Modding the new bike- Stickers, PlastiDip, and other insanity...

[Elbiluco]

I like it very nice.
I post very little here as I am learning as I go.
Most of y'all have inspired me to look at my bike and see what I can change.
I bought my bike a couple of days before Christmas, rode it twice... ::26:: and broke my leg on Christmas day.
No, not on the bike. I wasn't even doing anything fun. It was raining, ran towards the house and slipped.
Ive been off work for a month now so all I can do is crank it up and wish! :'(
I hate that gap in front of bike where the fog lights go. This is just a preliminary idea, let me know what y'all think.
I don't care to pay 200 for the touratech part that goes in front of the bike.

 

[Don in Lodi]

I bought a filler from Longboard on here. Haven't seen him around lately though. Looks good. His original design has several lights built into it.

 

[FacePalm]

Elbiluco- what exactly did you do? Its hard to tell from the pic. I think the best use for that space is extra lighting- I'm planning to throw a rigid LED light bar there, as soon as I free up some funds

Don- ::006::

Everyone else- FASST FLEXX bars w/ G2 bar end kit & VStream Sport-Tour windscreen on order, should arrive next week. I plan to document the instal & give good reviews on both.
::008::

 

[Don in Lodi]

 

[JaimeV]

Has anyone seen or heard of a tail kit for the XT12? I am not riding a passenger and thought the arrow LED turn signal lights might mount into the rear bolt holes of the grab bars with little mod, and then move the license plate just under the luggage rack, below the brake lights... but then I will have to cut the plastic fender off and excess for license plate and stock turn signals and hope there is no water intrusion from underneath... which, if its even a little wet out, I am sure all splashes up in that exact spot. (this would all be with the Pyramid Hugger fender installed)

ANY IDEAS? COMMENTS?

This is how I did it: http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?topic=4157.msg95229#msg95229

 

[creggur]

I like it very nice.
I post very little here as I am learning as I go.
Most of y'all have inspired me to look at my bike and see what I can change.
I bought my bike a couple of days before Christmas, rode it twice... ::26:: and broke my leg on Christmas day.
No, not on the bike. I wasn't even doing anything fun. It was raining, ran towards the house and slipped.
Ive been off work for a month now so all I can do is crank it up and wish! :'(
I hate that gap in front of bike where the fog lights go. This is just a preliminary idea, let me know what y'all think.
I don't care to pay 200 for the touratech part that goes in front of the bike.

I've got the Longboard filler as well. Nice piece to fill the unsightly void...

Much less than the Touratech part...

 

[Elbiluco]

Where can I get the longboard piece and how much $$$$$?

 

[creggur]

Where can I get the longboard piece and how much $$$$$?

A member here - Longboard - produced them.. You might look up his profile and shoot him a PM - haven't seen him around here lately.

 

[FacePalm]

What can Brown Do for ME!
Whole lotta UPS Goodness just showed up at my doorstep ::012::

I'm sure by now you're thinking the same thing Brad Pitt was thinking at the end of the movie "Se7en"..."awww, whats in the BaahhX !?!"

Well, they would be Fasst FLEXX 15* Super Tenere handle bars, a Vstream Sport-Tour windshield, and an AltRider kickstand foot-plate.

First we'll install the handlebar. My main issue with the S10 has been the bar ergos. For some reason my right hand goes numb 10 minutes into a ride. Put many thousands of miles on various Harleys and never had this problem before. I've been drooling over a set of these Flexx bars anyway so I went all in- New bars, grips & grip puppies.

I also ordered a bar-end kit from G2 with the aluminum insert & tap, and picked up some grip glue.

Priorities! Need liquid refreshment to grease skids...raid the pre-Super Bowl Party stash... :question:...wait were's the Karl Strauss??? I specifically requested Karl...awWell, these'll hafta do.

So this is the current cockpit layout...
Hate the stock grips, guess I'm just used to the big thick custom grips on the Hog.

First thing I highly recommend doing is take some close up photos of the bar layout for future reference. This would include the "overhang" of the grips on the bar ends after the hand guards & weights have been removed.
Left-

Right-

Notice how far the throttle tube overhangs the end of the bar. The bar end weights fill this gap when installed.

I've learned the hard way that it only takes a few seconds to forget the WhatWhereWhy&How of something I just disassembled. ???

...

 

[FacePalm]

After taking copious photos of everything, the next thing to do is "Tap" the bar ends. I consider myself semi-mechanically inclined, so the fact that I've never tapped anything was a minor issue- just follow the instructions fool.
The G2 kit can be ordered with the needed 5/8 tap, and I decided to go with the aluminum threaded insert versus the nylon.
This is a four-handed job so if you dont have a sturdy vise, call a sturdy friend to hold the bars...

Since I dont have a "T" handle, just used the vise-grips.

Used WD-40 to lube the threads, took my time. Came out great!

Next up is putting it all back together. Yamaha actually put anti-rotation pins on the two switch housings & the throttle cable housing. Its a bad pic but you can kinda see the pin (more like a plastic nub) at the end of my screwdriver blade.

These will need to be removed unless you wanna take the time to figure out the exact placement of these items, then drill holes in your bar. I didnt really want to put myself through that, so I cut off the pins. The throttle cable housing is made of aluminum, so I had to sand that pin down with a rat-tail file. Took my time, did it right.

Basically the remainder involved just putting everything where it was supposed to go, & how I wanted it, and checking for interference lock to lock.

Results...

::26::
After about 150 miles with the new bars, I gotta say the ergos are 100% better. Between the change in bar angle, the softer grips & the grip-puppies, I'm really diggin' the new setup ::008::

Next up-

Vstream Sport-Tour Windshield pics & review...

::021::

 

[avc8130]

Why cut the nubs off the controls? It took me all of 2 mins to layout the three holes and drill the new bars. Nothing is more annoying that spinning controls. I would have NEVER suggested cutting the aluminum nub off the throttle since, by design, you are rotating it the whole time you ride.

Otherwise, looks AWESOME!

ac

 

[FacePalm]

Why cut the nubs off the controls? It took me all of 2 mins to layout the three holes and drill the new bars. Nothing is more annoying that spinning controls. I would have NEVER suggested cutting the aluminum nub off the throttle since, by design, you are rotating it the whole time you ride.

Otherwise, looks AWESOME!

ac

After having researched it to death, and talking to the techs at my local moto store who put a set of ProTapers on an S10 there, it seemed like no biggie. If it becomes a problem in the future, I'll deal with it. So far everythings holding tight. ::001::

 

[snakebitten]

After having researched it to death, and talking to the techs at my local moto store who put a set of ProTapers on an S10 there, it seemed like no biggie. If it becomes a problem in the future, I'll deal with it. So far everythings holding tight. ::001::

I did the same exact mod with the same exact G2 kit. Your post with pics was like seeing a replay. (Except I had a T-handle for the tap)

The one pic you didn't take was the one with the aluminum inserts installed. It looked really nice, didn't it? Those Flex bars and those inserts are quality stuff for sure.

Oh, I cut the control nubs off too. I agree that I hate turning controls, but on those bars, nothing is loose. Nice tight fit.

I hope they solve your numbness issue. For me it was sore shoulder blades because of that severe sweep of the OEM bars. The 15degree Flex bars opened up my hand-wrist-elbow-shoulder stance. World of difference!

Great job! And thanks for documenting it. I bet it helps someone in the future.

 

[FacePalm]

yah, there were several things I should have photographed but didnt cause I didnt think about it till too late. Should have taken a few more pics of the install, but most of the issues I ran into had to do with just needing an extra set of hands.

And while I like showing (off) what I've done, I've gotten so much help from these boards that it makes sense to do a little extra & document the 'How' for anyone needing a little help.
::008::

I'm gonna roll the bike out later today & take some photos of the Vstream & the new 3M reflective stickers I've installed. Took some the other night but they didnt come out too well with the flash. If you look closely in the last photo of the bars, the Vstream is installed, but you can hardly tell.

-Face

 

[avc8130]

Do the threaded inserts get Loctited in?

ac

 

[snakebitten]

Do the threaded inserts get Loctited in?

ac

You can if you want. I intended to if the directions they gave didn't suffice. But after doing what the instructions said, I was satisfied that it all felt secure.

However, I'm paying close attention to the end mount screw to see if it loosens up. If it does, I might look and see if the insert is the culprit and loctite it in.

 

[Dallara]

~

One thing you might consider with the threaded inserts...

Once you are absolutely sure you have them exactly where you want them in the bar you could easily stake them to prevent any movement. You could probably even use a punch on the *outside* of the handlebar in a couple of spots and then on the throttle side simply sand off any raised part from the punch. Using the punch on the outside should deform the threaded area enough to prevent the inserts from moving.

OTOH, I wouldn't worry too much about grinding off the pins. Motorcycles worked and operated wonderfully, and with no control rotation, for decades upon decades before manufacturers put pins on the controls and as long as you had them properly tightened there was never a problem. For the record, the pins aren't even there for the primary reason of rotation... Manufacturers started doing it on street bikes so that control and switch location would be uniform from showroom to showroom, and to make assembly less idiot proof for the guys who put 'em together at dealerships. Rarely to true techs put bikes together... It is usually an assembly service or newer service hires for most stores, as they can use lower-paid help for this repetitive task. After all, if control rotation is the aim then why aren't the brake and clutch lever perches pinned?

Dallara



~

 

[JaimeV]

Thanks for the post and pictures!!
I'm looking for a new handlebar (I bend mine ::010: so this helps a lot. ::012::

But I couldn't see or understand what you did with the inserts inside de handlebar, did you take it off?

 

[Poohbear]

I would never have cut the nibs off. It only takes a few minutes to drill the new bars to take the nibs then you are guaranteed that everyhting wil stay where you put it. In the UK loose control gear is an MOT fail so it's not worth taking any chances.

By the way Smirnoff Ice is a girls drink!

 

[fredz43]

~

After all, if control rotation is the aim then why aren't the brake and clutch lever perches pinned?

Dallara

~

Good points, as usual, Dallara. Just as an added point of fact, while the brake and clutch perches are not pinned, there are punch marks in the bars for proper location reference points for the set up assembly person.