Has anyone tried the Dragon Custom handlebar riser kit?

[winginman]

Here is a couple of the Wing...  1st one is our touring rig at the Badlands in South Dakota and the other one is us at Deals Gap 2 up.  Now that she has her own wheels we did this same ride about a month ago and she rode her scooter through the mountains.

[Bryan]

Hi Jim, nice photos. The paintwork on your X500 makes it look more sporty than the plain one on mine.I like the top box and was intending to shop for one on Saturday but it rained all day. So I'm grumbling about the rain then I remember the poor guys in the cold places who have to put away the bikes for months in winter and I realise what great weather we have here. The scarabeo is a mean looking scooter, is it also a single cylinder, how does it perform compared to the X500, it also looks like it has a shorter wheel base and may be a bit easier to handle in traffic. This morning I miss-judged the gap between the cars and clpped my right mirror against the mirror of a truck. No damage just pushed the mirror back a bit, I need to be more careful. Take care.

[winginman]

We have no complaints about the Scarabeo.  It's 460cc fuel injected.  Scoot is lighter than the Xciting.  I installed Dr Pulley sliders in it and it is quite peppy.  I does turn shorter than the X500 but is taller and much more susceptible to cross wind.  In traffic it is quite nimble guess that's the European heritage.  My wife loves it.  I am more partial to the X500, I think it handles better in the curves and is more stable at higher speeds.   They seem to perform about the same.  The X500 is a bit heavier, but has more power due to the larger engine.  Aprilia dealer here went out of business or I may have missed the Kymco.  Now with both of them I prefer the X500 myself, more of the sport bike styling and handling. 

[Bryan]

Hi Jim, How are you coming along with the speedo problem? I love the wing, it's awesome, I had the very first generation GL1000 many years ago and really enjoyed the bike. The technology has advanced so much since then it's amazing. I'd sure love to be on that machine out there in those wide open spaces. Only thing is I'm not too keen on the camping life, I guess the many hard times in the military did that to me, I like a nice hot shower and a soft clean bed after a long days riding, so I do the bead & Breakfast or motel thing rather than a tent. I bough a 30 litre top box for the x500 (Givi) on the weekend and fitted it. I was a bit surprised to find that the rack on the x500 was painted plastic I had the impression it was aluminum. I am a bit worried about the durability of the mounting because I took a short cut and fitted the base plate straight on top of the rack without any extra support. Result is that around 30% of the base plate sticks out behind the x500 rack. I am worried about the bolts breaking through the plastic base plate so I'll just keep a close watch on those and see how it goes if it doesn't look good I'll machine up some supports. I don't intend carrying much weight in it, just the puncture kits a few emergency tools and the rain kit. I'll also need to decide whether the box is to be left black or painted the same blue. Take care.

[winginman]

I ended up taking the front off the X500 so I could get to everything.  It was surprising easy.  The whole front plastic with the headlight comes off and the lights have connectors that unplug.  There are no loose connections.  It's down to two components.  The prox pickup has something loose inside. (Clearance is in spec and connectors are tight and clean.)  At this point it looks like something has come loose in the dash unit.  Maybe a bad solder joint.  I will drop it off at my dealer this week so they can order parts. 

The wing is awsome.  It's a big bike, but on the open road that big flat six is smooth as glass, very powerful and quiet.  We camp only in campgrounds with showers, running water and electric at the campsites.  We drag along the electric skillet, toaster oven and coffee pot.  Got a really big tent and a queen size air bed.  Not exactly roughing it.  As a bonus I try to find a campground with wifi so we can have internet access with the little netbook computer.  We usually tour with friends who also like to camp as well.  It's nice to sit around the fire after a good day of riding and have a cold beer and a cigar. 

I did not realize the back rack was plastic.  I have a 37 liter box and have put some pretty heavy stuff in it with no problems.  I did notice the mount for the Shad box kind of clamped around the rack and there were no holes drilled in it.  I will try to get a picture of the mount and post it.   I stick the tire kit, rainsuit, first aid kit, etc under the seat and use the trunk box the temporary load stuff.  When we go overnight on the scooters the change of clothes and maybe a jacket go in the trunk box, still not much weight.  It need be we use a bag designed for the luggage rack and bungie it across the passenger seat as well. Between the two scooters we can carry quite a lot, that is till Jo decides to shop, then that's another story.

If the box is smooth plastic it would look good blue or maybe a blue upper.  Mine is flat black and looks ok with the white scoot especially since it has white lettering on it for the logo.

[bongoman]

I was going to install several of Dragon custom pieces to my new Xciting, but they don't answer their phone and that makes me reluctant to drop a lot of cash on the goodies.

I'm 6'3" and want the bars a little higher and back so that I am not bending over as much.

I have an '07 with a custom seat that is very comfortable. I had it cut down and made narrower, then sawed about 1 1/2 inches off the two bars on the back of the butt bumper that insert into the bottom part. That way I have more leg room.

[bongoman]

I think Dragon Custom has gone out of business. I have phoned them, left a message, and tried to purchase the riser and handlebars from one of their re-sellers, but even they have no parts from Dragon Custom. What a drag. Neat stuff.

[winginman]

That's a bummer.  I would still love to get my hands on some handlebar risers.  The comfort keeps me from taking long trips on the Xciting.  I have talked to a friend who works in a machine shop about making me a set. Doesn't look to hard if you have the equipment to do so.  They have this computer milling machine that would do the trick from his CAD drawing.  Can't find anything else to fit.