Other weekend mods

[duc_fan]

Well, I see I wasn't the only one modding this weekend...  figured I'd share my own wrenchin' pics.

The $1.69 Sidestand Switch Mod

The object of attention in this photo is the grey heatshrink-wrapped diode with the blue connectors in the middle of the pic.  I tried to do it up as professionally as possible.  No hack job here.  Screw paying someone $40 for a fix for the sidestand switch.  The Amphenol connectors of the professional kits would've been nice, but not $40 nice.

The 2001 is one of the goofy years where you could only start the bike with the kickstand down up.  Well... a wire running from the kickstand switch hot lead over to the neutral switch (with a diode to keep the electrons moving the correct direction) and the problem is resolved.  Now my bike can be started with the kickstand down, as long as it's in neutral.  I tested it.  Sidestand down and in neutral... starts right up.  Leave sidestand down and flick it into 1st... kills motor.  With sidestand up, starts whether it's in neutral or not.  Perfect!

Attention to detail: if I go to sell it and someone is really anal-retentive about it being OEM... I put the splices in the pigtails for the switches, not the bike's harness.  So to return it to OEM, simply unplug the diode, thread my added wire out, and replace the sidestand and neutral switches.  The bike's harness is unscathed.
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Rearset drop plates:




Of course, controls needed adjusting after dropping the pegs.  Adjusting the shifter was easy.  The rear brake pedal was trickier.  LT Snyder of Desmotimes thoughtfully includes a bent bolt to replace the rear brakelight switch bolt, since the pedal has to be adjusted way below its normal range for this rearset height.  Works great.  I've got the pedal about as far down as it'll go while still clearing the fairing when the pedal is fully depressed.  Still need to test ride it over a short distance and see whether the rear brake heats up too much... I hope I don't have the rear brake too tight.  I'd rather not catch it on fire.    Was it the Morilla who did that one time?  Adjusted the rear brake too tight and burned it up?

Oh yeah, and from what I can tell sitting on the bike (with it on the rearstand), the pegs are in a MUCH more comfortable position.  I thought they'd be way low, but I looked at my bro's Triumph 675 Daytona, and the Duc's pegs are almost the same height now, after lowering.  I'll have to take some more official measurements another time to be sure.  I shouldn't be riding rambunctiously enough on the street to drag the pegs, but I can remove the brackets if/when I take it to a trackday (that's what the CBR is for, but ya never know).
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And lastly, just a pic from today's wrenchin'.  Garage, tools, parts, motorcycle, gasoline, and classic rock.  Top it off with occasional moments of Desmodromic thunder.    It's like therapy, man.



Oh hey, you can see my integrated turn signal mirrors in that pic, too.  Dunno if any of you have seen my bike since I ditched the old mirrors and ugly front signals.

[scott_araujo]

Nicely done.  Both the SSS and the mirrors look really clean.  The square turn signals are one of the most dated looking items on those bikes, this really freshens it up.   What I don't understand is that if you were uncomfortable on long rides why didn't you just buy a Monster?

Scott

[Tailgunner]

Very nice Dan 

In your post you meant to say; "The 2001 is one of the goofy years where you could only start the bike with the kickstand UP". My '01 Monster had this bypass mod already done to it when I bought it used in 2004. Be careful now that you are used to it the old way. Kick stand... check! You might implement Johnny Ducati's mounting technique as he kicks up the stand before he throws his leg over.

Heck, it looks like a Monster without it's _skirt_ on. hehe

[duc_fan]

Thanks for the pointer Billy, I fixed the original post. 

We'll see how long it takes to acclimate to the new way it works.  The nice thing about this mod is that I can't ride off with the sidestand down, so it's safe in that regard.  You can only start it with the stand down when it's in neutral.  Stand down, kick it into first, and it dies.  Worst case scenario for me will be some embarrassment if/when I go to leave, hit the shifter, and it dies. 

Oh yeah Scott, I'd have loved to buy a Monster, and actually that's what I was shopping for before I bought the SS (hence how I got hooked into the DML, then DMF).  But... I sat on one at MotoCorsa, and it just wasn't made for someone my height.  Even Arun screwed up his face when I sat on it... when the consummate salesman doesn't want to sell it to ya, it's probably not the right bike.  And as Krolik jokes about: I'd look like a monkey f-ing a football.    Anyway, my next bike will be an Uglystrada, both for comfort and function, but I won't settle for anything less than an S model with Ohlins suspenders.  That's quite a bit more money than what my SS would sell for (money I obviously don't have right now), and these drop brackets were only $70.  Worth it to me for a more comfortable riding season, without throwing $400+ into full rearsets.  [moto]

[JohnnyDucati]

Very nice Dan 

In your post you meant to say; "The 2001 is one of the goofy years where you could only start the bike with the kickstand UP". My '01 Monster had this bypass mod already done to it when I bought it used in 2004. Be careful now that you are used to it the old way. Kick stand... check! You might implement Johnny Ducati's mounting technique as he kicks up the stand before he throws his leg over.

Heck, it looks like a Monster without it's _skirt_ on. hehe

Aw, shucks, Billy!  Thanks!!!

[scott_araujo]

Just hassling you.  I'd probably get an ugly-strada too if I had the coin and yes, The S model.  I think it would be a much nicer bike for two up riding.  The Monster sucks for that.  My wife keeps telling me to get a sidecar for when we have kids.

Scott

[Tailgunner]

We'll see how long it takes to acclimate to the new way it works.  The nice thing about this mod is that I can't ride off with the sidestand down, so it's safe in that regard.  You can only start it with the stand down when it's in neutral.  Stand down, kick it into first, and it dies. 

Oh okay. That's pregnant dogin'totally then! Mine will do 122mph with the damn thing down 

Aw, shucks, Billy!  Thanks!!!

What? I wasn't lookin' at ur butt 

[scott_araujo]

Dan did the hi-tech upgrade with a diode.  Billy, looks like yours was just straight hardwire bypassed if it will run in gear with it down.

Scott

[duc_fan]

Yeah, we didn't get into it tonight, but when I was over at Billy's to pick up the front stand, we were lookin' at his bike.  I noticed the sidestand doesn't have the switch on it at all anymore, so yeah, no more kickstand safety whatsoever.  On mine there's this obvious black plastic thing that's attached to the sidestand hinge with wires comin' out of it.  Well... it's obvious when the fairings are off, anyway.

The diode upgrade wasn't really challenging to install, but researching it took a bit of time.  Had to figure out what wires people were talkin' about... especially since the instructions were on the Monster board, and the SS uses a different wiring color scheme.  Once I had the gist of it, then I could wire mine up.

Literally:

1) Splice into the hot (+12v) wire that goes to the sidestand swich.

2) Splice into the single wire from the neutral switch (on the back of the engine).

3) Connect the two with a diode in the middle.

Note: Silver band on the diode (since it's a one-way thing) goes toward the neutral switch side.  It's helpful to use bullet connectors so you can reverse the diode direction if you get it wrong the first time.  Before I shrink-wrapped the diode, I used a marker on the connector on the silver band end, so I knew what the diode's polarity was.

So anyway, I spent quite a few hours researching this so I knew what to do.  After that the install was easy.  I just took my time trying to route the wiring neatly, and heat-shrink wrapping the diode.  Even with taking my time in the garage, I think I still spent quite a bit more time on the research than the actual install.

[NEIKOS]

. . .  the SS uses a different wiring color scheme. 

If they're the same instructions I found/used they are for 00 and earlier model Monsters.  My wires were a different color scheme as well.

[scott_araujo]

Even with taking my time in the garage, I think I still spent quite a bit more time on the research than the actual install.

We're engineers, it's what we do

[Tailgunner]

Did the old stand fit your machine, Dan? Thanks for buying it, money back if it don't. 

[duc_fan]

We're engineers, it's what we do

True that.   

Did the old stand fit your machine, Dan? Thanks for buying it, money back if it don't. 

Hey man, I still need to wheel the bike outta the garage and give it a try... today's been bizarre.  Not too worried about it though, since Big E used it on his SS.  Oh hey, good news from all today's busywork: I have a phone interview for a systems engineering job near Hood River!  Not counting chickens before they hatch, though, so I'm still working on a couple of openings out in Bend/Redmond as well.  Hood River?  Redmond?  Bend?  Dang, I'd love living any of those places. 

[scott_araujo]

That company that makes the drones?  Insitu I think?  Those things are wicked cool.

Scott

[duc_fan]

Yep, Insitu, the UAV company.  We'll see how the interview goes.

Another cool place with an avionics engineering opening:

Epic Aircraft


They're also in Bend.