Best mod you've done so far?
 

I checked around the forum, and didn't come across this question posted yet...

So I've had my GZ for a year or so now (this is my second season on it), and she's still bone stock other than saddlebags... I really want to do a little work on it, but I'm not sure where to start. What do you guys consider the best mod you've done to your bike so far?

Up until lastnight, I would have told you it was the 16T front sprocket or my rear trunk.

I'm of the opinion now, however, that my favorite little thing is actually the tachometer. Maybe it's the newness of it but I love having a little feedback from the engine.

EDIT: I'm going to clarify everything in a nice little list

1. Rear Trunk
2. 16T Sprocket
3. Synthetic Oil
4. Tachometer
5. Cafe Fairing

Re: Best mod you've done so far?
 

Windshield.....large, functional windshild. I'm sure I'll appreciate it even more if I ever get caught in the rain or in a cloud of Japanese beetles !!! I have never owned a bike for more than a few days without a shield.

Second, 16T sprocket.

I filled the gas tank last night.

Seriously though, I second the windshield comment. That and a home-made crash bar are all I have done. It already had sissybar/carrier and saddlebags and 16t sprocket when I bought it.

does that really count as a "mod"? if so i drive a heavily-modded toyota camry :]

drag bars

No but it's certainly up there as one of my favorites.

dual headlight

Best Mods
 

1. Seat replacement (details and photos soon)
2. 16 tooth front sprocket
3. Windshield
4. Saddlebags
5. Mirror extensions
6. LED Taillight
7. Bling

:2tup:

Re: Best Mods
 

Time's a wastin'.
I've got a seat pan coming in the mail.
Sure could use some pointers for what to do with it when it gets here. :cool:

And YES, I did a search; out of 123 matches on "seat" all I got that was really useful was Bob's replacement and one other home custom job.

Sarris and I have been talking back and forth about this and I think he might have something that will blow everyone out of their seats and offer a much wider variety of seat options for those who are looking in the aftermarket seat department.

Seat
 

I'll have the scoop-de-poop on the seat in about 3 weeks. Everyone be patient.

:rawk:

Haven't done alot of mods (and using the term loosely) but to order them from top to bottom in terms of which I value the most, they are:

1. Saddle bags
2. Tachometer
3. H4+50% headlight
4. Synthetic Oil
5. Ceramic Brake pads
6. Windshield

so, i bought the bike with a windshield so i can't really say it's a mod i've done... but after going on a 100 mile ride without it today, DAMN. i wish i had kept it on.

i like the way itlooks without it, but there is a HUGE difference in how the ride feels. the wind beating against your chest just makes you feel way slower. in hot weather it's nice, but at night it sucks.

also, having saddlebags (or some other kind of storage) is awesome too. i bought a gatorade and had to throw away half of it because i coudn't bring it with me (i took my saddlebags off too).

so in case you didn't catch that:
1. windshield
2. storage

Here are my favorites:
1. Windshield
2. 16T front sprocket*
3. saddlebags
4. engine guard (from MC Enterprises, now discontinued?)
5. turn signal beepers (Radio shack piezos)
6. sheepskin seat cover

*Gone full circle (15 to 16 to 15 and back to 16 -- yes I like it 16)

Good luck sorting out your priorities :tup:

I fear this will be my journey as well.

I have been thinking about doing something like this. I am real good about using the signals but from time to time I "forget" to turn them off.

I'd be interested in reading a write-up on how you did this. Like ray, I have the problem of not turning my signals off. It's annoying to other drivers and dangerous to me, not to mention embarrassing as hell.

I'll put a description together and post it.

That would be very awesome of you.

I'll be very interested in seeing how it ended up for you.
Mine is half done......so I have a left-only beeper that isn't quite loud enough! :cry:

Maybe this is the tweek I need to finish it.

I, too, forget sometimes to turn off my turn signal and this usually helps. I used two Radio Shack Piezo Buzzers (part 273-075) and a triple wire automotive type connector so I could remove the plastic storage area under the seat if necessary. The buzzer has feeds for both a pulsing buzz and a continuous buzz. Be sure to use the wire for the continuous buzz because the turn signal module already provides a pulsing signal

I connected a wire from the negative terminal of the battery to one feed on the back half of the triple connector. (This is shared to feed the negative wires of both left and right buzzers.)

http://www.postimage.org/PqshL2i.jpg

On my GZ250, the positive feed to the right rear turn signal is a light green wire running on the left side of the bike under the seat. The one to the left rear turn signal is solid black along the left side. I used crimp type connectors to tap into these feeds and connected the other ends of the wires to the back half of the triple connector.

http://www.postimage.org/PqshV0S.jpg
http://www.postimage.org/PqshSwJ.jpg

The buzzers were attached to the forward part of the plastic storage area under the seat using a glue gun. (Putting them here allowed me to hear it better than when I tried it toward the rear.) The red wire (+) of one of the buzzers gets connected to the front half of the triple connector opposite to the positive feed from one turn signal wire. Same with the red wire from the other buzzer opposite the positive feed from the other turn signal wire. Black wires form both buzzers are tied together and attached to the front half of triple connector so they will make connection with the feed from the negative battery terminal.

Photo of the storage box with buzzers mounted and wired to the triple connector.


http://www.postimage.org/gx1aoqxJ.jpg

This is how it all looks when the storage box is remounted and the connector halves are mated together.

http://www.postimage.org/gx1anyFA.jpg

I haven't noticed any change in the brightness of the rear turn signals. I hope this is helpful (and makes sense).

Very good write-up. This has been chalked up as my new weekend project.

Ah, just what I needed! I have a difficult time for some reason getting the turn signals to actually turn off. I think it might be the thickness of my gloves.

About how much did this mod cost?

suggestion
 

My suggestion is a wind screen .. a June Bug at 60 miles per hour is no fun (they should be called bug screens here in the south)

Walmart
 

Seems wally world is starting to carry motorcycle stuff .. i bought a large Sissy Bar Bag with all sorts of storage pockets .. a large center bag .. internal frame and a slot for the sissy bar .. for $30 bucks seemed a good deal ... now i just need to get the sissy bar

Primal,
The buzzers are about $8 each. I don't remember the cost of the connectors, but probably $25 total.

Great writeup. Good engineering too.

I have a slightly different plan.

2-each, Radio Shack 273-059 buzzers, about the size of a quarter, connected back-to-back (physically and electrically) and then mounted to the bottom of the turn signal indicator light.

This is how I have the one mounted now........but then found out I needed a second one and the tiny little one I started with wasn't quite loud enough.

Total cost: About $7.

Hopefully I can get my butt in gear and get more detail ready for "publication" in the next few days.

[quote=Easy Rider]Great writeup. Good engineering too.
I have a slightly different plan.
2-each, Radio Shack 273-059 buzzers, about the size of a quarter, connected back-to-back (physically and electrically) and then mounted to the bottom of the turn signal indicator light.
This is how I have the one mounted now........but then found out I needed a second one and the tiny little one I started with wasn't quite loud enough.
Total cost: About $7.
Hopefully I can get my butt in gear and get more detail ready for "publication" in the next few days.[/quote:21q7z9lg]

I'd like to see how you did this. It would leave less mess below the seat.

It leaves NO mess below the seat.... ;)

With the little buzzer it was pretty easy. IIRC, I soldered some longer, thicker wires on, and bent them to match the bottom of the light socket and shoved them into the rubber boot where the wires go. Held in place with a strip of electrician's tape.

This worked fine, except as noted, that the dime sized buzzer isn't loud enough (for my old ears) and because of the polarity switch, it only works in one direction. I killed my battery before I figured that part out.

I'm gonna try for some pic's but it's gonna be tough to see in there.

I did the piezo speaker mod this morning. I rode over to Radio Shack and grabbed the following:

• 2 - Radio Shack Piezo Speakers (#273-075)[/*:m:18l62wl7]
• A three-pack of 18g copper wire (3 colors) (#278-1223)[/*:m:18l62wl7]
• 63/37 Solder (just because I was out) (#64-015)[/*:m:18l62wl7]

Total cost: $25

Using all of the information above, I decided just to solder and wrap the splices instead of using connectors. I also wanted to use the existing connectors to the tail signals, which were "pull apart"-type connectors anyway.

Here is a picture of the prep and solder for lengthening the speaker wires: (click for bigger)
http://www.idlerants.com/images/material_th.jpg

After soldering the wires, I wrapped them in electric tape and twisted the black and red together to form a rope. This would make it easier and a lot cleaner to tie onto the frame underneath the storage box. After confirming that they work well, I cable-tied everything to the frame to so there are no wires overhanging the box or getting in the way of the seat.

http://www.idlerants.com/images/solder_2_th.jpg

Here are the connectors I soldered and wrapped the other end of the speakers extension wires to. I will update with a final-look picture, but the light just wasn't right near the end (read: I'm lazy and I forgot).

http://www.idlerants.com/images/wires_1_th.jpg

I ended up mounting them like chasp72 did, hot-glue to the front of the box, but I looked after coming into work, and they had vibrated free. I'll do something better later.

95db ! Holy crap. That's gonna be LOUD. O_o

It looks like the buzzers have 3 wires: red, black and blue. I just checked the online info. and it doesn't mention that. Wonder why the 3 wires ??

The label on the back says the blue one is a "pulse", white is "continuous" and black is "ground". To test them, I used a AAA battery and it didn't do anything. I didn't bother with a higher voltage because they were going to be hooked up to the turn signal relay anyway.

They are loud when I'm sitting still, almost embarrassingly (with a lot of cars around), but at speed they are really just loud enough and not distractingly so. And the idea is to make myself keep thinking about the signals so I'll turn them off.

I figured that would be the case. I think I'm gonna go with the smaller buzzer's but use your mounting location.........or somewhere under the seat, near the connector for the rear signals, anyway.........if I ever work up the ambition to actually DO it, that is. I decided the base of the signal indicator on the dash is just too hard to get to, especially with a windshield in the way.

If they're too loud, just stick some cotton balls over the speaker holes and tape 'em on with electrical tape.

:)

I like the look of your installation-- cleaner installation than mine. I agree the signal is loud at a light, but it doesn't take many RPM's to make them harder to hear, especially with a full-face helmet on. BTW, I had a problem with one of them falling off after gluing. I think it may have been because of the paper label where I applied the glue. The second application has held for 8 months or so.

Yeah, mine fell off after 1 trip across town. The label on the first one and the hot glue just didn't hold onto the plastic. I'm thinking taking some industrial velcro and mounting them on the frame under the seat.

I'll get a better picture of the final install when I can.

is is a mod if you just take shit off the bike? :cool:

1. Needle Shim mod.
2. Chop exhaust
3. Upgrade main jet.
4. Remove front and rear fenders.
5. Remove turn signals
6. Headlight off switch
7. modded handlebars and foot pedals.

OK, just gotta ask:

Have you ridden in the rain yet with no fenders?
Have you run over fresh tar (road or strips)?
How about a road where construction trucks have tracked MUD out onto the road?
I don't think you are going to like the results if/when you do.

Second, where do you live that you can get away with no turn signals?
If you are stopped by a cop in a bad mood, he might tow it, in addition to the ticket.

I stopped riding in rain, I don't have money for the gear, it's hell on the bike, fender or not, and I don't mind playing the waiting game. The rear of the bike is covered up fine but the front wheel can sometimes fling some pebbles. I might fabricate a minifender or trim down the orignal honkin fender but untill then, I don't mind doing a little clean up every few rides.

In CT, I don't need turn signals, But I take my bike to NY a lot, maybe problems there but it's a small risk. Riding with the headlight off is illegal but it seems that most cops don't know or care about that law. I do it rarely anyway.

Question: has anyone mounted a GPS on the bike, are there any mounts that can withstand the vibration?