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I've been itching to get back to a bit more aggressive riding and track time the past couple of years. Just something the Harley will not do well. I can't really ride a sport bike anymore at least for extended periods and feel good at the end of the day. I sat on MT07, the MT09 as well as dreamed about the Triumph Speed triple. All were available for purchase. The Triumph as much as I wanted it, was out of my price range. The MT09 was just a bit too wide for me. The MT07 just felt right. On that nice warm day we had in November I went down to MoMs South and made my purchase. The warm weather and the fact they could take care of the registration that day without me having to go to the DMV just sealed the deal.
Incoming MT07
Previous builds have been,
2015 Harley Street Bob I guess I never really kept up with what I did here but it did get finished.
2012 KTM 450 SMR
2007 Yamaha R6
This build will take longer then most I've done in the past. There is no rush to race prep so it is something I can take my time on. However somethings are moving forward at a good pace.
As with all my bikes it's off to Computrack for a measurement to see what I'm starting with.
Suspension ordered. Decided to go with Andreani cartridges and a Penske Shock. The stuff for the forks came in quickly so I got right on it.
Off come the forks and into the tank.
Once the forks are cleaned and dried this is what is kept
This is what is tossed...
The cartridges are not a direct drop in. The tubes get tossed into the lathe to get rid of some junk
Off to the bin
Result
The Andreani kit comes complete with springs and spacers all set to go so at this point it is a simple assembly.
The end result is a set of damper rod forks that ride like a 70s Caddy with no means to adjust how they function are now a nice adjustable cartridge fork. Compression on one side and rebound on the other.
Waiting on the shock to arrive but that should be a simple install.
I'll freely admit my 450 with the slipper clutch made me a lazy rider. The MT doesn't come with one stock. What it did seem to come with was a TON of engine braking in the short ride I had. Since I plan on doing some track days with this bike I thought I might as well extend the laziness and got a slipper clutch for it. I'll install it when I do the first oil change, so sometime in the spring if things warm up nicely this year.
That is where we stand right now. I have more on tap. Some functional, some visual, and some just because. I'll update as I do things.