Well, I guess we all deserve at least one "ego" thread here in HACKS. Here's mine. The sun came out today and, even though I'm not finished with the set up yet, I dragged my 1150/DMC rig out into the front yard for pics today and decided to post them up. I got this rig last fall -- a 2004 1150GS Adventure with a DMC M72D sidecar. Spent the winter getting it ready for this summer's riding season (I'm a slow worker.) Between the tug and the tub I got about 70 mods here. My philosophy on farkling is that I want my bikes to perform, but I also want them to clean up nicely. This is my first sidecar outfit. Some of these mods cost over $1000 each (car pusher wheel, electric tilt, steering mod), and a bunch of them are so piddling as to hardly deserve mention. But I'm mentioning them anyway. Here goes-- BIKE MODS ABS-Servo brake modulator removed Ohlins shocks front & rear (springs painted matching red) Centerline 4x15 "car pusher" rear wheel on DMC adapter Vredstein Snow+ 155/80-R15 rear tire Heidenau K60 Scout front tire Lucas Alien front rotors Ride-On tire sealant front & rear DMC lower fork bridge (trail reducer) Aeroflow Half-Fairing windshield Corbin heated seat (also have stock red/black seat) Happy Trail panniers and rack (powdercoated) BestRest tail rack Luminics 6000k 55w halogen low beam bulb Hella Micro DE fog lights w/yellow 55w halogen bulbs AdvMonster 3-mode 24w off-road LED driving lights (w/fog light cut-off) VVME HID high beam conversion Xpel headlight protection film Signal Minder Right side turn signals removed Rugged Roads running light/brake light LED insert Hella Supertone 2-tone horns w/Eastern Beaver relay kit Odyssey PC680 battery Filler neck drilled Canisterectomy Beemerboneyard fuel line quick-disconnects Alternator cover carbon-fiber vinyl dress up Exhaust headers ceramic coated Y-pipe replacement for catalytic front muffler Lowered rear muffler connector Boosterplug FZ-1 Fuzeblock Kaoko throttle lock HumVee "GS" graphics Refinished valve covers Refinished spark plug covers Refinished front mud guard extension Wunderlich yoke protector Crossbar pad Oversized rear brake pedal (my own lame design) Creative Cycle Concepts shift lever extension Fastway Evolution footpegs Billet oil filler cap Fenda Extenda Bags Connection "GS" Quick-Lock Tankbag w/Zumo mount Powerlet power socket (panel-mount) for GPS Coaxial power socket for heated clothing Genmar bar risers Stainless mesh oil cooler screenYou might notice something missing from that list--the word "Touratech." SIDECAR MODS DMC electric tilt/trim 1150GS Adventure cross-spoke rear wheel 1150GS brake caliper and rotor Heidenau K60 Scout rear tire Ride-On tire sealant 1150GS tail light (matches the bike) Rugged Roads running light/brake light LED insert DMC turn signals modified to be running lights too Southco locking trunk latch (w/steel latch plate) Givi rear luggage rack (from a V46 tail case) HumVee "GS" graphics Custom marine-grade upholstery Custom seat foam (Sargent "Super Cell Atomic Foam") Wingbolt seatback mounts (see post 66) Tonneau cover in matching red Windshield with matching red apron Windshield trim in matching red Body edge trim in matching red Red polypro step plate Carpeting - trunk and passenger compartment Stainless grab bar with BMW-style crossbar pad Seat belt (guess what color?) Power distribution plate (for future passenger accessories--heated clothing, GPS etc.--switched and unswitched leads) Links to additional mods and info in this thread-- Front Shock Rebuild Rear Shock Rebuild Sintered Clutch Dog Platform Aux Fuel Bottle Luggage Sidecar Aux Power Supply FZ-1 Fuzeblock (discussion starts about half way down this page) Dual Battery Isolator Pannier Lid Stay Sidecar Seatback Mod Sidecar Seat Foam Y-Pipe Ceramic Coating Backcountry pics Total Weight of the Rig 34/11 Final Drive upgrade How I pack for camping trips Breakaway dog restraint The Wreck in Wyoming Pics-- And here's one with the touring seat removed and the "dirt" seat in place, with my buddy Kirby looking on. I've taken it for a few "shakedown" rides around town on pavement. As soon as I get a few more problem items taken care of, I'll do a dirt shakedown camping trip to make sure it's set up the way I want it. A note on the lights. The way I got it set up, the yellow Hella fog lights automatically come on with the low beam. When I switch to high, the fogs and the low beam stay on and the HID high beam kicks in. Then I have another little switch that turns on the off-road lights and at the same time kills the fog lights. That way I'm quasi-legal by having only have 4 lamps lit at any one time. I say "quasi" because the HID lamp and the two LED lamps are way too bright to be D.O.T. approved. BTW, I didn't just do farkles all winter. This rig was not in great shape when I got it. What you don't see here are all the things I fixed, replaced or updated because they were old or broken or missing. Happily, the engine, clutch, gearbox, final drive, starter, brakes, and all mechanicals are solid. Any questions about part sourcing or anything else, post it here. If you want to cut through all the clutter in this thread and only read my updates, get the ADV De-Crufter - HERE. Works great and it's free! There's also a Chrome version in another thread. Find it, get it, use it.
Pretty...and pretty Bitchin! You've got good taste and some tasty details there! Fantastic... lets see it dirty. What's on the agenda? Patagonia and back? Damn, that is nice. Don in Nipomo
Ach Du Lieber....beautiful. Finally WE see Drones rig after some :huh posts here in the past. Mensch, this is a beautiful job; great innovation. I might even steal some ideas from you with your permission? Where did you get these "red" edge trimmings? Where is your Tub brake? Drone: PM'ed ya.....
Thanks, Abenteuerfahrer. Ah, yes, the red trim. This stuff is abundantly available, but Googling it is next to impossible. You just can't find it! Even if you go to the J.C. Whitney website (where I found it) and search for it, you can't find it! Unless you know what to call it. HERE IT IS (clicky)! $27 for a 20-ft roll. Also comes in blue, gray, green, brown, aqua, and off-white. The brake is mounted on the inside of the wheel. You can see the rotor in the "car pusher" pic above. The caliper is mounted at about 2 o'clock if looking at the tub from the right side.
Thanks! I guess I should mention that right after I bought the rig I put 1500 miles on it, including 300 miles of dirt. Then I started making my mods. So, yes, I'm definitely a n00b, but I do have a smidgeon of time in the saddle.
Dronie....one more asking,.. from whom did you get the redish GRP step platform material on the Tub and brake pedal?. Looks robust and could make an extended pad for the OEM pegs. My boots sole is only half on the OEM pegs due to having 2 master cylinders connected in tandem: one for the Pucher and one for the Tub. These 2 push my boot outwards.
That red gripper step material is pretty high tech stuff. I think it was developed by NASA for the space program. Actually, it's just a polypropylene cutting board with some kind of rubbery discs laminated to one side. Costs about $10 shipped for an 8x11" sheet from Amazon, $20 for an 11x14" sheet. Also available in green, blue, orange, yellow, gray and white. HERE'S A LINK.
That's a really sweet bit of kit you have there. Plus, thanks for the comprehensive list of all the modifications and additions.
Hey Drone : did you do any steering mods and if not , how does it handle ? I did not see a strg damper so I'm thinking it must go down the road correctly and straight. I have a Rocket 111 with a XL on it and it is a little stiff but goes down the road good . Am looking for input to lighten up the strg-ing for the long trips. Great looking outfit you have and good luck and enjoy your new Rig. Triumphsidehack - D Morgan
I'm sure Drone will respond in detail, but he did write that he installed the Dauntless steering mod on the front to reduce steering effort. From all I've heard, this mod works pretty well!
WOW,that makes mine look like I built it in a shed for under $1,000... AMAZING RIG !!.Hope to see it in Chelan !!.
Now THAT's some pretty funny shit right there! The thing is, NortwestRider, is that I really envy you. You have the ability to BUILD stuff. I only know how to MODIFY stuff. What yer doing in your shed is far more impressive than what I do in my garage. I'll definitely look you up in Chelan.
I have seen these LED driving lights advertized, but have not heard any reports about how much light they throw out versus the small HID units that are available, or seen any photos showing the light they throw. Are the current LED lights more for being seen by other drivers or do they actually thow out a beam that puts useful light on the road/trail?
As OlyRider mentioned, I have the Dauntless Steering mod. Handles like a dream. No wiggle, no wobble, goes straight, and takes little steering effort. No need for a VW style steering damper. And on high crowned roads, I can adjust the tilt to make the steering more neutral. On the other hand, the front end does what any big pig does in the dirt--the front end gets yanked around by ruts and roots and loose gravel and softball-sized rocks. So I'd like to get a regular steering damper--like a Scotts or a Ralle-Moto--but I ran out of money. I tried rigging up a cheapo one of my own design, but failed (thread HERE.)
I'll try to take some comparison pics with my camera set to manual exposure one of these nights when it's not raining and post them up. But my seat of the pants impression is that you can believe what you read in the AdvMonster thread. These things rock! My HID high beam is only 35 watts but is still much much brighter than the stock 55w halogen H1. Then when I turn on the LED's, the HID gets completely washed out. If the HID was to burn out one night in the backcountry, it would have no effect on my ability to see. What's more, AdvMonster has phased out the 3-bulb lamps like what I got and replaced them with a 4-bulb lamp. 33% more light? Yikes! Of course, I'm no Baja racer. At night, I take it easy. My night vision and my reaction time is not what it was when I was 20. So I don't really need any more light than this, and you could argue pretty convincingly that even this is quite a bit more than what I need. As for the see-or-be-seen thing, the LED bulbs have three levels (high-medium-low) and for daytime driving the low level is as much as you'd want to use for conspicuity. On low, they are really bright. At night, if there was a car anywhere in sight, I'd turn them off completely--too bright at any intensity.
