am still looking for an even smaller battery than the ones in a case (Shorai etc.). What happened to the shrink wrapped lithium iron cells?
I was in no way trying to dog the mod you did...please believe that. I was just pointing out another way to do it if someone had access to a welder. Nor did I imply that you had somehow disabled the safety switch; my comment was about "bigdog" and his mod, in which he did choose to disable that switch - it was his original mod to move the post that I copied. C'mon dude....
Well...I apologize that I see it otherwise and thank you for your post as it gave me a chance to clarify some of the details of the mod. The Kawi shifter was also a nice contribution and much appreciated.
Working on the best spot for my GPS. I normally go with a RAM clam on the left bar, but was standing in the garage and noticed that the Garmin bicycle mount fits really nice between the bar clamps. While this looks super clean, I don't think I'll like it on the road, off to test it soon. Once I figure out where I'll get a proper mount and wire it in. Looking forward to seeing how accurate the speedo is, I've heard it's not bad.
This is my first attempt at photos...Hope it works! I finished up some stuff last night. Here's the list: Heated grips with relay - note switch tucked behind/side of headlight shroud -perfect spot as wiring is hidden. Heated vest lead. I also wired up double 12v outlets for GPS and charging cams/phones etc. All wiring routes were nice and clean and I'm happy with the results. I used my battery tender lead to power my 12v outlets. That way I can charge the bike when needed and have a fuse protected lead to my outlets. I mounted them on my Cycra guards. Cycle Gear has them for $10 and they don't fit fat bars, but I used closed cell foam as a spacer and screwed them to the aluminium part of the guards. It's nice and clean. I spliced the two outlets together up front and then routed them on the right side under the shroud and inside the frame. It's hidden and clean that way. The Tender wend between the shroud and out a gap. Below you can see the tender lead nice and tucked in. I snipped the round leads off of the other end and turned it into a 2 prong connection. Don't have a finished shot but you get the idea.
Test rode it, don't like the spot, I have to look down to far. I'll be moving it up and to the left. The factory speedo is the best I've ever had. <2 mph low at 60MPH.
Funny you say that Krussell. I found that spot to be a great location - until I rode it... Just like you, I felt like my eyes were leaving the road too much!
I am glad you and Krussell mention this problem. I like the position of my tank bag and would have had to move it back to mount it in this position. That would have made two inconveniences for me. Your bike is looking fantastic too, by the way! How are you liking the 606s? Though it looks like you may not have installed the rear one yet. I am pondering this, but with a larger screen. The Montana is a big GPS and this may be the perfect solution. I am making the mold for the windscreen now and now is the time to make adjustments if I choose this route. I designed it to kick forward instead of straight up, so there is room now. There isn't any room for the Montana without pushing the screen forward, if you go with a larger screen, unless you don't mind covering the control panel.
Here is the screen mold partially done. It is going great and I am experimenting with some short cuts. It is darn cold here and the activators are not kicking in to well, but I am improvising. It will be a carbon fiber screen.
I know I saw it in this forum, but I would like to know how to bypass the kickstand switch. I've been stranded before and want to eliminate that problem. This bike has 3 wires. Usually it's just two I connect together. Any help would be appreciated.
I haven't done it yet (although I plan to), but I read on another forum that you connect the two outer wires and dead-end the center wire. Try it first with a jumper, LOL, this is second-hand info...
Ahh...it was Kyle01 who was going to get the 606s and decided on the twinduros instead. I also found the Sahara's to be just so so. HD1, Did you notice how light the front Sahara was when you pulled it off? I replaced mine ASAP. Like you said, the rear Sahara breaks loose way to easy....even on pavement. I went into a corner a little hot on one of my favorite tight twisty roads and the rear tire broke waaay too easily IMO. It makes the bike seem 100 lbs lighter, if that makes any sense. I just never felt planted.
I have orderd a (gasp) IRC TR8 front for the Terra. It has good write ups and looks to have knobs a little closer than my favorite DS tire, D606. It also appears to have better knobs, deeper, than a TKC80 or Metz T63. I'll report when it gets tested. I'm going to hang with the Sahara rear for a while and see how it grips in the gravel at the speed I ride. I'm also thinking about having Woody lace up some Excel rims to replace what I assume are the stock Behr's. They look too soft to take many hits. I'll have to talk to Woody and see if the appropriate size Takasago's are available, or if not, what he can offer. At first this sounds a bit extravagant, and maybe it is, but even an easy step section of trail can trash a soft rim. My front wasn't round from the factory, either. I had to tweak it at home to get it round and stop the vibration on the highway. Trueing doesn't have to be far off to cause a real problem.
Ok, next try for the GPS, up and to the left. We'll see how this goes, weather looks like I'll be testing it tomorrow. Cobbled together various ram bits from around the garage and came up with this. Not wired yet, just using the bicycle mount and getting the location right first. I prefer the vertical orientation, I suspect this will be the final location.
I've found a source for sprockets that fit the BMW F650GS; Supersprox USA. The problem is that there seem to be three or four different bikes with that designation. The Dakar, and early and late models, maybe another but memory fails. I have to assume that all have different hubs or they wouldn't list them separately. I will call to verify, but meanwhile, does anyone know exactly which model will have the same hub as on the Terra? I want to go up to 49 or even 50 on the rear to give more low speed control. I would prefer doing this rather than going one T down on the countershaft. I like the 16 as I think it's easier on the chain and there is plenty of room at the rear chain guard to go up. Supersprox has a lot of sprockets available. The Terra has long legs and going to a 50 will not hobble it too much at all.
My experiences exactly with the rear sahara. Scary when it breaks loose coming into a corner on pavement. And yeah, i can't believe how THIN that front tire was when I took it of!!! Shale rock would slice her with ease. The tube sucked too. Put an HD in there to be safe.
