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Missin44
| Posted on Wednesday, September 09, 2009 - 07:35 am: |
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I started wondering last night after I saw some guys had swapped the tree's in early X's. What would it take to take an XT and increase it steering lock to 74 degrees?? I suspect it's not as straight forward as increasing the an early X, but worth asking. |
Tootal
| Posted on Wednesday, September 09, 2009 - 07:45 am: |
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Should be the same as far as I know. The fork lock pin has to be replaced with a longer one. I can give you dimensions so you can make one or have a shop make one but that's all you need other than the trees. |
Missin44
| Posted on Wednesday, September 09, 2009 - 07:51 am: |
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Well this idea can to me last night, like I say, I like both the X and XT, have a prices where an '08 XT is being offered at the same price as an '09 X. The steering lock is a big issue with me, so this may be a the way to go. I am curious to know if there is a reason Buell chose not to increase steering lock on the XT? |
Trevd
| Posted on Wednesday, September 09, 2009 - 09:45 am: |
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Missin44, I initially thought the steering lock would be a big issue for me on my recently purchased XT. But I can honestly say that after the first week, I adjusted to it nicely so that it's not an issue while riding. I can do U-turns easily - I never hit the steering lock. Because the bike has such a short wheelbase, you don't need as much steering lock to turn it in the same amount of space as a longer wheelbase bike. The only issue is getting it out of the garage and turned around in my driveway, but even then, it's not a huge deal - the bike is so light and short that it's pretty easy, even with the limited steering lock. I use the XT for its intended usage - on paved roads, although I have also been on several gravel roads, and a few "semi-paved" roads. I personally can't imagine going through the time and expense to increase the steering lock... |
Electraglider_1997
| Posted on Wednesday, September 09, 2009 - 11:44 am: |
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I'd like to have the extra degrees but live fine without. I keep myself sharp doing locked out U-turns most everyday. It is just a matter of clutch, throttle and rear brake and good balance. I did one the other day with my wife on the back, no problema. The only thing the ULY is really missing for garage turnarounds is a center stand. With your bike on the centerstand all you need to do is full lock left the handlebar and grab the left handgrip and pull towards you and at the same time push the back-left side of the seat away from you. That spins the bike on the centerstand with no effort at all. Easy as pie. Really works slick if you centerstand it on a flat piece of plastic. A centerstand would be a nice addition to the ULY. |
Tootal
| Posted on Wednesday, September 09, 2009 - 06:28 pm: |
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Missin44 , here's a link to my thread on changing it out. If you want to see what's involved, this will give you some info. Remember, you won't have to disassemble the forks since your not changing the springs and you won't be changing the steering head bearings either. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/142 838/442538.html?1236474150 |
Missin44
| Posted on Wednesday, September 09, 2009 - 06:50 pm: |
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Thanks Tootal. Looks pretty straight forward, I've had the entire front off my V-Rod. Looks to be pretty close to what I did then. |
Thisflatearth
| Posted on Wednesday, September 09, 2009 - 07:07 pm: |
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Just remember when you swap the triples your "LOCK" becomes about a half inch to short. So you can't lock the handlebars when parked. |
Tootal
| Posted on Wednesday, September 16, 2009 - 05:58 pm: |
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It's actually more than a half inch but here's the dimensions of the pin I made. I used the hole in the tree to steady the pin as there were reports of 08's rattling. I used 1/2" o-rings in the grooves to make it silent and seal in some lubrication. Here's the dimensions:
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