C8Chris
New Member
I’ve put about 1000 miles on the NC700X since trading it even for my Triumph Bonneville. I think I’ve just about got the farkeling perfect for my purposes. Some of the mods were done before I bought the bike, so no out of money out of pocket there.
Corbin Seat: Was already on there when I got the bike. Thumbs up. No issues there. Never dabbled with the stock seat and sounds like that’s OK.
SW Motech Rear Rack and Givi Trunk: Also present when I bought the bike. Thumbs up. The frunk is perfect for storing my helmet, but I like the extra space the rear Givi trunk provides.
SW Motech Powerlet: Came with the bike too. Thumbs up. It has an inline fuse, but it’s hooked directly to the battery, so it’s always on. Nice, neat installation, but don’t leave the GPS on all night…
Honda Center stand: ($125 Superbike Toy Store) This and all the subsequent items were purchased by me. Thumbs up. It makes the bike more stable when parking. Chain lubrication and tire inflation is easier. It’s WAAAY easier to hook up the springs BEFORE mounting the center stand.
Fat Foot Sidestand: ($25 eBay) Thumbs up. Once I bought the center stand, I thought I’ll sell the “redundant” Fat Foot, but I really like it. I bought a couple of those old fashioned Fat Feet from Bob’s BMW and they quite frustratingly (expensively) fell off. This was cheaper and better for life.
Parabellum Windshield: ($106 eBay) Thumbs up trade off. What’s the best windscreen? Who is the sexiest woman? What’s the best motor oil? These questions will never be definitively answered so long as there is freedom of speech. That said, the good looking, stock Honda screen didn’t keep enough wind off. The Parabellum keeps the wind off but at the expense of more wind noise. Solution? $2 3M yellow earplugs. Long distance riders have long learned that ear plugs cut down on low frequency wind noise and reduce fatigue. I can still hear what I need to hear. Except when my wife asks for something.
Universal Hand Guards: ($19.95 Cycle Gear) Didn’t work out. These were a cheap way to keep the wind off my hands. I’ll ride to work so long as no below 20 degrees or ice/snow. Once I put the Parabellum on there, the Hand Guards touched the windshield in very tight turns. It happened often enough that I ditched them.
Fiamm Horn: (Free Aerostich) Thumbs up. Not really free, but I transplanted it from the DR200 I was using as my commuter bike. Normally, they’re $18. A buddy of mine commented that I do about the most dangerous riding of anyone he knows, because I ride every day to work. Be seen. Be heard.
Fork Gaiters: ($25.76 eBay) Thumbs up. The bike doesn’t have many miles, but why not protect the front forks? They took about an hour to install. Very hard without the above center stand, by the way.
Black Reflective Tape: ($3.95 eBay) Thumbs up. I have the black and gray NC700X, so this stuff blends in pretty well. Looks regular black during the day, but shine light and it turns white. All part of that be seen thing. Don’t need to put it everywhere, just in a few spots to catch light.
Anything else?
My hands get numb on longer rides. Grip Puppies fixed that for my Burgman and they should fix that for the NC700X too. $14 Grab Ons from eBay. I have bought some of those round multi colored foam covers from China. Yeah, they’re as cheap as the $2 you spend on them.
I wish there was a way to keep dirt from being directly applied to the rear shock. Well, one that doesn’t cost $120. I bought a black planting pot, but haven’t monkeyed around with it yet. I’ve owned two KLR650s so I’m in tune with my inner cheapness.
Flat out, it’s a great bike. Fuel efficient. Plenty powerful. Good brakes. I still have to think about the horn button location and resetting the tripmeter also takes some “it’s not where you think it is” re-education.
*****
That’s what made sense for me. Farkeling is a personal, private matter that you display to everyone who walks by.
Today I saw a Harley Road King with just about every accessory you could buy from the catalog. I know, because I’ve owned two of them. I looked at the bike and just thought, that.. is… too.. much….
Likewise, the KLR is a very capable, cheap workhorse. Often though, folks will buy a KLR and then spend $3000 on “must have” farkles, which sort of defeats the purpose of buying a cheap bike.
These are my personal opinions and thoughts--- I could be wrong!
In the end: Ride safe. When you’re on the road, every day is amateur night…
[URL=http://s241.photobucket.com/user/C8Chris/media/DSCN2654.jpg.html]
[/URL]
Corbin Seat: Was already on there when I got the bike. Thumbs up. No issues there. Never dabbled with the stock seat and sounds like that’s OK.
SW Motech Rear Rack and Givi Trunk: Also present when I bought the bike. Thumbs up. The frunk is perfect for storing my helmet, but I like the extra space the rear Givi trunk provides.
SW Motech Powerlet: Came with the bike too. Thumbs up. It has an inline fuse, but it’s hooked directly to the battery, so it’s always on. Nice, neat installation, but don’t leave the GPS on all night…
Honda Center stand: ($125 Superbike Toy Store) This and all the subsequent items were purchased by me. Thumbs up. It makes the bike more stable when parking. Chain lubrication and tire inflation is easier. It’s WAAAY easier to hook up the springs BEFORE mounting the center stand.
Fat Foot Sidestand: ($25 eBay) Thumbs up. Once I bought the center stand, I thought I’ll sell the “redundant” Fat Foot, but I really like it. I bought a couple of those old fashioned Fat Feet from Bob’s BMW and they quite frustratingly (expensively) fell off. This was cheaper and better for life.
Parabellum Windshield: ($106 eBay) Thumbs up trade off. What’s the best windscreen? Who is the sexiest woman? What’s the best motor oil? These questions will never be definitively answered so long as there is freedom of speech. That said, the good looking, stock Honda screen didn’t keep enough wind off. The Parabellum keeps the wind off but at the expense of more wind noise. Solution? $2 3M yellow earplugs. Long distance riders have long learned that ear plugs cut down on low frequency wind noise and reduce fatigue. I can still hear what I need to hear. Except when my wife asks for something.
Universal Hand Guards: ($19.95 Cycle Gear) Didn’t work out. These were a cheap way to keep the wind off my hands. I’ll ride to work so long as no below 20 degrees or ice/snow. Once I put the Parabellum on there, the Hand Guards touched the windshield in very tight turns. It happened often enough that I ditched them.
Fiamm Horn: (Free Aerostich) Thumbs up. Not really free, but I transplanted it from the DR200 I was using as my commuter bike. Normally, they’re $18. A buddy of mine commented that I do about the most dangerous riding of anyone he knows, because I ride every day to work. Be seen. Be heard.
Fork Gaiters: ($25.76 eBay) Thumbs up. The bike doesn’t have many miles, but why not protect the front forks? They took about an hour to install. Very hard without the above center stand, by the way.
Black Reflective Tape: ($3.95 eBay) Thumbs up. I have the black and gray NC700X, so this stuff blends in pretty well. Looks regular black during the day, but shine light and it turns white. All part of that be seen thing. Don’t need to put it everywhere, just in a few spots to catch light.
Anything else?
My hands get numb on longer rides. Grip Puppies fixed that for my Burgman and they should fix that for the NC700X too. $14 Grab Ons from eBay. I have bought some of those round multi colored foam covers from China. Yeah, they’re as cheap as the $2 you spend on them.
I wish there was a way to keep dirt from being directly applied to the rear shock. Well, one that doesn’t cost $120. I bought a black planting pot, but haven’t monkeyed around with it yet. I’ve owned two KLR650s so I’m in tune with my inner cheapness.
Flat out, it’s a great bike. Fuel efficient. Plenty powerful. Good brakes. I still have to think about the horn button location and resetting the tripmeter also takes some “it’s not where you think it is” re-education.
*****
That’s what made sense for me. Farkeling is a personal, private matter that you display to everyone who walks by.
Today I saw a Harley Road King with just about every accessory you could buy from the catalog. I know, because I’ve owned two of them. I looked at the bike and just thought, that.. is… too.. much….
Likewise, the KLR is a very capable, cheap workhorse. Often though, folks will buy a KLR and then spend $3000 on “must have” farkles, which sort of defeats the purpose of buying a cheap bike.
These are my personal opinions and thoughts--- I could be wrong!
In the end: Ride safe. When you’re on the road, every day is amateur night…
[URL=http://s241.photobucket.com/user/C8Chris/media/DSCN2654.jpg.html]
[/URL]
