UPDATE ON THE WRAPS AND STUFF...
Well, folks, it's been some months and a couple thousand miles, and I figured I'd chime in and provide some feedback.
The wraps, thusfar, have been quite a benefit at least in terms of looks, and I still believe (strangely) in terms of performance. Like I said, I originally put them on just 'cause I thought they looked cool, but immediately thereafter the bike started popping and backfiring on decel just like she did when i first got her!
Last I checked, that's an indication of running lean. After some months of just running with a backfirign bike (which can be fun, I must admit) I finally got the new 140 mains in , and backed the F-A screw out just a smidge, and she's MUCH happier. Smoother power delivery, much less backfiring (though still just a bit), and maybe just a hair more power.
As for the looks, I still haven't laquered the wraps, but they've stayed "relatively" clean (the bugs bounce off 'em quite nicely). I have received NUMEROUS compliments on the looks, tho.
Otherwise, no cooked valves, no significant overheating, and no other problems to speak of (aside from the "i want to ride more!" problem).
I think functionally what the wraps do is improve otherwise mediocre pipes. Teh bike came with TOR Longs, and I can't bring myself to spend more money on upgrade pipes (nor do I have the dollars). The wraps, however, seem to have improved the flow of otherwise so-so pipes. I've talked to several bike mechanics, and the majority said they would expect some minor improvement with wraps.
Anyway, just thought I'd share with the class. Hope this helps, folks!
--Jaeger
