I took a stand

[Sledge Hammer]

Duh! I almost forgot to mention that I have already received my centerstand from Dobie! That was fast. Wish I had time to put it on before next weekend...

[Sledge Hammer]

No problems with an in-line filter. I use a paper one verses the screen type. I bought it in the lawn mower section at WalMart. Cycle Gear may have a few also along with Auto Parts stores.

Thanks much, Terry. My tank is all original and appears to be free of rust, but I have seen enough dirty gas come out of the input side of fuel filters in my 4-wheelers that I would really prefer to have something to catch the smaller dirt particle before they carve their initials in the cylinders. May just have to take a looooong lunch on Wednesday and drop by the local Cycle Gear.

[Sledge Hammer]

In case you are interested ,Keith, you can see before-and-after photos on Bikepics.Com of how the VTX headlight swap turned out on my bike. I am CitizenMike on that site (seems another Spaceman Spiff has already landed there -- probably my evil twin) http://www.bikepics.com/members/citizenmike/95vf750/

Personally, it took me a while, but the VTX light has really grown on me, especially with the huge improvement in the beam pattern at night. Pardon the pun, but it is very nearly a night-and-day difference.

If you decide to install a VTX light on your bike, I recommend PIAA's lamp for the VTX assembly for optimum results.

[mainerider]

Or to be more accurate, I called Dobie today to order my centerstand. That was too good a deal to pass up on the only game around in centerstands for the bike.

He's a great guy, just like of you have said. When I asked about lifting the bike onto the centerstand, he advised me that that would be a lot easier with larger diameter tires, but since I only have about 2K miles on my Dunlops, I'd be more interested on in some grab rails that would be sturdy enough to serve as lifting handles and would make secure attachment points for bungees. The good news is that he's been tossing around a few ideas of his own. I am keen to see what he comes up with. I'd like a durable, practical, and attractive alternative to the offerings from Cobra and MC Enterprises, both of which look a little light to me for such duty and certainly do nothing to improve the looks of the bike.

So, to date I have

∙ Switched to a Corbin gunfighter seat (my posterior thanks me with every ride  )
∙ Installed the Hondaline engine guards
∙ Swapped the headlight for a VTX unit (no longer afraid of the dark )
∙ Ordered the Cycle-istic centerstand

Any other "required" mods you folks recommend for a Magna 3G?


I have the centerstand and what I have found that helps greatly is to first roll your back tire up onto a 1 to 1.5 inch thick plywood square; this serves to reduce the sharp angle at which the stand tangs contact the garage floor. From experience, I can tell you that if you don't cut down the angle a bit it's a bear getting the bike up on the stand; not to mention the wicked gouging the floor takes.  Also, always remember to keep the sidestand down when using the centerstand; the centerstand sits above the sidestand so the sidestand must be down when you go to roll the bike off of the centerstand.  Other than this particular quirk and the sharp angle, it's fantastic. Even the front wheel is barely touching the ground when on the centerstand; it makes front wheel work a cinch also.
Joe

[Slydynbye]

I see you still have stock Levers. I put on the Power levers from Drag Specialties.
One of the best addons I've done.  Look for DS 273970 online.  $20 or so, Well worth it
Great lookin Bike there!.

[Sledge Hammer]

I see you still have stock Levers. I put on the Power levers from Drag Specialties.
One of the best addons I've done.  Look for DS 273970 online.  $20 or so, Well worth it
Great lookin Bike there!.

Thanks for the tip and for the compliments on the bike!

[Magnum Magna]

Very nice looking Magna. 

The wife would like me to change out the headlamp with one similar to yours.  She has her own bike now so she probably will be less likely to modify my bike so she will be concentrating on modifying her own bike. I have already had to lower her bike 1.5 inches at the seat. http://www.geocities.com/bible101a/lowerc50.html

I installed my center-stand by myself.  The wife was nearby if I need her.  I will need to practice using it.  I have a plan on how to use the center-stand and will elaborate later if it works.

[Sledge Hammer]

Very nice looking Magna. 

The wife would like me to change out the headlamp with one similar to yours.  She has her own bike now so she probably will be less likely to modify my bike so she will be concentrating on modifying her own bike. I have already had to lower her bike 1.5 inches at the seat. http://www.geocities.com/bible101a/lowerc50.html

I installed my center-stand by myself.  The wife was nearby if I need her.  I will need to practice using it.  I have a plan on how to use the center-stand and will elaborate later if it works.

I appreciate the compliment on the bike, Robert. I have to admit that it took a while, but the purple and white has finally grown on me.

That C50 is a nice-looking scoot, Robert. I hope your wife gets a lot of enjoyment out of it.

Conversely, I nearly took a pass on my bike because I was concerned that it had already been lowered, so I had to ask the lady who owned it to get her boyfriend to ride it to the dealership for a mechanical inspection and to get the shocks reinstalled to see if I could get it raised back up into spec.

I'm looking forward to hearing what you have to say about developing a technique for deploying the centerstand. I may have to install a luggage rack on the bike just to be able to lift it up onto the stand. Dobie mentioned that he is giving some thought to making a handle or bracket for picking up the back end of the bike.

Whoever did the repainting on your bike did a fabulous job. I never would have guessed it was originally bright yellow!

[Magnum Magna]

My idea for trips is that I will keep a 1X4X13 inches long board in my saddle bag.  Run the back tire on the 1X4 for easy lifting on the center stand.  Then use the board to prop the bike tire up so the back tire spins freely to oil the chain.  I will be testing the theory tomorrow.

[Magnum Magna]

I cut one 1X4X12 inches and a second 1X4X4 inches.  Stack the second one in the center of the bottom one.  Rolled on to the stack.  Got off the bike then lifted right up on the stand.  Pulled the blocks out, put them back in saddle bag.  My back wheel spins without a support under frame.

When I have more time I will be lifting the bike with a lift to see if the center stand will sit a little higher on the bike frame.  I may not have it on as high as it could be.

[crash]

very nice bike space seeing as i work saturdays at a bike shop ill have to look at the headlight option

[Sledge Hammer]

very nice bike space seeing as i work saturdays at a bike shop ill have to look at the headlight option

It's kinda funny because I bought the VTX headlight primarily for better looks without much hope that I'd see an imrovement in the light output. Once I got it installed, I didn't like the look after all, but the improvement in the light pattern was so dramatic I couldn't justify taking it off. 

Oh, by the way, that VTX light does catch some wind and creates some interesting turbulence. Let the buyer be bewared.

[crash]

well i will see if the bulb change works any better , i took the one out that was in it and it was a 55/60 and i put a 80/100 in so we will see

[Sledge Hammer]

well i will see if the bulb change works any better , i took the one out that was in it and it was a 55/60 and i put a 80/100 in so we will see

I hope that works for you. I first tried going with a more efficient 55/60W PIAA halogen bulb before I installed the VTX. It gave a modest improvement using the stock reflector, but the same bulb in the VTX makes the proverbial day-and-night difference. I think the PIAA bulb, though much brighter than the original, positioned the filament too far ahead of the focal point of the stock reflector, which gave me a "hot spot"  of light right in front of me but was useless down down the road even on high-beam. The same bulb in the VTX provides a much more uniform cone of light that reaches much farther down the road. As Greg has commented, it simply seem to be a better reflector design.