I do have a missus and she would love for me to take her on a cruiser, so are there any rear huggers with seats I can bolt on and off when I need it? Or something along those lines?

Not if you're doing something like above, as most bobber kits will mount the fender to the swing arm. So if your missus was sitting on that, she'd be moving up and down independantly of you and will end up with essentially a rigid ride. If you want her on the back, just chop down the stock rear fender until it looks cool, but keep enough space to allow a two up seat.

Handlebars. As much as I love the cruiser look, I really prefer race clip ons. Has anyone ridden a cruiser with race clip ons before? What's it like? Totally incompatible, uncomfortable?

You'd end up real sore real quick I'd imagine. With you feet out in front of you you'd be hunched over massively.

Exhausts. With my sports bike, there were only really a few options but I've seen soooo many different styles of exhausts on cruisers, I simply don't know where to start. What are they all? And heat wraps, I really dig their looks, what do you think about them?

Google is your friend. Mobs like Vance and Hines, Cobra etc and heaps of other make exhausts for Yami cruisers, or just make your own. If you heat wrap the pipes, be prepared for it to destroy the chrome finish you're wrapping around, so it's kind of a one way deal.

Pegs/foot controls. I hear a lot about peg scraping and that scares me abit as I get quite low on the lean with my sporty and every now and then my foot will scrape the road and freak the fuck outta me. Can I mod the position of the foot controls? What other options do I have?

Do you own modification to move them if you don't like where they are, or don't lean over as much.

And last, but definitely the most important. Will I look like a tool wearing a full face helmet?

Yes totally

[JimmyR]

Well they're called cruisers for a reason. :-) Not really designed for peg scraping. Oddly enough my Harley has more clearance than the Kawasaki cruisers I have had in the past. I was always scraping pegs on my Kawasaki Meanstreak and I'm not a fast rider. I like the look of no front fender but it is illegal and having ridden without a front fender I have learnt why bikes have them.

I have sporty bars on my Harley and they are almost too high for me. I'm about to try some very low superbike bars which are similar to the Renthal lows I have on my other bike. I think clip-ons would be too low and give me stomach cramps, but it all depends on the bike. Exile have built cruisers with clip-ons:

pureSex2.jpeg

And don't EVER worry about what you look like re helmets. A friend of mine rides Harleys wearing MX helmets. Looks pretty damn cool to me. It's how you wear it. Saw a guy on a Harley today wearing no helmet - just a bandana. Looked like a try-hard to me. A really dumb one. I usually wear an open-face but that's mainly because I have a huge head and my full-face is uncomfortable!

[thumper humper]

And last, but definitely the most important. Will I look like a tool wearing a full face helmet?

.

Look around ,lots of riders where full face helmets on cruisers. Those that dont,usually cover their face with goggles ,dust mask and balaclavas to the point where they should have just put on a full face helmet.

[TheBear]

Hi, I'm Troy Maclure.


I'm thinkin rear hugger with no front fender. Is it legal to have no front fender? I do have a missus and she would love for me to take her on a cruiser, so are there any rear huggers with seats I can bolt on and off when I need it? Or something along those lines?

Cheers guys! More questions to follow when they pop up in me head.

Depends on how much you want to spend, and how heavy the missus is >.< My bike has a bobbed rear fender with a custom built seat that the missus can park her arse on. Cost a grand though, so not an option for everyone.

[Iron_Zombie]

Look around ,lots of riders where full face helmets on cruisers. Those that dont,usually cover their face with goggles ,dust mask and balaclavas to the point where they should have just put on a full face helmet.

Kind of strange how the type of bike dictates the style of helmet, full face is a good choice for riding a motorbike and looks way better than a full grown man wearing a skull/zombie mask.

Wear what you like(if that is an open face do it)

[Relax]

Thanks for the feedback fellas!!

Yeah it was 650, my bad, I typo'd.

My missus weighs about 40kg-50kg so she's pretty light. I wouldn't mind looking at having two separate rear fenders, one for the single seat and another for a double. Is this possible?

In regards to peg scraping/clip on bars. The main reason I ask is because of how I want to mod my cruiser. Is it possible to install rearsets controls on them? Essentially making it not a cruiser style ride, but more of a
Naked sports/cafe looker. Something like this?

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1340004957.951947.jpg

I can't tell here the foot controls are on this beauty but I love the body. Tail is really nice but I'd settle for a single seat with rear fender.

And yeah, I'll wear my full face either way. Safety first. Plus I spent a lot on this one so I'm gonna use it well.

[filbert]

it really looks more like you want a cafe racer than a cruiser or bobber...

if you want anything like the picture you linked there are some off the shelf bikes that would be a better starting point although most likely not as cheap, the first it made me think of was the cafe inspired moto guzzi.

[El Skitzo]

^ +1. If you want to run clip-ons and rear sets, then a cruiser is the completely wrong kind of bike to start with as a base. Go have a look through the Cafe racers thread in the General Forums for inspiration.

[thumper humper]

. Is it possible to install rearsets controls on them? Essentially making it not a cruiser style ride, but more of a
Naked sports/cafe looker. Something like this?

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1340004957.951947.jpg

I can't tell here the foot controls are on this beauty but I love the body. Tail is really nice but I'd settle for a single seat with rear fender.

.

Ducatti dealer has a showroom full of them.

[angelic]

^ +2 there is a huge difference between cafe racers and cruisers. cafe style are still essentially road racing bikes. A cruiser would look totally stupid with rear set controls, plus it would be uncomfortable. if you want a sit up and beg style bike look at the ST 1100. If you want dropped bars you need something like the old norton 650 proper racer, they have quite rear set controls but you need to be veryfit & well to ride those bikes, ie, no bad backs!
Regarding the front fender minimum australian standrd sizes are Directly vertical from centre of axle to 45 degrees behind.
Wear what helmet you like - depends how much you value your face I suppose !
Cruisers dont go down as low as road bikes because the centre of gravity is higher. the peg toggles are there to let you know you are at the limits of the bike. but i agree its fun to display to passing cagers a little spray every now and then.... gets the heart going as well

[Tevilspek]

I'm pretty new around here, so I can only comment from personal experience re mods. Not had any real experience with other people's bikes etc.

As an idea of a new-to-cruiser person doing some mods to their bike:

No doubt the cruiser purists won't dig this... but..

I have a '98 Harley XL 1200 Sportster. I was looking for a bike which had the option of forward controls, plenty of grunt and a cool old-school look.
I never actually thought I'd end up with a Harley but as soon as I saw the one I bought, I knew it was 'the one'.

This is the bike when I got it:
xl1200-2.jpeg

This is the bike as of a few months ago:
XL-1200-010-2.jpg

First things first; as the guys I ride with will attest, the new paint job looks a shit load better in the flesh. The paint job doesn't photograph too well for some reason, looks really nice in person though. In my opinion of course!
It's matte blue and gloss white.

Since that photo I've done/had a lot done to it..

Sorry about the crap photos.. As a one-time full time photographer, I really need to take some decent shots of its present state..
98XL1200-1.jpg
98XL1200-2.jpg

New shocks front and rear, dropping the bike another inch or so.
The headlight fender was removed and the light rotated and bracketted, so it now sits lower and forward (looks way forward in that photo.. Still thinking about bringing it back in a little).
Digital speedo with bracket. Really nice work from Brad at Garage Project Motorcycles for making that setup work.
New foot pegs, grips.
Mirros sit underneath the handlebars now, though I need slimmer style mirrors to really make it work visually.
Flat profile pop-up fuel cap.

Re the paint job; the front and rear fenders were cut up quite a bit.
Hand-masked badge emblem. Wasn't too sure when I requested it but I really like it now.
New LED brake light and plate bracket.

That horn on it, I have since removed it as it was rather ugly. Going to sell it off again heh.
Now have the stock horn on it minus the big cow bell cover.


Still a few things I want to do, and things which I will not do for a long time due to $$ - maybe black ceramic coat the stock exhaust, as I rather like it. Redo peeling paint etc - but I hope it gives you an idea of the sort of stuff you could do with a Sporty.

You could lower it more, but my back is bad enough as it is...
Regarding clip-on or cafe handlebars, see where the bars are in the most recent photos?
I had them even lower at one point, pretty much straight down. It looked pretty cool.
So I rode to York and back with it like that.

I could hardly straighten my back the next day, I was so fkn sore. With your feet that far forward and bending over so much, it was not comfortable at all.
And clip-ons would be even lower and further forward again.
Up to you, but yeah, nah for me.

Oh, the XL1200 goes like a shower of shit too, and sounds bad-ass.
Great bike IMO, just like the 48s.

Re helmets, I wear a full-face. 1) my fiance is a little less on edge when I ride because of it 2) I like my chin - Google images of guys who've had accidents with open face helmets and see what it does to the lower half of their face 3) the Sporty has a, well, sportier look to it so I don't think a full face looks all that bad with it.
I plan to buy a good helmet soon (only got an AVG at the mo) and get it sprayed similar to the bike perhaps.

What's the consensus on that? Helmets sprayed like your bike - cool shit or fuckwit?

[Tevilspek]

^ +1. If you want to run clip-ons and rear sets, then a cruiser is the completely wrong kind of bike to start with as a base. Go have a look through the Cafe racers thread in the General Forums for inspiration.

RSD-Sportster-3.jpg

Roland Sands Design.
It can be done. Can't imagine it'd be overly comfortable, especially if you're as broken as me..

I've actually been wondering what could be done with an XR1200.. Could 'cafe' that up pretty well I'd imagine.

[JimmyR]

I've seen a few cafe'd Sporties and they can look damn fine. Check out what Rough Craft in Taiwan can do:

sportster-forty-eight.jpeg

Maybe not cafe, but wow!

[thumper humper]

New shocks front and rear, dropping the bike another inch or so.
?

What was reason behind lowering it?

[Tevilspek]

It wasn't intentional. I measured out the stocks at 13". Chatted at length with Hagen who recommended the 330mm and I ordered them. When Brad fitted them, he had to run the forks through to even the bike out as the back was so low.
I love it though, it's a great height/stance. And smooth as.

[thumper humper]

It wasn't intentional. I measured out the stocks at 13". Chatted at length with Hagen who recommended the 330mm and I ordered them. When Brad fitted them, he had to run the forks through to even the bike out as the back was so low.
I love it though, it's a great height/stance. And smooth as.

Did you deal with Hagon in oz or in the uK? I tried someone in Vic ,but gave up trying to get them to answer my calls.

[Tevilspek]

Nah, straight through the UK mate.

Hagon Shocks Limited - Twin shocks, Mono shocks, Fork Springs, Wheels

Just sent them an intial contact email asking a few questions. They replied impressively quick, were very helpful and resourceful with what would suit my bike and in the end I just trusted their judgement the 330mm shocks.

[angelic]

I plan to buy a good helmet soon (only got an AVG at the mo) and get it sprayed similar to the bike perhaps.

What's the consensus on that? Helmets sprayed like your bike - cool shit or fuckwit?[/QUOTE]
Dont take this the wrong way but that paint job is nothing spectacular ( dragon scales, skulls, flames etc ) so why would you. But if you really want to
check with the australian standards, not sure if respraying a helemt voids its compliance. I know that in most of europe its illegal to spray helmets due to some issues with 1 chemical dissolving another and making the helmet useless in a crash. Thats why they started with so many factory paint jobs. Aussie is a different place though so may be OK if done with certain paints. or with certain base helmets ie matt rather than gloss . check it out before wasting money and risking your life.