IPM filed a claim for damages against Jake. Trial date is October 12, 2007 at 10am in Department 506 at the Superior Court of San Francisco. All those interested are welcome to attend.

This month, a set of Carrozzeria V-Star Forged Aluminum Wheels arrived. I was ecstatic as I tore open the box. Carrozzeria is a relatively new company, but they produce decent quality rims at a reasonable price. Imagine my dismay when I opened the box and found that they sent me the wrong color.

First, let’s back up a bit. Ordering rims for the 675 was a pain in of its self. For some reason, aftermarket companies don’t make rims specifically for the Daytona.

Excuse me? *exasperated expression* Um, 2006 Bike of the Year here… Anyways, the only choices I had after calling every wheel manufacturer were the $3,000+ BST Carbon rims or the aluminum Carrozzerias that they Frankensteined from old Kawasaki ZRX1200s. Well, not being a Trump or a Hilton, I naturally went with the latter.

Back to my story: I remember specifically writing down that I wanted silver rims, but what I saw when I expectantly peered into the box was a pair of chrome ones! I’m building a track bike, for Pete’s sake, not a chopper. Not a show bike. Not even a street bike that I can pass off a pair of bling dubs as intentional.

My first call was to the dealership that placed the order. They suggested I go to Carrozzeria directly – nice diversion. Typical “stealership” maneuver. Fine. So I call Carrozzeria, and they tell me that I could send the wheels back and pay an additional $150.00 on top of the shipping fee to have the rims powder-coated to the color I originally ordered. Yeah…right…

So, I put that on the back burner and started to work on the other parts. I have got to say though, seeing them everyday in the workshop makes me want to keep them. What is it about chrome anyways? It’s really shiny and smooth. I guess Neanderthals like me are attracted to shiny things… Stay tuned!

After countless hours on the Triumph forums drooling over the aftermarket modifications that other members have put on their Speed Triples, I found myself thinking that if I wanted a truly unique 1050, I should leave it stock! Almost everything can be changed on the Speedy, and many people already have! In order to save myself some money, I decided that only parts that made my bike more enjoyable to ride, would be put on. So first I tried to spot some of the bike’s weaknesses. (more…)