Farkles on my mind

ST Gui

240Robert
Site Supporter
Joined
Sep 12, 2011
Messages
9,262
Location
SF-Oakland CA
Bike
ST1300, 2010
so I'm starting to shop for farkles!
Helibars I've had a Helibar Gen III riser on my ST early on and highly recommend it if you feel wrist/shoulder/neck pain from leaning forward on the bars. It made a huge difference for me making the bike far more comfortable. I have a DIN/powerlet port and a RAM ball where I mount my phone for GPS.

GPS A personal choice. I don't ride enough to justify a dedicated GPS except maybe the Chinavision that Uncle Phil uses. I use my phone in the powered Helibar and a RAM X-Grip or Hondo Garage mount. I use Apple Maps for around town stuff and Navigon (nav app) for offline use. Using a phone for GPS is sacrilege and inconceivable for some riders but it works for me. It's powered by adapters from the DIN socket as GPS will suck a phone's battery dry in short order. I don't ride in the rain so a ZipLock bag over the phone works for me.

MCL Unfortunately I'd echo the warning of avoiding MotorCycle Larry at this juncture. Communication is one sided and it seems currently standing orders are going unfilled. While it could change I have no hope of MCL becoming once again a reliable source for parts.

Tip Over Bars I'm going the GoldWing bar mount route without the adapter plates. I do light the idea of bushings in the frame recesses as standoffs to keep the bar 'feet' off of the frame. Not really necessary but I still like the idea. I don't carry a passenger so fitment isn't an issue in that respect.

Auxiliary Lighting Front BIG fan of it but haven't as yet added any to the front. The plan is two large (4-5") lights mounted under the mirrors. I did install Evitek G6s in the headlights and highly recommend them as well has checking the alignment after installation. I've also got switchback LEDs and clear lenses for the turn signals. Some people seem to have no regard for how their lights affect oncoming traffic. As a responsible rider light choice and use are important as you're not always the only one on the road.

Auxiliary Lighting Rear BIG fan of that too. I've got an EMS flasher replacing the reflector and connected to the brake light. Mine flashes four times then pauses and repeats while brakes are applied. I notice many cars slow quickly behind me instead of approaching quickly and stopping at what seems like the last minute. Some stop a couple of lengths or more behind me. I've replaces my turn signals and brake lights with LEDs that are brighter but don't like the lenses quite as evenly. But they are better than the factory lights especially the anemic taillights. The turn signal bulbs are switchbacks also (amber/red) and will get the extended brake light modification in which they also act as brake lights unless you use a turn signal. I also have a steady LED brake light mounted in the pad of the bike rack. This will probably get a mod too. I'm deliberately avoiding a visual cacophony of flashing light as I think it's counter productive.

Any mods but especially lighting mods should be done after knowing the lighting laws of your state and assessing your willingness to violate them.

Maps/Tank Bags I don't use them and have no opinion.

Cruise Control I also use the Go-Cruise throttle lock. Nicely made very functional. I'm thinking of replacing it with a Vista-Cruise throttle lock because of the more integral mounting. I've taken two long trips of several hours a day and find a throttle lock sufficient. For me a cruise control would be a convenience/extravagance where others find it a necessity. Your call.

As far as installing any farkle I'd start with the cheapest easiest first and work your way up since you have time. I'd give priority (if needed) to headlight LEDs and auxiliary tail and brake lights. Converting to all LED lighting lightens the electrical load on an already marginal battery. (A battery tender is a good idea during hibernation.)

Two additional inexpensive relatively easy farkles are the parking brake and voltmeter mods. The parking brake is very handy and used it a lot more than I ever thought likely. A voltmeter of some kind is a good idea again because the ST1300's battery is lacks appropriate capacity. There are many options for a voltmeter.

I mention the last two because they're easily done during down time and very cheap as many farkles go and have potentially high bang for the buck. No seat time required.
 

tjhiggin

R.I.P. - 2022/06/11
Rest In Peace
Joined
Jul 6, 2016
Messages
380
Location
North Alabama
Bike
2004 ST1300A
Twisted Throttle has the Denali SoundBomb air horn on sale for US$65 (20% off); link here. ST1300 is shown in the fitment list.
 
Joined
Dec 27, 2004
Messages
829
Location
Medina, Tennessee
Bike
2021 Tracer 9GT
STOC #
375
Safety first, then comfort, then convenience.
Run yourself a relay controlled fuse block, as pictured.
Fuse block circuit.jpg
1. Safety -Then hook up a loud horn(s) controlled by its own relay triggered by the stock horn wires. You can run the power from the fuse block.
2.Comfort - heated grips, heated gear and heated seat connected to your fuse block. Helibars or risers, if you want.
3. Convenience - install a dash shelf and mount your GPS, camera, whatever on that. You can power it from the accessory harness, or your fuse block. Bag liners are a good investment.
4. Get a magnetic tank bag. Mine are RKA and Wolfman. I don't think Wolfman makes magnetic anymore. You can find them on eBay.
 
OP
OP
Morrissey
Joined
May 5, 2015
Messages
60
Location
Canada
Bike
2005 ST1300
Well, my next FARKLE has been chosen. I am getting a set of ByggDawg tip over bars. I think they look good and will blend in well with my '05. After seeing the replacement price for even a used pannier for the ST it was a no brainer to get the tip over bars!

Also going to order a set of LDComfort riding shorts this weekend.
 

SupraSabre

48 Years of SoCal Lane Splitting/Commuting-Retired
Site Supporter
Joined
Nov 20, 2005
Messages
9,498
Location
Cedar City, Utah
Bike
12/04 ST 1300s
2024 Miles
000145
STOC #
5901
Safety first, then comfort, then convenience.
Run yourself a relay controlled fuse block, as pictured.
Fuse block circuit.jpg
1. Safety -Then hook up a loud horn(s) controlled by its own relay triggered by the stock horn wires. You can run the power from the fuse block.
2.Comfort - heated grips, heated gear and heated seat connected to your fuse block. Helibars or risers, if you want.
3. Convenience - install a dash shelf and mount your GPS, camera, whatever on that. You can power it from the accessory harness, or your fuse block. Bag liners are a good investment.
4. Get a magnetic tank bag. Mine are RKA and Wolfman. I don't think Wolfman makes magnetic anymore. You can find them on eBay.

About the fuseblock, depending on what you are running (like a :toot1: that takes 18amps), I would recommend using 10ga to 12ga wire from the battery to the relay and then to the fuse block. For the fuse/relay i recommend a 50amp setup. For several years I was running a 30amp fuse/relay setup and had it burned up on me twice (or three times). The last time I was on my way to Sacramento in December when I was using my eletrics. Out in the middle of nowhere, No headlights, electrics, music (tankbag) or horn! :eek:4:

I still have the tankbag, horn and electrics going through my fuseblock, but since changed over to the SDC modulator, so that uses the original headlight circuit.
 
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Joined
Feb 21, 2012
Messages
32
Location
Vancouver
Bike
2003 ST1300
Helibars. I know that I wanted to get more seat time on the ST before messing with it, especially the ergos, but so far I do notice that while the ST is miles more comfortable than my Bandit, but I do notice a little discomfort in my wrists and palms. The Helibars are supposed to come up 2", back 2.5" and rotate the wrists 2.5 degrees to a more natural position. Anyone have these on their ST and can provide some feed back? Are they comfortable? Was it worth the money? I see that you can get them with an optional ball mount for RAM products as well as a power source right there. That seems very convenient!
I have some risers on my 2003 which are from MCL. The previous owner had them installed and it has the RAM ball and a powerlet socket. I tried using the RAM ball on the risers but I got frustrated with getting the keys into the ignition as well as the placement of accessories on the ball. I have RAM ball mounts attached to the mount for the clutch and brake controls (left and right) and much prefer those. I find having a GPS off the clutch side is the best, good view of the GPS without looking down and it doesn't obstruct any views or controls.

Although, I've never tried the bike without the risers, I find it very comfortable with them attached.

That leads me into my next possible farkle, a GPS. I'd love a GPS for my bike. The idea of being able to plan a route and have it right there in front of me sounds great. I took a look at the Zumo 595LM yesterday. It has a lot of great features including the ability to have it plan routes on the curvy/hilly roads to make the trip even more fun. The only problem I have with it is the $900+tax (CAN) price! Ouch! Not sure if it is worth it given the somewhat limited riding time I have.

So if the GPS is too pricey, I just downloaded "WAZE" a GPS app for my phone. I'm going to trial it in the car over then next few months and see how I like it and how much data it munches up while using it. If I do like it I'll need a phone mount for the bike as well as a waterproof cellphone case. What does everyone here use?
I started off using a car GPS (tom tom) inside of a waterproof case made my RAM (I think it was Aqua Box.) This "worked" but after using the 595LM, I don't know why I waited so long. The Aqua Box had some pretty bad glare in the sun, I ended up creating a sun visor for it out of hard plastic (similar to what a TV camera uses) which worked well to get around the issues.

The 595LM does go on sale occasionally at Staples (in Canada at least) and was the cheapest that I could find. I was on the fence for a while on the 595LM, but once it went on sale I pulled the trigger. It was $300 off when it was on sale. The GPS works well, I really like it because you can enter way-points that allow you to take a certain path especially in areas where you have never been or ridden before.

The only complaint that I have with the 595LM is with music sharing with the Sena 20S and my wife. When travelling I have the 595LM GPS in my ear, with my wife and myself communicating over the Sena 20S and music streaming from my phone to my Sena and to my wife. When connected to the 595LM it often gets into a state where all audio becomes very choppy and you have to reboot the Sena 20S to solve it. I think that there is just probably too much bluetooth going on with all the connections.

My opinion, if you don't need it for touring, the 595LM is a little bit of a waste of money as I never really use it except when we are travelling in areas that we have never been (when we travel I can have the routes per day all pre-loaded and ready to go.)

After using the 595LM, I feel that the 395LM would be much too small.

I saw today that a company called "Motorcycle Larry" makes a break/clutch cylinder cover that has RAM ball mounts on them. Does anyone here have one? What do you have mounted on it and how do you like it?
You also get one with the Garmin 595LM if you end up getting one, so you may not need to get one if you purchase the 595LM. I use my GPS on this, but I've also used a camera mounted to it as well.

Tip over bars. Not a sexy item but still something to consider. Does anyone here have a set and had to use them? Were they worth the $$? MCL or BygDawg?
I had the MCL highway blades on mine and I never liked them. I'm 6 ft and always found it way to cramped to put my feet there. The crash bars that are there do a sufficient job in my opinion for anything slow speed and tip overs. The plastic covers are very cheap to replace as I replaced the plastic covers that were cut up to allow the highway blades to get through. Parking lot tip overs only ever marked up the plastic covers and the MCL highway blades when they were on the bike. The bike has yet to ever tip over without the highway blades installed.

Tank Bags. I had a map only tank bag for my Suzuki Bandit that held on with a strap and magnets. It was fine but after a while I started to notice some hazing in the clear coat on my tank from where the bag rested on the paint. I'm interested in the type that mount with a ring that screws onto the fuel cap ring. Does anyone here have one? Does it ever touch the paint? I'd like to be able to put a water bladder and drinking tube in one specifically. Other items too, but drinking on the go is a big part. Also I'd like one with map pocket on top, again if I can't afford a GPS I can go old school!
I use a Kreiga US-10 on their tank adapter. Fully stuffed I can go full lock with the risers installed. I have a US-5 that I bought before I truly realized how tiny it was. It can mount on top of the US-10, or behind the wind-shield. I don't have a stock windshield so I don't know if you will have any issues, but I use a single rockstrap to hold the US-5 in place when behind the windshield.

I've also strapped a chair on top of the US-10 when travelling (We travel with these as they are very compact https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5056-557/Sunset-Chair---Mesh). A single one works, a second one goes in a saddle bag.

Its important to note that the bag does touch the tank and does not come off easily. Its not magnetic though and doesn't really move around too much. It may at some point dull the paint, although that hasn't happened yet to me. I've been riding with this tank setup for about a year now. I ride March to Nov rain or shine and I am careful when washing the bike as there is a lot of grit that comes out. Despite riding in all weather the part that really has shown the weather is the plastics which I re-dyed black last year.

Cruise control. I have a "Go Cruise" throttle assist that seems to work descent enough but I was wondering about the Kaoko Throttle lock. Anyone have one? How do you like it? Is it worth the $$?
My bike came with a Throttle Meister which I tried and did not like. The friction throttle locks (where you twist the end it is provides enough friction to hold the throttle) is really not my cup of tea. I removed the part, went back to stock and put a throttle rocker on it instead. Those are just a plastic flap that your palm rests on. You still control the throttle but you don't have to hold the throttle nearly as tightly to adjust the throttle.

Lets leave it there for now. I'm not even going to get into seats yet as I want to put a lot more time on my stock seat before I make any decisions there.
You said seat... I switched mine to the Sargent, but after hearing about other reviews I would be interested to try out the Russell Day Long. I find that on the ST that my legs get cramped and I'm running around with the seat in the highest position. I much preferred the Sargent seat as it gave me more legroom I felt. My wife likes it more with the exception of not being able to reach the footpegs (as the passenger seat is higher) so I raised her footpegs up about 2 inches and she is as happy as can be now.

One note on the seat is that I find the seats on the ST are tilted too far forward for my liking, so I tilt it up a bit by using one hole rearward of what is normal. Its hard to explain, but there are two metal pieces sticking up at the rear part of the seat. I push the seat a little forward and use the hole one set back to change the angle of the seat. If you are interested in this I can always take a picture, but I'm sure I'm not the first one to do so and there may have been someone else on the forum posting better instructions. It might save you some money over buying a new seat it if makes it more comfortable.

EDIT: I was mistaken and have the MCL risers. Updated post.
 
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