Scootmeister
Member
Several of you made constructive suggestions for improving the Red Hornet. Thank you for these great ideas. One was to lower the springer seat for a better center of gravity and improved look. Even though I am 6'2", the ride is actually better. Another suggestion was to ditch the red vintage headlight and re-install the Chrome headlight. I agree that it looks better, and I wired the dual bulbs to burn at the same time for an extra bright light. The best upgrade was to replace my homemade freewheel with a heavy duty one from Sick Bike Products. It has a sealed bearing and a rubber seal to keep dirt and crud out. I can change the sprocket for different gearing, and the 206mm lower cartridge from Sick is tight and true. To compensate for the shorter chain I installed an adjuster that pulls the engine up once the mounts are loosened to tighten the chain just right. Finally, I replaced the KMC "Z" chains with KMC 415H chains. These drive train improvements increased my top end by 3 MPH in high gear.
