Joined
·
1,609 Posts
As some of you know, I like to try Iron Butt rides, and long distance (LD) stuff in general. I've set up my Honda 599 -- which is an excellent little bike, but not commonly used as an LD bike because it's naked. But I like naked bikes so this is the right choice for me.
I learned a lot in 2007 about what works and doesn't work on long distance rides. I also found out the hard way that there were some weaknesses in the wiring for the electric jacket and lights. So this year I redid the wiring and the gear to improve on last year's arrangement.
I use two Garmins on my bike - a Zumo, which I use for the maps, and a 2610, which I use for data about the ride, such as overall average speed. I reinstalled the Garmins as they were -- they did a good job last year. I've also reinstalled the rheostat for the Warm N Safe jacket liner at the same place. My big problem was how to mount all the stuff for the new Philips HID auxiliary lights. Last year I had a HID low beam (I used the stock Halogen high beam) and two Hella FF50 H4 auxiliary lights. The HID headlight was so bright that the Hellas, good as they are, were almost washed out. I like a lot of light, so this year I decided to go with HID bulbs in both the high and low headlight beam, plus two Philips HID auxiliary lights from Farklemaster. I also bought a couple of yellow bulb Motolight fog lights for those times when I have to ride through dense fog. The Motolights bolt to the brake calipers, and the Philips lights themselves bolted easily to a crossbar I made. But having a naked bike, I had no obvious place to mount the igniters for the HIDs! I finally came up with an, um, interesting mount that bolted to the sides of the headlight arms.
I alsoo improved my lighting from the rear. I have a Givi V46 top case and E41 side cases, and a company called AdMore Lighting makes LED lighting that fits into the reflectors for each. I've installed the wires for the V46 and I'm still fussing with the wiring for the E41 cases. I also have not yet wired in the Datel voltmeter, but I know what to do so it's only a matter of time until I get it hooked up.
I also installed the Stebel Nautilus horn I've had sitting around for the last year. They are so loud even I can hear them! (I'm almost completely deaf without my implant.)
Here's a few pics for your enjoyment. In the first pic, you can see the general layout of the lights and the igniters. The Motolights are at the bottom, bolted to the brake calipers. The Philips HIDs are above them on the square bar (which I made).
Here you can see the Nautilus horn and my crappy looking wiring. There really was no decent way to run those wires!
Another view of the front of the bike.
Here you can see, from left to right, the rheostat for the Warm N Safe vest, the Zumo, the box with the Datel voltmeter and light switches, and the 2610.
And now for a bit of storage! If you look closely you can see the ScottOiler behind the license plate too.
I learned a lot in 2007 about what works and doesn't work on long distance rides. I also found out the hard way that there were some weaknesses in the wiring for the electric jacket and lights. So this year I redid the wiring and the gear to improve on last year's arrangement.
I use two Garmins on my bike - a Zumo, which I use for the maps, and a 2610, which I use for data about the ride, such as overall average speed. I reinstalled the Garmins as they were -- they did a good job last year. I've also reinstalled the rheostat for the Warm N Safe jacket liner at the same place. My big problem was how to mount all the stuff for the new Philips HID auxiliary lights. Last year I had a HID low beam (I used the stock Halogen high beam) and two Hella FF50 H4 auxiliary lights. The HID headlight was so bright that the Hellas, good as they are, were almost washed out. I like a lot of light, so this year I decided to go with HID bulbs in both the high and low headlight beam, plus two Philips HID auxiliary lights from Farklemaster. I also bought a couple of yellow bulb Motolight fog lights for those times when I have to ride through dense fog. The Motolights bolt to the brake calipers, and the Philips lights themselves bolted easily to a crossbar I made. But having a naked bike, I had no obvious place to mount the igniters for the HIDs! I finally came up with an, um, interesting mount that bolted to the sides of the headlight arms.
I alsoo improved my lighting from the rear. I have a Givi V46 top case and E41 side cases, and a company called AdMore Lighting makes LED lighting that fits into the reflectors for each. I've installed the wires for the V46 and I'm still fussing with the wiring for the E41 cases. I also have not yet wired in the Datel voltmeter, but I know what to do so it's only a matter of time until I get it hooked up.
I also installed the Stebel Nautilus horn I've had sitting around for the last year. They are so loud even I can hear them! (I'm almost completely deaf without my implant.)
Here's a few pics for your enjoyment. In the first pic, you can see the general layout of the lights and the igniters. The Motolights are at the bottom, bolted to the brake calipers. The Philips HIDs are above them on the square bar (which I made).
Here you can see the Nautilus horn and my crappy looking wiring. There really was no decent way to run those wires!
Another view of the front of the bike.
Here you can see, from left to right, the rheostat for the Warm N Safe vest, the Zumo, the box with the Datel voltmeter and light switches, and the 2610.
And now for a bit of storage! If you look closely you can see the ScottOiler behind the license plate too.
