What color is my bike for a spoiler?

Hi all,

I just purchased a 2010 ST1300, Graphite Black (NHB-01) that the previous owner installed the Pan-European topbox. I want to add the spoiler to raise the brake light up. After emails with HGB Motorcycles in the UK the only color they have available is Pearl Cosmic Black (NH0A64P). They contacted Honda and even Honda couldn't say if the colors will match.

It's an expensive item and I would hate to buy it and get stuck with it in the box because it doesn't match.

Does anyone know if Pearl Cosmic Black and Graphite Black are equivalent?

David Silver Spares used to have a spoiler in Graphite Black for the US but it's no longer available.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Russ

My bike is an 09 with Pearl Cosmic Black NHOA64P and I have compared it side by side with the 2010 Graphite Black and the 2010 is totally a darker shade and more of a pure black, mine has distinct bronze particles in it.

If the colors don't have the same paint code, they don't match.

--Mark

The sparkly bits in the Cosmos are the problem. A change is shade might go unnoticed by most people but you'd know it was there. But the metallic particles in the paint would make it pretty obvious.

When I contacted DSS several months ago they said they could have one painted in NHB-01 but the cost of the spoiler was already prohibitive. Not having the top box yet I didn't bother. But it sounds like getting one and having it painted to match is you're best bet.

What about the gloss black from the '06 model? Would that be a match? Hope you find one that works for you.

ST Gui said:

The sparkly bits in the Cosmos are the problem. A change is shade might go unnoticed by most people but you'd know it was there. But the metallic particles in the paint would make it pretty obvious.

When I contacted DSS several months ago they said they could have one painted in NHB-01 but the cost of the spoiler was already prohibitive. Not having the top box yet I didn't bother. But it sounds like getting one and having it painted to match is you're best bet.

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Yeah that sounds like the best bet. I'm following up with HGB to see if they will do the work.

Does anyone have any alternatives to lighting the topbox without the spoiler?

Two bikes ago I had the Honda PC800 and found a guy in Japan that cast and remade the spoiler for it. Looked great!

Russ

Following up... I got the NHB-01 paint and had the spoiler painted at my local shoppe. It looks great!

Russ Le Blang said:

Two bikes ago I had the Honda PC800 and found a guy in Japan that cast and remade the spoiler for it. Looked great!

Russ

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Could you tell me the name of that guy and some contact information? I have a 96 PC and would love to find a spoiler for it. I have seen them on a couple of PCs but finding one is like looking for hen's teeth.

Russ Le Blang said:

I got the NHB-01 paint and had the spoiler painted at my local shoppe. It looks great!

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Congrats! I had thought about getting a top box but when with a rack instead. Had I got the Honda kit a spoiler would have been mandatory. They look great and it's more LEDs!

Pics would be great when it's all together. Even though we've seen examples before it's always cool when somebody posts their own pics of their ride.

I'll take better pictures but here's one from the side.

The way I got the ST1300 it didn't have the front and rear reflectors so I added them. That's what caught the flash.



This also shows the Delkevic exhausts that I thought looked great and took about 30 lbs. off the bike!

Russ

Hi... sorry that was years ago unfortunately I found the guy on a PC800 forum.. I swapped the PC 800 out for a BMW K1200LT.

Here's a link to what I did to my PC800 when I had it: http://community.fortunecity.ws/silverstone/pantera/936/russl.html

Russ

Russ Le Blang said:

here's one from the side.

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Very nice! The spoiler is the main reason I wanted a top box! The whole thing just got too rich for my wallet.

ST Gui said:

Very nice! The spoiler is the main reason I wanted a top box! The whole thing just got too rich for my wallet.

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I try not to look at the itemized credit card bill and just know I'm enjoying it.

Now I'm going to do the mod to make the brakelight a running light as well.

This is probably the wrong forum for this but thought I'd show off. Did the mod to make the brakelight a running light as well. Really easy. Just making a patch cable with the right diodes and resistor to sit between the topbox harness and the brakelight harness. Here are some pictures:

Here it is without the brake applied:


And with the brake applied:

Second picture wasn't steady but you get the idea.

Anything to make her more visible!

Russ

Like the high center-mounted brake lights for cars I think it's very effective to have at least one brake light that's completely off when not braking.

That said it looks like you have a good differentiation between the two modes. A lot of third-party lights have the levels a little too close together for my preference.

Can I borrow your credit card?

LOL!

I see your point about the light being off. Fortunately I installed it in such a way that it is plug and play. The cable with the diode and the resistor can be unplugged and capped and it's back to the way it worked before.

Russ Le Blang said:

and it's back to the way it worked before

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You probably can't go wrong either way. A ride today with two buddies once again showed me how dim the ST's tail lights are compared to a lot of other bikes. One of the Wing's tail lights was brighter than the ST's tail light! In sunlight the ST's tail light was almost invisible where the Wing's tail light looked like the ST's brake light.

You can always leave the tail light function in and just add a strobe unit to the spoiler's brake function. After the beating your credit card took from the top box and spoiler it wouldn't even notice a little flasher/strobe device.

Can you recommend a good strobe unit?

I don't have any experience with external strobe/flasher units. You might ask in the Lighting/Visibility forum for recommendations.

A Google search here and elsewhere will give you some. Here's a starting point:
http://www.customdynamics.com/brake_light_modulator.htm

First you may want to consider your state laws regarding flashing tail lights. Most of us are aware of them but have found they're not always enforced. Definitely a YMMV thing but I've never got a second's glance that I know of from The Man.

Most of these have a few to many patterns to choose from. If I had a top box with its high mounted LED brake light my preference would be for a simple rapid multi-flash (say 4 times) then go solid or steady on. The cycle repeats when you release and reapply the brake. Another feature I'd want is to "lock-out" the repeat cycle for a few seconds say 4-8 seconds or so. This means if you brake (starting the flash cycle) then release the brake (turning off the brake lights) but reapply it immediately the light will come on steady but not repeat the flash cycle. This keeps your eye-level LED from driving others crazy such as in stop and go traffic.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do. And if you would please post pics of your results. There are already many examples here but I think it's cool when people post pics of their own handiwork even if it is similar or even identical to somebody else's.

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?55-Lighting-Visibility

Can you still get the spoiler? If so, from where?