My First cat

Figured i'd throw up a thread for my new baby, so here she is:





Picked her up This time last week for the princely sum of £1500.

40k miles, FSH + Extra servicing and brakes overhaul etc.

First thing i did was to bin the crappy headlight bulb, and (temporarily) chuck in a H4 HID that i had lying around from an old VW Golf. Difference is amazing, i can actually see enough to be able to ride comfortably at night!



On Sunday i went out for a proper ride with one of my usual riding buddies Chris, on his CBR600RR. As we started pushing on i could feel the bike wasnt quite right. she was twitchy at times, yet slow to react at others, and was hard work getting her "right" in the corners. Thinking it was probably just me on a new bike i carried on, until i had a rather brown pants moment involving a hairpin, pushing out wide, and an oncoming 4x4....

So i made it home, and today me and Chris had a look over the suspension and set up, which was set waaaay too soft for a lump like me! Matey before me was about 5'8" and probably 10stone soaked through, whereas im 6'1" and about 15stone.

We managed to get the Preload and rebound damping set all round, but the front left Compression dampening adjuster is seized solid, so we left that as it was, and the rear shock compression damper is also bust, It just clicks endlessely and makes no odds to the shock at all.

just adjusting the rebound and preload though has made a massive difference. The bike no longer feels nose heavy, and is a lot easier to set up into the corners, so hopefully that will keep me out of trouble until i get chance to replace the rear shock and sort the front left out. Will probably go for a full rebuild and revalve on the fronts, and keep my eyes peeled for a Maxton etc rear.

Quick pic of the 'Cat with the RR, just because i can:



Also today we sorted a few other niggles out, Chain was too tight so that was adjusted, rear brake was semi seized so that was free'd up, lubed and put back together, Brake lever was adjusted as it was too high for my Pasty feet, Throttle free play was adjusted to stop it sticking slightly, and clutch lever was adjusted also.

And whilst we were at it, i pulled the chipped and faded yellow rimtape off ( was a bit garish against the blue for my tastes if im honest), and replaced with some nice reflective blue stuff just to see how it looked. Ill need to redo a couple of bits as its a tad wonky in places, but im chuffed with how it looks so it will be staying.

Yellow can be seen in pics above.

Blue:



And what drivers will see at night when lights on it:



Pretty much all thats happened at the mo, will update this as and when bits get done/Broken/fixed!

o yeeess CATs are the best

Where have you been Dean-J?
The new banner was made just for you!
Looking good.

Nice looking bike there, and the best colour also

Very nice, rim tape much better. Never been a fan of the stuff, mine has matching Red Tape - was about to rip it off but saw just how reflective it is, stays on safety grounds.

Good to see you getting stuck into it. I have rim tape on mine too - I know it divides opinion but I like how it matches the other red highlights on the bike (and it is retro-reflective).

On your various issues - if you lowered the rear brake lever, did you check the brake light switch was still OK? If you lower the lever too much, it'll close the switch and leave it permanently on (or, at least, get so close that it flickers on and off). You can adjust the switch position relative to the lever.

Did you check your tyre pressures? That would be my first point of call after a wobbly ride.

After 40k the shock is probably past it anyway - a replacement/rebuild will be a good investment.

Cheers for the comments guys

tyre pressures were spot on, im pedantic about things like that to say the least!

brake switch did indeed need adjustment

suspension Rebuilds/replacements are definately on the cards, probably/hopefully along the lines of Hagon/Maxxton etc. This bike is going to be here a good few years yet, so i dont mind spending the money on her!

Nice cat

Looking really nice , can't wait to actually see it , if I see you out about town , ill make lots of noise , and you'll have to stop for a chat

Cheers guys.

Not really that i HAVE the money to spend on her, but i will FIND it!

HeHore - Will have to meet up for a Brew up the Hill sometime

Nice bike Dean-j. Have fun on the Cat once set up a far better bike tha most people think. If you don't mind my pennys worth of advice, Soak the compression adjuster daily in penetrating oil, it might work to free it off but not likely, but change the fork oil for sae 10 far better for some one of your build. As for the rear shock, I fitted a Hagon and if i'm being picky, It's a little harsh for solo riding but very very good with a pillion on the back. And as for there after sales service, impossible to fault. Mine dumped its oil out the bottom one very cold morning(minus 10c) gave them a ring and explained that it was 11 months old but had covered 12500 miles, they replied that they are covered for 2 years unlimited milage. Send it back 15:30 on a Friday and returned to me on the next Wednesday first post with no charge, and it's been alright for the next 19500 miles.

Well most of you know that a mechanic dropped my tank and seat, causing a fir bit of damage to the paintwork... But hopefully thats back tomorrow so in the few spare hours iv had over the last 2 weeks i've done a few little bits and bobs, Heated grips, 12v socket - That sorta thing.

Today i decided i didnt like the plate holder on my bike, now not being able to find any decent undertray/tail tidy combos anywhere, i decided to crack out the Angle grinder.....

You all know what a standard rear looks like, it now looks like this:





Little bit of finishing off to do shaping the part closest to the seat unit ( no way i was getting too close with a grinder in my hand!) but overall im pretty impressed with it if i do say so myself! And all for the cost of 2 new indicators, £10 in the sale from HG Although i will be ordering a new slightly smaller plate and moving it further up toward the taillight. But for now im

I can't tell the difference, I think mine is like that anyway!?! I need to see what the standard looks like!

There's a lot less mudguard there Paul

I'm liking those indicators, did they work straight out of the box? Flash rate ok?

You'll need a stick on reflector for MOT time as there's no reflector built into the stock rear light.

mrfrance wrote:I can't tell the difference, I think mine is like that anyway!?! I need to see what the standard looks like!

paul , second pic down at the original post shows it.

and dean , its looking good, got some ideas for mine , will talk you through it and see if you'll give us a hand lol

Mapman wrote:I'm liking those indicators, did they work straight out of the box? Flash rate ok?

You'll need a stick on reflector for MOT time as there's no reflector built into the stock rear light.

yeah i pulled the reflector off as it was a big sticky out ugly thing and ruined the look somewhat.... ill have an idea for that so wont be reflectorless for long.

Indys are standard bulb type,as im not into Led ones, so yep they work perfectly

The wheel tape looks better and I like the iridium screen.

Pleased your getting to grips with your new steed!

Small bicycle reflector will suffice, no idea why a huge ugly thing needs to be stuck on!

Im going smaller and more aesthetically pleasing than that ordered what i need, see if it works out as well as it does in my head once it arrives

There's a lot less mudguard there Paul.

I see what you mean now, I have realised that mine doesn't have a mudguard

Looking very nice and immaculate Dean not bad ...for a blue cat

Iridium screen looks perfect on that bike. Can you see through them/that one ok? Looks pretty much blacked out in your second pic.

Mapman wrote:Iridium screen looks perfect on that bike. Can you see through them/that one ok? Looks pretty much blacked out in your second pic.

I had a black double bubble on my cat but never needed to see through it lol.

Nah cant see through the screen, but as Ellie said, why would you need to! I can tuck in enough and still see perfectly anyways


Bad news is, Im seriously not happy with the paint. They ended up masking the decals and didnt do that great a job,overspray and sharp edges where the masking was, couple marks in the paint before lacquer, and not to mention its a good 4 shades lighter than rest of the bike!

Have been back onto the guy who damaged the bike and told him im not happy, so waiting to hear back from him now. Have a good mind to insist on a painter of my own choosing, and if he cant colour match it properly, then matey will have to pay for the whole bike to be sprayed. Not a happy bunny!

On the plus side though, i finally got to ride my bike for the first time in nigh on 3 weeks today, had a nice little blast with Paul and my mate harry, which was good

Ref above

Dean-J wrote:If he pulls off a finish like the three bikes he was doing today ( and he's guaranteed me he will) then i will be a happy happy man indeed, especially next month when i get the rest of the bike re done!

You put this on the other thread mate, surely this gives you some grounds for reproach with the bodyshop/painter in question?? Don't take the sh*t off em, threaten both with trading standards and watchdog, whoever, mainly stamp your feet and leave with the result you want and deserve