Vetter fairing and trunk modifications- lots of photos

[GS1000G Shopper]

As with most projects, there were some setbacks. In this case, the supplier couldn't get one of the Cyberdyne gauges I wanted. My wife reminds me that everything happens for a reason, and in lieu of spending about $170 on four gauges, I found a multifunction gauge from Equus that is no longer in production. I paid $40 shipped for it on ebay, and it was new in box complete with senders. It is part number 6272A, has night illumination, and performs the following functions:

• Oil pressure
• Water (in my case oil) temperature
• Voltage
• RPM
• Inside temp
• Outside temp
• Clock/stopwatch

It will display (scan) the pressure-temp-volts-outside temp in 5 second intervals, or display only one function. How cool is it that he scanned values are the four gauges I was going to buy? it also has an LED for alerting to user-set values such as over temp, low pressure, etc. A lot of value for $40.

I will post another thread about the oil cooler and adapter I'm adding at the same time.

I was planning to mount the Equus in the radio opening (it is 6.5" W and 1.5" H so it would fit), but I thought since it is not water resistant, I should make it removable like the GPS unit. I made a new faceplate for the Cyclesound radio part, and added a 2x2 strip of aluminum angle on top to hold the GPS and gauge. I then cut out the GPS mounting from the old faceplate and bent the bracket 90 degrees to fit on top. Where I had the GPS would have blocked part of the speedometer anyway, so this needed to be done. The gauge will attach with Velcro, and I still have to wire it with a quick release multi-cavity plug- my Weatherpacks only go to 6 and are too bulky, so I will use a reduced size connector. The OEM connector on the back of the unit is like a PC hard drive cable- the pins can be easily bent, so I don't want to take it off more than I have to.

Here are some progress pics:






I still have like 100 things to do on this bike, but the list grows shorter every day.

[willie]

Wow! Do I ever like your style! Pleez keep those pics and info (with sources) coming. Oh, and keep up the good work!
Willie

[GS1000G Shopper]

I finished my wiring & testing for the dash unit. When I wired it as shown in the manual, it stayed on with the key off. As they say in one of the Lethal Weapon movies, it's always the red wire!

I reversed the "battery" (red) and "ignition" (purple) wires and it works as it should. I have no idea how many of these were sold, but I bet there are a few people with discharged batteries due to this.

I was able to use the wiring I had in place for the 4 gauge layout, but had to add a couple more since the Equus senders use two wires vs. just one.

I used a 12 pin Tyco Ampseal 16 connector and pins (part numbers below) from Allied Electronics to make a quick-release for the unit. It will attach to the bracket I made with Velcro.

Ampseal Parts:
1x 512-5379 12 position plug assembly $3.70
1x 512-5404 12 position cap assembly $3.51
13x 512-9826 Contact, socket 14-18 AWG $.52 ea
13x 512-9827 Contact, pin 14-18 AWG $.30 ea

Allied has a $25 minimum order or you pay a $5 charge. The Ampseal works a lot differently than does the Weatherpack I normally use. I found some instructions for how to assemble them here. Not the clearest, but in a nutshell, you have to pull the gray part out and then push in the contacts until they click, then push the gray part back to lock them. On the plug, this was easy. On the cap, I didn't have the tool they showed, so I used a small screwdriver to push the gray part out- it fell out, bit it went right back in, and it only goes one way.

I had to relocate the oil pressure sender, as it was in the way of the bottom of one of the carbs when I went to put them back on. Photos of this are in the other thread linked above.

Here is another picture and a short video showing the photocell in operation:
Wiring connectors:


Wiring diagram:


Video-

[GS1000G Shopper]

Plan C

Time for plan C. The Equus has a safety alert for low oil pressure that can't be shut off or modified, and the GS doesn't make enough pressure to keep it happy.

I had some old (say 20 years old) Equus single oil temp and air temp (thermometer) 2" gauges from an incomplete project that were new in box. I picked up a similar (black dial & letters, white needle) Teleflex marine voltmeter for $15 shipped. It has a slightly larger bezel than the others, hence the tighter fit. I had to file one edge to get it to clear.

I mounted the oil temp sender in the same location as the other unit, and will add a 15 PSI oil pressure gauge where the old pressure sender was- the gauge will be slightly smaller. The air temp sensor was mounted under the fairing on one of the mounting rails.

After looking things over, I went ahead and mounted them in the radio part of the Cyclesound housing.

Here's the final outcome. There is the top bracket for the GPS/Audio unit that is not installed in these pics:

[Planecrazy]

Time for plan C. The Equus has a safety alert for low oil pressure that can't be shut off or modified, and the GS doesn't make enough pressure to keep it happy.

I'll bet you could probably go with a different sending unit, that would fool the Equus into thinking the pressure was "different" than what it actually is. I presume that the unit is receiving an electronic signal to indicate oil pressure, so by experimenting with different sending units you could probably find one that would provide a "normal" for the Equus, as well as a "no oil pressure" threshold.

...just a thought.

Regards,

[GS1000G Shopper]

It occurred to me after I pulled the sender that these senders use variable resistance to give a reading. I should be able to plug in a resistor of x value and have the gauge read xx PSI. Having a non-working gauge really defeats the purpose of the setup though. I think I'll like the current setup, plus the price was right.

Someday I'll put some nice digital gauges on it. I just added a VEI Systems dual digital oil press/temp gauge to my Concours & it is really nice, albeit about $150 for everything.

[Planecrazy]

Having a non-working gauge really defeats the purpose of the setup though.

My original thought (that I guess I didn't convey effectively) was that with some experimentation you could have created an equivalent reading (for example, 50psi would really mean 5psi, etc.) so that the gauge, despite showing a different pressure than actual, would still be a functional (and meaningful) gauge because you could still rely on it to indicate proper operation or a faulty condition.

Looks like you have come up with a nice alternative, however ... Rock on!

Regards,

[makenzie71]

You do know that popping that "HID" kit into that housing is basically defeating the entire purpose of having high intensity lighting, right? You'll have about 75% of the usable light you would have with a standard halogen bulb.

[GS1000G Shopper]

Planecrazy,
I understand now what you meant. I didn't think of a proportional variable resistor. I'm happy with the end result so far though.

makenzie71,
That lighting allegation has been made. I don't have any factual experience to support it. I've had good results on my 2009 Dodge & 2006 Concours with aftermarket HID. I've operated both with normal halogens before and then the HID, so I have a baseline for which to compare them. The HID generates a great deal more usable light, not only in range but in actual illumination (objects at roadside, signs, etc. all stand out more).

On the Concours (and now the GS), there was a cap on the front of the bulb that I removed after reading a write up on the Concours site. Perhaps if this cap were left in place, it would diminish the light output to be less than that of a Halogen.

[makenzie71]

makenzie71,
That lighting allegation has been made. I don't have any factual experience to support it. I've had good results on my 2009 Dodge & 2006 Concours with aftermarket HID. I've operated both with normal halogens before and then the HID, so I have a baseline for which to compare them. The HID generates a great deal more usable light, not only in range but in actual illumination (objects at roadside, signs, etc. all stand out more).

On the Concours (and now the GS), there was a cap on the front of the bulb that I removed after reading a write up on the Concours site. Perhaps if this cap were left in place, it would diminish the light output to be less than that of a Halogen.

Would you like real information as to why it is bad, or are you stuck in your ways to the point that it doesn't matter what anyone tells you?

[Planecrazy]

Would you like real information as to why it is bad, or are you stuck in your ways to the point that it doesn't matter what anyone tells you?

With all due respect, don't you think it's a rather presumptuous of you to believe that any statistics you could possibly provide (true or otherwise) would trump the "actual positive results" he's experienced on two of his own vehicles? I think this is an area that can easily be classified as "individual mileage will vary."

Some vehicles don't benefit from HID upgrades because the housings and lenses weren't designed for them and consequently they don't provide a big benefit (or any benefit at all). Other vehicles can perform quite well with the mod. In this case we have a situation where not one but TWO vehicles have been improved significantly (in his experience) versus stock, so for you to suggest something other than what he's already experienced isn't likely to be taken very seriously, especially when presented "with attitude," which is how your response came across whether you intended it that way or not ... just saying.

Regards,

[makenzie71]

With all due respect, don't you think it's a rather presumptuous of you...

No, and it's because I understand the illusion as it really is. I see, myself, every day why people think they're getting more light.

[Planecrazy]

No, and it's because I understand the illusion as it really is. I see, myself, every day why people think they're getting more light.

Well, then please share what you know. It'll be interesting to see if there's any additional info I wasn't already aware of. I've seen other threads on doing an HID mod to a motorcycle, so I'm aware of some of the issues. I've not been tempted to go HID myself, mainly because I've been running a Silverstar for many years now with excellent results over stock.

Regards,

[GS1000G Shopper]

I'm not sure why this member has felt the need to thread crap here, but the upside is that I have found that this forum software has an ignore user feature.

If someone wants to discuss something else, please start another thread.

Thanks.

[Planecrazy]

With all the nice modifications you've got going I was reminded of the KG trunk upgrade I did some years ago, by adding a LED brake light to the top of it. I thought that others might be interested in seeing what I did, so I created a thread on it here... Click Me!

Regards,