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Friends,

I like to do few modifications. Let me know if possible and your valuable thoughts are welcome.

1. Rear Tyre: I would like to go for a wider Tyre - like the one in Classic 500. What do you suggest? Should I change the RIM?

2. Silencer - Want to change it to bend silencer as in Classic 500. Is that possible, and anyone has done it.

3. K&N filters (or PipeCross) - is it available in the market for TBTS?

4. Iridium Spark plugs - I couldn't find it in Coimbatore. Any advice?

5. I need to change the oil? May I go for synthetic? Any brand recommendations?

6. Bulbs - Light is certainly not sufficient. Any headlight bulb recommendations?

Thank you,

Note to mods: I'd posted this within another thread - in a wrong place and which went unnoticed. Please tolerate! I have added more questions too here:-)

Of all the modifications you have written, I know for sure that you can replace the upswept silencer on your bike, but with that available for Classic 350 (not 500). Some guys in our club have done this. Apart from the sound they look smashing good and go very nicely with the overall theme of the TBTS. Cheers

:

:eek: I already did this, and I got a crack in the middle, I badly in need of a replacement now. I do not want to fit my older one back. I am searching for other options too.

hey buddy,
my reply:
1. if you switch, switch to 18 inchers on both the ends. a smaller rear tire will shorten the gearing and take a few kilometers per hour off your top end. the pickup will go up a bit for sure, but then for a tbts, its the cruising abilities that count not short bursts of speed. yamahas do that better.

2. go for a better flowing goldie...not the stuff available in delhi, something genuinely performance oriented. or maybe the stock replacement shortie. or an engineered megaphone with decent midrange.

3. k&n have a universal conical filter. easy to fit. but your carb will need upjetting.

4. havent tried iridiums. maybe i am old fashioned but stocks are gooe enough.

5. mobil supersynth is good. 0w40 and 5w50 both are available. cost is around 4200 to 4800 for a can of 4 liters. another good option is shell ultra helix. make sure your bike has clocked about 5000 kilometers to shift to synthetic. you also cant revert back to mineral oil later on.

6. go for a hella universal sealed beam with a p43t or a p45t connection. hids are not advisable for wet weather riding as they throw out extremely bright light which does not let you guage the depth of the water and may be fatal during high speed night rides. look for osram allweather prismatics or nightbreakers in the 60/55 or 100/80 watts range. also switch over to a ceramic holder with thicker (atleast 2.5 sq. mm) wiring. ceramic dissipates heat better than plastic and thicker wires have better current carrying capacities, you'll get better light for a longer duration.
depending on your riding style, you can chose from clear lens multi reflector sealed beams to serrated classic ones. autopal also make a decent sealed beam. just make sure, you replace it along with the bulb. the one on the tbts is multi reflector with lexan cover which fades out pretty fast.

my tubbits. hope they help.

epicenter.rulez,

Thanks for these valuable feedback, especially on the oil! I do not know that I can't revert.
I will surely go with your advice on the bulbs. I will be changing it this weekend.
BTW, I do not understand the point " but your carb will need upjetting." Could you pls explain further? Thanks a ton again.

hi benny
as you put in a better breathing air filter, your carb tends to pull in more of air and less of fuel thus in turn making the air fuel mixture extremely lean.
this leads to a lousily running engine, poor fuel economy, burnt valves and in most of the cases siezure of the engine
in order to prevent one and all of above, a new jet of suitable oversize has to be fitted to the carb, the slide needle adjusted accordingly and the carb tuned by carrying out plug chops until you get a decent biscuit or light brown tint on the spark plug or plugs.
this is the called the optimum state of tune where your motorcycle is running at its most efficient.
hope this explains it all

You can go from mineral to synthetic and can't go back ?
May I know why ?

my error there. what i said was from hearsay.
it isnt that way when i checked the details. not only oils can be changed from synthetic to mineral, they can also be mixed with one another without any apparent problems, though it is not advisable to do so.
this i suppose clears it up on the oil part.

I've never heard anyone say that. Did't know about it anyways that why I asked. Thanks a lot.

Looks sound technical to me to do it. I will check with my mechanic before i buy the filter. Thanks for the advice.
I just changed the old today to mobil 1 synth, the bike sounds good to me. I need a long drive to feel the difference, before doing so, I need to change the silencer- the tiny crack looks ugly in it. I am not sure where to source it. Searching around and will keep this thread posted.

@ agbenny
these changes sound like music to me, I have been thinking of doing such bits on my 09 TBTS, the bike has clocked almost 13k kms.
It would be really helpful if you could mention individual prices of the changes that you do, It will help me prepare a realistic budget.
Cheers!!

Yes, I will do.
Iridium spark plug is Rs.500/plug.

Oils is Rs.1000/liter (Mobil 1) you will need 1.5 Liters.

K&N Free flow filter would be around Rs.600.

Bend silencer should be Rs.3500.

I am investigating, if I could change my Tyres to Zapper for rear. I will check the pricing and feasibility and post it.

A little correction.
K&N would cost you at least 1.8-2K for RC-1060.
anything else will be just a cheap imitation.
and as mentioned earlier,dont go in for a free flowing filter,without upjetting.

:eek:
Are you sure its K&N ? Last time when I checked, K&N RC1060 costed 1800

Yeah. One may save around 100-150 bucks by going for R1060 instead of RC1060. Same size, only difference is that RC has chrome finish whereas R has normal plastic surround. Plus RC comes pre-oiled. R1060 comes has to be oiled manually ( Oil is included in the package). Not a difference really.

Regards.