Stock Airbox Mod

This is the intermediate step between an open breathing performance intake and the stock setup. I utilized the stock airbox back (the black plastic housing), a couple of Dremel cutoff discs and window screen mesh. Now the bike can breathe a little easier in comparison to the highly restricted stock box.

First, the airbox must be removed from the bike. The throttle body will then be exposed, so be sure you keep it clean with a covering. To remove the airbox, unscrew the four hex bolts from the chrome cover. Set it aside and remove the air filter. Now is a good time to inspect it and either replace with another OEM filter or a higher flowing K&N OEM-style filter. Some have reported increased intake with the K&N, but it is a reuseable filter anyway, so it is win-win.

Next, remove the three bolts on the throttle body (two on the side and one under the velocity stacks). The black portion will now come off, and it is cutting time!

Trace a rectangular pattern on the sides of the box. Near the bottom means it is less visible, but be sure not to place the holes where the intake will suck in warm engine air.  I used a business card and a white grease pencil to help me with the pattern.
Using your Dremel or other cutting tool, remove the panels.

To fill the new holes, I had aluminum insect mesh and window screen material available. The window screen was black and aluminum was unpainted. Use whatever material you like, so long as it has holes small enough that water will not be able to easily penetrate through. I glued the mesh to the inside with Goo, and edged the cutout with thin gauge black wire for a finished look.

Finally, go and enjoy your new ride! You should begin to see an improvement in performance and gas mileage.

Click below to start the comparison video of stock, modded stock and full performance air intakes:

Seat Shootout: Ultimate, Mustang, Corbin

Stock seats suck.  I've had the fortunate experience to own and compare the Mustang with driver backrest, Corbin Dual Tour and the Ultimate midrider with driver backrest.  The Mustang and Corbin were installed on my 950, and my hubby is about to lose his Ultimate off his 1300.  Here's the lowdown on each:

1) Corbin: One-piece molded seat. very firm, little padding. Reminiscent of an equestrian saddle. Advantage and comfort is in the shape of the seat and the high back. Dual Tour is only model made at this time; no solo seat available. Durable and weather resistant. No memory foam. Wide variety of material colors, styles and patterns. Available in vinyl, leather or fabric. The nose can be custom cut for shorter riders, but this also removes some padding. Removable driver backrest may be added at any time after purchase. Seat position moves rider away from handlebars due to angles seat back, but the seat back really wraps around the lumbar region and locks the rider into place. Disadvantage is lack of padding and seat rests on frame without much to prevent transmission of road vibration to rider. Break-in is like a leather saddle and can take a while. Corbin offers a heated version of the Dual Tour; very nice for us northerners.

2) Mustang: middleweight in padding. Absorbs road vibration well, yet still allows rider to recognize he/she is still riding a v-twin. Well padded at seat edges. Cheaper alternative to Ultimate Seat. Advantage goes to its value and availability. Cannot be custom fit; only color available is black vinyl. Weather resistant. Very short break-in time. Driver backrest MUST be purchased at the same time of the seat, and is adjustable. Seat position gives the feeling of moving up and forward due to the different angle. This new angle is very well ergonomically engineered to provide support and proper pelvic tilt.

3) Ultimate (based on 1300): most plush foam seat available. Costly, but most vibration reducing seat on the market. Advantage to hour-after-hour comfort. Although weather resistant, the foam seems to be most sensitive to water penetration. Ultimate addresses this by selling rain covers made of Frogg Togg material. May be custom ordered with color side panels, custom embroidery or color stitching. Also available in leather, but stock is black vinyl. Seating position raises rider up (more than Mustang) and slightly forward due to thick foam material. Driver backrest may be ordered and installed afterward, but an optional pouch on the backrest must be ordered at the same time as the backrest. Backrest is fully adjustable. Disadvantage is cost, but exceptionally worthwhile for touring. Despite manufacturer's website, the Ultimate rider's seat CAN be used in conjunction with the stock passenger seat.

Chrome Reservoir Cover

Another dark area on the 1300 is the front brake master cylinder reservoir. Singing the praises of chrome, Kuryakyn came to my rescue again. This simple, yet gorgeous, piece of bling is among the easiest frills to install on the bike. It consists of a cover which completely encases the top and all sides of the master cylinder, and Kuryakyn provides a replacement handlebar clamp as well as chromed hardware neatly packaged in protective wrap. The best part of this cover is that the view window is still visible.

To install: remove the master cylinder screws from the reservoir's lid using a quality Phillips screwdriver. Do NOT remove the lid itself, just the screws. These screws are made of very soft metal, and they strip easily, which is why extra caution should be exercised when removing them. Next, place the new chrome housing over the master cylinder and oem black lid. Use the provided chrome hardware to secure the new housing. Finally, remove the oem black clamp and replace with the chrome clamp and hardware. You're done - go ride! Much better on the eyes, and not too heavy on the pocketbook.

Chrome Switch Housings

Yamaha made it, I'm making it my own. Well, they sure give me plenty of room for improvement in the  controls department. The matte charcoal switch housings leave a lot to be desired. Surely the bike could afford a little more natural-born beauty such as stock chrome housings; but no, Yamaha leaves us on our own to jazz up the 1300. Heck, even the 650 has chromed or polished housings. But I digress.

I bought my Show Chrome chrome switch housings from my favorite local dealer, Yamaha of Warren. Now, these are not like the cheap Kuryakyn covers you slap over top of the switches and the buttons end up being recessed. Nope. The Show Chromes are actual housing replacements, and they truly look like they are an OEM item meant for this bike. Once you install these puppies, toss out your old ones (or polish them for your spouse's bike - for which he shall forever kiss my riding boots).

The install was relatively easy, but very time consuming. There are many wire harnesses that are located within the housing, and you have to remember the order you disassemble so that you can reassemble properly. Luckily I did not have to individually change each wire over, else they may have just as well have been sprayed "chrome".

Rear Fender Rack

What a huge, honking piece of bling! This rear fender rack, or solo rack, is a Yamaha Genuine Accessory
made of chunky 6061 billet.

Very easy to install, and makes the bike look even more sleek and low slung than what it is already. To make the solo conversion, you must first remove the rear passenger seat. Using your 1300's ignition key, remove the driver's seat and place it off to the side. Looking back under the passenger seat, you will find two bolts facing you. Use a 10mm(?) socket with a 2" extension bit to remove these two bolts. Now you should be able to slide the seat forward (there is a tab at the back of the seat) and then upward to remove. Easy enough. Now we are left with two brackets and a few square clear vinyl stickers remaining on our rear fender. Using your socket, carefully remove these two brackets from the fender as to not scratch the paint with either the tool or hardware. It's easy to do. Put the brackets on the left over seat or toss them in a baggie. You won't reuse them again unless you reinstall the seat.Wait for a nice warm day, or very cautiously use a hair dryer to remove the protective stickers. If you manually apply heat, do not get the fender too hot, as it is easy to blister the paint. I just leave the bike parked inthe sun, then it just peels off.

Now installing the rack is jus as easy as removing the seat. Two larger spacers go toward the front of the bike, and two shorter ones are installed toward the rear. Blue Locktite and you are good to go!

Enjoy the ride!

RSTD Handlebars

A much more comfortable alternative to the stock handlebars. Be sure to place a thick towel or other protective covering on your tank before you begin. Also, an assistant is helpful, but not necessary. Once you loosen the bar clamps and controls it is easy to ding and dent the tank and other pretty parts. I did this project alone, but wrapped the dangling controls in bubble wrap and towels as I removed them.

Ok, first, remove the windshield if one is installed. It makes the job a heck of a lot easier.

Remove the clutch side grip. You might need to insert a flat screwdriver and squirt WD-40 into it to slip it off. Compressed air also works well if you have access.

Loosen the clutch perch from the underside and let it dangle. Wrap with a towel to prevent damage.

 Loosen the brake side controls.  There are two Phillips screws behind the housing, then the housing will come apart like a clam shell.  Don't take this off yet.

Next, remove the plasti-chrome speedometer housing cover. There are two allen head bolts toward the rear. Be careful that you don't loose the copper bushings inside.


Loosen the handlebar clamps.  BE CAREFUL - in a blink of an eye the bars can come down and smack the tank. Wake your assistant up to hold them.

Slide the bars toward the clutch side.  You will need to slide the clutch perch also.  Slip off the throttle grip and throttle side control housings. Wrap with a towel to prevent damage. This is a great time to change grips if interested.

Remove the handlebars from the clamps.

Slide clutch perch off.

Reverse directions to reinstall with RSTD grips.

Considering SPyKER Mod

I'm really digging this look.

http://www.whypush.com/

The Thunder kit I had on my 950 was absolutely phenomenal, especially coupled with the drilled exhaust - really mean sounding for a sub-1000cc machine. However, the constant hissing at highway speeds for hours on end was just too much for my baby-sensitive ears to handle.

I like the SPyKER filter mod. Although it does about what the airbox drill mod (75+ small holes on either side of the OEM cover), it does it with style and panache! Not too loud, but still enough to give it a little punch. I think I will be ordering very soon!

Soooo... which grill to get??? Help me decide!

Today's Work

Today I installed the rear fender rack.







The handlebar area of the 1300 leaves a lot to be desired, so I also made these changes:

• Installed the RSTD bars (for comfort - provides a couple more inches pullback that us shorter riders require)
• Installed Kuryakyn Iso grips
• Installed the Brake Away Cruise Control
• Added color-matched accent rings for the Iso grips (courtesy Revlon and automotive topcoat)
• Installed Kewlocks helmet locks on the end of the Iso grips
• Removed the dull matte black switch housings and installed pretty chrome bling housings (Show Chrome). This took a while to remove all internals, and would have taken even longer if I didn't have the enclosed instructions. Would I buy these covers again - probably not. I'm polishing my old OEM ones for my husband to install on his. Or rather I'll install on his bike.
• Installed a chrome cover for the front brake master cylinder (Kuryakyn). This isn't just the lid to the master cylinder, but instead a complete case that covers the sides and the handlebar mount - very sharp!

I made the mistake of taking the windshield off. OK this isn't normally a bad thing, but when I saw the looks of the bike without it, I just had to take a good hard look at it. Butterfly looked so sleek and sexy - emphasized her low prowess and highlighted her custom paint like a gorgeous evening gown (if a motorcycle could wear one, that is).

Hello World

I am a three-season rider in NE Ohio, enjoying the world of motorcycling on a 2008 Yamaha V-Star 1300 Tourer, which I tremendously enjoy modifying and customizing this beautiful 80ci machine.