I thought it would be interesting to put a longer stem on the blaster, so I turned down the end of the banshee stem and put it in the blaster. Here's some pictures of what it ends up looking like. Since the cables for the drum brakes were too short for my comfort, I decided to do a hydraulic disc conversion in the mean time so I didn't have to worry about the cable length. I know the hydro conversion topic has been beat to death here, so I won't go into details about that, but if anybody has questions feel free to ask. As far as handling goes - It actually feels kind of harder to turn. This could be, however, due to the fact that my front wheels are no longer flipped because of the hydro conversion and that I have an extended axle, so the front is a lot skinnier than the back. Maybe it's due to the different angle of the stem to my body since it's longer / closer to me. I'll report back when I get the front widened back out again.
The stem is just over 2 inches longer. Sitting on it without moving, it feels more like sitting on a newer, bigger sport quad. It's a lot easier to stand up and hold the bars without hunching over real far. All in all, I think I'll definitely get used to it real fast.
Since the banshee stem is wider at the bottom where the tie rods attach to it, I had to adjust the crap out of the tie rods, inward. Without adjustment both wheels pointed inward. It took some time, but eventually got it aligned about right. First I eyeballed it, then measured the best I could so that there was equal distance from left rim to right rim at the front and the back of each front tire. It took a little penetrating oil to get those tie rods to start turning since they probably haven't been touched since they left the factory.
If you're going to try this yourself, be careful on how you measure to turn down the banshee stem. If your existing stem and bushings are worn, you won't get a proper measurement from them. For mine, I measured a good steering stem that wasn't worn and the inside diameter of the bushings in the frame where the steering stem plugs into them. I think the "best" way to take an accurate measurement would be to buy NEW bushings (part 10 on the frame diagram for 2002 blaster on bikebandit) and measure the inside diameter of that, then cut to that measurement. I wouldn't cut to any smaller than that measurement because you can always check for fitment and then go back to the lathe and take another thousandth off if you need to. Finally, when you're installing your new custom steering stem, don't forget to grease it where it will contact the bushings in the frame!
Enough with my talking, here's the pics!
In order to fit the stem in the chuck of the lathe, I had to grind out the factory weld and take the "clamp" part off the stem, then weld it back on. I kept marks on it to be sure that I was welding the clamp back in the same exact spot for straightness.
http://i.imgur.com/RbpKfQLh.jpg
The one on the right is the stock blaster stem. The one on the left is the banshee stem fresh out of the lathe. Notice where I ground off the 2 little tabs just above the shiny mill work.
http://i.imgur.com/wX17ZE1h.jpg
The difference in length between the 2 stems. Also notice how the banshee stem is wider at the bottom where the tie rods attach.
http://i.imgur.com/o0TViLSh.jpg
And now the overall look of the taller stem.
http://i.imgur.com/J4GjgTdh.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/4pigJb1h.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/8qOctg2h.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/gErtdHPh.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/sYjezL1h.jpg
And all the same pictures just arranged in an album.
http://imgur.com/a/XWJZE
The stem is just over 2 inches longer. Sitting on it without moving, it feels more like sitting on a newer, bigger sport quad. It's a lot easier to stand up and hold the bars without hunching over real far. All in all, I think I'll definitely get used to it real fast.
Since the banshee stem is wider at the bottom where the tie rods attach to it, I had to adjust the crap out of the tie rods, inward. Without adjustment both wheels pointed inward. It took some time, but eventually got it aligned about right. First I eyeballed it, then measured the best I could so that there was equal distance from left rim to right rim at the front and the back of each front tire. It took a little penetrating oil to get those tie rods to start turning since they probably haven't been touched since they left the factory.
If you're going to try this yourself, be careful on how you measure to turn down the banshee stem. If your existing stem and bushings are worn, you won't get a proper measurement from them. For mine, I measured a good steering stem that wasn't worn and the inside diameter of the bushings in the frame where the steering stem plugs into them. I think the "best" way to take an accurate measurement would be to buy NEW bushings (part 10 on the frame diagram for 2002 blaster on bikebandit) and measure the inside diameter of that, then cut to that measurement. I wouldn't cut to any smaller than that measurement because you can always check for fitment and then go back to the lathe and take another thousandth off if you need to. Finally, when you're installing your new custom steering stem, don't forget to grease it where it will contact the bushings in the frame!
Enough with my talking, here's the pics!
In order to fit the stem in the chuck of the lathe, I had to grind out the factory weld and take the "clamp" part off the stem, then weld it back on. I kept marks on it to be sure that I was welding the clamp back in the same exact spot for straightness.
http://i.imgur.com/RbpKfQLh.jpg
The one on the right is the stock blaster stem. The one on the left is the banshee stem fresh out of the lathe. Notice where I ground off the 2 little tabs just above the shiny mill work.
http://i.imgur.com/wX17ZE1h.jpg
The difference in length between the 2 stems. Also notice how the banshee stem is wider at the bottom where the tie rods attach.
http://i.imgur.com/o0TViLSh.jpg
And now the overall look of the taller stem.
http://i.imgur.com/J4GjgTdh.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/4pigJb1h.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/8qOctg2h.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/gErtdHPh.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/sYjezL1h.jpg
And all the same pictures just arranged in an album.
http://imgur.com/a/XWJZE
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