My Black 2003 S4

stonedimmaculate · 06-25-2005, 12:38 AM

Well, somebody needs to add some stuff to this speed four category, so it might as well be me.

I put a Scorpion bolt on my S4 a couple months ago. I got the carbon fiber model from Pipecity.com for $360. It is incredibly light, and sounds damn good. It weighs less than half of the stock pipe.

I also trimmed down the license plate holder to make it a little more steamlined.

What else... I added frame and tail sliders from skyking.

My bike got tipped by strong wind one afternoon, the right slider took the brunt of the damage. It had a cover on it at the time, which must have put extra pressure on the right mirror, because it snapped off at the base, where it mounts on the handlebars. I found a pair of golf club shaped mirrors on ebay that I mounted. They look cool, but with how the clip-ons are angled they give sort of an angled view behind you. I'm pretty used to it by now, but it took a while. And they're a lot smaller than the stock mirrors.

Other than that, it is pretty much stock. I'll probably get a K&N air filter with my next service, but I don't really have any other plans for the bike. It is a blast to ride, and gets all sorts of attention for being different. I've put about 6500 miles on it since May of 2004.

Anyway, here are some pics....

NJCorky · 06-30-2005, 08:51 AM

Nice bike....I got the same one! I really like that pipe, how loud is it compared to stock....is it as loud as something like a D&D? Did you have to do anything to the tune? Did you notice any difference with the power?

I also like the bags on the back. What kind are they? I've been using a tank bag and I can't stand it. The only reason I use it is that it's the only place I can get my ez-pass to work.

I have the same sliders on mine but I haven't tested them yet.

Over all I love the bike, I just hate the low rpm skipping that's inherent with these things.

With that many miles you've probably gotten new tires, did you stick with stock or change them up?

Corky

stonedimmaculate · 07-01-2005, 11:19 AM

The pipe is significantly louder, and it just plain sounds better. It gives it a deeper note. I think that virtually all of the aftermarket slip-ons will be about the same though. They are all straight through, so I'm sure you'd be ok with any of them. I did hear a D&D on a TT600 while I was getting my bike serviced, and it didn't really sound all that loud.

The bag is part of a tailbag/saddlbag set that I got from Tourmaster. It holds a lot of stuff. I have a tankbag too, but I've really gotten used to using the tailbag by itself for work and classes. The tankbags aren't long and wide enough to hold a standard file, and the tailbag fits it perfectly. And I like the fact that it is behind me.

I'm still on my original front tire, but I had to replace the rear last year when I got a nail stuck in it. The front has a decent amount of tread still. I replaced the rear with another of the same model Bridgestone.

stonedimmaculate · 07-01-2005, 08:46 PM

Oh yeah. I don't think there has been a huge difference in power. It was a little stronger at first, though now that I'm used to it, everything is a little hazy.

And I talked to my mechanic at the shop, and he said not to bother with a tune, unless it was doing something weird. As it is, it is running great.

Claudius · 07-06-2005, 05:52 PM

Another, "I have the same bike" comment. Well, I have the same bike. So no tune on the pipe huh? Is the pipe street legal? Also, how difficult was it to fit the sliders? Did you do it? I was thinking about putting a Two Brothers pipe- but I want to keep it street legal- around here they check that stuff.

It frustrates the heck out of me that there are so few of these bikes out there. For $6,400 or less you get dirt cheap insurance, fully adjustable suspension, braided steel brake lines- fast enough to make you crap your pants and IMHO it is cool as heck looking. I just don't get why these things don't sell like hotcakes.

stonedimmaculate · 07-06-2005, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claudius

Another, "I have the same bike" comment. Well, I have the same bike. So no tune on the pipe huh? Is the pipe street legal? Also, how difficult was it to fit the sliders? Did you do it? I was thinking about putting a Two Brothers pipe- but I want to keep it street legal- around here they check that stuff.

It frustrates the heck out of me that there are so few of these bikes out there. For $6,400 or less you get dirt cheap insurance, fully adjustable suspension, braided steel brake lines- fast enough to make you crap your pants and IMHO it is cool as heck looking. I just don't get why these things don't sell like hotcakes.

I doubt that the pipe is street legal. It is pretty loud at anything over 5000 rpm. I haven't run it through inspections yet, so I'm not sure how closely they'll look at it. If you're looking at Two Brothers, I just saw a carbon fibre slip on on ebay for dirt cheap. It was used, but it looks like it is in good condition. Here's the link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...spagename=WDVW. If all else fails, I'd highly recommend Pipe City. They're cheap and fast.

The sliders were really easy. The only thing that was a pain was that I needed a torque wrench. I bought one at Home Depot for like $50, but after I installed them I really don't have a use for a torque wrench, so I ended up taking it back.

Claudius · 07-07-2005, 12:01 PM

I am going to get the sliders in the near term. Frankly, I am not a good enough rider to really use the power that the thing has now, so I will watch the auction, but unless the thing is a steal I am waiting on the pipe- unless it smoothes the flat spot just off idle- which I find somewhat irritating. In first gear the throttle is like a light switch on and off and it makes pulling away from lights and turning sharply at low speeds a clutch burning event if you don't want to lurch back and forth. I was also thinking about bar end mirrors as I have been told that they actually work quite a bit better than the rabbit ears on the bike now. Toying with the idea of a solo tail too. Apparently you can get one which can be rigged to slip on top of the seat without modifying or cutting the seat to fit. I never take anyone on the bike and I like the racier look of the solo tail. I don't think it would be hard to color match the black. Yet I would want the ability to gain quick access to the manual and toolkit- and I put my disc lock under the seat when I am not using a tank bag.

Anyway, thanks for pointing out the pipe. Cheers.

kjartan · 07-11-2005, 05:21 PM

I just picked up a black '03 speed four a few weeks ago with about 2500 miles on it. It has frame sliders, a rear hugger, and a luggage rack, which I'll probably remove pretty soon. Have you had any problems with your tailbag scratching the seat cowl?

stonedimmaculate · 07-11-2005, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claudius

Toying with the idea of a solo tail too. Apparently you can get one which can be rigged to slip on top of the seat without modifying or cutting the seat to fit. I never take anyone on the bike and I like the racier look of the solo tail. I don't think it would be hard to color match the black. Yet I would want the ability to gain quick access to the manual and toolkit- and I put my disc lock under the seat when I am not using a tank bag.

Anyway, thanks for pointing out the pipe. Cheers.

My S4 came with a seat cowl that just slides over the rear section of the seat. I'm sure that you can order one from Triumph in black. And it doesn't interfere with the tools, manual, or storage. I'll try to grab a photo of it and post it tomorrow.

stonedimmaculate · 07-11-2005, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kjartan

I just picked up a black '03 speed four a few weeks ago with about 2500 miles on it. It has frame sliders, a rear hugger, and a luggage rack, which I'll probably remove pretty soon. Have you had any problems with your tailbag scratching the seat cowl?

I have picked up some scratches, but they are probably more my fault for not bothering to clean off the dirt and crap that accumulates on the tail rather than the tank bag's. They're not really that noticable though. I have much worse scratches in the tank from my tankbag. The tank scratches are so deep that they are white, but since the seat cowl is molded black plastic, they don't show up as well.

Claudius · 07-12-2005, 12:00 PM

I actually have the cowl. It came with the bike when I bought it. Cheers.