V1 Kyle's Street Goblin #228- 07 SS/SC Donor

[Rttoys]

In hindsight, my setup wasn’t much louder than the stock DF one is. I actually cut apart the stock cobalt cat and the internals actually fit perfect in the ninja exhaust. It quiet it down a little bit with a good tone and I was amazed it all went together so easily. I will rebuild one day.

It would be very expensive, but a set of panigale cans could possibly work. It’s a bit higher than my skill set bending pipe, but I think it could work. Even the stock S2r might be able to me messaged into looking good on there.

 

[Rttoys]

You can hear it here when I goose it. Not the best vid though. Anything older than February will have my exhaust on it.

 

[Kyle]

It sounds good! Just gotta find a wrecked bike!

 

[Rttoys]

Being hoarder has its privileges. Back around 2000 my buddy bought a ninja 600 new and I replaced the muffler for him. I tossed the stock one in the attic and 20 years later, it’s a muffler for a goblin.

 

[Kyle]

Car parts day! Shout out to UPS and DF for their fast shipping! I'll be installing the new shifter and solid trans mounts. Everything is already at the powder coating shop. It addition to the tunnel cover and the mounts getting powder coated, I'm also getting my wing mount and my spark plug cover. It should be sick!

 

[Kyle]

PARTS UPDATE!

So today was an exciting day! I got the solid engine mounts installed and the new shifter upgrade as well. Here are my thoughts on both.

Solid Engine Mounts

Installing the mount that goes under the exhaust was a breeze (I removed the muffler for easy access), but the mount under the engine proved to be a little more difficult. The bracket on my subframe may have been slightly bent or over tightened previously. To get it in, I bolted up the bracket to the engine, but it wasn't lined up quite right with the subframe. After some convincing with a bottle jack I managed to get it on place well enough to run a bolt through.

The performance seemed good and the car felt very planted. I didn't have a huge problem with wheel hop before, but I certainly won't have any issues now! There might be a small increase in vibration, but not enough that I can say for sure.

Shifter Upgrade

All I can say is WOW! What a difference. My previous shifter had a lot of slop. I was pretty use to the quirks of my set up, and I wasn't disappointed in the performance, but I did not like how it looked. The old shifter and plastic just looked out of place on a shiny, beautiful goblin.

I like the set up of the new tunnel cover more than the old design. It was easier to position and my terrible electrical tape job near the front of the car doesn't have clearance issues any more! You will need to drill extra holes for rivets, but you can dry fit everything and get the holes drilled in a matter of minutes.

The shifter itself is very responsive and easy to use. I still have some fine tuning to do, but the car is easier to drive than before, and I haven't made any adjustments since the original set up.

You end up with some extra length on the shift cables which I appreciated. It allows for a nice, fluid arch towards the transmission. You kind of end up with a "question mark" shape. Along with the new engine mounts, I'm happier with my cable routing and I think it will reduce friction for more crisp shifting!

The only point of confusion I have is with the lock out. I don't really understand the benefits of it, so if someone could explain that to me I'd appreciate it! I removed the ball from my original shifter, so I never had the lock out anyway. Is it to help prevent you from shifting from 5th to reverse when downshifting from 5th to 4th? Either way, I don't currently have the position of the shifter set up in such a way the lock out works, so it may get removed.

Conclusion

Overall I'm thrilled with how the car turned out! With the help of you guys and DF Goblin, these cars are just getting better and better. I love having the opportunity to be a part of this community and I look forward to the next upgrade!

 

[Desert Sasqwatch]

Like the 'booties' on the open end of the cables to keep dust/dirt/spilled anything out of the shifter cables. Great idea!

 

[Lonny]

The lockout should align the shifter with fifth and make it impossible to go to reverse unless you pull the lockout lever back.

When you pull the lockout lever back it should stay back until you go to reverse. Once you go to reverse it should reset the lockout to align the shifter with fifth gear again.

If you can go into reverse without moving the lockout out of the way you will need to adjust the right side cable until you can't. When you get it right it will help guide you into fifth.

 

[Kyle]

The lockout should align the shifter with fifth and make it impossible to go to reverse unless you pull the lockout lever back.

When you pull the lockout lever back it should stay back until you go to reverse. Once you go to reverse it should reset the lockout to align the shifter with fifth gear again.

If you can go into reverse without moving the lockout out of the way you will need to adjust the right side cable until you can't. When you get it right it will help guide you into fifth.

I see, so fifth gear should line up on top of the lock out. Reverse is over just a little more than fifth. Hence, the lockout needs to be reset. Got it.

Thanks!

 

[Kyle]

The Goblin got a couple cosmetic upgrades! I did blue hoses, a catch can, and a new coolant reservoir.

I wasn't planning on doing a new coolant reservoir because I liked having the sensor on the oem reservoir, but I accidentally broke off the nipple whilst fitting my "road trip trunk." I'll include a photo of that too.

 

[Rauq]

I'm curious how this "road trip trunk" works, care to share more?

 

[Kyle]

I'm curious how this "road trip trunk" works, care to share more?

Sure! It isn't finished yet, but I'll work on it a bit today. I made a pretty stupid mistake with the size, and it doesn't quite fit how I was hoping. In fact, the saying, "measure twice, cut once" is apparently especially true when welding since changing anything you've welded is a pain... I'll get back to you guys tonight or tomorrow with some more details.

 

[Kyle]

The bottom of my shifter fell apart during some "festive" driving and the bolt pulled some threads with it. Definitely use locktite! And consider a slightly longer bolt.

 

[Lonny]

It looks like you put the longer of the two bolts here. Switch them around so it has more threads.

 

[Kyle]

View attachment 31463

It looks like you put the longer of the two bolts here. Switch them around so it has more threads.

Oh Thanks! I bet I did.

 

[averageJOEschmo]

We are Street legal and insured! Advice for future builders - UTAH

The process to get registered took a few more visits to the dmv than I would like to admit, but the answer ended up being to go to a state run dmv instead of the local county office.

Things you'll need:
-DF kit car MSO: call DFKC to get this when you're nearly done with assembly.
-Pictures of the Vin and a side/hood shot of the car. Whether or not you are using fenders, just set them on the wheels when you take some pics to make them happy; try to have your car as complete looking as possible.
-Your invoice/repeipt from DF Goblin (you should have this in an email) showing taxes have been paid
-A safety inspection: believe it or not, this isn't technically required, but if you know a place that won't throw a fit about you not having a windshield wiper, and will overlook some of the nitty gritty safety inspection stuff, go ahead and get one. They cost $30 and will save you a lot of headache when getting your registration.

When they ask you what it is and how you want it registered, be open to their suggestions, but know that DF Kit Car is not in the Utah system. I tried to get it added and failed (it did get added under ATV's though). Call the car a roadster. Since the "Make" isn't in their system, they can use code UUU as the make. This basically means unspecified. For the Model, they can put whatever they want. Mine went in as "DF Kit Car - Goblin."

If for whatever reason they deny your request or are being unreasonable, just go to a different state run office. I had zero issues at the Hurricane State DMV office. I was in and out in 10 minutes.

Hey Kyle, thanks for all the great information and well done on the build! I'm just starting an AT build and I'm up in Salt Lake County so I'm trying to verify all I'll need to make sure I can get this thing registered when I'm done. I had a few questions from your post:
-Did the state require you to have fenders?
-Did you have to do emissions?
-If so, did you need the evap and cat like other states have had to do? (I'm guessing no from what I see in your build but just looking to confirm)
-What did you mean about the safety inspection not technically being required, everything I have seen shows it is?
-Is the wiper the only safety inspection issue you had?
-If I register it as an ATV I think that will prohibit me from being able to drive it on the streets in SL Co. so I like the roadster idea, do you have any reason to think that wouldn't work for a A/T build?

 

[Kyle]

I had a few questions from your post:

-Did the state require you to have fenders? Yes, the state requires fenders. In the pictures I provided to the DMV I just set the fenders on the wheels and never actually installed them.
-Did you have to do emissions? No emissions.
-If so, did you need the evap and cat like other states have had to do? (I'm guessing no from what I see in your build but just looking to confirm)
-What did you mean about the safety inspection not technically being required, everything I have seen shows it is? The way I understand it, a MSO bypasses the need for a safety inspection. I still had one done to avoid getting grilled by the DMV.
-Is the wiper the only safety inspection issue you had? 2 issues. 1 no fenders but the inspector can put down they are removable. 2 no windshield wiper. You can get around this by not having the windshield on during the inspection if they are adamant about you having one. The guy that did my inspection was cool enough to let it slide considering what the car was going to be used for.
-If I register it as an ATV I think that will prohibit me from being able to drive it on the streets in SL Co. so I like the roadster idea, do you have any reason to think that wouldn't work for a A/T build? This is determined by your city ordanances, but, personally I wouldn't register the vehicle as anything other than a street car. This will allow you to take it on freeways.

I've been driving my car in Southern Utah for 1.5 years now and never been pulled over. I don't know how the local police and highway patrol will respond up in SLC, but so long as you don't drive like a dick head, you'll probably get left alone.

I hope this helps! Feel free to reach out with any other questions.

 

[averageJOEschmo]

Thanks Kyle! I'm sure there will be more questions as this progresses.

 

[Kyle]

Getting the Goblin out for the first time this year (it has been a very long winter in Southern Utah). Sadly I discovered my hood mounts were broken I guess I'm going hoodless for a bit.

 

[Rauq]

I and a few others have put hinges on the front of the hood: link