Every time I looked at it, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the SUS sidestand sole wasn’t quite right, so I changed the shape.
I cut it away and, taking inspiration from Kawasaki Z models, created what you might call a teardrop shape.
When I installed it, it still looked too flat, so I debated whether to raise some ribs. I ended up bending a round rod to add a bit of dimension.
I found just the right grit for the stainless steel. After polishing, the light reflection is perfect and it looks beautiful.
Work like this really drives home the point that tools matter. If I’d done it by hand, no amount of time would have been enough.
I’m getting tired of the detail work, so I went with a simple Z-bend ETC bracket for now. I’ll hide it inside next time.
The carburetor finally went on. I’d like to make a funnel, but that’s for later.
I can’t recommend the product “throttle cable with mid-adjustment.” It looks convenient at first, but reducing play only means extending the outer cable—there’s no other way. It’s a universal product, but it ends up unnecessarily long and the mid-connector touches various parts, which isn’t good. I think it’s better to use an “throttle cable assembly kit” to get a clean, nice layout at the right length.
That said, I’ll replace it next year anyway.
I tried mocking up a side cover design with scrap material, but it had zero style and looked absolutely terrible—we got a good laugh out of it.
It’s harder than it looks.
