Accessory adapter and LED Flashers

[siriuslyandrew]

Hey guys. So I'm a complete noob when it comes to motorcycle electrics. I know how a 12v system works and I can wire in some pretty interesting things (I did a full stereo deck, sub+amp and all new speakers with all new wires on my friends 2008 Civic SI) But I haven't a clue what kind of plugs a motorcycle has or uses.

Basically, I'm looking at getting a RAM Mount for my cellphone and I want to run a USB plug somewhere nearby so I can charge the phone with my bike. My phone is my GPS and with the Sena SMH5 now it's also my in-helmet phone and music player. But it also has a kinda weak battery and power resupply is pertinent. What does our bike offer for plug-and-play plugs (if any) that can give me a USB plug somewhere near my handlebars? 

Next up - LED flashers. I'm not worried about the flashers themselves - that will be a nice evening with a case of beer. But I know LED flashers blink WAY to damn fast without a different flasher relay, or resistors in-line. I'd rather just swap the relay and be done with it. On the old forum I remember reading something about a replacement 7-pin relay for our bikes -- is this correct? If so, then this relay should be all I need to have normal blink intervals for the new lights.

Bestow upon me your infinite wisdoms, oh great internet forum!

[AshesOfAnother]

I also use my phone as my gps, I wear a Nolan helmet and have the b4 kit in it. I installed a charger under my rear seat and have a chord come from it into my pocket. The battery box is right there. It is easy to run power up front if you tilt the fuel tank. There is factory wiring to tie it to. Don't forget to fuse your hot wire. If your going to go with ignition on power, you can tap a relay signal wire right off of the headlight.

[siriuslyandrew]

Thanks to your video about lifting the tank I have no reservations on that part. Any hoses I'll need to clamp before I lift or is there enough slack?

Getting ansy. I want to start working on it but until I can move it from storage to my works garage I can't touch it, but I plan to have everything done in one day over a weekend, with the second day for any potential mistake correction / adjustment and fine tuning. But since when do things go according to plan lol

[AshesOfAnother]

Nothing to unhook unless you want to remove it. In it's tilted position it gives plenty of room to run wires.

[siriuslyandrew]

So I've started the project of repairing my bike to it's former glory - not that it's much less glorious - it's just a bit scuffed and bent.

My list of things to do is pretty short but I'm taking the opportunity to take a peak at every corner of my bike up close, and in pieces just to know more about my bike. I don't know why I thought it was going to be such a daunting task before, I'm very surprised at how easy it is to work on this bike. 

My first item was levers, very easy and quick. Looks good and feels good. I've yet to ride the bike to see how they really feel but first impressions were very nice.



Next was my flasher relay. I didn't know where it was, and I wasn't even sure the one I already purchased was the one I needed for my bike. So first step was taking all the side panels off, which was extremely easy and done quickly.


Looks way better without the rear fender... Wish I had an eliminator kit handy!


Turns out it's towards the front of the battery box, which doesn't appear to come out unless you literally disassemble the entire bike. Interestingly Suzuki puts all of these connectors in some rubberized holder which is hooked onto plastic holders around the battery box. Just do a bit of wiggling and voila -- it comes right out. And it is a standard Suzuki 7 pin Flasher Relay available on ebay for cheap. It works too!





Next was the turn signal swap. This was.... interestingly done by Suzuki. The short of it is they used a plastic mold insert the size of the original lights and the shape of the mounting location to sort of wedge the assembly in place. I couldn't find a way to reuse the front mounts, and instead picked up some washers that I've yet to paint black but I cheated them for the rear to fill the gap that would be left in the fender.




Next comes the full handlebar swap. I haven't started because I'm waiting for my new grip to arrive. It was $12 for the Suzuki factory grip so I figured what the hell - better to have a backup in case I destroy the old one during removal. 

I took a peak at how the mirrors are mounted -- I'm seriously interested in bar end mirrors for my new setup but I seriously don't want huge mounting holes just sitting there on the bars -- the assembly the levers are mounted to are the same assembly the mirrors are mounted on and I suppose I could make a cap for it, but it just seems like wasted space then... Still thinking of ideas for everything.

Feel free to comment, insult my methods and criticize my work thus far. I'm open to all of it!

[AshesOfAnother]

So far it's looking great! What have you come up with to either cover our replace the scared cover?

[nycmalu]

The Yoshimura eliminator kit is slightly reduced on Revzilla and STG right now.

[dothedew]

The yoshi fender eliminator is stupid overpriced and not that much cleaner imo.

Here is what I did, eBay led taillight for the GSR750 with integrated turn signals and made my own lisence plate bracket with the scrap metal from the gawd awful original lisence plate bracket.

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[siriuslyandrew]

Feb 9, 2016 2:53:47 GMT -6 AshesOfAnother said:

So far it's looking great! What have you come up with to either cover our replace the scared cover?

At this point, I'm going to wear them proudly like a badge of honour... or dishonour in this case lol. For now it stays as is, but eventually I'll order a new cover. Then I can clean up the old one and if I have another oopsie I'll have a new-looking spare.

Feb 9, 2016 13:17:13 GMT -6 dothedew said:

The yoshi fender eliminator is stupid overpriced and not that much cleaner imo.

Here is what I did, eBay led taillight for the GSR750 with integrated turn signals and made my own lisence plate bracket with the scrap metal from the gawd awful original lisence plate bracket.

I can't remember what the rear looked like without the fender on it, but I wouldn't want to keep it open to the elements if it were that open. Is the rear clean without the stock fender like in your photo or is that your "own" design from the original bracket and fender?

The reason I went with the LED Signals I chose was due to BC Law. I need a specific distance between signals that integrated signals wouldn't have. Either way, when I do get a bracket to mount my plate to and remove the existing fender It'll be a bit wider with proper holes to mount the signals to. I do like the clean look of your setup though, very nice!

Also - with the Canadian dollar so SHIT right now, I won't be placing any orders from any US sources. (Revzilla included) Even my Ebay ordering has been pretty dramatically cut off.

[AshesOfAnother]

We have a ton of do's and don'ts here but the turn signal distance is one I've never heard before. I can understand why you have it. The signals you chose clean it up nicely. I like the badge of honor. I have a similar mark on one of my GS400s. I earned it by riding on thirty year old tires, which was stupid to begin with. I figured I could get it home.... I was wrong. The fact that I ride often in the rain is the main reason I havn't pulled my fender yet. I agree it looks awful, but it performs a function.

[siriuslyandrew]

I've done a few soaking wet rides and still ended up with a very, very soaked back and pack -- I figure if it's only blocking 15-20% of the water then what's the point. My CBR500 definitely had a properly functioning fender and it didn't look all *that* bad so I never thought to change it. But yeah.... if I'm getting soaked with it, probably won't be that different without it.

I was looking at the mirrors on our bikes and the mirrors are screwed into the same assembly that has the clutch lever and brake lever/reservoir attached to.... How the hell do I get rid of the mirrors and get a clean look when the mirror stalks stick up (or so it looks, I took a peek but didn't actually take it apart yet.) It looks like there will be ~1" of a stalk left on the handlebars which would look stupid as hell. Scratching my head at this one.

[AshesOfAnother]

I guess I have to thank my water gear for my clothes staying dry. I would use those stand offs for maybe a GPS or phone holder type thing. Or maybe a go pro mount.

[nycmalu]

Feb 10, 2016 2:05:05 GMT -6 AshesOfAnother said:

I guess I have to thank my water gear for my clothes staying dry. I would use those stand offs for maybe a GPS or phone holder type thing. Or maybe a go pro mount.

Definitely going to agree with you here, because my clothes did nothing in the wet. As stated above, I came out soaked in anything resembling rain, so yeah, that fender did next to nothing, so I axed it.

That being said, I went the Yoshimura route because, first, I don't have the tools needed to fabricate brackets, like an angle grinder or saws or anything like that. Second, it retains the stock blinkers, and has the LED strip to light up the plate. I don't know about other parts of the country, but NYPD can and will pull you over for smaller things than that. I've seen it in person, so I didn't want to deal with the headache. Unrelated, but the spacing of the blinkers is another thing I've seen people get pulled over for. The reasoning was that it doesn't give a clear indication of which direction you're heading. Third, I think it looks pretty clean, and I didn't mind splurging on it at the time.

[siriuslyandrew]

That does look very decent - and it looks like the bottom isn't super open without the stock fender which is nice. I thought there might have been some bigger openings with the stock unit removed but I couldn't remember.

I would be at the shop working on my bike except I missed my ride Then I could take the photos I need to finish my previous post and look more closely at the mirror mounts on the handle bars and take another look at the rear fender.

Maybe a Canadian supplier has a good deal on one of those fender eliminators....

[siriuslyandrew]

Hey guys - quick update on my project.

Test fitting the new bars;


So I got the old bars off, Jesus it makes me nervous thinking how easily everything came off lol. The grip came off with a little effort and a flat screwdriver, 2 screws and a plastic pin hold the switch pods in place and the brake reservoir/handle and clutch handle are held on literally by a simple little clamp. 

But that's not so bad I guess, I mean I ride in West Coast Amusements fair rides like the zipper. That's probably held together with rubber bands and toothpicks. Anyways, I'm a little concerned by the OSD of the new bars. They seem ever so slightly smaller than the old bars but I think it's just because of the grip glue thats stuck on the bars that made the removal of the throttle assembly and clutch so tough. They seemed pretty sturdy on the bar mounts without torquing the bolts down beyond what I could do with a tiny allen key.




The parts guy at the dealership recommended I just file off the plastic inserts from the switch pods and just let the screw clamps do their job but that makes me a little uneasy so I will just drill out the small notch for them after I do some test fitting and lining everything up.

Very excited to have this project finished. The black bars look really good on the black bike, something I didn't really have a preference for but turns out I really like. I've ordered a fender eliminator (aka a plate bracket) and I'm trying to workout the plate light solution. I have all summer to figure it out because it won't get dark till ~10pm by the time riding season starts. Also, the new bars are going to have these wide open holes at the ends and I'm looking for ideas to fill them. Either some weights or mirrors... but that would leave me with this problem;