[DaveB]

I'm a happy new owner of a 2012 Black and Chrome C5 Classic in Connecticut. I'm up to 160 miles and got 82mpg. Wow! The dealer said drop the oil and filter at 300 miles and told me to use Agip 15w-50 full synthetic at the first oil change. I'll change the spark plug at this time to.

Now I just have to wake up the exhaust but want to keep the classic pea shooter look. Any ideas? Thanks.

[Mcurrier]

Welcome to the group! I'm another new owner (as of January) and I can tell you this forum has proved invaluable.

 It seems like the go to muffler swap is to the EFI silencer. It opens up the air flow a bit and adds a nice grumble to the exhaust note. 

Good luck with the new bike!

[sparklow]

Congrats on the new bike DaveB. I'm also in CT, bought my 2011 B5 in Enfield. I used conventional 20W50 motorcycle oil for break-in and then switched to full synthetic at 1000 miles, but it probably doesn't make an awful lot of difference. Enjoy your new ride!

[kcRoyal]

DaveB welcome...I think you will be happy with your bike...I don't think you could go wrong on any of the RE models. This site is wonderful, and the folks on here are very supportive and can help you through almost any issue you may run up against. I purchased the same bike a few months back. I just went over 800 miles total on the bike today. I changed the filter and plug as soon as I got the bike and did the initial oil change at 330 miles (I used Mobile1 V-twin per recommendations on here). Bike rides great and is now mostly broken-in. I have taken her up to 70mph...

[wildbill]

check mine out - hitchcock's efi muffler is the perfect choice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaDmfvAcZYU

[kcRoyal]

+1 to Wildbill on the EFI silencer, his video was the reason I ordered mine...expect some delay if you order from Nfieldgear. They were on back order for a while. It took about 7 weeks for mine to show up, but well worth the wait. Be patient!

[wildbill]

or swing to hitchcocks in the uk and get it in 7 to 10 days

[mattsz]

Just installed the EFI silencer from NFG - it came packed in English newpapers.

It's a great improvement on the sound, but it's definitely a lot louder than the stock bazooka.  No problem for some guys, but it may be a deal breaker for me!  I'll live with it for a few weeks and see.

Oh yeah... I installed it and took it on a 160 mile ride on a warm-ish 80-85 degree day - it's already turning yellow...

[heloego]

Welcome to the family, DaveB, and have fun!
You've access to a gold mine of info here, so enjoy!

Viewed wildbill's video and like the sound of the EFI. Took special note of the RE bags hanging aft of the seat. I'd bought a set of River Road bags the other day. Their size is good, but the strap over the mudguard is definitely a NO-GO! No protection for the mudguard. Spent a good amount of time buffing out the scratches after 160 miles!  And the right-hand bag seam removed paint down to the metal on the air box!
I like the RR bags for their depth, but if I can't rig them better I'll go with the E bags wildbill uses.

helo

[mattsz]

+1 on the bags and scuffed paint!  I threw some "throw-over" bags over my fender - 1000 miles later, the fender top is scuffed, and the paint is worn down to bare metal on my fender stays and tool box corners.  Not worrying about it for the moment, though...

[Bulletman]

Welcome to the family, DaveB, and have fun!
You've access to a gold mine of info here, so enjoy!

Viewed wildbill's video and like the sound of the EFI. Took special note of the RE bags hanging aft of the seat. I'd bought a set of River Road bags the other day. Their size is good, but the strap over the mudguard is definitely a NO-GO! No protection for the mudguard. Spent a good amount of time buffing out the scratches after 160 miles!  And the right-hand bag seam removed paint down to the metal on the air box!
I like the RR bags for their depth, but if I can't rig them better I'll go with the E bags wildbill uses.

helo

Hi Helo, you might consider using a magnetic tank bag, I personally use the Nelson-Rigg large bag and it fits perfectly on my C5, it also turns into a backpack for convenient carry on. Amazon and eBay have them.

[DaveB]

Thanks for the info guys. I put another 60 miles on today and I'm fast approaching the first service at 300 miles. I can't wait for my windshield to come in. It sure gets tiring running at 45-50mph with the wind beating you up.

[wildbill]

on areas where you think the saddle bags might rub just tape it over with black electrical or gaffa tape.
very hard to see on the black frame and no paint loss.

[heloego]

I'd considered a tank bag, but decided to go with the extra space offered by the saddlebags. I'd rather not apply tape to my mud guard since it's maroon so I'll look for some 1/4" high density foam padding for the underside of the bags' strap. If that proves to still be an issue I'll go with the RE bags and maybe a tank bag.

helo

[mattsz]

As long as the foam doesn't scuff the fender instead of your bags' straps!

When I got my bike, the tip of the OEM seat was rubbing against the tank, scuffing the paint.  Somebody here suggested that there was a clear tape-like product you could get to protect your paint against such chafing - I got the impression that it had enough adhesive to stay in place, but not enough to damage your paint or cause any permanent problems.  I'd look into something like that for your fender - you don't want anything against your fender that could allow that road dust and dirt in and then move to grind it all in...