Raptor Chapter

Given the chance, I would have opted for a Raptor 1000 with a bit of colour to it, though I have several red Italian bikes already. Turned out that the bike I really couldn't pass up was finished just in silver, and though it looked tasteful, it didn't exactly stand out.

Part of the problem was that the impressive cast footrest/exhaust hangers had corroded and been daubed in black paint, so making them virtually invisible. Well, I've just got them back from the excellent Maldon Shotblasting and Powdercoating, http://www.msbpcl.co.uk . I thought of having them finished as per OEM in the dark metallic grey of the frame, but decided the back end of the bike needed a visual 'lift', so asked for what they call polished alloy finish.

£50 + VAT for the pair was very affordable and I think they look superb!

Nick, UK

I reckon they look good - & I'd be tempted to do the same if I could actually undo the bolts on the near side...

andybaggies wrote:55 years agoI reckon they look good - & I'd be tempted to do the same if I could actually undo the bolts on the near side...

Yes, those bolts are a little iffy on mine, having only shallow 6mm sockets, but at least a PO had put copper-slip on the threads. It might be worth trying to source some new dome-heads in stainless, but I'm guessing they won't be identical.

I realised today that my boots are going to rub against that nice new paint, so now I'm waiting on some clear vinyl protective film! However, the first touch of salt is down around here so the Raptor is in hibernation. Roll on the Spring!

Nick

They look great!

Thanks for the comments, Guys! I think the next beautification the bike needs is for the header pipe(s) to be removed and polished. I daresay that the first manufacturer that contemplated going from chromed steel to stainless thought that exhaust pipes would thenceforth stay bright and shiny!

Nick

nickst4 wrote:55 years ago I daresay that the first manufacturer that contemplated going from chromed steel to stainless thought that exhaust pipes would thenceforth stay bright and shiny!

Nick

Here are the next two stages in beautifying my Raptor 1000.

I've had the exhaust polished, which looked superb for all of five minutes! Having seen how quickly it tarnished on tickover, I've now blocked off the air bleed to the exhaust to reduce the exhaust gas temperature and am hoping it won't colour down so quickly. So far, only the front cylinder done (by fitting a blank gasket beneath the flange rather than dismantling the pulsed-air system) and it looks promising. No effect whatsoever on the running of the bike, by the way.

The other feature is a single seat cowl painted in the correct Fiat Grigio Mistral 646, paint code courtesy of our files. Nothing unusual in that perhaps, except that I made it myself from glass fibre. As is usual with these projects, about 80% of the time is in the finishing. The intention was purely to balance the frontal bias of the painted parts of the bike, and I think it has done that very well, while staying as sleek as the original seat line.

Hope you-all like it!

Nick

Very nice...

Latest rather subtle update: I think I've finally found the headlamp I wanted!

Genuine Cagiva headlamps being like very expensive hen's teeth, I had fitted a CB900 unit on the bike when I got it, to replace a gruesome integrated- LED aftermarket unit. The issue with Raptor headlights is that they are less than 7" across and the mounting points are closer together than the average.

OK, so the Honda unit worked OK (with an LED bulb), but the bike looked rather pea-brained! I've just found a full 7" unit that looks even better than OEM to me, and for the bargain price of £19 post paid from China. The ABS shell needed heat-gun treatment to be able to fit, but that doesn't show. I needed to make offset arrangements to attach the shell to the OEM carriers but it looks very pukka to me, and gives the bike more presence. So far, the beam pattern is not perfect, but I don't ride at night so daytime visibility is more important.

It goes without saying that the Vee-Raptor look is not my cup of tea! Too old-school by half...

See what you think...

So shiny, so tidy, me and rappy are getting our coats>>>>>>