Custom belt cover - fun Friday afternoon project

Side veiw

From clutch side

After installation, a photo by Speedy Chung on Flickr.

I always liked the open belt approach - it really shows the mechanic side of the L-twins engine. I was thinking to run open (without covers); but it's hard to let go the beautiful carbon fiber cover. So I decided to do something in-between - modify the stock part. It gives the bike a custom feel without breaking the bank. This is not my first time; but this is the first time on 'larger scale' Carbon Fiber.
I think it turns out nicely - I could be opened a bit too much - oh well, it's ok. I still have the stock part just in case. Will work on the upper cover later - let's see if I can get used to it first =)

Close up right before 3 layers of gloss paint

Wet sand at 1500 sand paper

Rough cut...

This was my setting - with a running vacuum to reduce dust level

Let's the fun begins!

After installation, a photo by Speedy Chung on Flickr.

Amazing sunset in Bay Area fog

Amazing sunset in Bay Area fog, a photo by Speedy Chung on Flickr.

Took this on my way home from work - the sunlight over fast moving fog was pretty amazing. Too bad all I have was just an iphone...

Sunday small group ride

Sunday small group ride, a photo by Speedy Chung on Flickr.

Meet up with a local Sport 1000 LE owner for a quick Sunday spin - man, the weather was perfect! Everything was nice except there were load of cops out there with radar guns. Feeling lucky to come home without ticket =)

Dainese 4 Stroke Leather Gloves

Dainese 4 Stroke Leather Gloves, originally uploaded by Speedy Chung.

While my bike still in the shop, let's go shopping! Just kidding... but I do need a pair of shorties to fit my jackets better. The sleeves of both the Racing jacket and the HF Special jacket just a bit too long for the long gloves to handle. So... I picked the 4 Stroke. After 5 weeks of wait finally it arrived. After close inspection I found out that It's not as well made as Piston (sold on Ebay a year ago); but the 4 Stroke is still pretty nice - and it's a lot cheaper - $60 cheaper then the original Piston. Seriously I don't where Dainese cuts corner.... But it's for sure looks good and feel good for me! One small complain - the pinky has a lot of protection - which is good; but it's pretty painful to break-in. Oddly enough, the higher priced items like Full Metal actually needs less time (if not none) to break-in. I guess that's where the fitment and craftsmanship comes in.

Yeah, it's like Christmas in July =)