Recent purchase and farkle project.

[WingVetteStrom]

My recent build on my new bike.   Two week all day project with the installation! Only thing not installed are the Alpina wheels.  Coming from Italy soon I hope.  Going to air freight it to Colombia in February and do a South America three month trip.

 

• Tubeless wheels.  Alpina
• Tires.  Dunlop Mission Trailmax
• Fog lights.  Cyclops
• Front LED turns.  Camel
• Rear LED turns. Tusk
• Rear lighting Skene
• Rear lighting Admore.
• Fusebox.  Fuzebloks
• Lithium battery.  Antigravity 
• Garmin XT GPS mount.  Rally Raid
• Garmin hardwire mount
• Heated grips.  Oxford
• Right accessory outlet.  Yamaha.
• TPSMs.  Carid
• 85 N/M rear spring.  Rally Raid
• Headlight protector.  Puig
• Windscreen.  Madstad
• Handlebar riser.  Helibars
• Go pro mount.  SW Motech
• Double take mirrors
• Skid plate.  Outback Motortek
• Crash guards.  SW Motech.  Installed lowers only to save weight higher up
• X frame pannier racks.  Outback Motortek
• Pannier rack mounted toolbox.  Outback Motortek
• Centerstand.  Yamaha
• Custom seat.  Rich's in Kingston, Wash.  
• Barkbusters
• Tail Tidy.  Tusk
• Tank filter.  Guglatech 
• Brake pads front and rear.  Galfer
• Finger clutch kit.  Camel
• Throttle lock.  Atlas
• Fork guard protectors and plastic screws.  Camel
• Shock socks 
• Radiator guard.  Rally Raid
• Throttle cable, rear ABS switch and rear brake servo covers.  GP Mucci
• Side stand foot.  Outback Motortek
• Stronger side stand spring. Rally Raid
• Seat release pins.  Rally Raid
• Greased all rear shock and link bearings and bushings

[Hibobb]

So now a $10k motorcycle cost $20k...

You forgot the magnetic oil drain plug

[WingVetteStrom]

20 minutes ago, Hibobb said:

So now a $10k motorcycle cost $20k...

You forgot the magnetic oil drain plug

I was waiting for the first sarcastic comment.  Congrats.  This is the biggest difference I've noticed between my previous VStrom forum and here.  90% smarmier. 

 

Edited November 19, 2022 by WingVetteStrom

[Hibobb]

I thought I was doing good when I bit my tongue two weeks ago when you posted a long list of everything you were buying, and telling us you were air freighting your bike to Bogota Colombia.... A common man such as myself can only dream of such adventures!

 

Your screen name:

WingVetteStrom

 

Your signature :

Latin America Adventure Biker and Spanish learner

Corvette Race Track Junkie

 

Sorry if I upset you.. I will go back to my cave now.

On the plus side, I am smarmier (My new word of the day)

[qInvention]

What is smarmier supposed to mean?

That sarcastic comment could have been mine (although I naturally know that your farkling didn't cost as much as that). In fact I see mostly useful items that lots of people also have added or where they addressed the same imperfections with slightly different solutions. 

What I do appreciate is the map on the tank. The T7 is my first bike which I equipped with a GPS, before I always rode solely by map.

[WingVetteStrom]

11 minutes ago, qInvention said:

What is smarmier supposed to mean?

That sarcastic comment could have been mine (although I naturally know that your farkling didn't cost as much as that). In fact I see mostly useful items that lots of people also have added or where they addressed the same imperfections with slightly different solutions. 

What I do appreciate is the map on the tank. The T7 is my first bike which I equipped with a GPS, before I always rode solely by map.

Smarmy is another word for sarcastic, but really sarcastic.  LOL!

 

Thanks for the comment.  Now I can stop crying.   ROFL!   I like to feel that there's nothing there just for looks or for "whatever".  Everything I put on there, for me anyway, has a purpose for the kind of long distance on and off road riding I do.   Maybe didn't need two sets of extra rear lighting, but my philosophy is, the easier people can see me, the better.  Didn't add bigger foot pegs as I feel with the rubber out the OEMs are adequate.  Same with upper crash guards.  After watching Pavlin on Youtube (Motorcycle Adventures) go down three times off road with no damage with similar crash guards  I was convinced didn't need to add higher/heavier guards.

 

Personally, I'm not a fan of tank bags, they make me feel kinda boxed in and are a pain during fill ups, even the quick release ones.  For stuff I need quickly, a Giant Loop bag on the handlebars and my jacket pockets suffice.  The big map (of Colombia in the photo) case works perfect for me, and is much bigger than tank bag map cases.  I release it in 1/2 second during gas stops with quick release buckles on mini Rok Straps.

 

Regarding Hibobb's signature, I think he's tattooed with the belief of the Smarmy Tribe.

Edited November 19, 2022 by WingVetteStrom

[AZJW]

@WingVetteStrom Please remember to post up your travels in Ride Reports - Long Distance sub forum. If passing through Cuenca, Ecuador, be sure and try the local beef. My brother lives there and said it's a meat lovers paradise!

[DT675]

@WingVetteStrom 

How does your bike handle those massive pannier bags?  They are huge, but I also see you have them very low and with nothing up high or behind the rear seat (like a top case, rack, fuel packs ETC) cantilevering the weight rearward.  So big bags, but smart placement.

I had recently gone to a side carrier with semi-hard cases (from rackless soft bags that were way too small)  But with that I have a large dry bag on the rear seat, a rear rack (so behind the rear seat) with a 1.75 rotopax on top of it with a smaller 18L dry bag on top of that- all behind the rear seat!  So I'm definitely carrying everything I want to but.... it totally messes with the bike's handling.  I have so much weight not only up high, but way rearward and I can feel it!  It's fine going straight down the paved road but once off the tarmac it feels kinda ridiculous.  

 

With Black Friday sale out in force, I decided pick up a set of very large soft panniers for cheap enough just to try. (haven't received them yet) They carry much more than the semi hard cases I currently have and my plan is to move my Rotopax to the non-exhaust side side carrier, put one large soft bag over that and the other on the other side of course.  That would allow me to have all my items in the larger soft bags, Rotopax down much lower and much more forward and best yet... nothing on the rear rack.  In fact I would get rid of the rear rack all together if this works out as it is very heavy itself (SW Motech).  I will still have the large dry bag on the pass seat though.  This set up would be much closer to what you have so I'm curious how you think yours handles. 

 

My bike with my day-trip set up feel= dirtbike.

My bike with my current overnight camping set up feel= overweighted concrete truck 

My bike with future overnight camping set up hopeful= maybe something like a sporty family SUV packed with all the kids and gear.

[WingVetteStrom]

1 minute ago, DT675 said:

@WingVetteStrom 

How does your bike handle those massive pannier bags?  They are huge, but I also see you have them very low and with nothing up high or behind the rear seat (like a top case, rack, fuel packs ETC) cantilevering the weight rearward.  So big bags, but smart placement.

I had recently gone to a side carrier with semi-hard cases (from rackless soft bags that were way too small)  But with that I have a large dry bag on the rear seat, a rear rack (so behind the rear seat) with a 1.75 rotopax on top of it with a smaller 18L dry bag on top of that- all behind the rear seat!  So I'm definitely carrying everything I want to but.... it totally messes with the bike's handling.  I have so much weight not only up high, but way rearward and I can feel it!  It's fine going straight down the paved road but once off the tarmac it feels kinda ridiculous.  

 

With Black Friday sale out in force, I decided pick up a set of very large soft panniers for cheap enough just to try. (haven't received them yet) They carry much more than the semi hard cases I currently have and my plan is to move my Rotopax to the non-exhaust side side carrier, put one large soft bag over that and the other on the other side of course.  That would allow me to have all my items in the larger soft bags, Rotopax down much lower and much more forward and best yet... nothing on the rear rack.  In fact I would get rid of the rear rack all together if this works out as it is very heavy itself (SW Motech).  I will still have the large dry bag on the pass seat though.  This set up would be much closer to what you have so I'm curious how you think yours handles. 

 

My bike with my day-trip set up feel= dirtbike.

My bike with my current overnight camping set up feel= overweighted concrete truck 

My bike with future overnight camping set up hopeful= maybe something like a sporty family SUV packed with all the kids and gear.

Unfortunately I haven't ridden the bike yet with any bags on it.  I just bought it new in Sept and am just now finishing up a massive farkling job.  As you mentioned, purposely have the soft bags (Kriega 32L with four 5 liter modulars, and Kriega 6L on the crash guards.) mounted as low as possible.  No tail rack or anything on the seat to keep weight low and the 6Ls on the crash guards help move forward the CG.  I'm even ditching the empty Rotopax (only fill if needed) for a 1 gallon gas bag from Giant Loop that just folds up when not being used.  Still have 250 miles go to get to 600 mile oil change.

[DT675]

Ok, Ill be interested to hear your thoughts when you get some time on it!