Brodie's W800

Brodie

Gold Coast, Queensland
DTT SUPPORTER
Decided to start a project thread for my W800 I bought 2 weeks ago. For all the searching on the net I can find there is not much info on mods to these bike. I know the US folks miss out on them but some of the mods will cross over to the W650.

My main aim with this bike is to improve the ride and reduce the weight. At a supposed 217kg stock it has some weight to loose. Due to the EU compliance it had to pass the exhaust system is a heavy beast.

So hopefully I can catalogue, photograph and explain all the mods well enough to give other owners a bit of a hand.

Some of the problems with the bike I have found so far are:

A lovely view of my arms and not much else in the stock mirrors.
Bit of an issue with wind buffeting at high speed.
Some wobble during corners and high speed straights.
Very heavy exhaust system. The owners manual claims it had cat converters and the only place I can see for them is in the stock mufflers.
Weighted handlebars, to reduce vibration.
Standard stupidly large turn signals and tail light.

I will weigh everything I remove and add to keep a somewhat accurate log of the weight reduction. My aim is to get it under 200kg

First mods will be:

Fitting a Dart Flyscreen to help with wind defection. Bit of an issue at the "ton"
Bar end mirrors, so I can see behind me.
Better hand grips for long ride comfort.
Light weight alloy handle bars. If there is to much vibration I will foam fill them.

Planned mods are:
New mufflers. Reverse cone with tuneable baffles. These should be the biggest weight saver.
Fork brace to help with the cornering.
Steering damper for the same reason.
EJK tuner to smooth out fuel and help compensate for better mufflers.
High flow air filter.

So here she is in all her stock glory.
Each mod will have its own post with a walkthrough like manner.
 

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You are right, we don't really get them here in the US and that's a bummer. I've never seen one with a factory blacked out motor like yours. It's gorgeous.
 
I think we got the W650 for like 1 model year here. Like the GB500 Honda's. Came out a few years too early to hit the retro wave.
 
Yep Kawasaki did bloody well with it. Hopefully the mods I make will improve it a little.

All of the bikes in the W range look great. Even the little 175.
 
Removing the side reflector bracket.

Step 1: Locate the bolt holding the side reflector bracket in place and make sure it is clean and nothing is obstructing the bracket.

Step 2: Use a 10mm socket to remove the bolt being careful to avoid scratching any of the frame paintwork.

Step 3: Clean area where bracket was removed and check for missing paint or wear to parts.

As you can see there was some wear to the outer sheath of the clutch cable. This would have only gotten worse if I left the bracket there.

Here are the photos.

Total weight saving is 110 grams.
 

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Booked in for the 1000km service tomorrow. I will enquire about modification boundaries with the warranty.

Just waiting for a few things to arrive in the mail like new indicators, bars, mirrors, grips and such.

The above post is an example of the style I plan to log the mods in. Very basic for most of us but I hope it will help others new to bikes.
 
Brodie said:
Booked in for the 1000km service tomorrow. I will enquire about modification boundaries with the warranty.

Just waiting for a few things to arrive in the mail like new indicators, bars, mirrors, grips and such.

The above post is an example of the style I plan to log the mods in. Very basic for most of us but I hope it will help others new to bikes.
Great idea! It may seem way too basic, but is just the kind of thing to get a newby started twisting wrenches the right way and not just hacking up the machine before he knows it.
 
I am hoping to do it in a way that will make more daunting tasks simpler for newbies.
I know not a lot of people new to bikes will own a W but it should be fairly transferable to other bikes.
 
Well... I'd say a nice light-weight exhaust and either a set of decent flatslides (you know you want to) or take out the stock EFI-box and install a Micro- or Mega-Squirt and take it from there.

Don't get me wrong, it's a nice bike, but I can not ever leave anything alone...
 
i knew you wouldn't be able to leave it alone...keep up the good work

is the missus giving you those looks that say "you just bought a nice new bike, why do you have to fcuk round with it, haven't you got all those other bikes to do that with, why can't you leave it alone and just ride it "

hows the hand by the way ?
 
Ha yeah I just have to have a go at everything.

Not going to go to mad with this one. Need it as a daily. Have the XV1100 off the road to sort out the bloody forks. It was running great with your ignition map BTW Greg. Thanks for that many times over.

Spotty, on of the first things the missus asked is what I was going to do first. Second question was if I would leave it a dual seat.
 
Removing the "ohh s#!t" pegs.

Step 1: Locate source of irritation when cornering. Found under the rider footpegs

Step 2: Use a 10mm spanner to remove the pegs. These can be tight as they are loctited in.

Step 3: Clean area where pegs were removed.

Weight saving 31grams.

Total weight saving 141 grams.
 

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