We’ve probably all been there promising ourselves that we will leave the bike bog standard. How long does it last? A year tops if you’re lucky. It was all going well till the Motorcycle Show at the NEC last November. I had gone there with a view to getting a bargain on a pair of heated grips.

Aftermarket Exhaust:

As I passed the Carbon Can Co stand a two tone Blue/Silver aftermarket can was beckoning to me. I found out that the 600 bandit “slip on” and “link pipe” would fit my bike. It was half price so what could I do!

Not being Mr Technical I enquired as to ease of fitting and was told that if the standard pipe came off with no problem then it would take no more than 10 mins to fit. The next day came round and the bike was moved into the garage for its transformation. First problem the ratchet driver of my socket set which had been playing up for some time gave up the ghost. Hence a trip to Halfords for a good quality new one and while I was there decent sockets in the sizes I needed.

Back home all the bolts were removed no problem but the exhaust pipe would not budge from the collector box. Much grunting, twisting and pulling later, it was finally off. The next job was to remove a metal mesh gasket from the old pipe and fit it to the new one. Finally with the aid of a hammer and broad flat head screwdriver it was off. After that it was plain sailing. The new pipe was fitted with ease, the only difficulty was removing the centre stand rubber end stop from the old bracket and fitting to the new one, finally with the aid of some washing up liquid it was on. So yes with the right tools and not rushing the job it should not take that long.

Solo Seat Cowl:

The Cowl is made by Braada Concepts from the USA. I saw this on eBay and as I had never seen one on a UK bike either in the flesh or via the internet, I just had to have it. The guy I bought it off sold his GSX600F prior to the cowl’s arrival as it took over 7 weeks. It is a very popular modification in the States. It arrived in primer and when painted I also had the bike’s underbelly done. It was a doddle to fit as it’s held on by four aluminium brackets, one end of which is bolted to the cowl at each corner, the other ends are bent around the seat, the seat is then replaced and the job’s done.

Pro-Bolt Fasteners:

Straight forward enough. I replaced the standard tyre valve caps, tank bolts, oil reservoir cap and yolk buttons for blue metal ones to match the bike. Not much else to add.

The Future: