Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums Accessories Accessories/Mods Hit List

Just wondering how everyone prioritizes mods/accessories on their bikes. I've put 300 miles on my stock SM in the last 10 days and I'm getting the feeling that soon I'll be putting even more money into my recent purchase. Here's my hit list at the moment (in order of importance):

1. Saddle Bags (sick of looking 9 mos. pregnant because of bulging pockets)
2. New Pipes (SM sounds like Manilow when it should sound like Pavarotti)
3. Corbin Seat (want one even J-Lo would be comfortable in for 8 hours)
4. Gas Tank Leather Cover (the bike needs its own leather jacket, doesn't it?)
5. Tank Knee Pads (to stop my knocking knees around tight twisties)

That's it so far with more to come. What's on your hit list?

I started with the chrome light bar and rocker shifter when new. Later added the black air injection removal kit from Brent (my first mod - that needs to be THE priority on everyones list - get that AI out of there!). Later added the chrome rear license plate bracket, and the chrome speedo cable loop from Brent (after my rubber one finally broke).

Added a Oxford Sports Sprint tank bag last weekend. Need luggage - may opt for the Touring seat and short sissy bar with rack, and a T-bag instead of saddlebags. For the Easy brackets and the bags I want, they would cost more to do them alone. Floorboards would be nice. Exhaust would be nice, too, but I like the looks of mine, and am not keen on gutting my baffles. Specialty Spares may soon have some billet endcaps for their Long Cannons, that would help preserve the look. Soon to add the 18t sprocket to feel it out, though I still like my stock 16t - it's great fun. Will add the registration sideplate for the right side of the rear tire, so I can remove that hideous plate now above my license plate. Need a clock - want one that mounts with set screws on the center fork stem nut. Maybe a fly screen, too.

Oh, yeah. Got the Scott Oiler from Grump this week. Need to round up some additional accessories associated with that before I put her on. It's just a couple hundred here, a couple hundred there...

It never ends..........Could have a Rocket for what i'll spend on my SM.

Already have a bunch of chrome, Corbin, Roadster shield, TOR Shorties, Metzlers, Sissybar/pad/pillion, tach, floorboards, 18T, and AI removed on the red '02 BA. This summer I'd like to get:

1. Clearview med size replacement for the Roadster shield
2. Nice, but econo minded bags
3. Fork bag
4. Clock
5. Maybe re-jet with 130's
6. Power outlet for elec vest, etc.

i think first things first. git rid of the A/I crap, next i believe the right mufflers are in order(i went with sceptre) then you might want the light bar as it does a GREAT job of lighting up the night!! next i believe saddlebags are in order(i went with Willie and Max slants) they arent leather but you cant tell and because they are synthetic i think they will last with minumal care?? after that i believe its an individual customizeing thing, maybe a backrest?? or floorbrds?? or chrome goodies?? dressing her to your likeing is a personal thing. as always

Roland,

Although I've heard people say both, I do not believe you're not going to get any more performance out of removing the AI stuff but you're going to stop your SS headers from bluing and you should definitely do that.

Then have your carbs synched, yank the EPA caps and adjust/balance your fuel mix screws.

If sound is important, I hear Specialty Spares are all the rage. I ride with someone who has them and it they sound like a cannon, with the baffles in. I have the oldstyle Trump offroads and like them fine. If you want noise, there are better ( the NEW TORs for instance) but if you just want to sound a little louder and unique, Trump's are cool.

I don't know if you have the stock front sprocket in but I would dump it for the 18 tooth. It's a half hour job and makes a nice bit of difference if you spend a lot of time on the thruway. 30.00 or so from Brent.

I know I'm not going to get universal agreement on this but there's an easier way to get air than spending all that loot and half your life disassembling 1/3 of your bike to put the Freak in. To whit...

Take your air filter out and flip it upside down. Take a spade bit, I can't remember which size, I think I used 1 1/4 and a 1 inch. (I'll check and post pics this week) Drill three holes in the bottom, biggest one in the middle. Then put it back in, mark the centre of each hole on the floor of your airbox, then drill the corresponding holes. 15 minutes/free compared to the Freak, over 300.00 and hours of work. If you're really paranoid about stuff getting in, cut an oval out of screen door mesh and sandwich it between the filter and the bottom of the air box.

These last two mods give you immediately noticable performance light to light and on the thruway and I have it from a reasonably reliable source, (who doesn't?) that the airbox mod delivers between 9-12 more HP. I'm a tech idiot so don't ask me to get any more involved in that...like I said, I have this friend who talked to this guy who said he...I trust his judgement

Our stock horn blows, more or less, pun intended. JC Whitney sells a retro styled horn that jumpers real easy to our original and mounts up under the the triple tree between the forks. Check my pic gallery. 34.00 delivered.

I swapped out the rear peg hangers for HD toolboxes. You can see mine in the gallery. If you want more detailed shots I can send you some top down and interior shots. I combined the Harley mounting plates and the Trump solo finishers to fill the gap as did Mark Case. Each one mounts slightly differently but a drill and a few SS spacers along with a couple sealing washers, nylocks and SS acorns make it pretty easy. Not necessarily cheap, but easy. About 300.00 (100.00 each box and 100.00 for the Trump finishers, give or take)

I just swapped out my stock shocks for Progressive 412's with the black cylinders. 220.00 delivered.

I replaced all my lines and cables with braided UV resistant vinyl-coated SS for 400.00.

Chromed shifter bar from Brent (can't remember the price)

Cluth lifter dress up kit...you can get it from Brent or do it the way us pioneers did it and buy the cover from Trump and the 2.89 rubber Sportser boot from HD. Take cash, they won't take check or credit card for anything under 10.00

Show quality engine bolts from Brent

Buy a Dremel and some SS polishing compound for a buffing wheel and spend some time (and save some cash) buffing everything you can find.

Small things add up. I spent 10 minutes buffing out the allenheaded bolts holding our console down and now it looks like chromed bolts holding down the chrome console instead of unpolished ss. I also polished the clutch cable guide with more or less the same results. I had to start with dremel grinding wheel and sandpaper on that though..stock it's pretty rough. I started with medium, then fine and mucho fine and super fine (last two 320 and 600 grit) emery paper. Then polishing compounds.

I have more to go but if I can get it out and polish it, I am. If you gotta have chrome, pay for it. But if you just want a little gleam, Dremel it.

This could go on...most everything else I did to the bike is purely cosmetic. But have fun.

BB

Oh...and yeah...the light bar.

Truckers and everyone else hate us for them, but they sure do see us and we see them. Rather the point eh?

BB

Functional mods:
AI removal
New horn
Shift linkage
re-jetting and airbox mods (I just did the freak but did my snorkels last year)
New tires.

More cosmetic mods:
Running the wires internally thru the bars (almost free)
SS cables
Floor boards if you think you'll like em.
After that, it's all a mater of taste.

My first mod was floorboards, dealer fitted & straight out of the box coz my liddle legs didn't quite reach the pegs (well they did but it was a stretch). My order of priority after that was partially motivated by need and partially by budget - saddlebags, AI, "bikewatch" clock & light, lightbar, then alarm. I also bought a trailer and hitch for it coz the bike's my only transport, and shopping needs to be done.

I sorta stopped for a while then coz the big things'd been done and started looking for less important "tweaks", or doing things as they became conveniant. I designed an LED taillight, found a national cycle screen at a good price, bought a sheepskin seat cover for a long trip I was doing, and had the exhausts modified. Put a backrest on coz I started having passengers, and a tacho coz I managed to scam one for free. There were lotsa little chrome bits in there too, like the custom made clutch lifter cover, pillion seat bolt and battery cover, the licence plate frame, Triumph logo'd licence plate bolts and valve covers, rubber knee pads, prettier horn etc.

The proposed schedule for upcoming mods is: new larger bags (saddleman jumbo drifters which should turn up any day now), easy brackets to go with em, then probably more chrome... handgrips, rear footpegs etc. I've got a couple of things I'm considering for viability - a leather tank cover mainly as a place to put my cellphone, a pair of those "crash bars" you sometimes see mounted directly in front of saddlebags, hazard lights, a custom made luggae rack to go with the backrest, and some duplicate idiot lights immediatley below the speedo (since the ones in the dash're basically useless).

One day I really should write up a complete list.. maybe put it on my website.

Matt

Right....
I used to get up in the middle of the night, half an hour before I went to bed... er, wait, wrong list..

In no logical order:
Installed -
Chrome fork shrouds with chrome lower yoke cover, chrome engine mount, chrome foot control bar, footboards, chrome rear peg hangers, Kuryakin Iso-Wing rear pegs, chrome cam cover, removed chrome cam cover and installed non-chrome helicoil then reinstalled chrome cam cover, chrome license plate/taillight mount, chrome Amsoil oil filter, chrome sissy bar and luggage rack, chrome caliper covers, chrome trim around bottom of gas tank, chromed plastic "Grifter" behind license plate, chromed "America" license plate frame, Union Jack and Triumph faced license plate bolts, chrome hex shifter rod, and had my rear pipe hangers chromed, chrome seat bolt, chrome pillion bolt, chrome speedo cable loop, chrome shift cover with rubber cable boot, chrome brake reservoir covers, chrome sprocket cover, chrome chain guard, and chrome visor on the headlight. Replaced brake lines with stainless. Stainless knurled oil fill plug. Replaced brake pads with EBC's. Avon Venom-X tires. Jim's Spacers under the handlebars. Installed chrome oil cooler, removed chrome oil cooler.
Removed stock silencers, installed Triumph off-road longs - later louder version. Removed TOR's and installed Thunderbike longs. Removed AI and installed kit. Removed pilot screws and installed knurled thumb screws. Removed main jets and installed 130's. Replaced brass screws in carbs with allen head screws. Removed snorkel and installed a UNI air filter. Removed sticky-gooey-drippy UNI and reinstalled stock filter. Replaced 17t front sprocket with 18t. Removed stock rear shocks and installed Progressives, installed tachometer.
Removed stock Triumph seat and pillion and installed touring seat. Removed touring seat and sold it. Bought a used rider seat to get it modified, sold that and bought a Corbin. Installed a National Cycle Street EX windshield and 2 billet aluminum fork clamps to make it work. Removed same and installed a Windvest. Bought a Triumph bag to use on the sissybar. Too small, bought a Nelson-Riggs Survivor 600 bag, works well but sags too much when empty.
Have a fender luggage rack and a chrome clutch cable guide on order and am currently installing buckhorn bars. May get the belt drive someday. Large HD horn from JCW to go on as soon as I fab a bracket.

And you tell the kids of today that and they don't believe you, nope, nope....

Hey Grump, where did you get the knurled oil filler knob?

--Rectangular mirrors to replace the limited view stockers.
--Rewire/relamp rear end for triple stop/running illumination.
-- Ventura rack pack system.
--TB long pipes.
--Tire sealant.
--Aftermarket alarm/disabler.

Well, this is what I've done so far, bub slash cuts, and the freak. Got rid of the air injectors and re-jetted
And now for the important stuff Chrome!
I’ll start small with the choke knob, shift rod, the speedo loop on the front fender, pingel fuel valve, sprocket cover, cam cover, passenger peg holders, Kellerman rear turn signals, passenger seat rail with rack, and fork gaiters. I think that is about it. I’m broke.

WE used to live in a shoebox in a ditch and every morning we had to get up and lick the road clean with our tongues....

BB

Benny,

Here:http://www.triumph-bonneville.com/oilfiller03.html

Sorry, it's nickel plated, not stainless. I'm gonna get it.....er, chromed....

Let's see...on the speedy

Wiseco Kit, Belt Drive, America Seats and Tank (Black and Silver), Kuryakyn ISO Pegs with Stirrups, Low Sissy bar with rack, SS Intake Clamps, SS Carb Screws, SS engine bolts, SS seat bolts, UNI Filter, Blew out all the baffles in the stock silencer (love the look but no long aftermarkets with tapered ends)...130 mains, Vista Cruise throttle lock, Bonneville sprocket cover (krinkle black powder coat), Triumph Slant panniers...and soon (ordered)...chrome shifter rod, and ThunderBike twin headlights.

Cardboard?... Luxury!

We used to dream of living in a shoebox......

Quote:

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Cardboard?... Luxury!

We used to dream of living in a shoebox......

---

Right. I had to get up in the morning at ten o'clock at night half an hour before I went to bed, drink a cup of sulphuric acid, work twenty-nine hours a day down mill, and pay mill owner for permission to come to work, and when we got home, our Dad and our mother would kill us and dance about on our graves singing Hallelujah.

As soon as I picked up Beastie, I started ordering parts.
1. Tank Pads so it would look even more like the '49 I had.
2. Epco pipes.
3. AI removal kit from Brent.
4. Grifter from Brent for those "Zo komerad, led me zee yor babers" moments.
5. Speedometer cable loop from Brent. Fantastic workmanship on that bit.
6. Real carburettor screws from Brent.
7. Ripped out the rubber bits in the airbox.

In the forseeable future:
1. Avon tires.
2. Bigger sprocket.
3. Tbird Sport needles.

On the snivle, beg and offer to help with housework list:
1. Big bore kit.
2. Cams.

"We used to dream..."

WOW, you were ALLOWED to dream, I sure hate rich snobs like you!! Phooey, I spit in your general direction. After we got done having to eat the pig manure to double emuslify it for the dung-burning furnace we used to heat our parents bedroom (which they would calculate the caloric intake and output to make sure we weren't hoarding any nutrients), we were normally bid out to the local pesticide labs, IF we were good... Hey after all, being subjected to a days worth of spraying with DDT did get you in out of the cold...