Another Alternate Gauge Cluster

[Mark M]

Has anyone used one of these on their bikes?

http://trailtech.net/computers.html

Price is between the Acewell units and the Veypor, around $175 with a indicator dash and the mounting bracket. I like the looks better than the Veypor or the Acewell and size wise it fits nicely above the top triple clamp.

They seem to have a good reputation among the dual sport and super motard guys, but nothing beats 1st hand observations and experiences...

Thanks,
Mark

[seuadr]

i like the look of it. it seems pretty nice, specially with the aluminum guard.

[Mark M]

I did some searching on Thumper Talk after posting this and the Vapor has an excellent reputation among the offroaders there. Lots of people using them and they seem to stand up pretty well. If it lives in an offroad environment, it should be no problem on a street bike.

One guy did report problems in heavy rain and Trail Tech replaced the unit under warranty nearly a year after purchase. That's very good service, IMO.

Once I get more basics sorted on my 1100E, this is likely to go on to replace the OEM monster gauges that don't work properly anyway.

Mark

[JHawkins]

I think that would look awesome, plus clean up the front of the bike. I looked at the instructions, doesn't look very tough either.

[Busafied]

That is my next purchase for my aging KLR650-

He is correct about the off roaders and the like loving them.

[Mark M]

One thing I forgot to mention is that they have spark plug washer thermocouples for measuring ACTUAL head temps while crawling through traffic on hot days... They also offer oil temp and coolant temp sensors.

Mark

[humhead]

Thanks for the info on this. The shop that works on my bikes is listed as a dealer

[Mark M]

I sketched up an outline of the Vapor dash and indicator dashboard tonight and cut it out for an idea of what it would look like on my 1100E. It is tiny compared to my OEM gauges and would really clean up the look of the dash area behind that big headlight...

So, I will probably be ordering one in the next few days and will report on how it all works out as I get a chance to work on the bike.

Mark

[Mark M]

Just an update, a member of another list I am on (the MC Chassis Design List) posted about his very positive experiences with several of the Vapor units on racebikes and specials he has built. He has become a dealer because of his satisfaction with the product, and he is one of the fussiest people I have ran across in motorcycles. If anyone is interested, he may be able to do bulk buys for lower prices. I have no idea what "bulk" is, nor his prices, but it is worth looking at if there is interest in a group buy from the forum.

Mark

[aruyle79]

i am definatly interested, the 1100GL i have acquired, has no gauges at all. so i am in need of them, and like everyone has said, this looks as though it will clean up the bars a lot without the big gauges being on there. let me know whats gonna happen.

[Skateguy50]

Just curious what happens if you put on of these on is it to replace all the stock instruments? If so what happens to the odometer and how does that affect the title? I assume its a lost number at that point but if your looking to swap clusters anyways thats bound to happen.

still curious atm but the more I see and read the more I like the naked bike look especially the full cafe racer style, and a gauge like this would work well on a project like that. Maybe that can be a project for my wife over the winter, build her a cafe bike. Her to complaints on my 650 is its too heavy and to tall, and its the "L" model already. So a cut down lightened up, lowered seat cafe 450 or 250 would be loads of fun.

[Mark M]

i am definatly interested, the 1100GL i have acquired, has no gauges at all. so i am in need of them, and like everyone has said, this looks as though it will clean up the bars a lot without the big gauges being on there. let me know whats gonna happen.

I will email him and find out what the deal would be regarding a group buy from this forum. I will see if we can get price points per number of units and if he is even interested in a group buy outside the MC Chassis List.

Mark

[Mark M]

Just curious what happens if you put on of these on is it to replace all the stock instruments? If so what happens to the odometer and how does that affect the title? I assume its a lost number at that point but if your looking to swap clusters anyways thats bound to happen.

Good question. In Alberta, the odo reading is not a required thing for buying/selling vehicles. The odo on my 1100E is dead and was for the PO as well, so it already has an unknown number of km on it. If you were concerned, you could keep a record of the swap date, the original odo reading (maybe with a pic for proof) and then simply add the new number to it at the time of sale.

Mark

[Mark M]

Just curious what happens if you put on of these on is it to replace all the stock instruments? If so what happens to the odometer and how does that affect the title?

Brent answered a bunch of questions yesterday and one of them was on this subject. Turns out, you can go into the Vapor unit and set the odo to whatever starting value you want. So you could simply set it to start where your old odo left off.

Mark

[Mark M]

Pricing Info

I have some info on the pricing. The basic units, without the expandable dash go for around $90 on fleabay. Brent said that with a group buy of 10 units he could meet or slightly beat that price. The bonus would be that you get solid tech backing if needed and more personal service than from a fleabay seller.

Also, the price on the extra dash and the mounting plate would be cheaper from my contact than buying full retail or off fleabay, as they seem to be selling those for close to the full ticket price.

If anyone is interested, PM me and I will see if we have a decent sized group or not.

Mark