Extra Lighting Part 4.

Extra Lighting Part 4.

Ok, so as of last time I haven't had chance to fit the new lights yet to the bike but, I'll document the process so far. We are virtually at the point of fitting anyway.

First up we need to momentarily tack our lights to our brackets with some glue. I used some super glue in fact I used a lot, it was more of a permanent bond, however we need them interchangeable. If one fails in future we want to have the possibility of being able to swap it out. The glue can be prised apart with a screw driver but for for now we can drill through our holes, through the bracket and use our nuts and bolts of a decent size as our main means of fixing. The glue will help to also keep the light fixed however should the bolts vibrate out over time without you realising. I just used a pack of assorted bolts I picked up at the pound store again while checking through the tools and thought they would be good especially for this, maybe an M4 thread ? I'm not sure without checking. But any small nut & bolt, small enough to fit through the holes (I drilled them out slightly 

bigger, just can't go too big) and long enough to fit through the light and bracket together and have a nut tightened.

I just used a pack of assorted bolts I picked up at the pound store, again while checking through the tools and thought they would be good especially for this, maybe an M4 thread ? I'm not sure without checking with a die or thread gauge. But any small nut & bolt, small enough to fit through the holes (I drilled them out slightly bigger using my Vernier to check the drill diameter in regard to the bolt diameter, just can't go too big a nice snug fit) and long enough to fit through the light and bracket together and have a nut tightened. Be careful when drilling, when it burst through the back of the bracket the weight of the drill came down quick and the chuck just nicked the inner edge of the light's aluminium casing. It's not a problem as it will be painted anyway but if it came down with any more force it could crack the magnifying lense. Of course it wouldn't of happened if I was using my vertical bench drill but it's a lot of hassle setting it up just for this and I'm guessing most people would just be using a hand drill in the same way such as this. This is because the bracket is thin as opposed to thick metal and just punches straight through. And will take you by surprise.

They look ok enough to mount as is and you may prefer them aluminum. We will use some black Hammerite paint on the brackets and lights here though as the bike is black and it also doesn't make them stand out and look more natural on the bike. Hammerite can go on straight to metal without a primer and is much less of a hassle in that regard than other auto type paint. Make sure to mask off the lense to not get paint on it, a sharp scalpel / Stanley knife can be used to trim the masking tape off around the lense perfectly. If you do get paint on the lense, better waiting till dry then scrape off lightly with the tip of a flat head screwdriver being careful not to scratch the lense. If you wipe it you could smear it further thinning it out when dry, making it harder to remove / break off.

After this is done, I turn my attention back to the wiring and the (red) 'positive' wire from the lights at the front towards the back (batteries). The positive wire is where it's best for us to place our switch on (in most circuits). This is the wire where there's load and when switched off should anything happen is disrupted in flow. As opposed to just the circuit being broken if placed on the negative wire.

I check there is enough length from the lights at the front up to the visor / handlebar area where the switch will be mounted with some extra length to spare just in case it gets mounted somewhere else in the area instead or I need to cut a bit off and re strip / fit again. I plan on mounting the switch on that plastic piece just below the visor. That part cost about £50.00 to replace so I had better drill the hole nice and neatly and get it right if I do. If not somewhere on one of those quarter panels.

I used some more of the female type connectors I used earlier as the switch has the male type built in. A (red) positive wire connects to one connector on the switch, then another positive wire off the other one to go on to join the positive on the battery. I removed the plastic cover to the female connectors when crimping onto the wire and chose to use a little red heat shrink wrap sleeve instead. Remember to pop it on over the wire first other wise you wont get it over the connector. Those plastic connectors can be a bit scruffy after crimped. You can remove them by just pulling them off with two pairs of pliers or by putting the plastic bit in the vice and pulling the connector off. If you want to make sure the connector is crimped as tightly as possible after using the crimping tool you can use some pliers and put extra pressure on, heck in fact you could probably use pliers if you don't have the proper crimping tool anyway but it helps form a better rounded crimp shape. You could always add a little solder but I didn't here. Pliers after because removing the plastic diameter may affect the crimp from the pre-set tool!

Then I test the lights to make sure the drilling hasn't damaged them in anyway. I also check the switch works ok (may add video later, if there's any point. It would be a very boring video after all) by just touching the one remaining switch connector briefly to the battery electrode and turning the switch on and off everything works fine. I don't want to mount the switch then find I have a macaroni switch I need to replace later on. I also know I need to order and add another switch to the circuit to act as a main cut off switch and locate it down under the rear seat so I can turn it off when parked up. This switch will just act as a function switch. Otherwise there's nothing stopping the battery from being drained if switched on when stationary. If I switch the switch off under the seat it's off permanently. Since I get my locks out from there it won't be a hassle.

Speedometer.

It looks as though the wires under the speedo mentioned in the last blog were pulled by someone sticking their hand under there, as just like me everyone says one screw could've vibrated out but three or four wires in the same place wouldn't come out together, especially with one connector snapped by force. And there's no way anything would've snagged up there or even got up there while driving (sorry riding) with the fairing. It's all back and working fine anyway, in fact I think the connectors I put on were even better then the previous ones. As for the screw to replace properly I can't just buy one in spares so I need to find a match from somewhere. It's not worth £50.00 for a whole new speedo just for a screw! I think most electrical screws have a M3.5 thread, so I'll take a gamble on of those. Whether someone was fiddling under there trying to feel around for / find wires to try steal the bike when parked (most likely) I don't know? They would've had all the locks to deal with too but there you go. I think I'll take my hot glue gun and cover all the screws with a dollop of hot glue to stop them falling out along with some thread lock. The glue can be peeled back / pulled off with a finger nail if you need to remove a screw but would stop them coming out.

Changing speedometer gauge bulbs & Lextek backbox.

Extra lighting update.

Things are coming along nicely with the extra lighting, however I've realised the set up needs another switch, kind of a main switch under the back seat so it can be switched off permanently regardless of the current switch and not left switched on draining the battery when parked up (or by fiddlers). I'm also finding time to permanently fix down the lights in place, as I use the bike for transport and it's likely they will be put in place with glue / epoxy (tacked in place) before being drilled and bolted. This will stop them moving about and all the awkwardness, however I also know it will stop them being adjusted left to right so I'm not quite sure. I also want to get them positioned and drilled / bolted in as much of a mirror image as possible. Trying to do that when you have to use the bike is a bugbear. But that's all for the next blog.

Changing speedometer gauge bulbs.

In the meantime however, trying to think of something useful to add to the blog for XTRS owners. I thought about the Speedometer bulbs since I had one to change. The bulbs in the gauges are T10 size the same as the riding light. And yes, you could try L.E.Ds in there, I briefly tried one it lasted longer than they did in the riding light but still ultimately blew. And about that, on dismantling the T10 L.E.Ds the 'resistors' had blew (breaking the circuit at the same time) not the L.E.D itself. When connecting the L.E.D electrodes to power it lit right up. How well they would fair without the resistor is anybodies guess? With some fuse wire and a soldering iron I may be able to get one or two functioning again without the resistor to test just out of curiosity. So a T10 bulb will do, yes the brighter or 'whiter' the light the better but, I really wouldn't go wasting Xenon T10 bulbs in there if you don't need to as long as it lights up at night and is visible, I wouldn't go too to town on the gauge, unless you can find a decent brand of L.E.Ds that last the distance.

Now, you don't need to take the gauge off completely as above. You can get away with removing the two little panels at the top on the sides and just undoing the one gauge locking nut for a bit of leverage, if you need to change any of the two main bulbs at each end (remember there are other bulbs, like neutral light etc). Remember though if you do, you need to disconnect / unscrew the speedo cable.

The bulbs are positioned where those brown and green wires go into the black rubber plugs. Just pull these plugs out and the blub will be on the end. They don't give you much to pull them out except grabbing by the wires, I would advise using a screw driver to lift them out however if you can. It looks as though one of mine is intermittent and one of the wires was pulled out the rubber slightly at some point or other, although I pushed it back in with a precision screwdriver and put a drop of cyno acrylate glue over the top to hold it in place, I don't feel right without a proper replacement. I ordered a replacement off eBay under 'T10 bulb holder' on the search bar. You will see the correct type as you look, you might also see the type for the front riding light with the twist lock, if you wish to get a spare now they're not expensive, if not you know where to find them. 

It would just require me to cut the old one off and solder / heat-shrink wrap the new one on. I've no doubt that over time I'll likely have to do this again due to the same problem occurring again on another plug anyway. Maybe a bit of lubrication on the plug would make it easier for the next time it needs to be pulled out?

Also, when I look at the above picture, I noticed two of the wires (the loose black one and the green) aren't connected. In fact the loop connector had snapped in two from it's screw down. Just how long this has been like this I don't know? I didn't notice anything untoward happening with it disconnected however?? Anyway, I have some loop connectors and stripped the wire back and put a new one on,put some fresh black heat-shrink wrap on and connected it back up (below). It's a better quality loop connector I've put on anyway, much thicker neck and shouldn't snap. 

I must say it's had me baffled, black is usually a negative polarity wire but so is green being used as a polarity wire into the bulbs and I'm guessing it's the negative, as brown / red are usually positive. Without a multimeter or wiring diagram I couldn't guess but it's back where it belongs anyway. It's behind the fuel gauge and the motor for the arm is working anyway. Is it a sensor wire from the fuel tank float? I'm not sure but I would've thought that it would register no fuel without the signal, which it wasn't. A mystery. The green one I had to find a temporary screw for, so what went on there I've got no idea? Someone pissing about with it while parked up? I don't know. With that and the bulb wire pulled out is like someone has put their hand underneath and pulled / yanked at the wires. It didn't look like that the last time I had it off, and it wasn't all that long ago for this blog. Strange.

Using T5 bulbs in a T10 slot.

I have 3 spare T10 bulbs, however I have two small boxes full to the brim of smaller T5 size bulbs. The bulbs are smaller but can be adjusted to fit the T10 socket as they are the same spec power wise. T5 bulbs are also used as speedo gauge bulbs and provide just as decent enough light for the task. The only thing is with their size they might not contain as much gas as a T10 bulb and would need changing / die out quicker.

Now I'm going to show you how to do this as people have been doing so with cars in emergencies for years, obviously if you're buying new then buy T10s but if it's an emergency or you have some to hand like me then it's fair enough.

First we need to thicken the tab on the end up a little. Carefully with your thumb nail or a small screwdriver bend back the wire legs out of the way as shown in the picture.

Then take a small strip of masking tape, cut the tape in half horizontally, and then cut that in the same way once more.

Then take one of these strips and wrap it around the tab to thicken it. Using the tip of the screwdriver bend the tips of the electrodes facing opposite directions as shown below. When it comes to putting the bulb into the holder you will have to adjust the electrodes a little more, the bulb should sit right in the middle and the electrodes make good contact with the plug contacts and they will light just fine. As long as the tab is thick enough and it's a good snug fit, there should be no vibration worries (vibrating out).

This one has gone into my main speed gauge on the left and lights up adequately well enough (below).

At night on this bike it's hard to see the smaller tiny MPH markings anyway however at a quick glance, you have to take a good look, you generally have to remember where about in MPH it is in KMH on the clock if you want to keep your eyes on the road. It would be better if the MPH had the priority on the clock, I guess this is an advantage with newer digital clocks being selectable between the two. It's still good to have it lit up though in case of any speed cameras and having to be as sure as you can how fast you're going. Just remember this is more of a bodge than anything but if done right it's fine. I just had a load of T5 bulbs lying around and needed to change a bulb and thought the extra knowledge might come in handy for anyone reading.

Lextek luggage back box and luggage rack. 

Now I bought the package deal with the two together but you can get them separately. The rack of course will also fit the Honda CBR 125 the bike is based on. And the rack on it's own can be used to carry different kinds of luggage with bungee straps or a bungee cargo net etc. But in this case it's going to accommodate the Lextek box. Now I've bought the smaller box itself, they do a larger 52 Litre box as well. The smaller box however is fine for most needs together with my large motorcycle rucksack you can get a decent bit of shopping between the two while getting the fuel saving of using the bike. You can fit your helmet & gloves in while in the shop etc which comes as a god send after a while. I can clip my helmet onto my rucksack but there comes a time when you don't need to go out with the rucksack and the box is just enough for what you need to pick up. Flat horizontally it can fit 2x 2 litre bottles with obvious room for more on top of them with room for a few other things in front & in the top area of the box so it will take things like pop and water bottles fine within reason of amount (I've took 4 bottles with other things so far). I've even fit horizontally a big multi-pack of toilet rolls on top of the bottles, just the corners of the plastic cover poked over the edge but it still shut and locked. It's a decent enough size coupled with the back pack for most things.

Anything bigger you will have to use just the rack and your ingenuity to get it on. With a full load you will notice the extra weight at times and as long as you don't go hammering it into corners or around roundabouts and take it easy on the bike you should be fine. I know you see people in the east on You Tube carrying cattle, and large bags of potatoes on the back of 125s !! So a bit of shopping shouldn't be that bad. You get all the fixing kit, bolts and brackets. The bolts are of the cheaper Chinese type (thinking maybe they'll rust) you might want to change them at a later date for steel of the same type but, they're fine for immediate use and hold well. The box itself is of very good quality.  

When it came to attaching my rack it was very tight and it wouldn't go on. In fact it wasn't just tight it was beyond the attach point, I had to take a file to each of the four mounting points and file a little off each one before it would fit, I would say it was well over it's tolerances in manufacture but that was probably just mine and I got the macaroni one. I couldn't be bothered to send it back so got the file and made it fit. The bolts again are of the Chinese cheaper type and have gone rusty on the outside so I will remove one, check it's sizes and buy stainless steel replacements.   

All in all they are a recommended buy for the bike regardless, even if you prefer to have the looks without the box on the practicality of one soon wins you over. I just wish the Chinese would stop putting shit screws / bolts on good decent products to cut corners, you only end up replacing them for better bolts anyway.

[edit in pictures later]

Extra Lighting Part 3.

Extra Lighting Part 3.

Right well, I've been quite busy recently so I haven't had much time to get on and get this extra lighting finished completely but, I have had time to get a little bit more done.

First I decided which terminals / connectors to use after cutting the strobe unit from the L.E.Ds. I choose to leave a little wire on the strobe unit just in case I decide to use it later on for something (you can use whichever type of connector you want / prefer). I used a pair of terminal crimpers but the L.E.D's wire is very thin & required me to crimp the majority of the length of the connector as well as removing enough plastic sheath to bend back and double up the wire, to thicken it slightly. You could solder it on but the plastic cover would have to be removed and you would most likely need to add some heat shrink wrap, to stop it shorting. 

I chose to use the female connectors on the L.E.Ds, as the battery has male connectors (for testing). The main wire loom I produce will have the male connectors as well. This just means that they can be removed by unplugging should the front headlight panel need removing or you need to remove a bracket in future etc. The smallest connectors all have a red plastic sheath, it's a key that's marked to the crimping tool. The red dot point on the crimping tool is the place red sheath connectors are crimped at, so it's crimped correctly. It's all pre thought out in a standards sense. I coloured the negative (-) connector with a marker just in case there's a mix up with the polarity fumbling around under the inside of the headlight panel. The connectors for a certain diameter are all red due to the standards, the only way around it is to remove the sheath & use the correct colour heatshrink tubing or use a marker like above. As long as you know which wire is which it doesn't really matter. The male ones are all blue in the same manner, so it doesn't relate to polarity.

Testing the two L.E.Ds on the battery without the strobe, also testing the new connectors are crimped correctly. It all works fine. As mentioned before, this battery is a rechargeable 12 volt alarm battery, model 'Power Sonic PS 1213' I think it says on the picture below?

Next we can get back to the brackets. Getting them back under the install point under the front headlight panel. They're still a bit too tall to fit comfortably, so I cut off 2cm off the length of the front facing part of the bracket (the part I chose to be the front, it's a 90 degree bracket after all). I'm concentrating on one bracket only (right hand side) and we will see why later on.

After checking once more the one corner is still impeding free movement so I mark it up and cut it off.

Using some masking tape and a bit of fiddling we tape the bracket to the bottom of the headlight panel and the L.E.D to the bracket itself to get our position correct. A slight slot can be cut in the bracket to bend the wire back later on, although it's not really necessary. Once in position we get our permanent marker pen (as fine as possible) or you might get away with a sharp pencil if it marks the bracket fine, and draw around the circumference of the L.E.D and mark if we can the hole points for orientation. It's better to mount diagonally here with the holes, also the wire is nearer to the bottom, just where we want it.

We can remove the excess material marked in black at the top, so it's just rounded off. All we will see when we look at it is the L.E.D and it will sit flush, I also plan on painting the bracket and L.E.D casing black with Hammerite so it won't really be visible when finished. 

You can remove it with a hacksaw as best as possible then file, that's what I did as I had the two tools right there in front of me. Or I could of turned the grinder on and ground it all off. Whichever suits you it doesn't have to be a perfect finish, it won't really be seen under there. Just watch for any sharp burr on the edges and file it away as necessary.

Right, now we have the one bracket done we can use this as a guide for our other one. Now the other side of the bike is a mirror image to the one we've just looked at. So we don't just need a copy of the bracket but a mirror image of it! The easy way to do this is to place both brackets facing each other on a flat surface, so they're both level. Then using either a clamp or simple tape, join them together and use one as a template, draw around it and cut and file it to match the other bracket.

Your left with a pair of matching brackets for either side, you will have to once again use masking tape and fiddle the same way on the left side to mark the L.E.D position properly.

Adjusting chain & changing rear bulb.

Adjusting chain.

After realising my chain had gotten very slack all of a sudden & I mean very, the paint work on the swing arm was grazed slightly. I knew I had no choice but to adjust it straight away.

Over time a bikes chain does stretch which creates slack in the hanging chain, to counter this manufacturers add a slot instead of just a hole to the swing arm where the wheel connects. They add adjustment bolts / nuts to the back of the swing arm to allow for the wheel to be adjusted or pulled back slightly to add tension to the chain. There is usually some sort of marker or increment system on each side so you know both sides of the wheel are set to the correct position.

First of all we need to get the wheel of the ground a touch. The bike has no center stand to raise the wheel so once again we need to use a jack. We cant lift from the ideal side of the bike because the exhaust is in the way and it is a pain to have to remove it all just for this quick job. So instead we come around from the other side and I choose to position the jack at the point just under the suspension / rear shock on the swing arm as anywhere further forward would just push the swing arm on it's travel. I place a small piece of wood on top of the jack point so it protects the swing arm from the jagged metal of the jack. 

 

Now, like mentioned before, we only need to lift the bike's rear wheel a touch off the ground. Anywhere between half a centimeter to 2cm is fine, while doing this remember not to neglect the weight of the bike is on the side stand and as such we are lifting the bike from the same side. So to stop it from toppling over gentle downward  pressure on the handle bar as you very slowly lift to adjust the downward pressure on the side stand other wise the bike will topple if you lift the side stand off the ground! The side stand should slowly slide forward along the ground re-adjusting it's angle. That's why lifting from the other side was preferred to begin with. But seeing as we only need it a touch off the ground it shouldn't be a problem.

Once this is done you can begin. by undoing the main wheel spindle /bolt nut, just slacken it off. Personally I loosened mine off while the wheel was on the ground, in case I needed to give it some to loosen it, knocking the bike over. Then I loosened it some more while in the air. Once that's done you can then loosen off the adjusting nuts at the back of each end of the swing arm. Not too much about a centimeter off for now.

If we look at the above picture we can see the notches or increments on the swing arm and the one on the gold coloured plate. It's the same either side and is what we use to make sure both sides of the wheel are in the same position, by watching these as you grab and pull the wheel back to retention the chain make sure both sides are at the same correct point. You may find the process easier if you just tighten the main nut a slight bit then it shouldn't move once you let go. Some prefer to put each side back exactly on a marker, in my case just by how much slack the chain had it wasn't possible and I had to put it back exactly between two markers (on either side of course).

Once this has been done you can tighten up the main bolt. You may have noticed that on this bike there isn't a castle nut / split pin config, just a nut. And there is nothing stopping the nut from coming off, if it's not TIGHT!

I actually wonder about adding an extra locking nut if I can find a thin one in the same thread type just for piece of mind. Like we did with the foot pegs. It would have to be thin as there is not much thread left on the end of the spindle once the bolt has gone on. A locking nut placed behind will stop the main one from working loose.

When this has been done you can tighten the adjusting nuts back up and align the plates. Once again there is no locking nut on these like other bikes but, if you wish there's plenty of room to add another on the thread.

That should be it to adjusting the chain. The Haynes manual on Chinese, Korean and Taiwanese motorcycles has more info on measuring the correct amount of chain slack when adjusting bikes but we will leave that up to you. How much the original chain is able to stretch by I'm not sure but, Lextek do some after market chains for the bike should you wish to change it. Personally you might find it better to have it changed the same time as a rear tyre at a garage, as the wheel has to come of anyway for that. And just adjust the current one while there is headroom left.

Changing rear bulb.

Ok, so after taking a look at the back of the bike the only real thing is a nut under the glove box (rear seat) which initially to me looked like it could remove the whole light unit, leaving you to put a new bulb in from behind. That's exactly what it did do and how you go about it. Just push the black tab the bolt was holding down then wiggle the lense with you other hand. Twist the bulb holder to remove the bulb. The L.E.D bulbs I purchased really weren't very bright at all and while ok for night use were not that visible in the day. I put the original bulb back in and will look to use a different type of L.E.D bulb in the near future. You may actually find it beneficial to buy an red tail light unit if like me you have the clear unit. The white bulbs & L.E.Ds are easier to come by in an emergency. The online breakers are selling them for about £10-£15 on eBay all the time. It's something I may consider regardless of the clear ones looking better. Of course everything go's back in the reverse order.

I might also make a note of some bikes toolkits included in the back seeing as it's seen here, mine was missing when I bought mine but you can pick up a few tools or add them to the existing kit no problem. You never know when a panel or something might work loose, when out on the road for example and you need to pull over and fix the issue or just need to adjust something minor without going out to the shed. Tie wraps are always a good addition, if something does ever work loose and you can't fix it till you get home or the screw has come out it's a good temporary solution. They can always help with the oddest of luggage problems too, to help lock stuff down. Mini pliers help keep space taken up to a minimum, as do the screw drivers that take the assorted bits, meaning you don't need to fill the back up with different screwdrivers. A few spanners of the type you mainly need, these drop forged spanners can be picked up in sets for £1 in £1 stores these days, as can most of the tools you need, so you don't need to spend a fortune to be ready while out on the road. For the sake of a quid here and there it's worth popping in and having a nose, the quality of the tools is actually a lot better than you would think these days. And you don't need to buy the best tools money can buy just to go in the back of the bike, you can keep those in your tool box at home. Lets face it the tools included in all the bikes are not usually the best quality anyway, not even up to market / £1 shop standard. Some cheap soft Chinese stuff just to do the job, where as an extra long large screw driver I picked up for a quid the other day was hardened and made in Europe, it's worth a look now and then, even if you want to keep your good tools in good condition, while using the cheap ones. You never know what you might find that's ideal & small for in the back of the bike!

 

The nut can be seen above.

Extra Lighting Part 2.

Extra Lighting Part 2.

Ok, so after a recent problem with my battery going flat at night on one of the most dodgy roads in the area, whilst not being able have my lights on for my engine cutting out and then being guided back by someone in a car with headlights positioned right behind me (so I can also be seen as well as see) on the way home, I've decided it is a necessary addition. 

Along with the extra lighting being powered by a separate 12 volt battery should the same thing ever happen again. There will also be attachments to connect straight to the main battery still. In theory that could also serve to attach the other batt to the system if the main one is absolutely dead and leech from it, although I only intend to connect one at a time.

The battery needs to be 12 volt and small as it will likely be placed in the glove box under the passenger seat (while still allowing decent room) and should be rechargeable so I can charge it every now and then as needed with the 12 Volt charger, as well as being charged by the bikes system if ever leeched from. Now it's only 1.2 amp hour so if ever leeched from it might only be suitable to get you home locally (5 / 10 mins away at night with lights on. In the day it wont matter as long as you can get the bike started / keep it started then it will get you back off the stator). The ideal suspect was an alarm battery on eBay for £7.00.

The connections on the battery were the standard terminal type like on the big switch I bought for the project. I connected up the L.E.D lights in tandem and they worked a charm. Now remember L.E.Ds work with much less power so the battery might not need charging quite as often as you think. Obviously that depends on how much they are used, but if only for emergency I'd say check the battery every fortnight if it needs topping up.

Now when it comes to my battery problem, again it could be a fault the bike has with it's charging system. A new battery was recently installed, however I haven't really been riding it in a way that would significantly charge the battery. I only ride it for 5 to 10 minute journeys around town at the moment and I've been told it takes about 15 minutes of use to recharge the amount from a single button push start on a 125. I've also been riding it nice and easy to save fuel, however 125s like to hit higher revs to generate more charge on the stator as the magnet on the flywheel  passes through the coils more in a given time, each time generating electricity. If you drive to around 6000-8000 revs watch the voltage gauge just after rise right up. If you ever have battery issues this can also help you get back home. Riding at higher revs in 4th for a while might help instead of easy in fifth while at road speed. Obviously be sensible don't go too high and knacker the engine, be sensible in 1st and 2nd just give 3rd and forth a bit of a poke.

It's also winter and the cold weather overnight doesn't help the battery.

I've gotten a replacement regulator rectifier anyway, although I since found out there's two a 2 pin and a 1 pin plug version, I've been sent the 1 pin and there's a good chance mine is 2 pin. The later models are two pin. I will have to look and see, if I can remember where I saw the regulator previously, I don't want to start pulling things off to look for it. I'd rather know where it is to start with. Other than that the stator could be at fault with not charging enough.

A voltage regulator problem could be connected with the L.E.D blow outs before too but, for now recharged it seems fine. I did check the inside of one previous riding light blown L.E.D and the resistor had gone, one leg had snapped or melted through, so I put that down to crap quality resistors / components anyway but the other ones from the pack worked in the gauge just fine off the same electrical system, so that's a mystery? Maybe the problem is the winter cold air on the riding light facing forward while being heated by the electricity running through it at he same time? The gauge is extra shielded from the elements so there's no stress on the component hence it lasts. This usually makes things brittle, for example a pane of glass that's hot one side can crack when it's freezing cold on the other and metal can break when heated and then cooled. Other than that is the output to the line for the riding light spiking or generally higher than the gauge? Since they're both powering T10s I doubt the output is any different.

Anyway, it's also because of this that I want these L.E.Ds running off a separate power supply at this point in time until I sort it. I don't want to blow them after all the effort. 

Brackets.

We will get started here with the brackets for mounting. We will need our aluminum strip from before and revisit the area we are mounting to with a steel rule or tape measure to get our sizes. Remember we will need to add a little tolerance for the bend. And we can cut off any excess later to get it to fit after re-checking fitting with the bracket itself. It's better to have a little over to cut off than have less area to work with because the bend took it away. Other tools you will need are a permanent pen or pencil for marking, a hacksaw, and a file for removing the burr or sharp edges after cutting. A clamp like a g-clamp will work best along with a mallet to bend the aluminum (a hammer striking on a piece of wood resting on the aluminum should also work. A hammer on it's own will damage the bracket). A decent work surface with a flat edge like a workbench /workmate is fine. I've just used the top of my little decorating steps for this which was next to the bike in the garage to save carrying my workmate out. As long as it's sturdy and has a flat edge it should be fine.

It's going to be on a slight angle because of the shape of the molding. I see about two and a half inches of usable length, I'm going to make it three inches to allow for the bend and cut the excess off later for both brackets (it's just a mirror image the other side)

.

Mark out your three inches then mark another three inches from that line, as we want near equal length either side of the bend on our bracket. It doesn't have to be bang on accurate, just accurate enough and consistency between each bracket you make would be welcome. I wouldn't worry about a millimeter or two on the finished bracket at the end.

Using the clamp like above clamp the strip down and cut it off at the second marker line, then clean the burr off both ends with a file to A stop you cutting yourself and B not scratch up the bike unnecessarily when checking.

Take your piece and line up the marker with the flat edge of the work surface and clamp it down, then hit the over hanging side with the mallet bending it into our bracket shape then repeat for the other one to get both our brackets.

And there we have our brackets. Next time around we'll take a look at our trimming the brackets to fit and our wiring situation and attaching our lights to the brackets themselves etc.

After market bar grips.

After market bar grips.

Just a quickie while we wait (oh err) to find a few connectors out the shed for the extra lighting part 2 as well as finding the extra time to do it, what with getting the brackets sorted etc. 

After market grips for the handle bars is another cheap little extra for the bike you can do, there are many different types you can find, again eBay seems to be the best place. I like the anodized aluminum ones, obviously in gold to match the theme. When they arrived they were of the more copperish gold, exactly like the bar ends so they match together well. The CNC brake levers are a slightly lighter gold but all together it doesn't look that bad really, even with the difference in shade.

The aluminum part is only at the two ends and of course the main body is a knurled effect rubber, otherwise in motorcycle gloves you wouldn't get a good enough grip.

The handle bars measured with my Vernier are 22.20mm in diameter which is the standard size (22mm, the applied paint probably takes it up .20mm) for motorcycles apparently and translates to 7/8" in imperial. So this is the size you need to look for. There are plenty available.

Removing old grips.

First of all you need to remove the bar ends, this is covered in the bar ends post previous. It just requires undoing the screw / nut on the bar end until the expanded rubber it was pulling relaxes enough to be pulled out.

When it comes to removing the old grips I had a little look into it and it seems as if the best & quickest way was to use a compressor / airline under the lip of the rubber and blow the rubber up away from the bar, while twisting and pulling it off. You could try to use one of those cans of compressed air with the straw attached but I'm not sure just how effective it would be compared to the more powerful compressor. The thinner the tip on the air gun the better to get under the rubber, you can lift it back with a small screw driver. I used the gun for sand blasting (without the tank attached), as if you unscrew the main tube the one inside is very small & fits perfectly under the rubber.

                                                               [air compressor gun]

Obviously you could just cut it off with a knife but you couldn't keep it as spare. Another method is to lift it up with the screw driver & spray WD 40 in underneath ,while going as far back with the screw driver as possible to lubricate the whole length. This then should make the grip easier to remove when twisted and pulled off. I don't like the WD 40 approach however as it has been known to rot rubber / plastics on occasion. You might need it to get the new one on too but for the aforementioned problem I wouldn't use too much at all! I would wipe it down slightly if dripping after the removal of the old grips. And use only a little to get the new ones on.

                                                   [Peel back rubber tip with screw driver] 

                                             

                         [Insert air line nozzle tip and blow while pulling / twisting simultaneously]

The static grip (left side) came straight off the bar like a hot knife going through butter with the air compressor approach. & the new one went on the same way.

*Remember the two grips will be slightly different sizes. The one designed to fit the throttle will have a larger diameter hole which fits over the revolving plastic cylinder connected to the throttle cable. The smaller diameter one will go straight onto the 22mm bar on the left side.

The throttle side grip however, I had trouble with. Try as I might it just wouldn't budge with the air compressor technique. I ended up pulling it back with the screw driver and cutting it back along with the Stanley Knife, carefully so I didn't damage the plastic cylinder underneath. Then peeling it off.

When putting the new one on, there was trouble getting the new grip over all of the plastic cylinder's lip at the start. I had to give in and use a small amount of WD 40 and it went on with ease. Not too much you don't want it spinning on the cylinder you want it to grip it and adjust the throttle! 

                 [use the compressor to put the new one on the same way you took the old one off]

Remember to put your bar ends back on afterward but, make sure there is some room left on the throttle side so the throttle doesn't stick against it. In my opinion they look much better than the originals, as well as more robust.

Extra Lighting Part 1.

Extra Lighting Part 1.

I thought about adding some extra lighting to the bike using a small L.E.D solution of some kind. Now, I'll admit that after the problems with the T10 L.E.D bulbs it feels like it could be a waste of time if they blow in the same way. 

Now after a look through eBay (you can find just about everything on there, no matter how obscure) Somewhere like Maplin might also stock what you're after.

First, I need to look at the bike & see what possibly could be installed and where. The small vents on the front fairing at the bottom looked the best bet. So I needed to look for something ideal for that location.

On eBay I came across a pair of small round aluminum encased & magnified L.E.Ds that came with a strobe unit. They come in all colours but of course I went for white, at least I hope they're white and they have sent me the correct ones! Because even though I ordered white the box wasn't ticked for any o the colours on the pack. Now we don't need the strobe unit as this will make them flash like emergency services and we want them constant, so we don't need to use it. If you would like the option to add a bypass in the circuit to turn the strobe on or just bypass it and have it on constant, it's up to you. I also against the law unless they're amber I think?

Of course the L.E.D issue I had with the SMD T10 bulbs blowing pretty much straight away is now at the fore front of my mind and looking at these because of the magnification I'm unsure whether it's a type of rounded SMD or an more original type of L.E.D? I'm leaning on the latter & hoping but I'm still not guaranteed it won't blow. Because of this I should test it out first before mounting with the engine running for awhile to save me the trouble. I will wire the bulbs direct from the battery as they are an 12v DC input. The battery will still be charged by the bikes charging system and it shouldn't be affected in any way. I will also hook up a switch to the circuit once I know it works well, so they can be used in conjunction with riding light or headlights or on their own as well as being able to be switched off, which is another good point for wiring direct from the battery. Also if there is a slight pick up / spike in power from the bikes charging system that was blowing the L.E.Ds it shouldn't affect the circuit here as it's being fed direct from the battery, although I'll still test with the engine running just to make double sure.

[The place where they will be mounted, from behind inside the vent].


I went for a few meters of 10 amp electrical wiring cable. 10 amp maybe overkill and the wiring that's attached directly to the L.E.D units is thinner and certainly rated less but, it's always good to have the headroom just in case especially with virtually no price difference but, I think the draw will be fine. In fact I think that will be obvious.

Sometimes if the wires get too hot on an application they melt the insulation then can short together. I've seen this in radio controlled models wiring, when wiring wasn't exactly what it said it was on the tin so to speak & melted. But the draw is a lot on an RC motor and nowhere near as bad on an L.E.D in any case.
Make sure you get enough in length, remember you also have to have wire to run for your switch too, not just from battery to source.

I also went for a fairly large flick / toggle switch. That's so it can be operated easily while riding. Whether I will find some proper connectors to connect to the switch? I actually wouldn't be surprised if I already have some to be honest, it's just I'm not sure if I have the crimping still tool to connect them onto the wire. I'm sure I lent it out to someone fitting a car stereo or something and never got it back. In which case I may just solder the wires on.

This time I've got a nice pack of heatshrink sleeves to use instead of electrical tape. It should make everything look at little nicer and more professional than tape does for soldered joints etc.

And we've got an aluminum strip 3mm thick to make our right angled mounting brackets from. Now this was chosen because it's strong and also malleable, at 2/3mm thick it can be bent easily to form a right angle bracket but, once fitted with pressure we can also adjust the elevation of the light by slightly bending once again. 2mm is easier to work with but can snap if over worked too much on the bend point, I've gone for 3mm. A rubber mallet and a vice would come in handy for bending the strip. A blow torch to heat the strip briefly before it's bent on the bend point would help, as it makes the process easier but is not necessary. I have made sure the strip has enough length to make two brackets, also to allow for any mistakes / damaged brackets first off.

Again eBay is the best place for this. The strips come in various sizes this was ideal [I'll edit size in here] for this application. The L.E.Ds will obviously be attached to one side of the bracket and the other then to the inside of the front fairing near the vent either by bolts or epoxy. A bolt would also allow the light beam to be adjusted left to right but would require the drilling of the fairing underside along with rubber washers to stop the fairing from cracking under pressure from the tightened bolt.