Reply With QuoteHey Max,
Glad you are chopping the cheese grater, it's the only part i don't like about the lightning.
Some of the guys use dremels which i have one, so hit me up if you want to barrow it.
Hey all,
I'm planning on chopping the cheesegrater pretty soon, and had a couple quick questions.
First, having read a fair amount about the job, it appears that most of the chops were done with a grinder. What kind of grinder do people use? Angle grinder? Bench grinder (god, I can't imagine using a bench grinder....)?
Second, how many of you used a rattle can paint job and were happy with the results? How did you prime the tail section prior to paint? What sort of paint did you use?
Third, how did you route the turn signals after chopping the tail? Given how the turns are mounted stock, there's a simple way to route wiring up into the under-seat area of the bike. Mounting the signals further back (as most do when doing the cheesegrater removal) would seem to create some issues for where to run the wiring. Am I wrong?
Thanks again for all the help. And I'm sorry for the questions if they seem stupid. I like to be prepared prior to doing any serious mods to my bike.
Hey Max,
Glad you are chopping the cheese grater, it's the only part i don't like about the lightning.
Some of the guys use dremels which i have one, so hit me up if you want to barrow it.
Right on. I'm still debating whether I want to handle the project now, or wait till the end of September when I'll have my garage back up and running. We'll see what happens. That tail piece keeps looking at me funny, and I sure as hell want to cut the f#$ker off.
haha No joke! When we go for a ride I'll probably give you sh*t about it but it's only to motivate you to CHOP IT :)
But I would wait 'til September too. If no shop space, it kinda rushes the job and it probably wont turn out too clean.
I did the rough cutting with a hacksaw and a cut-off wheel. Used an angle grinder with pretty aggressive paper on it to remove all the excess material.
I did use a rattle can and was happy with the results , but not thrilled...The paint is a little soft and can chip when putting the seat back on if you're not being careful. I use Rustoleum "automotive grade" primer and paint. Powder coating would be ideal I think.
Turn signals: I used signals that I bought from Motosport.com that I mounted under the seat area (see pic) and just used crimp connectors to tap into the OEM wiring w/o cutting it or having to extend any wires. You can kinda stretch & move the OEM wires around to suit. (to an extent)
Good luck!!
I drilled two holes on the flat part of the tail section just under the seat and installed two led turnsignals there.
Oh and for the paint job i chose not to paint it i just put it back on for now and its gonna get powder coated in the winter. I think thats ur best bet.
I had a mate do mine. He cut the majority off with a band saw then used a hand grinder with the paper wheels to finish it off. He went through 3 of the pads/paper wheels (not technically minded).
I then went to autozone and got one can of silver paint for the base and then the top coat red.
My first ever paint job and it came out good then i covered it in about 6 coats of clear coat to protect it. It has chipped a little but thats because i pushed it in to my work bench too hard.
I went to the single tail light from www.xblights.com. Plug and play and really bright.
I used a cutting wheel, and then a sanding wheel to shape and smooth it out. Its at the shop right now being powder coated.
For turn signals I got the smoke lens Led tail light with intergrated turn signals.
What did you use the cutting wheel with? I've used a cutting wheel with everything from table saws to bench grinders. Did you use a dremel?
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