[alilasheen]

Hi Guys,
I'm doing some research to figure out the best way to modify my VTX1300 ( this is my first bike, as i am a new biker) to be chopper like but with modern digitized electronic/dashboard look.
i found the below parts, so please advice!


- KewlMetal 45* Pro Street Rake Kit w/ full length fork covers ( is it stable in high speed ? what about the handling , is it good?)


- Streetbar High Handlebar, Aluminum, anodized, OD 22.15mm, ID 14.0mm. High strength aluminum alloy part# Z122L004SI




- Sumo-X Swingarm for fat tire ( they recommend size 240 and 250 with some recommendations), personally, am looking for size 260 as a minimum 280 is preferred. please advice




- Arnott Air Ride System


- RC wheels (front 21x3.5, rear 18x8.5). Please Advice


- KURYAKYN HYPECHARGER FOR HONDA 03-09 VTX 1300 Part No: KU9431


- RCX-Celerator form RC


- m-Blaze CONE by motogadget – a turn signal for handlebar end installation.


- LED fork wrap-around Amber/White Dynamic TruWRAPZ
-HIGHSIDER LED taillight/indicator set DAKOTA


- WIDE STYLE LEVERS FOR METRIC CRUISERS


- rear short fender and the rear brake lights are two LED strips from Custom Dynamics in a custom length. The center is the brake light and the outer is the turn signals.


- BrakeAway Cruise Control


- Chrome Frame Covers and Chrome Final Drive Bolt covers.


- Side Mount License Bracket
- rediator cover
- BIG BIKE SWING ARM COVER
-CHROME TWISTER SHIFTER PEG


- solo seat
- CHROMED FRONT and rear BREAK CALIPER COVER


- Micro Dash motorcycle gauge from translogic.

finally, am waiting for your replies, please advice if there something missing or something wrong.

 

[bobbybear]

mirrors ?

the potential list is very long

 

[Shortround]

Interesting!

Considering that the term "Chopper" came from the act of 'chopping off' all unnecessary junk to make a bike as light as possible - Like fenders, fat seat, unnecessary lights, oversized gas tank, exhaust, bags and on and on - what should we really call such an "add on" design?
Not to mention the cost. :yikes:

But, it does sound interesting. Best wishes.

 

[alilasheen]

thanks guys. i just need your help to mod my bike based on your experiences. i have many questions, but no one give me an answers.!!
i will keep waiting, and i hope that you can review my options and feed me back with your opinions. Shift+R improves the quality of this image. Shift+A improves the quality of all images on this page.Shift+R improves the quality of this image. Shift+A improves the quality of all images on this page.

 

[BandMan61]

Not sure the kewl metal pro street rake kit is available anymore. Doesn't appear on their website.

 

[TASSY5]

You will need new brake lines for sure, also to run a 260-280 tire you are going to have to shift the motor to do this. ( not recommended. 240-250 is all SumoX recommends with his swing arm. You will also need SumoX's seat to work with his fender. You need blinkers and a run turn brake controller and much more.

 

[anderson930]

Very ambitious to-do list. You remind me of myself five years ago. Check out my mod list in my user profile, may give you some ideas.

 

[anderson930]

45* Pro Street Rake Kit w/ full length fork covers ( is it stable in high speed ? what about the handling , is it good?

8° rake kit gives the rake you're looking for. Check out what VTXtreme has to offer on that. I have their raked trees and as long as you follow the below combination, per your desired tire sizes, you'll have proper trail and a very stable & comfortable setup:
For an 8° rake with 21" front tire and 18" rear tire:
-drop 2" fork extensions in the fork tubes
-set your rear shocks to 11.5"

- Sumo-X Swingarm for fat tire ( they recommend size 240 and 250 with some recommendations), personally, am looking for size 260 as a minimum 280 is preferred. please advice

I have the Sumo-X 240 mm swing arm with a 250 mm Avon Cobra tire. It's fat enough, trust me!

- Arnott Air Ride System

Sweet. Personally, I think I'd be happier with the aesthetics of the Progressive 444 springs with the chopper look, given a budget like that for rear suspension.

Speaking of suspension, look into Progressive fork springs. They improve the ride and lift the front end an inch. So, with those, you would replace your 2" fork extensions with 1" extensions.

- RC wheels (front 21x3.5, rear 18x8.5). Please Advice

Solid choice.

- rear short fender and the rear brake lights are two LED strips from Custom Dynamics in a custom length. The center is the brake light and the outer is the turn signals.

Another personal opinion, ditch the center light. The best chopper look (IMO) has two bullet lights on the rear fender that function as run/brake/ turn signals. That's it, no more. It's a very clean look. Also look into a BackOff brake light module to increase your presence if you go with just two lights like that.

Feel free to PM me if you're looking for tips or whatever

Also, welcome to the 'OA!

 

[alilasheen]

wow

thanks TASSY5.
many and special thanks for anderson930.i had a discussion with someone, he told me the front 23" tire will make my bike looks amazing.
i went to your page. it looks great. please share with me some pics.

 

[anderson930]

No problem at all. You can see a handful of photos of my bike here, http://s1191.photobucket.com/user/anderson42/library/vtx photoshoot (same link from my signature) and here you can see some older photos (on the 2nd and 3rd pages): http://s1191.photobucket.com/user/anderson42/library/.

If you go with a 23" front wheel, just make sure you speak to a professional first about how to adjust your front end height and what height rear shock to ride with. My logical guess would be to still use a 11.5" rear shock height and no fork extensions.... Still, if you're doing this work in your own garage, make sure you get the OK from a pro.

Happy modding!

What's the bike look like now-- how about picture?

Here's my before and after:

 

[texasmike]

I've got a pretty nice 1300c that I raked out and modified not near what you want but still might give you some ideas . I installed 8* triple trees with 4 inch fork extensions cut the rear shocks down to 10 3/4 inches and lots of other stuff

 

[POKX]

Just wanted to welcome you to the VTXOA, it sounds like you will have a lot of work ahead of you, good luck. Keep us updated with all your mods and lots of pics or it really didn't happen. :thumbup:

Perry

 

[RED HEAT]

Hi Guys,
I'm doing some research to figure out the best way to modify my VTX1300 ( this is my first bike, as i am a new biker) to be chopper like but with modern digitized electronic/dashboard look.
i found the below parts, so please advice!


- KewlMetal 45* Pro Street Rake Kit w/ full length fork covers ( is it stable in high speed ? what about the handling , is it good?)


- Streetbar High Handlebar, Aluminum, anodized, OD 22.15mm, ID 14.0mm. High strength aluminum alloy part# Z122L004SI




- Sumo-X Swingarm for fat tire ( they recommend size 240 and 250 with some recommendations), personally, am looking for size 260 as a minimum 280 is preferred. please advice




- Arnott Air Ride System


- RC wheels (front 21x3.5, rear 18x8.5). Please Advice


- KURYAKYN HYPECHARGER FOR HONDA 03-09 VTX 1300 Part No: KU9431


- RCX-Celerator form RC


- m-Blaze CONE by motogadget – a turn signal for handlebar end installation.


- LED fork wrap-around Amber/White Dynamic TruWRAPZ
-HIGHSIDER LED taillight/indicator set DAKOTA


- WIDE STYLE LEVERS FOR METRIC CRUISERS


- rear short fender and the rear brake lights are two LED strips from Custom Dynamics in a custom length. The center is the brake light and the outer is the turn signals.


- BrakeAway Cruise Control


- Chrome Frame Covers and Chrome Final Drive Bolt covers.


- Side Mount License Bracket
- rediator cover
- BIG BIKE SWING ARM COVER
-CHROME TWISTER SHIFTER PEG


- solo seat
- CHROMED FRONT and rear BREAK CALIPER COVER


- Micro Dash motorcycle gauge from translogic.

finally, am waiting for your replies, please advice if there something missing or something wrong.

That was my choice and this is how mine turned out.....

- Sumo-X Swingarm for fat tire.
- Arnott Air Ride System.
- RC wheels -Gladiator wheels with spinner on the front.
- KURYAKYN HYPECHARGER.

Good Luck!

 

[jester6]

That's an impressive list. Been thinking about this for a while?

Good luck and welcome to the OA.

 

[alilasheen]

thanks Guys

and many thanks for your pcis and support. there is no accessories in my bike right now. you can see it in the attached pcis

 

[Shortround]

I find most of the intended modifications interesting but, I have one suggestion which I will try to explain. It's the rake kit. My first "custom" was a Honda 750 K5 with a custom built frame that had 10º extra rake in the steering head. Prior to this I rode one with an 8º raked tree and found the handling to be unacceptable. In-fact unsafe. These rake kits where meant for side car rigs and later picked up by the trike manufacturers because the third wheel changes the steering geometry. The side car manufacturers highly recommended against taking off the side car after installing one of these rake kits for safety reasons.
In the late '70s these kits where made illegal for road use for those same safety concerns. They seriously modify the steering geometry of a two wheeler. Two wheels require lean for steering where three or more do not. While it looks cool I would suggest riding a bike similar to yours with a rake kit before making the modifications. Also check with your insurance company, they do have a lot to say about what we ride.
I don't know, or care, if these are still illegal as I have no intention of doing such a thing. You can buy a lot of things that are illegal to use on the public roads, that doesn't make them prudent. So, do what you can to determine if this is what you really want before proceeding.
Best wishes and have fun with your project.

 

[anderson930]

Wrong.

In the seven years of being on three of the VTX boards, I've read a lot of threads about tree rake and there always seems to be one person who believes there's no safe way to rake a two wheeler; I've even heard this same story about sidecars and trikes. Sure the history of raking is accurate; the advice is simply bad, based on a lack of research. Your experiences were unfortunate but merely the result of poor mechanics on the part of the builder. Unstable riding comes from improper trail. The bad bikes you're referring to were built in such a way that resulted in negative trail. If done right, (and this is why I stressed earlier that you should do none of this without a professional) your set up will have positive trail and your ride will be unaffected. Yes, the trail is longer, but with the correct adjustments in the rear suspension, yoke, wheel diameter, and even tire thickness, a longer trail will only change your riding experience at low speeds; the equivalent difference in turning radius as that of a pickup truck compared to a compact car. I'm sorry Shortround, I know your intentions are well and you're looking out for the safety of other riders, but as long as this guy uses a competent professional builder, he can absolutely have his rake and a safe ride, too. If you don't believe me, then please search the web about rake and trail; there is plenty of literature available to read about what it is and what variables need to be adjusted in ratio to the rake adjustment.

Edit: Check out this link: http://*********.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=5143&hilit=trail (the board blocks that website because of all the drama that it exudes, but for this topic, it is necessary to break a little rule this one time: replace the asterisks with " x c h o p p e r s ", or just go to the forum board over there and search, "Raked Triple Trees - Facts and Myths". This is the board I started out on in 2007, and though I don't post or even visit there anymore due to unresolved conflicts with the owner, I can say that he is definitely an expert in the field when it comes to rake and trail, with the VTX in particular. He worked with me in building my bike and knew exactly what to do and what my experience would be, and so when it comes to rake and trail, I have the utmost confidence in his knowledge. This is a complex modification as it requires consideration of many variables, but as long as you do it right and don't take shortcuts, a safe ride can be achieved on a two-wheel motorcycle.

 

[Shortround]

Thank you for back up my advice.

 

[texasmike]

I agree with Anderson 930 raking out a bike can be done safely or you can end up with a death trap make sure your mechanic knows his stuff or if you are gonna do it yourself as I have done on both my 1300 and my 1800 DO YOUR HOMEWORK. study and understand what you are about to do. and you can end up with a bike that not only looks great but rides and handles fantastic and above all is safe.

 

[jester6]

In the seven years of being on three of the VTX boards, I've read a lot of threads about tree rake and there always seems to be one person who believes there's no safe way to rake a two wheeler; I've even heard this same story about sidecars and trikes. Sure the history of raking is accurate; the advice is simply bad, based on a lack of research. Your experiences were unfortunate but merely the result of poor mechanics on the part of the builder. Unstable riding comes from improper trail. The bad bikes you're referring to were built in such a way that resulted in negative trail. If done right, (and this is why I stressed earlier that you should do none of this without a professional) your set up will have positive trail and your ride will be unaffected. Yes, the trail is longer, but with the correct adjustments in the rear suspension, yoke, wheel diameter, and even tire thickness, a longer trail will only change your riding experience at low speeds; the equivalent difference in turning radius as that of a pickup truck compared to a compact car. I'm sorry Shortround, I know your intentions are well and you're looking out for the safety of other riders, but as long as this guy uses a competent professional builder, he can absolutely have his rake and a safe ride, too. If you don't believe me, then please search the web about rake and trail; there is plenty of literature available to read about what it is and what variables need to be adjusted in ratio to the rake adjustment.

Edit: Check out this link: http://*********.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=5143&hilit=trail (the board blocks that website because of all the drama that it exudes, but for this topic, it is necessary to break a little rule this one time: replace the asterisks with " x c h o p p e r s ", or just go to the forum board over there and search, "Raked Triple Trees - Facts and Myths". This is the board I started out on in 2007, and though I don't post or even visit there anymore due to unresolved conflicts with the owner, I can say that he is definitely an expert in the field when it comes to rake and trail, with the VTX in particular. He worked with me in building my bike and knew exactly what to do and what my experience would be, and so when it comes to rake and trail, I have the utmost confidence in his knowledge. This is a complex modification as it requires consideration of many variables, but as long as you do it right and don't take shortcuts, a safe ride can be achieved on a two-wheel motorcycle.

I have to agree. Raking can be done safely, but it generally takes more than a bolt on tree. This article gets rather technical, but if you're considering raking your bike you should at least read through it to get a general understanding of the geometry/physics of raking your bike. http://www.chopperhandbook.com/rake.htm