At the last Non-Invitational, Jargon got me interested in the riser plate upgrade for quicker steering. The Mighty K does steer awfully slow, so why not, anything to help a geezer can’t hurt. Ordered from Beech and received quality machined plates at very fair price. Both plates premarked for installation with simple instructions included. Kneedragger gave some good info about the needle bearing lubrication and how to prevent dropping the rollers all over the floor. All in, it was under 2 hours to do the upgrade. Glad I installed the centerstand, this allowed adjustment for aligning the plate holes quick and easy.
Results... a totally different ride! Before, the corner entry was on line, but was hard to get the much needed lean angle to hit the apex just right for the exit line-up. Instead of wearing combat boots, he feels light, agile and responsive to input changes while in the corner, could not do that before.
The Mighty K1300S has great power and throttle response. The brakes are awesome. I have always felt safe on the streets, but it was like wrestling a gorilla when cornering. Now the machine is a totally new ride.
The side stand is shorter, no big deal. The rear end height change puts my head leaning down a bit more... I'll take it.
I had the bike completely tore down over the Winter for a ten year maintenance look. Replaced no parts, greased and wrapped tape here and there until the plates were the last thing on the list, won't say I was without doubts. Updated, the performance has been flawless. No complaints here! Thank you Jargon, Beech and Kneedragger for the all help and info. All it took was a little time and motivation to get it done.
Comment