Now that I've outed myself I suppose I should give up some details on the bike.
Got this under the now defunct 'Bike in a Box' scheme. Had some minor hassles getting Vicroads to understand it was not a personal import, but once I cleared that hurdle it was a straightforward process.
I got the bike primarily to commute on, so most mods are geared towards surviving in peak hour traffic.
First thing I did was improve the spark. It runs an upgraded coil, CDI, plug lead and plug. Air return system was removed, primary gearing upped one tooth for improved top end speed. A "26mm" Mikuni & pod filter fitted, catalytic converter chopped out and muffler replaced with a 17" reverse cone with baffle. Still pretty loud so I packed it with a couple of stainless steel pot scrubbers to slow the gas flow and quieten it down. It has passed the Highway Patrol Motorcycle unit test, i.e. followed for several km without being pulled over. So far I've improved the speed from an original 86km/h lying on the tank, up to a much more useful 105km/h measured with GPS.
The plastic tyres have been replaced with the Michelin M45's. They do the job adequately, but still scare me when cold sometimes. I look forward to sourcing a set of Pilot Sportys.
Ergonomically I needed a little more forward reach to the bars, so I fitted a set of Ace Clubman bars that give me a bit more stretch over clip-ons. They've got Napoleon bar end mirrors and clear gum barrel grips, and the riding position is quite comfortable for me now. I've still got alloy switch blocks and a better brake master to fit yet. I had to relocate the front indicators to the side reflector mounts so that I had clearance for the brake and clutch levers.
I have relocated the battery under the seat hump, mounted the rear indicators directly to the frame. I recovered the seat with some very nice leather that was recycled from a throwaway couch on the side of the road. Suede upper on the seat to reduce the slipping I was having on the vinyl. I also recycled an old belt as the tank strap, which works nicely. The rear shocks are replacement units for a Honda 400 that I chose because they were nitrogen filled and had preload adjustment. They are a bit on the stiff side, but work well with my weight. Adding fork spacers is still on the to-do list.
After blowing my third headlight globe I bought a cheap LED replacement globe. It doesn't give me any more light than the old globe, but I'm always in an urban environment, and the light is more about being seen than throwing a good beam down the road.
So far I've had to true up the rear wheel, which was delivered quite wobbly, and the cush drive rubbers let go at about 4,000 km in. I change the oil about every 2,000 km, and we now have 6,000 km on the clock.
I found the fuel filler cap would leak badly under braking whenever I had a full-ish tank, so I cut two disks of Gasket paper and put them inside the rubber gasket. The cap still goes on easily, but now I don't get fuel dripping onto the exhaust header which I reckon is a good thing.
All in all I think it's a pretty bullet proof bike and it still surprises me that I can be comfortable on it for 45 minutes at a time given I am 6'2". As the old saying goes "It's more fun to ride a slow bike fast, than a fast bike slow", and that absolutely holds true in the commuting environment. I've been riding it for around 2 years now and everyone loves it. It gets more attention than any other bike I have owned, and I still get people going out of their way to complement it.
Mike