Long post...sorry!

I put over 7k miles on this summer. I ride a lot--and did have that start up "bang" associated with older stock compensators--so rather than wait for full failure I decided to do the upgrade. A lot of folks strongly recommend it. Seemed like a good idea. Some comments and pics...

First, this task is very doable by anyone with a little confidence, patience and a halfway decent set of tools (can say that about most DIY work). If you've decided to upgrade, do it yourself. Dealer charges for 1.5 to 2 hrs. Folks on this site say it takes ~3. I was working on the floor with my bike in heavy duty chocks (quite stable), and I took several breaks to walk around and rest my back. Took me 5! Yeah, I took it real easy. Old bones. The hardest part of this task was taking off the foot board and jiffy stand because of the rear-mounted bolts, and re-springing the stand is always fun. I gotta get a lift table!

Second, after I broke down my bike and got a real good look at the condition of my stock parts, I now know I could have gone a lot further (maybe life of the bike?) and didn't need to spend $ on the upgrade now ($230 on eBay). Duh. Should have done this first. And so should you. Will all stock comps fail eventually? Open the debate floodgates...

Third, the upgrade fixes the startup "bang." Noticeable difference there. I do not see the noticeable difference that some others have reported relative to acceleration, shifting, low speed riding. Bike-to-bike variation likely.

Forth, should I have ground down the primary? I ask this with some reservation because I've asked that question on this site and got mixed answers. In retrospect, I'm not convinced the primary needed to be ground down to allow for the old rotor to be removed. Actually, pretty sure it didn't. I took very little off, and the rotor came straight out on the first pull. It was more like polishing than grinding. Duh. Should have tried to remove it first. And so should you. There is going to be bike-to-bike variation since not all primaries are the same shape. Right?

Fifth--am I glad I did the upgrade? Of course! Who doesn't want to upgrade their bike?

I know there are a few really great posts here that show step-by-step instructions. I relied on this site to do the upgrade more than I did the service manual.

Some pics and comments. Don't know if you'll find them useful, but here goes:



Zip-tie the front and rear of the tensioner to keep it collapsed and in one piece, then remove the two attaching bolts and slide it out. Keep it clean.



Remove the stock components and carefully pile the chain off to the right side. Try to remove the Rotor before grinding. The magnets pull hard. I used a shop towel to get a grip. It can wiggle a little bit on the way out. If it is obvious that primary case interference prevents removal....grind away.



I drew a yellow line approximating where grinding 'may' be needed. Run your finger along the bottom of the case. You'll feel the slight ridge.




If you must grind, cover your primary with shop towels and tuck them around the top of the rotor and the entire clutch mechanism. Expose only what you'll be grinding so that you don't contaminate everything with filings and dust. After grinding, I removed the towels and wiped the exposed area down with an oil-soaked towel to attract all dust/debris. Do a good job of this.




Picture above doesn't show it so clearly, but the ridge is really still there. I removed just a very small amount of it.







Installing the rest of the kit is a breeze. Be sure to follow the instructions for torquing down the screw. It comes pre-treated with loc-tite (or similar compound).






Thanks, all, for the instructions on doing this!

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