I have had my trusty R3 for five and a half years now but as much as I love it I can't help but want more handling and lighter weight. I know some of you have had an extensive amount of carbon bits made for your bike which I am sure will help but I don't have that kind of cash to throw around (and if I did I would probably be to cheap to spend it anyway). I have been lusting after the Moto Guzzi Griso and Ducati Diavel for some time now and have been considering buying either but the Guzzi dealer network isn't something I want to depend on for parts and service and I really don't want to be a Ducati owner. And there is the bigger issue, neither of them is a triple. I love twins but am not ready to give up on triples yet, they just do exactly what I want with the proper soundtrack.
A while back I bought a 2001 Speed Triple form a local bike shop that was bought at an auction and they didn't know it when they bought it that it had the wrong engine in it (a 885 fi engine from a 97 S3) and couldn't get it running. I bought it really cheap and found a 955i Daytona motor cheap and put it in which was still wrong but had 20 more horsepower than it did originally so it was the right kind of wrong.
I got it together and working pretty good but the bike is just to **** small to be fun for me since I am 6'4" and 345lbs which I am working on but even if I would hit my goal of 250lbs I still think I would want a bike that isn't built for little people. I decided last winter to build the S3 into a Griso/Diavel type bike by putting a longer rear suspension to extend the wheelbase about 4" and building a tail section to move the seat rearwards 3" and down 2" and decreasing the angle of the seat to stop me from sliding into the tank constantly.
I found newer liter bikes have much longer swingarms than they used to so I found one that was a good fit for my frame and fairly easy to incorporate its suspension to the frame and seems like it fits well. I put slightly taller, wider bars with a bit more pullback on it and I am halfway into building the subframe right now and sitting on it feels great, it almost has the same seating position as what I did with my Rocket but a little leaner and meaner.
I am kind of stalled on it right now as I am between jobs but should soon start on it again after I am working. When I am done I will have a fairly exotic looking 450lb bike with 130 hp, a 60" wheelbase and chassis specs very close to a Sprint GT. I will sit in the bike as opposed to on it which makes me feel more connected to it and it will be more comfortable as well. With some lower gearing it should be the perfect back road tool for where I live with lots of windy back roads and mountain roads. Your thoughts?
My Rocket riding position-
The S3 before-
A while back I bought a 2001 Speed Triple form a local bike shop that was bought at an auction and they didn't know it when they bought it that it had the wrong engine in it (a 885 fi engine from a 97 S3) and couldn't get it running. I bought it really cheap and found a 955i Daytona motor cheap and put it in which was still wrong but had 20 more horsepower than it did originally so it was the right kind of wrong.
I got it together and working pretty good but the bike is just to **** small to be fun for me since I am 6'4" and 345lbs which I am working on but even if I would hit my goal of 250lbs I still think I would want a bike that isn't built for little people. I decided last winter to build the S3 into a Griso/Diavel type bike by putting a longer rear suspension to extend the wheelbase about 4" and building a tail section to move the seat rearwards 3" and down 2" and decreasing the angle of the seat to stop me from sliding into the tank constantly.
I found newer liter bikes have much longer swingarms than they used to so I found one that was a good fit for my frame and fairly easy to incorporate its suspension to the frame and seems like it fits well. I put slightly taller, wider bars with a bit more pullback on it and I am halfway into building the subframe right now and sitting on it feels great, it almost has the same seating position as what I did with my Rocket but a little leaner and meaner.
I am kind of stalled on it right now as I am between jobs but should soon start on it again after I am working. When I am done I will have a fairly exotic looking 450lb bike with 130 hp, a 60" wheelbase and chassis specs very close to a Sprint GT. I will sit in the bike as opposed to on it which makes me feel more connected to it and it will be more comfortable as well. With some lower gearing it should be the perfect back road tool for where I live with lots of windy back roads and mountain roads. Your thoughts?
My Rocket riding position-
The S3 before-