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Meteor Mods - Are they worth it?

CMS42

CMS42

Well travelled
Location
Cambridge, UK
I thought it was about time to create a thread detailing the mods that I've made to my 2024 Meteor since I bought it last August. Some are performance-based, some are comfort-based and some are purely cosmetic. They're mostly off-the-shelf parts with one or two bespoke bits and pieces made from off-the-shelf parts, so no fancy fabricating or machining involved.

From reading the many threads on this forum I know that a lot of people are 'sitting on the fence' regarding various upgrades and additions. I'm seeking neither praise nor ridicule, just sharing my experiences in the hope that they may help others to decide one way or another as to whether a particular modification is actually worthwhile or not. Opinions vary widely of course, particularly with regard to cosmetic stuff, but If one person finds this info useful then I'll have spent my time today wisely so - here goes:


Air Filter

I'll start with what is probably the most controversial 'upgrade' to the J-series engine. I've seen opinions of the 'go-to' DNA filter kit range from "it totally transforms the bike" to "no difference - what a waste of money", and I've commented in several other threads on the subject so won't say any more here. Suffice to say that having tried various permutations of cover/filter I'm now happy running the DNA cover plate over a stock paper filter element.

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Exhaust

This was a 'leap of faith' as I couldn't find any reviews anywhere on this particular setup. It's the 'Goldstar' upswept item from Hitchcock's and is essentially a chromed mild steel two-part empty pipe. It's very light and comes with all the required fittings. The bike sounded like a TT racer and the pipe drowned out the DNA filter roar so I had to fit a baffle to tone it down a bit. It's now quite civilised at low RPM around town and at idle it's almost as quiet as stock, but when you wind it on it really starts to bark. A good purchase and the sweep suits the curves of the Meteor, but it won't suit you if you like to go unnoticed. It'll be interesting to see if there's a change in sound when I fit the Kent camshaft...

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Fuel Optimiser

FuelX Lite tucked under the pillion seat. Not sure about this one. I fitted this quite early on during run-in so it's difficult now to make a comparison without disconnecting, but the engine does seem to run cooler (or is that to do with the Goldstar exhaust's throughput which was fitted at the same time, or the engine losing it's initial tightness?). No problems with starting/idling/pick-up etc. and just the occasional pop on throttle close so I guess all is working well. I haven't done any fuel consumption comparisons so can't comment on that. As with the two mods above there has been no discernable increase in performance - that's what the Kent camshaft is for and these mods are the complementary groundwork - hopefully.

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Oil Temp Gauge

JMP oil temperature gauge from Hitchcock's. Simple screw-in replacement for the stock filler cap. Is it accurate? I neither know nor care - it gives a consistent reading during normal use so I simply watch for any deviation from that reading. A worthwhile accessory.

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Tachometer

Daytona Rev Counter - again from Hitchcock's. Easy to fit and nicely fills the vacant space for those who don't have the Tripper satnav thingy. Red warning light can be set to trigger at any RPM (mine's set for 6,000). Fits in aesthetically and also incorporates a digital ammeter - cool!

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Seat

RE Touring Seat. A definite improvement over the stock seat for me both in terms of looks and comfort. A little harder than the stock seat at first, but still feels the same after several hours of riding. It does push you a little further forward than the original due to the semi-backrest though, so may not suit leggy riders.

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Footrests & Gear Linkage

RE Touring Footrests. A nice place to rest your plates, but I found the controls - espacially the heel/toe shifter - easier to operate with the stock pegs and so I've reverted to them.

The gear linkage came from eBay after seeing Glyn Owen fit one on his YouTube channel. There are several videos on YouTube showing people wobbling the stock lever around before fitting one of the TEC lever assemblies which are undoubtedly good but I wanted to retain the heel/toe lever so went with Glyn's eBay solution. However, I found the swivel-jointed rod difficult to adjust - there's very little clearance around the forward 'knuckle' and the subframe, and between the rod and the gear lever. As the replacement lever bushing cures 80% of the wobbliness I went back to the simple but reliable OEM 'bent coathanger' and ditched the adjustable rod altogether. Most of the remaining free play is in the gearbox shaft anyway which you can't do anything about. All is now good and gearshifts are smooth and dependable.

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I'll continue this in another post 'cos it's getting late and I'm not allowed to attach any more photos. It'll be good to hear your comments and experiences on any of the above, and I hope that this info is of use to someone.
 
CMS42 said:
the heel/toe shifter - easier to operate with the stock pegs
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That's what I suspected, so I didn't change mine. I liked the look of the foot pads, but my feet are at an angle with my toes up and heels down.
CMS42 said:
RE Touring Seat. A definite improvement over the stock seat
Click to expand...
I do want to change the seat on my Meteor. Adding the touring seat on my Shotgun was a big improvement, so I'm expecting it will also improve ride comfort on my Meteor.
 
Part 2:

Tail Tidy Kit

See my 'Buyer Beware' post for the detail on this and the reasons for my unhappiness. I sorted things by bending the mounting plate to get the indicators pointing in the same direction as the tail light and re-routing the indicator and number plate wiring through a grommetted hole that I drilled through the mudguard. This enabled me to get a neater join between the mounting plate and the mudguard and eliminate any possible pinching of the wiring beneath the mounting plate. I used some heavy duty sheathing to protect the wiring where it runs along the underside of the mudguard (a job that was done by the now-deleted plastic inner guard) and the whole thing feels more secure now. Tail Tidy or not I think it's a good idea to seal the wiring channels that run into the indicator stalks and the number plate light with a silicon sealant or similar, to eliminate the possibility of water getting in.

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Heel Rests

Custom bespoke parts (spare-parts-bin-rummage find). I used the now-reduntant OEM silencer mounting bracket to mount an aluminium toe peg that keeps my boot heel from touching the exhaust and makes a great heel rest, allowing me to keep my toe clear of the brake. Similar device has now been added to the gear selector. As you might expect, these work very well for me especially now that I've reverted to the stock pegs because they're tailor-made... 10/10 :)

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Handlebar

'Metisse' handlebar from britishracer.com - probably my favourite mod to date. Similar rise but slightly wider than stock and with a relaxed sweep - very comfortable. I had to drill holes for the switchgear locating pegs and buy adapters for the bar-end mirrors but the trouble and expense was well worth it. Goes nicely with the polished levers and stainless mirrors. Very happy with this handlebar.

Mods_038.jpg


Mirrors

Stadium Bar-End Mirrors. Another top-drawer accessory - stainless steel, great quality and very versatile. The arms swing through adjustable spring-loaded detents so that you can move them inboard, outboard or under the handlebar at will, whilst they remain steady and vibration-free. The rectangular-shaped version is also very nice and offers a wider view. RE-specific bar adapters are available along with the regular expansion bolt fittings for plain bars. I think that they suit the old-school look of the Meteor very well. A satisfied customer.

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Bits & Bobs

In an effort to reduce the 'blackness' of the stock Fireball model I've fitted polished levers to go with the new handlebar and mirrors, chrome throttle body covers and chrome indicators (see my post 'Indicator woes' if you're thinking of changing yours).

Chrome tank badges replace the black raised lettering and I added a chequered racing stripe. Whilst I like the colour-coded wheel rim tape on the Fireballs I wanted something a bit different so found some appropriate rim stickers on eBay.

I wasn't happy with the side panel decals so decided to replace them with something else - still undecided on that but because the decals were underneath the lacquer on the panels I've had to paint/lacquer them. This has now been done at last (waiting for suitable spraying weather) so I've just got to make a decision on what to replace the decals with.

I'd heard good things about Bridgestone BT-46's so decided to try a pair even though I'd had no issues with what came with the bike - still only got a few hundred miles on them so can't comment on wear but they're certainly more confidence-inspiring than the CEAT's. The ride feels a little softer (I'm running the same pressures of 30psi front and rear) with a bit more feedback and virtually none of the 'tramlining' that the stock tyres seem to be well known for. They tip into corners much more readily than the CEAT's too, and make for a more enjoyable ride. Good upgrade.

Final mod for now is the semi-permanently affixed Oxford Atlas 10 seat bag replacing the pillion seat, which holds enough essentials (waterproofs, small flask of coffee, packet of biscuits etc.) for a typical day's riding and my Litelok sits securely beneath it.

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For another day...

Sitting on a shelf in my garden shed are a 16T gearbox sprocket and a Kent camshaft - looking forward to fitting those in the near future... :)


Under consideration...

RLT00187 Throttle Body. Maybe, maybe not... dont' know. I wouldn't make the swap just to gain 5mph or so on the top speed as I can easily and reliably hit and hold a GPS 70mph already, but I understand that the 187's ECU has slightly more aggressive mapping which would make it attractive. Anybody done this swap on the Meteor? I'm keen to learn of your experiences.

410cc Big Bore Kit. I'll need to see some long-term reviews on this before taking the plunge but - combined with the above mods - it could turn the 350J into a well-rounded do-it-all (within reason) powerplant. I think Dool2 is doing some research into this, and I'm keen to hear of anyone else's findings. A project for next year perhaps...
 
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Your Meteor is getting quite personalized! (y):)

I'm really torn on the FXL. It works nicely on my Interceptor. Noticeably more low end grunt hauling my lard ass up our hills. Less downshifting. Smoother throttle response.
On my Scram, it made it run worse after the cam. Overly rich, poor MPG, so I went back to stock.

Now with my Classic.....I'm totally undecided and in heavy research mode. I see videos online where Foxxy says it made his Classic run noticeably cooler and really didn't hurt his MPG, while Marc Stone said it hurt his MPG badly, like what happened to my Scram. :unsure:

...and to the best of my knowledge, Booster Plug's are not available for these?
 
Not to hijack CMS42's thread but HOLY COW! I bought my last FLX for my Scram last year for 126.00 and free shipping off of EBay. They are not available for the j350 on EBay that I can find, and now PowerTronics wants 219.00 from them directly! 🤯
I really have to think about this. Should probably go back to basics and check my spark plug color to see if I even need it at my elevation.
 
Do not buy a FuelX on Ebay from India. They will not honor warranty. They may not be right for exported bikes. Best to buy direct or from Hitchcocks.
 
The weather here in the eastern UK has at last warmed up enough to allow me to shoot some paint on the Meteor's side panels - something I've been waiting for weeks to get done. Three coats of plastic primer, three coats of gloss black and five or six coats of clear lacquer (all rattle-cans) over two warmish and sunny days has done the trick. It's not a pro job by any means and doesn't bear a very close inspection, but it's certainly good enough for now. At some point in the future I might see if I can get a can of Fireball Yellow and match them to the tank.

The badges are possibly only temporary until I can think of something unique. Yes I know it's a Meteor but I take the view that all of the J-series bikes are basically Bullets in different clothes.

Following Uncle Stu's YouTube recommendation (Ey, up!) I thought I'd try Bilt Hamber's Double Speed-Wax. I've used it on the tank, side panels, mudguards, headlight bowl, rear light unit, indicators, fork shrouds and a few other painted/plastic parts. It's bloody good... comes with an applicator sponge and a large, good quality microfibre buffing cloth. Quick and easy to use.

Double Speed-Wax - Bilt Hamber

Ultra durable easy-to-use paste wax with medium hard film.
bilthamber.com bilthamber.com

Mods_050.jpg Mods_051.jpg
 
CMS42 said:
The weather here in the eastern UK has at last warmed up enough to allow me to shoot some paint on the Meteor's side panels - something I've been waiting for weeks to get done. Three coats of plastic primer, three coats of gloss black and five or six coats of clear lacquer (all rattle-cans) over two warmish and sunny days has done the trick. It's not a pro job by any means and doesn't bear a very close inspection, but it's certainly good enough for now. At some point in the future I might see if I can get a can of Fireball Yellow and match them to the tank.

The badges are possibly only temporary until I can think of something unique. Yes I know it's a Meteor but I take the view that all of the J-series bikes are basically Bullets in different clothes.

Following Uncle Stu's YouTube recommendation (Ey, up!) I thought I'd try Bilt Hamber's Double Speed-Wax. I've used it on the tank, side panels, mudguards, headlight bowl, rear light unit, indicators, fork shrouds and a few other painted/plastic parts. It's bloody good... comes with an applicator sponge and a large, good quality microfibre buffing cloth. Quick and easy to use.

Double Speed-Wax - Bilt Hamber

Ultra durable easy-to-use paste wax with medium hard film.
bilthamber.com bilthamber.com

View attachment 27683View attachment 27684
Click to expand...
I like it! Nice work and yes, still waiting for proper painting weather here.

That is the one thing that has always stood out to me on the Meteors. Maybe it's the "80's cruiser style" of the bike but aesthetically, the side covers really need to match the tank color. They tried to spread the color across the bike by striping the rims, but the tanks really stand out against the rest of the bike. Mind you, just my thoughts. If you can get a can of Fireball Yellow, that would look sharp.

I got some spray paint from a company in the UK (RS Paints) for my BSA. I just looked them up and they do list RE's, and the Meteor, but not Fireball Yellow. You may want to contact them and ask if they may have it. (y):) I'm sure your shipping would be far cheaper than what I paid! :ROFLMAO:
 
Too late to edit but I just watched Mr. Darcy and the Ol' Man's latest video and they were at an E dealer. They showed a glimpse of a new Meteor with matching side covers in the background shortly after the video starts.
 
If you have a car or something does it get hot in the sun when you are not in it ? That is where to put your painted parts if you have not got a paint booth.
Had the air con on in the car yesterday , and the bike jacket was very warm when I went for fuel, .92 mpg (UK) mainly short runs.
 
It's camshaft day! The last engine work I did was on my FS1-E back in 1977 and so it was with some trepidation that I rolled my sleeves up and got stuck-in early this afternoon. I've been binge-watching the many excellent YouTube tutorials on the subject and stocking up on the necessary parts and tools over the last few weeks so I was as prepared as I could be - or so I thought.

I ran the engine for ten minutes or so then removed the oil temp. gauge, which replaced the original oil filler cap. I then loosemed the oil strainer cover plate bolts and let the plate drop a half inch to start draining the oil. I removed the front drain plug as I have a magnetic version to go on, and that drained a few more cc's of oil. Once most of the oil had drained I fully removed the plate and strainer and then set about stripping down the rest of the bike. All was good until it was time to remove the right-side casing, at which point it became clear that in order to access four of the bolts at the bottom of the casing I was going to have to drop the sub-frame down out of the way, and in order to achieve this I was going to have to remove the exhaust pipe as well - bugger! Hey RE - how about fitting a simple access cover plate so that we don't have to remove the casing in order to use a crank locking tool?

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Lack of forward planning on my part. There's always a bright side though, and I'll now be able to clean and protect parts of the engine and frame that would otherwise be inaccesible :)

Rocker cover next after removing the bracket on the right-side of the upper frame for easy access. The gasket was well and truely stuck in place with sealant around the small left-side cover plate so can't be re-used - no worries as there's one included in the Hitchcock's service kit as well as the three cover bolt washers. I was careful to block the cam chain tunnel with a cloth so that none of the sealant or gasket fell into the crankcase. Sparkplug out (the electrode is a nice light brown colour which I think is a good sign, although I'll fit the new one from the service kit) and then off with the camchain tensioner before rotating the engine to TDC to check out the two locking tools. I bought the pattern parts as I'd heard that the RE tools need some 'home engineering' to get them to fit. I can confirm that these pattern tools fit perfectly.

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I'll continue tomorrow as the light's starting to fade and I'm getting hungry. Hopefully I won't run into any more problems. Out of curiosity I'll check the valve clearances before going any further and see if they've tightened up since the 300 mile dealer service (I'm assuming that the dealer checked them!). Do camshafts need a running-in period? I've not heard this mentioned anywhere but I'll probably take things easy for the first 50 miles or so unless I hear otherwise...

'Night
 
I have not done this on a motorcycle, but in a car cams definitely need running in.

On first start, hold 2000-3000 rpm (in 4-8 cyl, may vary for thumpers and twins, but I can't see why?) for 20 minutes while varying the rpm within that range. This gets the lifters/tappets rotating properly on the lobe and makes sure all the crowns are good.

I'll let someone with more appropriate experience fill in the gaps, but I personally would be wanting to run it in unless told otherwise.
 
smilespergallon said:
On first start, hold 2000-3000 rpm (in 4-8 cyl, may vary for thumpers and twins, but I can't see why?) for 20 minutes while varying the rpm within that range. This gets the lifters/tappets rotating properly on the lobe and makes sure all the crowns are good.
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Thanks Smiles. I've been searching the web and came up with the following:

"Do not idle the engine during the first 20 minutes of operation. RPM should be kept at 2500 or above. In pushrod engines oil throw-off from the crank may not be sufficient to lubricate the followers. Also contact stresses at the nose of the cam are very high at low speed. If adjustments are needed during the 20 minute run-in period, shut the engine off completely. DO NOT IDLE." (Piper Cams)

"As a general rule it is important to ensure good oil flow during the camshafts first 20 minutes of life. Consequently it is essential to run the engine at a fast idle (above 2000 rpm) to ensure adequate lubrication of the camshaft and followers. This will allow the surfaces of the cam lobes and followers to bed in properly and guarantee long component life." (Kent Cams)

"You can destroy a cam in 500 miles or less with improper break in. 2500+ RPM for 20-30 minutes is pretty much a standard cam break-in procedure - start the engine and IMMEDIATELY take it up to that RPM AND KEEP IT THERE for the time period. How you do it is not important - but the RPM/time is important. IOW, whether you start an engine and, in neutral, run it for the RPM/time necessary or drive/ride the vehicle to do so doesn't matter. The point is to maintain the RPM for the time required, not to vary it. It is NOT the same as "breaking in" an engine. Engine break in is done after cam break in. Obviously the air cooled Norton won't like sitting there in neutral at 2500 RPM for 20-30 minutes so that pretty much means riding it. Unless you do the break in on a track or have the large fan previously mentioned, it most likely means riding around the neighborhood for 20-30 minutes in 1st gear!" (Norton Owners Forum)

There are many, many more forum posts echoing this advice so I think I'm going to follow it. I live right next to a 4 mile stretch of fast road that has a roundabout at either end so I should be able to maintain RPM for as long as necessary. I'll put in 1.8 litres of oil, start up and immediately ride off. After one loop I'll stop, switch off and check the oil level and look for any leaks, then back out again for another 3 or 4 loops. Good job I asked the question (and got the replies!) as none of the popular YouTube tutorials mention the importance of this procedure.
 
A few points to note from today's work if you are planning to do this job yourself:

1. It's worth taking the time to block the camchain tunnel with a cloth or similar before removing the three sprocket bolts - just in case. Last thing you want is to drop one of them (or anything else for that matter) down that tunnel, because you just know that it's going to bounce off something on the way down and come to rest in an inaccessible part of the crankcase.

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2. The rocker assembly is located by two dowels which could come adrift so care is needed here too.

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3. A cable tie will keep the sprocket and chain nicely out of the way whilst doing the rest of the work. I soaked up as much of the old oil as I could but was careful to refill that little reservoir between the valves with fresh oil before reassembly.

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4. The Hitchcock's service kit contains the rocker cover gasket and seal washers plus 'O' rings for the oil strainer cover, oil filter cover and the inspection cover on the left-side casing but not the camchain tensioner gasket as this isn't removed for routine servicing. If using a crank locking tool you'll need to remove the right-side casing so have a new gasket ready for that as well. I could have re-used all but the tensioner gasket and rocker cover gasket but for peace of mind replaced everything with the new items.

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I hope this info will be helpful to anyone who - like me - is inexperienced in this kind of work and a little apprehensive. It's actually been quite straightforward and enjoyable and I've not encountered any real problems.
 
I wouldn't worry too much on breaking in the cam.
I had a cam upgrade on my Moto Guzzi Griso 1200V8 last year (design flaw on the push rods which needed to be converted to rods with ball bearings folowing the cam. the original push rods had 8mm balls on the ends thus very small contact area on the cam)
The cam isn't a high stressed part it'll need lubrication. For this reason you have the free play needed.
But do take into account a pump may not work properly when stationary.
Somehow I do find it remarkable to have the engine run stationary for 15 minutes to have the ECU recalibrated...
This seems to be contradictive to me but we may be overthinking this too much?
 
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