I'm a fan of DIY (Do It Yourself) maintenance and projects. Now, with spaces like these on the internet and all the open-source material out there, it can be a great opportunity to learn a skill and have some fun.
If only we had an infinite amount of motivation, time, and money! But I wanted to try the mental exercise of imagining that's the case.
I'll post all the things I'd like to do. Hopefully, some of you will notice some gaps on the list or some things that are utterly useless and inconvenient.
USB ports & voltimeter
USB port capable rated for charging at least two devices simultaneously with an embedded voltimeter to be able to check the battery. This is probably the main one that I want installed as soon as possible. I have a trip planned from Turin (Northern Italy) to Málaga (Southern Spain), and I'm concerned my phone battery won't last long enough. My phone is also my GPS, so running out of battery could be very inconvenient. I'd like to be able to charge at least a couple of devices in case I'm charging the phone and a spare set of Bluetooth earbuds while riding (nice for music but also to hear the GPS indications).
Since this upgrade is part of the near future, I'll be posting a thread asking for indications if I can't find enough details on what's already present in this forum or on YouTube.
My current plan is to buy something similar to what's shown in the picture and install it inside one of the front pockets so it's a little more protected against the elements. Ideally, controlled with a button and by the following logic:
USB plug and voltimeter link
Maybe a sprung button is not the way to go, but it's what came to my head. I'm not familiar yet with relays, although I saw them mentioned several times in other threads, along with fuses and rated wire gauges. Doing this could be a chance to try them. I have done quite a bit of maintenance on my bikes, but the electrical part has always been kind of black magic to me.
Smart remote for the phone.
Controlling the phone while it's inside its cover can be tricky. Doing it while riding and wearing gloves makes it nearly impossible. One of these simple things should allow me to increase/decrease the volume, which is the main feature I'm looking for in case I need it to hear the GPS more clearly. The fact that it'd also be able to skip songs is welcome.
Smart Remote link
Highway pegs
These were mentioned in this forum as well. It comes from this video on YouTube. I don't think they'll be super comfortable, but the point is to be able to change the leg position for some time. My right knee is not in top shape, so I could use this in long rides to stretch a bit every now and then.
I can see the MCL Sport Touring logo in the picture, but I'm yet to find where to source them. Also, I really don't like chamfered screws. It's so easy to round off the head. Maybe a large enough washer and a different bolt would do it. I don't know if there are other manufacturers.
Battery tender
I have an old-style charger with clamps for the battery leads, but having a connector would be so much nicer, safer, and easier to use.
Change lights to LEDs and extra lights
I don't want to go around blinding incoming traffic, but I could use some extra light. LEDs are just so much better in my opinion. More of the energy is transformed into light, which makes them brighter, not as hot, and more durable.
Gear indicator
Not the most useful thing in the world, but still nice to have. Some people have it integrated in the front panel in a very seamless way. It looks almost OEM.
I'll comment more about integration later. It applies to all the add-ons.
Mod regarding the turning light indicator.
I don't think I'm especially tall (around 1.85 m), but I have lots of trouble seeing the indicator of the turning lights. Am I the only one with this problem? I tried the different positions of the sit, but I just can't find a comfortable posture that allows me to see them. The upper part of the panel blocks the view. Somewhat often, I turn them on and forget to shut them off, which can extend for a long time since I don't see the blinking light and, unlike cars, I can't hear anything either. I'm sure there must be a simple fix for this.
Changing the seat and handlebars
This is something common, according to what I can find on the internet, but I actually can't find a reason to do it besides the point I mentioned about not being able to see the turning light indicator. I think Honda did a good job of making a comfortable ride.
Windscreen
I tried them on a friend's bike, and it does feel different. Is it worth changing it in the clutch, though? Also, should this be a chance to change the combined braking system? I feel like I could do without some complexity to reduce the maintenance and potential problems.
Heated grips
The bike is pretty hot by itself, and the hands are already covered. Still, in this ideal world / mental experiment where installing it is costless, I'd add them.
Cruise control
I would not trust those mechanical throttle locks. Instead, I saw people mentioning some Australian guys offering a great package. I assume it deactivates when you hit the brakes or the clutch, and probably has some extra logic too on top of that to ensure safe operation.
OBC (On Board Computer) and modified front panel
I have mentioned a lot of mods, many of them electrical. They offer quite a bit of information and control that wasn't initially there. In an ideal world, I'd love a project where I link all these new systems together with an OBC and modify the front panel to add a screen (something subtle with automatic brightness) with a few buttons so all the information can be easily accessible. If the plan was to modify the front panel as little as possible, an option would be to use the space dedicated for the speakers (those things with holes are for the speakers, right?). It'd be nice to have the speakers too, but it'd be a reasonable sacrifice even in this imaginary experiment where sacrifices are not needed.
So that would be my list in this imaginary world with an infinite amount of motivation, time, and money.
What do you think? Did I miss something crucial? Or the other way around, something that should be clearly removed.
If only we had an infinite amount of motivation, time, and money! But I wanted to try the mental exercise of imagining that's the case.
I'll post all the things I'd like to do. Hopefully, some of you will notice some gaps on the list or some things that are utterly useless and inconvenient.
USB ports & voltimeter
USB port capable rated for charging at least two devices simultaneously with an embedded voltimeter to be able to check the battery. This is probably the main one that I want installed as soon as possible. I have a trip planned from Turin (Northern Italy) to Málaga (Southern Spain), and I'm concerned my phone battery won't last long enough. My phone is also my GPS, so running out of battery could be very inconvenient. I'd like to be able to charge at least a couple of devices in case I'm charging the phone and a spare set of Bluetooth earbuds while riding (nice for music but also to hear the GPS indications).
Since this upgrade is part of the near future, I'll be posting a thread asking for indications if I can't find enough details on what's already present in this forum or on YouTube.
My current plan is to buy something similar to what's shown in the picture and install it inside one of the front pockets so it's a little more protected against the elements. Ideally, controlled with a button and by the following logic:
- IF the engine is NOT running AND the button is OFF-> USB and voltimeter are OFF.
- IF the engine is NOT running AND the (sprung) button is ON (pressed)-> USB and voltimeter are ON to get a voltimeter reading from the battery. The spring will shut it down once released.
- IF the engine is running -> USB and voltimeter are ON.
USB plug and voltimeter link
Maybe a sprung button is not the way to go, but it's what came to my head. I'm not familiar yet with relays, although I saw them mentioned several times in other threads, along with fuses and rated wire gauges. Doing this could be a chance to try them. I have done quite a bit of maintenance on my bikes, but the electrical part has always been kind of black magic to me.
Smart remote for the phone.
Controlling the phone while it's inside its cover can be tricky. Doing it while riding and wearing gloves makes it nearly impossible. One of these simple things should allow me to increase/decrease the volume, which is the main feature I'm looking for in case I need it to hear the GPS more clearly. The fact that it'd also be able to skip songs is welcome.
Smart Remote link
Highway pegs
These were mentioned in this forum as well. It comes from this video on YouTube. I don't think they'll be super comfortable, but the point is to be able to change the leg position for some time. My right knee is not in top shape, so I could use this in long rides to stretch a bit every now and then.
I can see the MCL Sport Touring logo in the picture, but I'm yet to find where to source them. Also, I really don't like chamfered screws. It's so easy to round off the head. Maybe a large enough washer and a different bolt would do it. I don't know if there are other manufacturers.
Battery tender
I have an old-style charger with clamps for the battery leads, but having a connector would be so much nicer, safer, and easier to use.
Change lights to LEDs and extra lights
I don't want to go around blinding incoming traffic, but I could use some extra light. LEDs are just so much better in my opinion. More of the energy is transformed into light, which makes them brighter, not as hot, and more durable.
- All lights to LED.
- Rear brake.
- I'd like to add that feature, where it blinks rapidly when breaking before it remains steady.
- Add a stationary and a brake light to the top box. I always have it on anyway.
- Front turning signals changed to clear crystal and white/yellow light. I saw this in the forum, and I think it looks really nice. I'd be a little concerned about blinding incoming traffic since I don't think the pointing of these lights can be adjusted, but I guess it's fine since people are doing it. You can see the thread where I found about them.
Gear indicator
Not the most useful thing in the world, but still nice to have. Some people have it integrated in the front panel in a very seamless way. It looks almost OEM.
I'll comment more about integration later. It applies to all the add-ons.
Mod regarding the turning light indicator.
I don't think I'm especially tall (around 1.85 m), but I have lots of trouble seeing the indicator of the turning lights. Am I the only one with this problem? I tried the different positions of the sit, but I just can't find a comfortable posture that allows me to see them. The upper part of the panel blocks the view. Somewhat often, I turn them on and forget to shut them off, which can extend for a long time since I don't see the blinking light and, unlike cars, I can't hear anything either. I'm sure there must be a simple fix for this.
Changing the seat and handlebars
This is something common, according to what I can find on the internet, but I actually can't find a reason to do it besides the point I mentioned about not being able to see the turning light indicator. I think Honda did a good job of making a comfortable ride.
Windscreen
- The mechanism is very troublesome. I had some problems with it too, although I was lucky and it was just a fuse. I saw in the forum that there's a reinforced version of the system. In an ideal world, I guess I'd install it. Too often, I don't use the electrical windshield because I'm too concerned about breaking it.
- The OEM windscreen gives me a lot of dirty wind on the head. I tried many different positions, but I couldn't get it right. I've seen some people recommending this one.
I tried them on a friend's bike, and it does feel different. Is it worth changing it in the clutch, though? Also, should this be a chance to change the combined braking system? I feel like I could do without some complexity to reduce the maintenance and potential problems.
Heated grips
The bike is pretty hot by itself, and the hands are already covered. Still, in this ideal world / mental experiment where installing it is costless, I'd add them.
Cruise control
I would not trust those mechanical throttle locks. Instead, I saw people mentioning some Australian guys offering a great package. I assume it deactivates when you hit the brakes or the clutch, and probably has some extra logic too on top of that to ensure safe operation.
OBC (On Board Computer) and modified front panel
I have mentioned a lot of mods, many of them electrical. They offer quite a bit of information and control that wasn't initially there. In an ideal world, I'd love a project where I link all these new systems together with an OBC and modify the front panel to add a screen (something subtle with automatic brightness) with a few buttons so all the information can be easily accessible. If the plan was to modify the front panel as little as possible, an option would be to use the space dedicated for the speakers (those things with holes are for the speakers, right?). It'd be nice to have the speakers too, but it'd be a reasonable sacrifice even in this imaginary experiment where sacrifices are not needed.
So that would be my list in this imaginary world with an infinite amount of motivation, time, and money.
What do you think? Did I miss something crucial? Or the other way around, something that should be clearly removed.
Last edited:
The first part, USB/voltmeter, easy. It's not recommended using a old style battery charger with AGM and lithium batteries which most batteries are now.
