82 850GL Resto...here we go

Continuing with the charger..... thrift wins out on this mod.

I decided to make this work with what I have on hand.

Cut the tabs off:


Soldiered some lead wires, put some heat shrink on and taped that puppy up:


Taped the USB cable into the plug and mounted it to my signal control unit with some 3M double sided tape:


Wired it up to the PC-8 Fuse Block (love that thing):


Clipped the cable into the belt clip on the back of the case:


And voila!


Good to go.

Yep, thought of that as well.

I've been thinking through some different options and haven't settled on one yet. I want to keep it away from heat if possible and hide it as well. When I'm finished I will do what I can to "weather proof" the unit. That most likely will involve some good electrical tape unless someone has a better idea.

The other thing I'm keeping in mind is to do this as inexpensively as possible while still having a durable unit. There are some cool options out there if you want to spend about $40. I'm saving my pennies for paint though. This is going to cost me about $10 max.

I actually am having an idea as I type this. This unit is small enough that if I could come up with a box about the same width and depth of the phone case, I could mount it to the back of the plastic case, put this charger in it along with the usb cable, run my wires and have it all in one compact housing. Man, now I've just got to come up with a way to make that happen.

That's actually not a half bad idea. I may end up trying to do the same thing for my GS. Have you thought about a USB extension? Would give you the length you need to be able to run the "power outlet" USB plugin wherever it's most convenient for the phone charging cord to go.

Had I been thinking, I would have put a couple of USB cables in my wiring harness when I refurbished it. Seriously.

I took a 60 mile round trip this morning and realized that the GPS App on my phone will necessitate a charger of some sort. I've been thinking it over for a few days and have started my first attempt.

Went to the Wal-Marx and picked up a plug in charger with the 2.1 amp capacity for an iPad. I got this not because I am going to incorporate my ipad into my bike, but because I have seen the GPS on my phone still drain the battery while on a 1 amp charger. The faster charger will serve me well. It also has a 1 amp USB port.

It looks like this out of the box:


But then comes apart really easy. One screw and everything else just pops apart.


I opened up the plug end and clipped the wires so I can wire it through my fuse block. Grey is ground and white is positive.


Trying to mock up a few places to mount it. This was the first choice:




While this is a pretty good location I still need about one more inch on the cable to keep it from stretching too tight when I turn.

I'll try some other locations tomorrow. I put it away for the night and went in to help with the kiddos.

You're going to get to the point that you'll need to mount an iPad to it so you can have the GPS and the speedo both on at the same time!

I got to a point early this year where I was doing a lot of auto repairs and kept having to run to the parts store to use the ODB-2 reader. Did you know they have one of those things for the iPhone?? So neat!

I actually downloaded Motion GPX Drive. It has a speedo with the GPS. Sweet.

Although I pad.....hmmmmmmm

You're going to get to the point that you'll need to mount an iPad to it so you can have the GPS and the speedo both on at the same time!

I got to a point early this year where I was doing a lot of auto repairs and kept having to run to the parts store to use the ODB-2 reader. Did you know they have one of those things for the iPhone?? So neat!

Now if they only had a voltmeter app......

Wait! http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/idvm/id432223800?mt=8



Tachometer? ..... Nah.....

I love it!! I have been trying to find something that i could mount my phone on my bike with, i have never heard of Otterbox before. That is totally something i am going to steal!!

Thanks GT!!

Thanks Jace....this is the case I have. Defender series.

http://www.amazon.com/Otterbox-Defender-Realtree-Series-Holster/dp/B005SUHQBS/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1348341255&sr=8-10&keywords=otter+box

....and then after looking at my own post, thought that it would be good to add some zip ties around the clip:

I love it!! I have been trying to find something that i could mount my phone on my bike with, i have never heard of Otterbox before. That is totally something i am going to steal!!

Thanks GT!!

There's an app for that....

Wow, what perfect weather we have here today! 70's sunny and a breeze blowing.

I've been toying with the idea of mounting a GPS so I would have an accurate speedometer and for use with directions.

I got to thinking today (dangerous) that there may be a speedo app for my iphone. Did a search and bingo. Downloaded a free version, zip tied my phone to my handle bars and took it out. Worked well.

Then my creative juices got flowing. I have an otter box with an additional belt case for my phone. It's hard plastic and clips in very securely. I don't use it. So I took one of the extra horn mount brakets that I didn't use and attached it to the handle bars.



I took a little two sided 3M tape on the back of the belt holder and stuck it on the metal horn bracket. Seems pretty secure:


Clipped the phone in and I have a free speedometer...



and all of the other stuff I can do with the phone.

Sweet.

Ordered my windshield today. Slipstreamer Spitfire Tinted with black hardware.

Believe it or not I am finding my best prices at my local bike shop. Not to mention that the parts staffs are just really good guys to boot. They actually like to help me out and give me the best price they can.

The also had a chrome breather filter in the 50% off bin that I picked up for about $8. That will work nicely on my breather hose.

I like to brag on folks who do good business. JPM Motorsports is worth bragging on.

Great video. Thanks jace. I'll tackle that one day. Probably rebuild the sensor and crack open the speedo. It probably needs to be cleaned and refreshed. The sleeve on ours would cover the bent lip after you were finished with it. Cool deal.

I found this video when i was rebuilding my speedo. Wish i had tried his method of opening it up, because i used my hand dremel to split the case. Man that turned out ugly, but thankfully it is covered by the black sleeve. Anyway, his method is time consuming but better cosmetically. Also he explains the inner workings of the speedo that might help shed some light. I just hope you have the same model

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlZrUUqn0Ik

I think that the gauge was accurate before the rebuild. The tabs on the speed sensor were bent from tightening the wheel down when they weren't in the notches on the wheel. Didn't know if that would affect the speed. They are notched up correctly now, but the part is still not totally straight.

With the exception of about one minute today, the needle has been smooth, not jumping around. Just slow.

These gauges haven't been opened. At least they don't appear to have been.