Had it in standard trim for a few months now, but I've finally decided (after much much deliberation) that clip-ons just aren't for me. Even on such a relaxed bike as the Firestorm, my circulation isn't good enough to keep my fingers fed with all that weight resting on them.
It's a shame, because on the open road it makes perfect sense, but once I hit slow-moving traffic (which is pretty much most of my 30-min commute every day) they become more of a hindrance.
I like the kind of agricultural-looking ratfighter style, so I think I'm going to keep it as brutal as poss at the front. This means removing the fairing but keeping the belly-pan in place. I'll keep the standard headlamp and clocks on the subframe, but chop off the screen bars. I'll chop up a fairing middle and screw it above the headlamp like a little screen, a-la old Speed Triple. Big motocross bars on anodized risers (off my old slabby front-end) should go straight on with just two holes drilled in the yokes.
I think the side-mounted rads look evil and brutal, which is the whole point of a ratfighter, IMO - but if I have cooling problems (not likely this time of year!) I'll try to source a single front-mount rad...
Realness.
I would show some pics of my proposed design, but I've only just discovered my work PC doesn't have any good storm pics on it, and since it was reloaded last week doesn't have my editing software either...
I think it's going to be done... Fightering the Storm!
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Mad Ax
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I think it's going to be done... Fightering the Storm!
"Years of delivering pizzas has taught him to drive like this"
--Sheriff John Bunnell, ret'd
--Sheriff John Bunnell, ret'd
Good luck, look forward to seeing your progress. Must admit I would like to ride a Storm with Renthal bars 
. Getting used to the racing position myself.
. Getting used to the racing position myself.I see myself as a sensitive intelligent man but with the heart of a clown that causes me to **ck things up right at that crucial moment........'Jim Morrison'
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Mad Ax
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I reckon with some wide bars and a more upright riding positing, it'll handle a treat. It is definately slower to turn than my old slabby, which was fitted with narrow drag bars, but I think the wider bars will really ease up the handling (especially for someone like me who's used to upright bikes).
Should be a hoot through town too - no more crouching down having to strain my neck to look at traffic lights, but sitting upright and comfortable and staring ahead. It'll be like a supermoto, only with better knicker-elastic-snapping capabilities
Should be a hoot through town too - no more crouching down having to strain my neck to look at traffic lights, but sitting upright and comfortable and staring ahead. It'll be like a supermoto, only with better knicker-elastic-snapping capabilities
"Years of delivering pizzas has taught him to drive like this"
--Sheriff John Bunnell, ret'd
--Sheriff John Bunnell, ret'd
yep will be upright, tried one of m8's storm's other day with renthals on...seemed weird sat bolt upright again( coming from the man who had a few bandits etc)...defo easy on the arms wrists etc....but didnt like the wind blast too much, as for clip ons etc, mines got fireblade front end in, with spondon clipons...and i aint had no issues with wrist pain, and i aint a young lad neither..but i can see the appeal of renthals tho 
gone the vfr bars route myself and is a good compromise for height,i do have problems with my wrists and since fitting i have had only slight pains in my right wrist but that isnt as bad as the standard bars,didnt have any pains yesterday when i rode the bike and that was around town not cross country
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Squiffythewombat
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Stripped the fairing off to replace a bust rad and definately like the look. Woulkd have to get the headlight/fairing spot on though or else it will look Sheeeiiitte. If I damage my fairing at some point I will definately think about going rat!
I see myself as a sensitive intelligent man but with the heart of a clown that causes me to **ck things up right at that crucial moment........'Jim Morrison'
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LotusSevenMan
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- Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2006 8:32 pm
- Location: Liss, Hampshire. UK
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Mad Ax
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- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2007 3:10 pm
- Location: Lurking among the gothic shadows of Bath
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Updatage - I did strip the bike down on that fateful weekend, unfortunately it didn't look quite as I'd intended, so the fairings went back on.
Still not sure if I might go the fighter route at some point, but for now at least it will remain standard. I really didn't want to have to look at aftermarket headlamp options as TBH they're all rubbish, and my house is at the end of a dark, windy and unlit road - I spent last winter on a ratfighter with a rubbish aftermarket twin-light unit that was excellent at highlighting a 2-foot square about 6 feet ahead of the bike and even better at completely failing to highlight the rest of the road.
Oh well - back to the drawing board!
Still not sure if I might go the fighter route at some point, but for now at least it will remain standard. I really didn't want to have to look at aftermarket headlamp options as TBH they're all rubbish, and my house is at the end of a dark, windy and unlit road - I spent last winter on a ratfighter with a rubbish aftermarket twin-light unit that was excellent at highlighting a 2-foot square about 6 feet ahead of the bike and even better at completely failing to highlight the rest of the road.
Oh well - back to the drawing board!
"Years of delivering pizzas has taught him to drive like this"
--Sheriff John Bunnell, ret'd
--Sheriff John Bunnell, ret'd