RE: Winter Farkling Begins - lights, camera, sound and more - 3

Friday night, I got the long awaited antenna on. It is smaller and higher quality that it appeared in the pictures, so that was a nice surprise. It also had a 12' cord instead of the 6' cord indicated, which was perfect for the run. only a little extra. I decided on a side mount on the top part of the top box because I didn't like any options up front and because it's least likely to be blocked by me. I went with the left side to be near the center of the road, maximizing chances of a clear view of the sky in any direction. and it looked a little (even more?) dorky on center.

Then, I finished tidying up all the wires, got the bodywork back on, tested everything repeatedly and then I turned and looked at the bike and was like damn that bike looks good! I haven't had that giddy feeling in quite some time. But it felt good. And I got all excited and just wanted to go ride. of course it was like midnight and pouring rain, but hey.

Saturday night muted my excitement due to fittingly more with BT and losing again. BUT, last night it returned with me FINALLY - I think 🤞🏻- figuring out a solution that will reliably connect 3 devices to my Sena 50s. I gave up on trying for 4, and won't connect my TFT to Sena. So far, it worked twice last night and once this morning. It's a tad finicky still. so I'm gonna keep trying to see if it stabilizes or connection order matters, before, maybe repairing it all (again) to see if it helps resolve the one lingering issue: the A2DP connection from GPS to Sena occasionally won't pair on it's own, but this morning at least worked when manually selecting on GPS.

Anyway, I'm nearly done - just waiting on the last bit from my friend so I can mount the windscreen (need to make a final cord length adjustment once the last part comes in) and cam mount. Then I'll roll it outside for better pictures and hopefully a shake down ride!

Very tidy and maybe a wiring record. Well done.

part from my friend is delayed and I have a chance to get some miles in Sunday, so I got her all buttoned up last night! No left over screws and so far, lookin good. will post some pictures in the wild, hopefully after my ride Sunday.

good news, nothing fell off! (and everything works!!). Only one error code: Low key fob battery - which I'll take ;) I will admit, I was a little nervous heading out: only second ride, lots of new bits, cold roads after wet week, and yet.... twas a great day.

From the original list, I installed everything except 2 things and added 3. I'd say it took 4 real weeks of late night work; 6 weeks end-to-end, due to a lot of waiting for the final two parts towards the end.

Got out for a good shakedown ride yesterday, pulling in almost 400 miles. It was a cold start at 36', but a good test too - heated circuit and new controller working. Not sure if the wind protection for hands is just way better than I feared or if the Givi windscreen added some deflection, but I was quite pleased with the cold air not hitting my hands. I expected my hands to freeze and they felt surprisingly out of the wind without hand guards. win. I lucked out with warming temps too, so hopefully that'd held true all day, but overall, it felt like a pretty good test of everything.

recap with commentary:

1. MaMo X-head cylinder guards - installed first and quality product. Easy to install, though it takes a little grunt to get the holes to line up. Mind the warning about cross threading. I can see how easy this would be if you don't take your time.

2. Shad 3p mounting system for SH-35 side bags and SH59x top box - I struggled with the exhaust side lining up, but eventually got it, inserting the "middle" bolt loosely, then exhaust/peg bolt, then rear bolt by tail light. If I had to guess, the 1250 is ever so slightly different spacing on that side than the 1200, but Shad didn't change the mount. that said, I rather enjoyed having a hard top case again. The Shad system is very solid feeling and easy to deal with at stops. The expandable feature is simple and nifty. I like the option to have it go huge, but the 42L is more than enough for day trips, but also big enough to swallow tools, lunch, water, and clothing as I shed it, including the bulky stuff. When I initially completed the install and put the box on I was like man that feels big, high, and far back. I packed mine with a sandwich, some spare tools, water, lunch, etc and never felt it back there. perfect

3. MaMo Light bars + Clearwater Kristas - great setup. I could once again tell a difference in visibility (people seeing me) with the yellow lights up front. Thought they'd stick out silly-far the way I ended up mounting them, but they're about as far out as the mirrors, so same basic width. It's a little easy to knock them in the garage walking around the bike.

4. Moto-Mate Winglight Light Mounts + Clearwater Darlas - very happy with this combo as the Darlas are small but bright! and the higher placement, slightly inward gives a triangle. I inadvertently got the imagine below when I got home reflecting on the garage door. I saw it on some shiny trucks and stuff too - seems effective. clearwater wiring on both sets was easy and their factory pigtails quality.

5. Dynamic Mottorad LED Turn Signals - easy install, bright. definitely brighter - at dusk, I could see the front ones reflecting brightly off the front fender! (I have my EZ can turn off the clearwaters on the side with active blinker to aid visibility)

6. Mot-Mate GPS relocation + 4 button cradle. Like this setup and in particular the physical buttons. It was a little rough with my winter gloves, but overall expect to like this cradle. When I was putting on the moto-mate GPS mount, I thought it might bounce a bit, but none once I tightened the bolts. Position working well for me too - much easier to see, but not in the way.

7. SXM, phone, SR10, go pro mounts - I put SXM on one side of OEM GPS mount; phone on clutch mount RAM ball; SR10 on front right black part of dash; go pro using #17 below. I'm glad to say everything was solid, the phone didn't hit anything, and phone placement was good for visibility. If I want to see song/artist info on SXM, I have to look down, but I'd much prefer to do this a few times throughout the day (if ever) than frequently for GPS.

8. Alibaba Hand Guards - I think I ordered the GS ones in error, I thought I was just choosing the smoke color (which is nice), but it didn't have the right brackets and end holes are too large. Given my initial experience with not-freezing hands... I'm inclined to wait a while on an alternate. Barkbusters are likely my next go-to; MaMo is also releasing some.

9. Hex EzCan + PDM60 - working well, just had to find the space under the seat.

10. USB power, heated gear connector - I've ranted enough about lack of space to hide stuff; heated gear connector worked well by left knee.

11. Denali B6 brake lights and T3 turn/brake switchbacks - very pleased with the Denali quality and installation. recommended and fairly easy to deal with wiring. I think I startled an SUV driver coming home on the slab, with my rear blinker array... which I'd put in the win category also.

12. Dominator Oval Exhaust - as others have said and I will too: quality is fantastic. Simple, but great. With single/only baffle installed, it was plenty loud for my taste. almost - almost - too loud. but also just what I wanted, audible when I'm on the gas and nearly not there when I'm just cruising.

13. MaMo Mud Sling and probably Avant Guard - Sling is great. Only nuance I found was that one zip tie hits the cap to the mini-plug under the seat, so if I'm not careful it'll stay open. definitely glad I got this. I abandoned the guard. Removal of wings was more involved than I expected, I like their look and while I didn't dislike the AvantGuard look... it just seemed a little like overkill. I'll monitor #16 below and reconsider if it fails based on how much gunk it's catching.

14. TechSpec tank pads/grips - these are large, thicker than I thought (in a good way) and fit well... save for the middle piece. they sell the same kit for 1250 as 1200. difference (from what I can tell in pictures) is the 1250 has a separate black piece in the center before the painted part starts. the Tech Speck 'middle' piece is not designed for this, so I put it on the painted part, as it would span both black/painted pieces, and not bend/stick flush. The black part is gonna wear fast if not covered. I'll need to find something to go over that soon so it doesn't get scratched to hell.

15. Givi windscreen - pleased with this for now. I thought it might be too tall, but it's not. It was still windy, but less loud in the low position on the interstate, but the buffeting is gone and is way better than stock. I failed at a one-hand, at-speed raise to higher position. I succeeded (but don't recommend) a two hand raise at-speed, only to get a couple minutes of weird, visible buffeting on the screen itself. I got out from behind a car in front of me and this stabilized it, but I found it odd. it was not an issue the rest the day. and, yes, I know it's not a good idea to raise the screen while riding... perhaps this is another reason why.

+16. CF engine guard - since I bailed on Avant Guard, I tried my hand a carbon fiber piece. It held with only high-temp automotive tape. We'll see if that remains true in summer, but it looks good, doesn't weigh anything and seems to do a good job of catching the grime.

+17. the overpriced, but surprisingly awesome, Wunderlich CamMount. This must be one of their bigger money makers. $140 for two piece (it's not even one billet piece) of aluminum, two plastic spacers and two longer screws. But it is quite easy to install, puts the camera in a great spot, is very solid which helps remove additional vibes/wind and does not impede the riders field of view whatsoever. I'd say half price would still be over priced, but I got a small award at work over xmas, splurged on it and don't regret it.

+18. new SXM antenna. This wasn't the best test ride to see if it improved reception any, but I never lost reception and was quite pleased with the quality.

+19. RDL seat. I didn't include on the initial list because I had technically received it, but not ridden with it when I started this project, it's nearly bolt on, and there's a bit of a story... but y'all, this seat is MAGIC and thus thought it deserves a mention.

Overall, if you can't tell, quite happy with the results. :)

Here are some pix, all 3 bags in the driveway for anyone interested in what these Shad bags look like not-color-matched and a few more from the ride. Felt great to have no major fault codes, it largely work out, and to be ready for the season ahead!

Thanks for the support; if anyone local enough to swing by wants any help installing this stuff or other, lmk.

With the amount of farkling you’ve done , I was almost surprised by the photos as it still looks like an RS! Seriously I admire your endeavour to get the set-up the way you want it. Now enjoy the riding season on this beautiful machine.

Zitat von Boxerboy im Beitrag #35

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With the amount of farkling you’ve done , I was almost surprised by the photos as it still looks like an RS! Seriously I admire your endeavour to get the set-up the way you want it. Now enjoy the riding season on this beautiful machine.

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You have been a busy boy

Was a pleasure to have been of assistance.

That was a lot of quality garage time, now get out and enjoy all your hard work