A few months ago I traded a nice old FJ1200 that I didn't need anymore (already had an aprilia RST1000) for something a little more "fun," and that the girlfriend could commute on, and wound up with a 2001 660 black panther /w about 13,000km's
I absolutely love the thing to death. The hoonability of this little machine is just incredible, and it's got some nice mods (came with two custom exhaust setups, I currently have a setup with two cans on either side of the brakelight under the tail, also has an aero bar, knuckle guards, heated grips, a set of awesome expandable corbin saddlebags, and the turn signal stalks have been converted into fog lights)
I have a few questions/concerns, however
It starts and runs great, but it feels a little asthmatic in the upper range of the revband. Is it supposed to be this way, or is it running too lean and needs a rejetting? If so, what jets should I grab (yamaha ones? what would be the standard upgrade?)
It also shifts like a tractor. No false neutrals, grinding or popping out, it's just REALLY clunky. is it a dry or wet clutch, and are there any ways to make the shifting feel nicer? The one thing I miss from that FJ was it had the smoothest transmission on this planet.
Are there any options for wind protection? I've been thinking about making a small windscreen, but I'm not sure where I would mount it. Anyone have any inspiration? Ideally, I'd like to be able to let the girlfriend take it for longer trips than to school and back, and some sort of buffeting protection seems necessary.
I also have noticed (this is my first supermoto, so it could just be me) but anything above 70-80mph, and the force of the wind against me pulling on the bars creates a somewhat alarming amount of wobble as my arms get buffeted. The steering head bearings are fine, and I'm assuming it's made a little worse with the aero bars probably being a little wider. But is this just a trait of the bike? Has anyone fitted a steering damper, and if so, what options would I have? I do quality work, but I am always on a budget.
How about off roading? I would like to take it into the mountains from time to time (I have a TS185, but that's for the girlfriend to ride) but am concerned about the small wheels. Are there any sources for the bigger, dirt wheels? and are there any special considerations that need to be made for using them? I don't plan on serious off roading, but old jeep trails would certainly be a part of it
Is the engine different from the skorpion? I'm curious because I'd really, REALLY love a tachometer. No tach is my biggest gripe about the bike, really.
I also need a new pair of mirrors. Girlfriend let it fall over once and the KTM mirror it had snapped off. What options are cheapish, with good visibility? Appearance is less important than visibility. I can't go bar-ends, because of the knuckle guards.
And lastly, the front master cylinder is starting to seep. I can see fluid around the bolt that the lever is mounted to. it doesn't really drip, but that sort of thing warrants a rebuild/replace. Where can I get the parts for it, and about how expensive is the grimeca stuff?
Here are a couple pics. Even with all my little gripes, I adore how this bike handles/rides. It's really like a first generation miata. You can have so much fun without needing to speed, like you would on my RST1000 or my FZ1
Currently using the twin-pipe setup. it's made from a couple of ducati monster mufflers, and is just a teeny bit louder than stock, but just right to indicate what kind of revs you're doing without annoying anyone in the neighborhood.
