Brian Casey's 800
1999 T reg 800 drifter 11000 miles
New paint by dream machine, very high quality and done exactly as I asked, helpful people
who seem to enjoy what they do. Did my piss pot lid to match and all for £670+VAT very
reasonable, cant be recommended highly enough. They also filled all the unwanted holes in
the rear guard.
Pipes are handmade by POWERSPEED in hothfield near ashford, very professional and again
exactly what I asked for (gave them a CGI of the pipes) they have some internal baffles so
are not too loud, but you will hear me coming! They are covered in exhaust wrap, about 40m
of the stuff and secured with stainless MIG wire. I made the little ally end caps which
flutter open and shut, very funny.
The seat was from ebay in the states, a bit pricey at about £200 but hey, you cant take it
with you. White probably is not a very clever colour but I could not resist it, totally #
'Las Vegas' I fabricated the new mountings and the seat is rigidly fixed, those swinging
pivoted seats make me feel ill, it can be removed in a few minutes. Like my other bike the
saddle is higher and further forward than standard to give better weight distribution and
feel when riding, also makes the front brake much more effective. As I am 6'4" tall its
also a much more comfortable riding position.
Front forks have been rebuilt and all the black bits stripped and powder coated.
Front caliper had to be rebuilt as the pistons were shot, take care of these babies as the
components to rebuild cost nearly £70!
I have fitted a belt drive to replace the chain, I managed to snap the first belt in 1000
miles and hope this one lasts longer as they cost about £60 each. Also you have to
completely disassemble the rear end and cut the chassis into 14 pieces to fit the
bastard.
The new rear lights (under the seat) started life on a ferret scout car (army kit) I
stripped out the guts and installed LED units from a boat chandler, one for stop and one
for lights. They are very bright and work well, I think they look pretty cool too.
Number plate is lit with a couple of LED washer units as fitted to halfords heros, novas,
escorts etc. unobtrusive, effective and cheap.
Headlight has been repositioned about 100mm higher than stock. All handlebar switch wires
are now run inside the bars, a time consuming and fiddly job, but worthwhile as it
tidies the front considerably.
Both brake lines are braided steel with black shrink wrap coverings, very neat.
Rear swingarm has been powder coated as have the footboard mountings and pedals.
Handlebar grips are my favourite triumph pattern 'balloons' much more comfortable than the
original kwak jobs, bit of a tight fit as they are designed for 7/8th bars.
Crash bars are from ebay.