Touring Mods

[BRed]

I recently added a couple of things for the highway....



first a RAM mount for GPS or VEYPOR mounting.

I used a RAM mount that used a U-bolt (1" and 7/8" included)....it is much narrower than the band clamp type but would not fit between the bar clamps.





it fit nicely just outside them however, and experimenting with the angle proved the best position for the best variety of viewing angles was with the ball pointed straight back towards my chest.


right position....




left position (fuzzy, sorry!)




center




center low




center high





The U-bolt clamp was $18 shipped on eBay.....I already had the Garmin carrier and clamps.



The second addition was some CREE LED driving lights.
The Forza's lights are OK, but like my GL500 the lights are fairing mounted, straight ahead and sometimes leave you guessing in sharp corners.





I mounted the LEDs on the front amber reflector base. I painted the chromed bracket flat black.














The CREE LED driving lights are also on eBay....$40 shipped.
They have both tight beam and broad beam (diffused) by shipping with a different lens/lampccover.
You don't want the tight beam style....the diffused beam still has a concentrated spot of light and is very bright.

The lights are slaved to the accessory circuit in the left box.
I angled them down and slightly out to light up the area right in front of and to either side of the front wheel.
The thing I like best is they move with the forks!

[homie]

I like your style... does anyone else see something completely awesome in his pictures unrelated to his mods. I for one would like to see more of what ever that is! And who had the design savvy to put together a seat that would keep me from sliding forward.

[WhiteNoise]

Itsa Papa Ruck! I'd Love a go on one. And lookie, a modded scoop saddle, very bikey/comfy.
homie you likey? WN likey
Oh yeah sorry BRed, I like your new beams too. A Very Clean & Bright add-on as you "move on down the road." Be safe not.....

[BRed]

It's not often you see a Honda with Harley Davidson parts?

The "saddle" is off an HD V-Rod.
I modified the pan to make it more flexible and made a simple bracket to mount it on
the Big Ruckus so I could adjust the angle fore to rear.
I hate the typical scooter seating position and that inevitable "sliding forward off the seat" sensation.
You can't slide off that seat.

That's my Iron Butt scooter.....you can sit on that seat for many hours without getting "numb butt".
It has crossed the continental US (2400 miles) in 3 days.
It was also the 2nd scooter in the US to complete an Iron Butt SS1000 (1000 miles in 24 hours)....
1034 miles in 17 hours, 3 minutes.

The first Iron Butt scooter was the Helix CN250 over a decade ago.
Now a Vespa has also completed a SS1000 ride.

The Big Ruckus would cruise at 75mph and was much easier to ride on an Iron Butt run than the other bike I did an SS1000 ride on....
a 650 Ural Patrol sidecar w/2WD.
It cruises at 60-65mph and took almost 23 hours to complete 1000 miles (but , it DID it!)
It's still the only Ural sidecar on the certified IronButt registry.

[Mel46]

I had Ram mounts on my Burgman 400. They were on the brake reservoirs. Interestingly enough, when i sold my Burgman i pulled the mounts off and they fit on the brake reservoirs on our 2 pcx 150s nicely. I noticed that they would not fit on Dave's 2011-honda-pcx125 though. I wonder if they would fit on the brake reservoir on a Forza. They look to be the same shape and size. Measure one of the caps and let us know. I will then compare it to the ones i have. That way, if they don't show any matching for a Forza on the Ram Mount site, you will have an idea if those from other models will fit.

[BRed]

The Forza's hydraulic reservoir covers are 1 & 3/8" W X 2 & 1/8" L....the screw holes are 1 & 5/8" on centers.

by the way, I checked the Big Ruckus' covers at the same time and they are identical.....
same type of reservoir as well. It's likely the PCX uses the same type as well?


I've also seen a RAM mount that replaces the lever mount bar clamp on most Hondas.

[riderthailand]

The Garmin fits well as I have placed it in the same position

[MikeP]

I am looking at some driving lights. Like to ride at night but visibility poor at night on the wet roads.
Question: spot lights or flood lights to light the way on unlit roads?
Question: what can the PCX dynamo handle for amperage draw? My understanding is
watts / volts = Amps. thus 36 watts / 12v = 3 amps

I am looking at some 18w spots x2 ( one on each side of the front fork.
Thanks for your help!

[sendler2112]

My PCX handles 100 Watts of heated gear and the battery never gets low. I would rather have aux lights that throw a spot so you can see way down the road since I ride back roads in deer country at 50 mph. The lights on the PCX are pretty good for a bike but more is always better and they are only half of what a car has. Why? We need more light, not less. I have the ADVMonster spots on my CBR250R but there may be cheaper alternatives now.
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http://stores.advmonster.com/model-30-l ... pot-light/
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[MikeP]

Thanks sendler2112, you have answered my questions. I will go with spots. I am going to put one on each side of the forks. That will be 36 watts of light. I will update this post once I get them on. Cheers

[sendler2112]

Thanks sendler2112, you have answered my questions. I will go with spots. I am going to put one on each side of the forks. That will be 36 watts of light. I will update this post once I get them on. Cheers

I wonder if the fender location would be too low to get a good aim or have too much rough vibration for the mounts to take?

[MikeP]

I am going to mount them on the bracket that currently holds the reflectors. I will have full range of motion to aim them. Then I will find a new location for the reflectors. I assume they are required by law and they do make sense. Will post once project is done.

[Mel46]

I like those lights. However, since i have a pcx, i wonder if it would draw too much current. I went with some LED lights that Dave recommended.

IMG_20141013_120550.jpg (173.53 KiB) Viewed 7851 times

[sendler2112]

I like those lights. However, since i have a pcx, i wonder if it would draw too much current. I went with some LED lights that Dave recommended.

I think those are conspicuity lights for other motorists to see you. They are not for you to see the road.
.
There will be no problem adding 36 Watts of lighting to the PCX. The only problem I have heard of from additional current draw was from a user with over 100 watts of heated clothing that was frequently in stop and go traffic.
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I think the mounting point of the reflectors on the fender is too low to get a good aim down the road for driving lights unless you are going for a fog light. Or a high beam type of application where you will shut them off at oncoming motorists. I would probably try to mount to the fairing under the turn signals.

[BRed]

Scooter audio just got easy!

I was originally hoping to find a local importer of the Forza storage box top speakers, but I happened to see one of the Photive Soundscape 8 10W Bluetooth speakers and was impressed by the sound.







Photive also makes the Hydra, a Bluetooth 4.0, water resistant IP66 7W output stereo speaker with 8 hour battery.....
just before Christmas, Amazon was selling it for $39 w/ free shipping.

I bought one.










Behind the tall GIVI windshield, I can hear it clearly at 70mph.....
it drops right into the empty space between the dash and the windshield.

It has an integrated mic for hands free phone operations if you choose, but I intend to use it for music or navigation on long trips as an alternative to my Bluetooth helmet.




in this video review, the guy actually sticks his in a bucket of water while it's playing....I'll skip that test.





the Soundscape 8 is definitely louder at 10W, but it doesn't have the Hydra's rubberized jacket and covered controls.

[Mel46]

For a little while I had a Bluetooth speaker that I attached between the windscreen and the dash. The vibrations caused it to come loose multiple times. The dash hood is rounded so it was hard to find a way to attach the speaker without drilling a hole into the dash hood. What i had done was Velcro mounts on the hood to level the speaker. It worked until I got up to around 50 mph. Then the wind coming through the hole at the bottom of the windshield plus the vibration of the bike was just too much, so the speaker came loose on one side while I was riding. I grabbed it with my left hand as the other side was about to come loose. I slowed down, set the speaker back in place and pulled over. Then I had to put the speaker under the seat. Now I have a small $30 tank bag with a nice place for the speaker.

[sendler2112]

Speakers are fun to have when you get where you are going but generally can't be heard whIle you are riding unless you are just cruising a beach or something at a walking pace. In ear monitors however are very nice as hearing protection and playing music on long, out of town trips or long commutes. The Sure SE215 fit neatly inside any helmet and sound great with some eq from the excellent PowerAmp android player.
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http://www.headphone.com/collections/he ... -earphones
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https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... ayer&hl=en
.

[SECoda]

How about a isolated headset for a smartphone? Wired is fine.

[sendler2112]

How about a isolated headset for a smartphone? Wired is fine.

Headphones for off the bike? Read up at Headroom. They have the best selection and experience.

[SECoda]

For in the helmet. I do get a few calls that I need to take. I need to answer them right away sometimes even though I pull over to the side to talk but trying to get the to the phone doesn't work in time after I stop. I have it for my airplane as well in flight. A helmet headset with a push button or voice activation would work.