Extreme Farkling - Road Test!

[Beemerphile]

Beemer, how close are the handguards to the windscreen? Do they touch when the handlebar is top-right or top-left? Your Givi screen is in the upper or lower possition?

I really love the back off mud flap, and probably it helps with the mud and spray

The windscreen is in the lower position. I have about 15mm gap at full lock each way. The Rox Risers are set with a rearward orientation, whereas the Renthal bars are fairly upright in the Rox clamps.

 

[jakeisbill]

Does Sam ever start cussin up a storm, "Dad Blam Sass-A-Frassin Rabbit!!!"

 

[Beemerphile]

Does Sam ever start cussin up a storm, "Dad Blam Sass-A-Frassin Rabbit!!!"

I am a fan of anything Bugs Bunny. I had one of these on my 1977 BMW thirty years ago and when I saw a "1978 new old stock" pair of them on eBay, I had to get them. The other is going on my 2004 R1150R.

 

[jakeisbill]

Thats great awesome Lee.

 

[turbodieseli4i6]

Here is what I can tell so far after a short ride both before and after dark:

1) The RaceTech /Öhlins suspension is night and day vs. the original suspension. There is a bridge that I cross often that is about an inch higher than the road, so there is a square edged step change in the pavement when you get to the bridge. With the stock suspension it physically hurt in the lower back to hit the bridge at road speed. My TMax had the same result. My BMW with Wilber's suspension acted like it wasn't there. Post modification, the NC is almost BMW-like now when crossing the step. There is a little more feel, most likely because of the lighter weight of the NC, but it is quite comfortable. I took a couple of dirt/gravel roads and it was extremely plush. Amazingly, it is a firmer suspension than stock, yet much more supple and plush than before. Best of both worlds. I consider this a must-do modification. Ranking them, I think the front is the most important.

2) CVS Voltage Monitor: It does what it is supposed to do, but I don't think I am going to like the fact that the "normal" condition is a slow blinking green light. It reminds me of an un-cancelled turn signal. I'll have to see if I can live with it. Worst case, I will move the indicator to a less prominent position. The jury is still out on this farkle.

3) Honda OEM heated grips with Grip Puppies: Divine.

4) Renthal Bars / Rox Risers: I need to set the angles on these. I could not evaluate them very well because I did not have them set up like I want them. First impression is that they will be fine. I like the little bit of shock absorption that you get from an aluminum non-crossbraced bar.

5) Cycra ProBend Handguards: These are very nice. I like the wind break that they provide. They are very sturdy and should be crashworthy.

6) Kanaya Short Control Levers: I got these so that I would not have to either in-board the lever clamps or put spacers on the ends of the ProBends. For that, they worked great. Good adjustability and bend. However, the short lever does not quite fit my big hands. It works fine, but I can feel the end of the lever (the ball) when operating them. If I had room, I would have rather had full length levers. The Renthal bars were limited in control area - which is the straight area at the end of the bars for controls to be placed. It would have not been possible to in-board the lever clamps, so I think the short levers are a good compromise and I am satisfied with the choice.

7) Homemade Wind Deflectors: I rode tonight in street trousers rather than riding pants (flame away) in order to test the wind deflectors. There was very little flapping of the fabric from the wind. I think they are doing an excellent job of keeping wind off of the lower legs. I am going to replace the fasteners on them as part of my "punchlist". Right now they are mixed stainless/zinc and SAE/Metric. They will be all stainless metric. I also may flame polish the inside edge (against the radiators) and put 10 amber LED's per side pointing in at the side of the acrylic sheet. This will create an "edge lighting" effect. I tested it and it was pretty cool. I'd have to machine a bulb-holder for the LED's on each side.

8) Dual Fiamm horns: Yes! Very adequate warning. I am quite satisfied with them.

9) HID Headlight: Mother of Daylight, Batman! Wow. Just wow. Excellent low-beam cut-off. I won't be making anyone mad with these. But once the high beam is on, it is daylight down the road. It lights up a stop sign so far in the distance that it just looks like a small red lighted circle. Side of the road lighting on high beam is excellent for spotting woodlands fur-bearing forest creatures (also known as "furry torpedoes"). This was a challenging modification, however it was not expensive. I believe it was well worth the work.

10) Rigid Industries Dually LED Spot Lights: I am very pleased with these, especially when used with the IQ-170 controller. I have a control switch which cycles them between 20 % and 50% brilliance. When the high beam is triggered, the Duallys go to 100% brilliance. However, with the HID headlight being what it is, I cannot even tell whether the Duallys are on or off. I am sure they add significantly to "conspicuity" and they are indeed keepers, but if your only objective is to light the road, then all you need is the 55w HID headlight and nothing else. It just plain works.

11) Strobes-n-More Amber LED Marker Lights: These do a great job. The amber color and the spatial separation from the headlight both add to conspicuity. As alternated turns, there is no doubt what the idiot on the motorcycle is about to do.

12) Whelen and Custom Dynamics rear lights: These are ambulance quality lights. They work very well - even off-center where some LED's have problems.

13) Trunk light: This was a very good farkle. The 3-LED license plate light provides plenty of light for rummaging through the trunk in total darkness.

14) 3-piston Front Caliper: Too early to tell on this one as I am going to do a 200 mile break-in with no panic stops. As far as lever feel, I think subjectively that it is stronger and more linear. More later. I can say that the stock 14mm master cylinder is fine with the added piston.

You had me at " Mother of Daylight, Batman! Wow."
" but if your only objective is to light the road, then all you need is the 55w HID headlight and nothing else. It just plain works." The older I get, the more light I want/need. Thanks for the review.

 

[westxtsew]

Thought that was a police motorcycle for a second there. Your bike is uber cool!

 

[radiotinnitus]

Thanks for posting the extra close up pictures. I really enjoy them. When you originally laid out your plans for all of this I wondered if you were for real, and if so, when you would ever finish it. I can't believe it's all mostly done in 2012.

Did I miss somewhere your report on how you think your lower wind deflector is working? That might be my favorite of all your farkles.

 

[Beemerphile]

Thanks for posting the extra close up pictures. I really enjoy them. When you originally laid out your plans for all of this I wondered if you were for real, and if so, when you would ever finish it. I can't believe it's all mostly done in 2012.

Did I miss somewhere your report on how you think your lower wind deflector is working? That might be my favorite of all your farkles.

Item (7) in my update. The deflectors are one of my favorites as well, as they involve a bit of ingenuity and not just pulling out a Visa card. I haven't used the Honda deflectors, so I can't compare to them, but mine do a good job of deflecting wind from the lower body. My measure is the amount of wind fluttering of a pair of pants before and after. I generally ride in protective pants that don't flutter, but I did ride a before and after in khakis to test the difference, and it is significant. I also have not done a ride yet in hard rain, but I expect similar improvements.

I toyed around with how big to make them, but I am satisfied with the result both aesthetically and functionally. The cost was about $25 in materials. As far as learnings, I could have used tinted acrylic (not sure I would prefer it) and I could have "gotten away" with 3/16 instead of 1/4. Since I also needed them to perform duty as driving light mounts, I went heavy. The only downside was the need to heat them from both sides when forming the radii. I could have possibly clamped to the bars instead of drilling them, though they are quite heavy and I don't think I compromised them with four 1/4 inch holes where I placed them.

Thank for your interest. Let me know if I can provide any further info.

 

[TC3]

Item (7) in my update. The deflectors are one of my favorites as well, as they involve a bit of ingenuity and not just pulling out a Visa card. I haven't used the Honda deflectors, so I can't compare to them, but mine do a good job of deflecting wind from the lower body. My measure is the amount of wind fluttering of a pair of pants before and after. I generally ride in protective pants that don't flutter, but I did ride a before and after in khakis to test the difference, and it is significant. I also have not done a ride yet in hard rain, but I expect similar improvements.

I toyed around with how big to make them, but I am satisfied with the result both aesthetically and functionally. The cost was about $25 in materials. As far as learnings, I could have used tinted acrylic (not sure I would prefer it) and I could have "gotten away" with 3/16 instead of 1/4. Since I also needed them to perform duty as driving light mounts, I went heavy. The only downside was the need to heat them from both sides when forming the radii. I could have possibly clamped to the bars instead of drilling them, though they are quite heavy and I don't think I compromised them with four 1/4 inch holes where I placed them.

Thank for your interest. Let me know if I can provide any further info.

I wonder how these will affect the flow around the bike as they are quite block like and not streamlined really. In headwinds could affect wind resistance?

 

[Beemerphile]

I wonder how these will affect the flow around the bike as they are quite block like and not streamlined really. In headwinds could affect wind resistance?

They are more streamlined than the front of my leg. I expect that the windstream around the bike is less disturbed than the random encounter with the engine guard, horns, body parts, etc. I can feel the laminar flow line down there now, where before it was just turbulence. I'll have to get some miles on it before I have a readout on any gas mileage differences. I have not added any frontal area with these. They have no side angle to the wind, but there is a forward inclination. We'll see.

 

[mike5100]

They are more streamlined than the front of my leg. I expect that the windstream around the bike is less disturbed than the random encounter with the engine guard, horns, body parts, etc. I can feel the laminar flow line down there now, where before it was just turbulence. I'll have to get some miles on it before I have a readout on any gas mileage differences. I have not added any frontal area with these. They have no side angle to the wind, but there is a forward inclination. We'll see.

I suspect these will be more effective than the Honda accessories. I have both upper and lower deflectors fitted and I am beginning to thing it is the disturbed airflow off the edges of these at 70-80mph that is knocking my fuel consumption compared to others.
Mike

 

[Rocker66]

I have these fitted and I have noticed no reduction in my fuel mileage

 

[L.B.S.]

I have these fitted and I have noticed no reduction in my fuel mileage

I don't have anything fitted, and get what very well may be the worst fuel economy in the NC700X world.

lol/sob.

I am almost wanting to perversely *try* to get bad mpg's just to see what a whoppingly horrendous low number I can achieve, haha.

I've been on my best behaviour so far (really!) and haven't gotten out of the 50's US mpg yet...

 

[Loomis]

Lee, I can't express how grateful I am enough at your endeavor and willingness to share. At a time when I purchase my first street bike and to see all that I would like to do, documented and experimented with already is priceless.

Thank you very much! We are forever indebted.

 

[radiotinnitus]

Hey Lee, do you know Lowery over on Booger Hill Rd? He's got a very interesting art gallery extraordinaire in an old farm house over there. He's done some awesome shows of stuff that you might not ordinarily think of as "art". I bet he might be interested in putting your machine on display if you could bear to leave it there on exhibit. Maybe a modded machine show or some other interesting and appropriate theme. How about the "Bikes of Madison County"? If you haven't been there you should check the place out.

 

[Duke Nukem]

Awesome! Thank you for sharing! I'm new to the site and the 700X is my first bike. Love the way the bars look! Keep sharing your photos and knowledge!

 

[Beemerphile]

Hey Lee, do you know Lowery over on Booger Hill Rd? He's got a very interesting art gallery extraordinaire in an old farm house over there. He's done some awesome shows of stuff that you might not ordinarily think of as "art". I bet he might be interested in putting your machine on display if you could bear to leave it there on exhibit. Maybe a modded machine show or some other interesting and appropriate theme. How about the "Bikes of Madison County"? If you haven't been there you should check the place out.

I haven't been there in quite a while. I should go back to see what's new. As far as my bike, I doubt there would be much understanding or interest from anyone not familiar with the sport.

UPDATE TIME ON THE BRAKES: I finished the pad break-in and conducted some threshold testing of the brakes in high and limited traction situations. I can brake as quickly as I want with two fingers on the brake lever. I am not accomplished at "stoppies" but I was able to lift the rear on a dry street at about 45 mph. In the limited traction tests, it is very progressive right up to and including lock-up. I can hold it on the verge of lock-up, or lock and release. When the front wheel locks, it skids straight for almost exactly one second until the front end starts to tuck under. Releasing the brake regains composure instantly. This last attribute (behavior under lock-up) is not a function of the brake change - the bike behaved this way before the caliper change. I have to say that it met my expectations and is a worthwhile improvement. It feels like double disks. I paid $330 from Cycle Parts Nation for the ABS caliper and pads and another $70 for two hoses (one 34" and one 5"); a double banjo bolt; two 90 degree banjo fittings, and two 35 degree banjo fittings.

It may not be apparent that even though this set-up uses the ABS caliper, that prior to lock-up it has stronger brakes than the ABS bike. The reason being that my modification makes all three pistons available at once and without reduction. The ABS bike uses the same sized two pistons as the non-ABS bike in stand-alone front braking. When the smaller center piston is actuated by the rear pedal of the ABS system, it is done through a delay valve and the rear brake effort is divided between the front and rear by a proportioning valve. So, the ABS bike would have less initial braking front and rear than this set-up has. Of course, I can still stupidly lock my brakes and fall down - especially on slick pavement.

I'm going to call this one a big win.

 

[duk2n]

Congratulations, Lee

Being my bike the ABS model, I only can say that I feel stupid having to push so hard the rear pedal to have the "extra" brake in the front.

Again, I'm not complaining about the ABS, but the Combined brake

 

[Cal]

Lee
I have followed your thread with much interest, I am truly interested in the NC. The suspension upgrades especially seem worth while, now I see the only limiting factor as a true adventure bike are the cast rims. My friend is in Mongolia now with 2 bent cast rims(F650 twin) from a high speed hit with a pot hole. She just added tubes and is still riding.
What say your opinion on the cast rims vs spoked?
Cal

 

[Beemerphile]

Lee
I have followed your thread with much interest, I am truly interested in the NC. The suspension upgrades especially seem worth while, now I see the only limiting factor as a true adventure bike are the cast rims. My friend is in Mongolia now with 2 bent cast rims(F650 twin) from a high speed hit with a pot hole. She just added tubes and is still riding.
What say your opinion on the cast rims vs spoked?
Cal

I wish they were tubeless spoked wheels, but they are not. They are definitely not as strong as spoke wheels. It is possible that one of the custom spoke wheel guys like woody's could do up a set. >
Custom Motorcycle Wheels & Rims | Woody's Wheel Works | Denver, CO