Motorcycles BS Thread 2.0

Installed that Tusk compact power harness today. Piece of cake! If you've ever worked with the white square connectors before (seriously, spent so much time trying to find the name for these.. just the generic white connectors used on Honda motorcycles typically) or can splice a cable, you'd be able to install it. It comes with empty connectors to wire your own pigtail, or pre-crimped pig tails where you just have to splice the wire to your wire. Trickiest part is finding a trigger wire for the relays. I used the GPS-prep wire on my BMW, literally sits on top of the battery, so I just spliced off that, put a bullet terminal on it in case I ever want to remove it, and wired away. The unit itself was a little bigger than I was picturing, but still plenty compact. For the price absolutely worth it, IMHO, if you're looking to fuse and relay a few things.

Used one leg for my heated seat, the second leg for my aux lights, and will eventually use the third for my carplay nav thing.

It may not look like it, but this rats nest is actually an improvement on what it was before haha tucked the unit down between my battery (it's under the foam.. Li-ion battery was smaller than stock) and the air box.



Edit: white plugs are apparently just called "2.8mm automotive connector"

 

Bit of Google and I think those are JST connectors. Stands for Japanese Solderless Terminal.

 

Honda uses JST on their newer bikes, but those are smaller and nicer connectors than these. I just did the turn signals on my 701sm with JST waterproof connectors.

This is the kit I bought forever ago and am still working my way through. They were compatible with my cb750 and navi, but the grom has moved on to JST.

$13 Hilitchi 700 Pcs 2.8mm 2 3 4 6 9 Pin Automotive Electrical Wire Connectors Pin Header Crimp Wire Terminals Assortment Kit with 30 Sets 4mm Car Motorcycle Bullet Terminal Wire Connectors with Cover

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YX2BYCL

 

Typically they get referred to as molex connectors

 

Molex to me is the flat 4 pin that used to be common inside computers for hard drive, disc drive, and fan power. Round pins and sockets, too.

If someone said molex in reference to these in an automotive or motorcycle application I’d know what they meant though, I suppose. From the outside same chunky plastic aesthetic, but much different inside.

 

personally i loved the fatbar on my old klx400sm it made a world of difference with handling on the bike the oem bars honestly sucked... but vibrations were still there at the end of the day its a single cylinder screaming down the roadway sooo ya lol.

ive never had a high rise bar tbh since ive always had to use an adapter for a fat bar so it would normally raise the bar up a bit anyways.

do they on the klx300 models? huh ill have to look at my 300r when ever i take the oem bars off and swap them to see if they do. i have open flags atm instead of full on handguards and atm they are nice but idk how i feel about my hand with them lol.

 

In case anyone is looking for an excuse to get out and ride/explore more this year Glacial Lakes Motorcycle Club has just posted their 2025 Grand Tour theme and opened it up for registration.

https://www.glmc.org/grand_tour.php

Looks like this year will find us looking for old, run-down diners, bars, etc. so just about anywhere you live should offer opportunities to score points. I've participated the past 2 years and finished 2nd and 3rd so I have a pretty high bar set for myself. Come out and play! It's fun!

 

thats pretty neat! at least yours came with good instructions and everything you needed from tusk lol. last time i got something from them was the enduro kit and it was a nightmare haha

 

so you just run around for old stuff like that? what if someone else has already taken a pic do you not gain points?

edit: reading more indepth on the rules since we use to do this anyways over the summer but since we cant eat at many places now this will still get us out on the bike lol.

 

Sort of like that, the catch is town names must start with the letters G, L, M, or C to count. While that narrows things down a little bit it should still leave enough leeway for riders from anywhere to participate. You'll be looking for old bars, diners, restaurants, etc. Open or now closed provided some sort of sign still exists. Locations are open to everyone so even if you and I rode together and visited a location we're both allowed to get points for it. The biggest thing is you must score 20 points to get the t-shirt. The cool part, beyond going riding and finding interesting places, is that if you complete the event you get a t-shirt that you might never see another like it.

 

I don't see this stipulated, but I assume the bike needs to be in the photo, showing you rode there? I like this.

 

Correct, if you go in and read the full rules photo must contain your bike, your tour flag, and the establishment you're claiming. The bonus "chip points" photo must contain your bike, flag, chip and the dealership where you got the chip. If location on chip isn't plainly legible a second photo of just the chip so they can ID the location.

Anyone on here who decides to come out and play, please let me know. There is a bonus this year fro recruiting new players.

 

what is a tour flag?

 

Similar. 275 miles in the 40's on a naked bike no heated anything. It was rough at times. Several warming stops. But...to me that's part of the appeal. I suppose that sounds nuts to some, but having the challenge of persevering through adversity is worthwhile to me.

Having said that I'd rather better equipped, but still going headlong into challenging conditions. And yes, there is a line between challenging and stupid/irresponsible that I would respect.

yup, Pinlocks aren't perfect. I get pretty foggy too.

AC cab is great in this regard. My dog loves the deck, I've got the 6' bed and a smaller more versatile truck, IMO. But alas, the AC cab is no more...

 

I saw that. Considering it.

 

They'll send you a .pdf file to print out that will feature the event name and year along with your rider number. See below.



I print mine in a couple of different sizes and laminate them so they'll last. During the event I will always have one with me in case I find a suitable bonus I might not have even known about. The theme in 2024 had to do with compass points. If you zoom in this was taken at the West York Borough office in PA. You can clearly see my bike, my flag, and the signage on the door.

 

Do it! Great excuse to get out and ride. As if most of us need one! Nice thing this year is you might just find a cool place to eat or grab a beverage at some point. Link below might help you find cities or towns that you might not have considered.

https://www.city-data.com/

I used this site a lot last year to locate places I previously was unaware of.

 

ah interesting. i cant see the images on my work pc lol but will look after work.

 

If it wasn't one establishment per city I'd probably have done it. I think I'm sitting out this year, too. Definitely easier than last year's directional challenge, but yeah, I'm just too in the middle of nowhere to find 20 cities with G,L,M,C and a run down establishment in each. 12-15 would probably be doable, but 20 would be tough for me I think, especially with the kid still eating up all my free time. Maybe next year.

For those of you on the fence, I'd recommend signing up! It's $30 and the best motivation to get out and ride. I did it 2023 and it was a hoot, totally changes how you plan your rides and where you go. That year was murals, and I went down so many random roads I'd never been on in towns I'd driven through a thousand times and got to see them in new ways.

 

it does sound like a ton of fun tbh! ill have to read into it a bit more before i decide since most things old out here get torn down haha