New member

[mpact]

Hi guys. Have been on this forum as a lurker several times but have only registered now. I'm from the west of Ireland and ride a 2004 Baghira Black Panther. Bought it in 2006, I think, in the UK. Have made several changes to it. Some forced, some not so. My list goes like this, in no particular order:

KTM LC4 640 forks and yokes
Trail Tech Vapor speedo
Trail Tech Headlight
Some scaffolding removed
Gel pad in seat (not any good)
Lightened flywheel
Larger diameter headers
Race muffler
Tunebike carb kit
Supermoto front mudguard
8100rpm limit
NGK R JR9C spark plug
Handguards
Very large rear sprocket
Pointy indicators
Tidier rear light/number plate holder
NGK CR3 HT lead
Larger capacity battery

I think there's more but can't remember at the mo. I'll attach a few pictures of it here too.

Mick

[mpact]

Pics of the bike. Any comments or tips on the next mods to make are welcome.

[harold]

Very nice looking bike, especially the lights. Will it power wheelie 2nd?

[Kenney]

Hi Mick welcome to MZ Riders Club, hope you enjoy being a member, best wishes
Ken

[mpact]

Very nice looking bike, especially the lights. Will it power wheelie 2nd?

Ha,ha! I'm the worlds worst stuntman. If I shut the throttle, then whack it open in second, yeah, the front comes up, but I bottle it at a couple of inches. If I do the same in first, it's too viscious. My fingers seem to be too short to tickle the clutch lever so my next mod'll be levers. I had it dynoed and it read 44bhp at the wheel.

[mpact]

Hi Mick welcome to MZ Riders Club, hope you enjoy being a member, best wishes
Ken

Thanks mate.

[compmoto]

hi, I'm new here, as well. Due to the fact I have just purchased a '02 Black Panther. I bought it damaged, needing a fork and triple clamp.Did you direct fit the KTM fork to the frame neck on yours ? Or were there mods required to make it work ? Just wondering, I'm thinking the KTM WP USD is an upgrade over the Paioli ? Help me know more , please ... thanx

[mpact]

hi, I'm new here, as well. Due to the fact I have just purchased a '02 Black Panther. I bought it damaged, needing a fork and triple clamp.Did you direct fit the KTM fork to the frame neck on yours ? Or were there mods required to make it work ? Just wondering, I'm thinking the KTM WP USD is an upgrade over the Paioli ? Help me know more , please ... thanx

It's not a direct fit. There's a bit of work involved. The KTM steering stem is a larger diameter so it need to be turned down slightly to fit the standard bearings. The steering lock has to be removed from the frame headstock as it prevents the KTM top triple from turning. The forks are slightly shorter than the MZ ones(my ones anyway which were Marzocchi's). About half an inch I think. And the turning circle is increased as the bars can't turn as much due to the fork legs being larger diameter and closer to the tank. I'm finding this quite annoying in the garden but haven't noticed it on the road yet. New steering stops needed to be made and attached to the bottom Triple. And new spacers and caliper bracket made to mate the old wheel and spindle with the new forks. I think I read somewhere that Yamaha YZ250 forks are a closer fitment.

I can't give you a comparison of how the new feels compared to the old unfortunately as there was a 2 year gap between riding it each way. I believe there's less dive under braking though and the handling is great although it wasn't bad originally either.