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Dammit guys, get this back into it's original thread. This crossthreading is seriously messing with my obsessive-compulsive disorder, mmmkay?

Cool. I did not know that. I'll have to try it sometime.

It looks a little stretched in proportions, so take that into account. Overall, it looks bird-like to me. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I agree with Alex- I like the way it fits the original lines of the tank and such. It's also a bit too angular for me. I'll bet this is one of those things that looks a lot better in person- and it's pretty good looking already.

Allright- some of these comments are pretty amusing. I'm not positive the tailpiece is ABS. It's a good guess on my part, but it may be PVC. Make sure you check, as paints may be specific for one substrate. Like you said- if you screw it up, you can still send it off to a pro and have it redone. I wouldn't sand it down though- the plastic is too soft. I'm afraid you would gouge it.

Those do look nice- great job Søren and Carl.

Bruce, I don't have any personal experience with painting the plastic parts...but that won't keep me quiet. I've seen people paint up their KLR's, which are also full of plastic parts- I can look to see, but I think it's ABS (butylstyrene). Krylon makes some plastic-specific paints that stick to ABS; not sure about how long the finish lasts. The pictures I've seen don't look outstanding (usually its a matte black urban assault style paint job). Apparently, using a plastic-specific primer is essential. Normal rattle can paints and primers do not stick well to the plastic. Of course, for first quality finish and good color match, a professional paint shop can't be beat.

I'll throw out an alternative or addendum- Castrol has detergent additives in it (If I recall). These will 'wash' carbon off...wherever carbon can be washed off. I've always had castrol come out pretty dark and that's with 2 or 3K mile changes. Maybe castrol just discolors more than other oils? I don't have enough experience to say definitively, but anecdotally, it seems that full synthetics tend to come out lighter when I infrequently change out the oil. Could be the various bikes I ride, I suppose. Something else I remember hearing- and I have no idea if it's true or not- is that castrol foams when it's in the sump and getting thrashed by the crankshaft. Carry on.

Is ultra!

That's an excellent idea. Simple and elegant. There's a spare set of bullet connectors under the carapace that should work nicely if you don't want to tap into the tail light. I'm not sure of the amperage they can run, but a relay takes very little so it should be ok. My only concern would be if they are in circuit with the ECU.

Waddya talking about. What that bike needs is a good rubdown with Linseed oil.

Ratchet, you seem to have ongoing issues with bathtub caulk. Does someone need a hug?

I've never had a leak with valve covers and I use just a bit of oil on them. Although- there are a couple of other options than silicone. *There are some 'extra thick' valve covers that have been mentioned here. I don't remember the source off-hand (MGCycle maybe?), but I'm sure someone does. *I'm a huge fan now of permatex hylomar. It's non-hardening and seals tighter'n a .... Seriously- it works great. I've never had a lot of luck with silicone- I probably use too much and it's a pain to clean off the metal and I tend to break gaskets when I do use it. But that's just me.

ditto and, uh, ditto

Didn't realize you were into BDSM. Too much info, Guy, too much info. Happy New Year!

Drink more beer. Cures a world of evils.

5 1/2 hours to go here! Happy and Prosperous 2006 to ya'll! I'm warming up with a nice glass of whiskey (the spelling because it is American- Knob Creek..quite good for American). Now, where's my stash of things that blow up.

Just practicing is a lot more fun.

Labs are the most effective dog in the world for cleaning off coffee tables. Heck of a tail. I agree Ralph- they're great dogs. I had 7 (lab muts) as I grew up. I haven't had a mastif, so I can't comment on them. My dear gray haired mother has had a number of terriers. Those are some energetic dogs! Great personality too. I pretty much like any kind of animal- no dogs in the house now, but I have a cat that makes up for it. Meaner than anything. Just the way I like 'em.

That's just mean, BFG. I think Docc is the tech forum admin- he can delete the posting.

That's pretty common actually. I think you'll find dropping the pan is the easiest course of action. I personally prefer to drop the pan when I do an oil filter change because 1) it's easy to do (16 bolts or so) and 2) you can check the pan for metal flakes, bits of gasket sealant, etc and 3) I can't ever get the damn filter off either. edit- ha! richard beat me to it!

You owe me a keyboard, Van. I'm still grumpy, though... And stay off my lawn.

Good call. The chocolate orange rocks.

I'm just generally grouchy.

I usually take a short ride on a dirt road. Same effect as the sandpaper, but at least I get to ride.

I'm a romantic- I got her a rocking chair Well, some other stuff too- a couple of LP's (June Christy, Bobby Darin) and a nice watch. But it's a damn fine chair, I gotta say. Solid Cherry wood and weighs about 70 pounds.