Chevron Graphics

Made by Humvee Graphics for the BMW GS style aluminum boxes, these coloured and reflective chevrons look great on any luggage and do a decent job of letting other traffic know how wide you are when riding with a full set of luggage.

Red on the rear

Amber on the side

White on the front

Storage Tubes

The idea of these Tool Storage Tubes began as a group buy on the VSRI forum.  They are essentially a waterproof ABS plastic tube usually fixed to machinery/vehicles etc. and used to store tools, instruction and maintenance manuals.


They make an ideal extra bit of valuable storage for the touring motorcyclist, where space is always at a premium.  The problem of course is where and how to mount them.  I have seen many ideas from cable tied to engine crash bars to vertically mounted to the top-box.  There really isn't a right or wrong way, it is all down to your personal preference and your intended use.


Personally, I wanted to store anything dirty or that could leak, such as a litre of oil, chain lube or a dirty chain and padlock.  And I bought two thinking that I would keep one spare, but then considered the possibility of mounting both of them.


Anyway, this is very much a work in progress for me, and by no means finished.  And although not very 'ptretty' at the moment, they have given me the opportunity to test them out.

I have the SW Motech Quick Lock Pannier racks

The whole rack can be quickly removed when not required

The inside of the rack shows the aluminium plate/bracket that I made

This is shown from the front

I am not very happy with the way it looks at the moment

View from the rear

View looking though the bike

Looks okay from this angle

Shows the clearance to the wheel and plastics

With the Givi E21 cases on, it doesn't look too bad

The angle of the tubes was important to me, visually had to look right

You can see the angle matches the exhaust

So this is my idea so far.  I haven't painted it yet because it is not finished and I will continue to find a better solution to mounting them that visually looks good, and without having to have the side racks installed.

V-Strom Winter Warmers

Although the V-Strom has very good handguards, and mine has heated grips fitted, I was still experiencing my fingers and thumb freezing in sub 5degC temperatures.  This is becuase your fingers when wrapped around the grip actually hang lower than the bottom edge of the guard. And as there is no bottom to them, the negative air pressure causes the cold wind to be 'sucked' up in to the guard area.


So I organised a group buy on the VSRI of a set of handguard extenders from forum member 'Warhammer' in the States.  Once P&P and customs had taken a slice, they cost about £40.  This includes 4-pieces, a top and a bottom section for each handguard.


Here's my installation method..  

Firstly, clean all handguards and mod pieces with IPA/Isopropenol to ensure a clean surface

I started by heating the additional pieces with a hairdryer, to the point where they were quite hot to make them nice and pliable.  Then whilst warm I moulded them to the shape of the stock guards to make them fit snugly.  Using a 5mm bead of clear strong waterproof adhesive/sealer on the edges

I clamped them in place and left to dry for a couple of hours.  The heating gave a really snug fit and prevents leaving a huge gap that would leave an unsightly void filled with adhesive. I couldn't believe how strong the adhesive was, once cured they felt extremely solid

But edging on the belt n' braces approach, I drilled holes as shown and used 7mm Snap Studs

 to give them a mechanical fixing as well

In fact I quite like the look of the studs

The finish guard.

I think it gives it a 'rugged' look and feel

I have also bought a replacement set of stock Suzuki guards and in Spring time I just swap them back over.

Make Your Turn Signals Brighter!

Although the stock turn signals on the V-Strom are nice are large and very visible, much of the light is lost within the indicator housing.  This is because apart from the lens the inside of the whole unit is black, thus if 50% of the light travels out the lens, that means 50% of the light from the bulb doesn't!


This is another cheap and easy modification that I think is extremely worth wile taking the time to do.  And if you are already planning to buy some 3M Solas tape to modify your OEM topbox (see my previous blog entry), then you already have the materials anyway.


So it couldn't be simpler..

Remove the lens and this is what you have.  Pretty dull right?

Stick 3M Solas tape all around the edges

There you have it, looking better all ready

This is WITHOUT the Solas tape

This is WITH the Solas tape

Now you have lovely bright turn signals

Its quide hard to quantify without a light meter, but looking at the before and after images, I would say the difference is about an extra 50% light.

Have fun.

Topbox Reflector's

The Suzuki OEM luggage sports some very nice red panels.  Although these look really nice, they are actually just red transparent pieces of plastic.  It would have been nice if Suzuki had made them with an option of installing additional lighting like what is available in the Givi luggage range, or at the very least made them reflective panels.


The later is a very easy mod though, and something that I would highly recommend you do.  For a few quid, it makes a lot of sense.  You need to make sure you buy a good quality reflective tape.  Personally I used 3M Solas Tape.  This is the same tape that is used on RAF pilots helmets and clothing so that they can be found during a search - so its pretty good stuff.  You can find it on eBay for a few quid a metre.

First, remove the red plastic which is held by a couple of screws from inside the lid

Next, cut and stick the Solas tape as shown

The left side is modified, the right side is standard so far

Here you can clearly see the difference it makes under a camera flash

In the real world in front of a cars headlamps, they really show up brilliantly.
Job done.

V-Strom gets Touratech'd!

At the NEC bike show 2009, Touractech kitted out a V-Strom DL650.  Nice!..

Aluminium Panniers, Exhaust Shield & Tail Pack

Aux Fog Light & Crash Bars

Naturally the 'Touratech' Graphics!

Off-road Pegs

Rad and Oil Cooler Guards

Oil Cooler Kit

Aux Fog Light

Scorpion Exhaust Install

This was the first modification I did to the Strom.  I chose the Scorpion Carbon Fibre exhaust can, which is a very simple install.
Here is a photo guide of the install process.

Made in England.  A rarity these days

I always start by laying our all the pieces of the jigsaw first, and double check against the parts list and installation guide

Right, time for the stock can to go

Remove the plastic cover retaining screws (x 2)

Now measure and mark according to the instructions.  Remember measure twice, cut once!

When you have marked the pipe, use a large cable tie to give you a nice and square cutting guide

You may want to de-burr and then use a vacuum cleaner to ensure you don't leave anything in the pipe  

Its a good idea to slip on all the new pipes and can before doing up any of the jubilee clips

And there she is

A great looking (and sounding!) exhaust can

An update about Scorpion and their customer service. (May 2011)

I bought and fitted a Scorpion Carbon Fibre can about 3-years ago.  Sometime last year the can developed a leak through the rear riveted section and blow back along the pipe.  Curiously during a trip last year, Preload had noticed  that the can was developing a large 'hot-spot' in the centre after the engine was hot, and a discoloured circle would appear, and then disappear when it cooled.  I have no idea if this was the result of the leak, but it sounds feasible?

Anyway, whilst the bike is currently between rides,  I decided to finally get it fixed.  I emailed Scorpion with the problem, and promptly received an email asking me to ship it back to them, and they would fix it and return in in 48-hours.  There was no mention of cost and they did not ask for proof of purchase.  So I shipped it via courier about 10-days ago.  Given that we've had a lot a public holidays in the UK, I was pleased to receive a package from Scorpion today.  BUT what made me really smile is that they sent me a brand spanking new carbon fibre can complete with new jubilee clips and spare decals for the toolbox for good measure.  And there is no cost to me apart from the £12 initial courier.

Not often I get to praise a company for their customer service, so I thought Scorpion deserved a mention.

DC.  A very happy strommer today