New Additions

I have just upgraded the suspension with a Ohlins Damper with the billet under triple mount supplied by Motowheels. The installation was smooth, as is its operation. Adjusting the damper is easy, and the bike seems to have much more composure mid-turn.


The bike also sports reverse, or GP shift pattern using a Motowheels reverse shifter in a champagne color. Due to the Monster's rearsets being set quite forward, the elliptical adjustment of the shifter is completely forward, and the unit works well. The shift pattern is much easier to use when riding the bike hard, and it did not take long to have "up is down" ingrained in memory.


Comfort has also been increased with the addition of a Sargent Seat - long rides are not an issue at all anymore, and the bike swallows 100-150 miles with out a batted eye.


Future plans to upgrade the suspension now lean towards Penske and the 8983 (provided by Traxxion), with several bells and whistles. The fork treatment is still up in the air, but the ultimate goal may be the Traxxion AK-20 cartridges.

Tailchop, Taillight, More?

I finally chopped the tail. The back end of the Monster is much cleaner looking. This was prompted by one of turn signals dying, and while the seat was off and I was messing with the wiring, I decided to go nuts with the Dremel. The locking mechanism was removed but the seat latch was modified to use the original wire and a zip tie to function as a pull-string.



While the tail was off and the back end somewhat taken apart, I thought it was a good time to upgrade the taillight. There were a few options available, and the popular option was the Clear Alternatives board. The inconsistency reported on the DML regarding its quality made me wary.

I chose to use the top of the line Moto-LED unit from MonsterParts, and it works incredibly well. It even has illumination for the license plate. The stock lens was replaced with its Buell counterpart to allow for a clear bottom for plate illumination. While this order was out at MonsterParts I also threw in the Moto-Detail temp gauge. This trick piece replaces the stock oil fill plug and gives accurate readings of oil temp and improves the technical look of the clutch side of the bike.

PJ rushed me a replacement Rizoma turn signal and everything bolted right back up together. The back end is visually bright and less cluttered looking now.

Still to do? Suspension Suspension Suspension!