Vetter fairing and trunk modifications- lots of photos

[GS1000G Shopper]

I picked up a WJ fairing and complete set of bags & trunk for cheap to put onto my new to me '81 GS1000G. They were off an '81 Wing, so the bracket was a no-go. Other than that, they are in decent shape.

Seeing as how the wiring was almost 30 years old, I decided to rehab it as well as make some modifications for modernization while I'm waiting for the bike to get here. The project is not completed yet, but I wanted to get a start on writing it up here, and will add to the thread as I make progress. I will try to note where I got stuff in the event anyone wants to try this in the future.

My goals were as follows:

• Replace 30 year old wiring with modern automotive grade (SXL) wire.
• Add HID headlamp.
• Add fuse panel.
• Add power outlet for GPS power.
• Add gauges and mount for GPS/audio system.
• Add LED bulbs to trunk with wig wag flasher.
• Reseal trunk (weatherstrip).
  

I do a lot of 12V wiring projects, and have invested in good automotive quality (SXL) wire. I buy wire at J&M Products:
http://www.jmproducts.com/

I also use this place for relays, fuse blocks, and Weatherpack connectors:
http://www.pcsconnectors.com/

The stuff you get at parts stores does not hold up well under mobile (heat) use. I also keep a lot of Weatherpack (sealed) connectors on hand, since crimp/butt connectors tend to fail after exposure to the elements.

I had added an HID headlight to my Concours & really liked it. What I liked even more was that the kit came with two bulbs & ballasts, and the same H4 bulb fit the Vetter housing. All I needed was a $13 wiring harness. I got the HID kit at www.vvme.com, and the bulbs are 5000K. One note- whre I mounted the ballast was too far back, and I had to extend the wiring to the bulb.

I'm using 2" red Cyberdyne digital gauges to match the gear position indicator. I couldn't find all of the gauges I wanted in a similar style as the ones on the GS100G. The gauges are still on order due to one being on back order. The gauges will mount on 5.125" diameter aluminum plates that will screw onto the speaker openings.

The Cyberdyne gauges use a wire to dim them for night driving. Since the GS has lights on all of the time, I'm adding a photocell (found it on ebay in England) that will work in conjunction with a relay to power the gauge illumination circuit at night. Same principle as automatic headlights.

There will also be a 5" aluminum channel that will attach to the radio portion of the Cycle Sound unit. It will hold my GPS/audio unit and there is enough room there for another 2" gauge.

When I took the fairing apart, I noticed the headlamp housing was rusted away on the bottom. I found a new Bosch H4 housing here:
http://store.candlepower.com/ca53mohe.html

The 9-pin Vetter connector was broken, so I bought a new one here (they sell a lot of WJ parts):
http://kz900.com/vetter_accessories.htm

The pins are fairly small, and being a more power! type of guy, I decided to redo the power and ground for the fairing. The entire fairing grounded on a small black wire. I've revised it to bring in power from the battery via a heavier gauge (12) wire, and this feeds a relay switched by the lighting circuit. Likewise, a heavier gauge (12) ground wire was added. I run a similar setup on the Concours. I used some 1/4-20 stainless studs to convey the power/ground through the side of the fairing into the left pocket.

I added a 4 gang fuse block, with circuits for a clock (constant feed), gauges, power outlet, and HID (switched feed).

The dual power outlet was found at O'Reilly auto parts. It's sealed and has rubber caps for the outlets when not in use. I use this to power/charge my Archos GPS/Audio unit when I ride.

My Cycle Sound housing is of no use to me since I listen to audio via Bluetooth stereo in my helmet via the Archos. Where the speakers used to be, I'm adding the following gauges:
1. Oil pressure
2. Oil temperature
3. Voltmeter
4. Air temperature

I have an extra feed for a clock if I want to add one later. My Archos has a clock on it, so I decided against adding one for now.

This project entailed several days of wiring work. It's very tedious, but I've found attention to detail avoids electrical failures later on. I crimp & solder all of my terminals, and as stated above, I like sealed connectors when possible.

Here are some pictures of my progress:
Any project needs a good diagram or two:

The old Vetter wiring:

The bucket for the headlamp had to have the rear hole enlarged for the longer HID bulb to fit:

I found one of the well nuts (5/16-18) that holds the bucket in place was broken, so I replaced it with a new one. I used some contact cement to set it.

Here's the HID ballast:

Completed gauge harness:

Cycle Sound unit with harness inside:

Lots o' spaghetti!

Wiring from fairing to Cyclesound unit (the GPS power cord will also feed through here once I get it):

Completed setup in left pocket:

I'll post the trunk pics & details in my next post to break this up a little.

 

[GS1000G Shopper]

The trunk

The trunk

Here is the info for the trunk:

I got some foam tape at Lowes, but it really wasn't wide enough. Plus, the lid has a hard plastic strip that needs to be replaced.

30 LED bulbs from Superbright LEDS (lens removed for photo)
http://www.superbrightleds.com/

I don't have any pics of the wig wag unit, but I connected it with some Weatherpack connectors. I also replaced the 4 cavity (1 unused) trailer plug from the trunk's wiring with a sealed Weatherpack 3 cavity unit (tail, stop, ground). I'm also going to cut some closed cell foam for the bottom inside since there are protruding bolts there.

I'll have more pics after the bike gets here & I can see if this will still fit.

 

[081dbx64]

This is fricken awesome...can't wait to see how this turns out. I will have to consider this for my 550.

 

[Guest]

Great thread, thanks for all the info.

 

[GS1000G Shopper]

GPS mounting plate

GPS mounting plate

Thanks for the replies.

I decided to scrap the aluminum channel idea when I saw how far the GPS stuck out, plus the channel was pretty heavy and I don't want it to fall of while riding! Instead, I made a plate out of .125" aluminum:

I cut the plate to 3.25" H x 8" W, cut a .600" square hole to mount the GPS, and drilled a series of holes to mount it to the radio opening. I cut off the end of a windshield mount for the GPS (same one I use on the Concours, the GPS in its bracket fits into my riding jacket easily) and used some JB Weld to hold it in place:

Once done, I painted it black and test fitted everything:

Next up will be the gauges and mounting plates. Both are delayed, so I won't be updating for a while.

 

[Planecrazy]

Looking good so far! One suggestion I'd make is to cut or grind down the sides of the mounting plate so that it doesn't overlap the edge of the cyclesound housing, and so that there is a consistent look side to side that matches the look you already have top to bottom. I suspect you already had that planned (as this is a "test fit" to begin with), but figured I'd mention it "just in case."

Regards,

 

[GS1000G Shopper]

Thanks- that is on the agenda- the holes on the right side don't line up, so I still have some work to do in it.

 

[GS1000G Shopper]

Photocell and speaker plates

Photocell and speaker plates

The photocell and speaker plates arrived this week. The photocell uses three wires- power in, ground, and power out. It mounts in a 3/4" (.750) hole and had 2 nuts plus a sealing washer. Looks like a good setup. I drilled the hole in the top of the radio section and wired the sensor with a 3 cavity WP connector using the wires I had set aside for this purpose when I made the harness:

Power comes in from the tail light circuit to the photocell. Once it is dark enough, the photocell passes the power via a relay to the gauge illumination circuit for only the added gauges. The new gauges will not see any power on their illumination wire until it is sent via the photocell. The gauges will have a bright (daytime) display without any power on the illumination wire, so in theory this should do the trick.

The speaker plates are .125" aluminum and 5.125" in diameter. They are a perfect fit for what I want to do. I'll mark & drill them once the new gauges get here.

Next issue is one of my gauges is on back order. I found a place (VEI Systems) that sells decent digital combo gauges, but their price is a good bit higher than the Cyberdyne ones I found. Here's a pic of their oil temp and pressure gauge:

Next update will be after the gauges get here.

 

[Planecrazy]

If both of your Vetter speaker grills are in good shape I would suggest you put them up for sale. They are desireable to anyone still using the Cyclesound unit for sound and wanting the OEM look...

Regards,

 

[GS1000G Shopper]

I was thinking about doing that, as well as the speakers, antenna, and Dual (brand) cassette stereo I took out of it. Everything worked when I put power to it, and FM reception was surprisingly good for a stub antenna.

 

[Macguyver]

Wow, incredible job so far!
I can't wait to see it on the bike!

Just out of curiosity, can you give me a ballpark guess as to how much weight your new setup will add to the bike?

Thanks, and once again, incredible job!

 

[GS1000G Shopper]

Thanks. I can't wait for the bike to get here.

Between the ballast, power outlet, relay, & fuse panel probably not more than 2-3 pounds if that.

The stuff I'm adding to the Cyclesound is going to be less than the speakers & radio I removed.

 

[ddaniels]

Wow, incredible! You're really giving me food for thought here since I just added a cycle sound housing with a less than stellar radio and speakers mounted in it. Why don't you pm me about your radio and speakers. Thanks.

 

[SqDancerLynn1]

On the vetter bags and trunk There is a channel in the aluminum frame for a seal

 

[GS1000G Shopper]

Yeah- that's what I keep forgetting to buy at the hardware store. Looks like some stuff from a screen door will work.

Radio, speakers, grilles, and antenna have been sold to one of our outstanding members here.

 

[GS1000G Shopper]

As with most projects, there were some setbacks. In this case, the supplier couldn't get one of the Cyberdyne gauges I wanted. My wife reminds me that everything happens for a reason, and in lieu of spending about $170 on four gauges, I found a multifunction gauge from Equus that is no longer in production. I paid $40 shipped for it on ebay, and it was new in box complete with senders. It is part number 6272A, has night illumination, and performs the following functions:

• Oil pressure
• Water (in my case oil) temperature
• Voltage
• RPM
• Inside temp
• Outside temp
• Clock/stopwatch

It will display (scan) the pressure-temp-volts-outside temp in 5 second intervals, or display only one function. How cool is it that he scanned values are the four gauges I was going to buy? it also has an LED for alerting to user-set values such as over temp, low pressure, etc. A lot of value for $40.

I will post another thread about the oil cooler and adapter I'm adding at the same time.

I was planning to mount the Equus in the radio opening (it is 6.5" W and 1.5" H so it would fit), but I thought since it is not water resistant, I should make it removable like the GPS unit. I made a new faceplate for the Cyclesound radio part, and added a 2x2 strip of aluminum angle on top to hold the GPS and gauge. I then cut out the GPS mounting from the old faceplate and bent the bracket 90 degrees to fit on top. Where I had the GPS would have blocked part of the speedometer anyway, so this needed to be done. The gauge will attach with Velcro, and I still have to wire it with a quick release multi-cavity plug- my Weatherpacks only go to 6 and are too bulky, so I will use a reduced size connector. The OEM connector on the back of the unit is like a PC hard drive cable- the pins can be easily bent, so I don't want to take it off more than I have to.

Here are some progress pics:

I still have like 100 things to do on this bike, but the list grows shorter every day.

 

[willie]

Wow! Do I ever like your style! Pleez keep those pics and info (with sources) coming. Oh, and keep up the good work!
Willie

 

[GS1000G Shopper]

I finished my wiring & testing for the dash unit. When I wired it as shown in the manual, it stayed on with the key off. As they say in one of the Lethal Weapon movies, it's always the red wire!

I reversed the "battery" (red) and "ignition" (purple) wires and it works as it should. I have no idea how many of these were sold, but I bet there are a few people with discharged batteries due to this.

I was able to use the wiring I had in place for the 4 gauge layout, but had to add a couple more since the Equus senders use two wires vs. just one.

I used a 12 pin Tyco Ampseal 16 connector and pins (part numbers below) from Allied Electronics to make a quick-release for the unit. It will attach to the bracket I made with Velcro.

Ampseal Parts:
1x 512-5379 12 position plug assembly $3.70
1x 512-5404 12 position cap assembly $3.51
13x 512-9826 Contact, socket 14-18 AWG $.52 ea
13x 512-9827 Contact, pin 14-18 AWG $.30 ea

Allied has a $25 minimum order or you pay a $5 charge. The Ampseal works a lot differently than does the Weatherpack I normally use. I found some instructions for how to assemble them here. Not the clearest, but in a nutshell, you have to pull the gray part out and then push in the contacts until they click, then push the gray part back to lock them. On the plug, this was easy. On the cap, I didn't have the tool they showed, so I used a small screwdriver to push the gray part out- it fell out, bit it went right back in, and it only goes one way.

I had to relocate the oil pressure sender, as it was in the way of the bottom of one of the carbs when I went to put them back on. Photos of this are in the other thread linked above.

Here is another picture and a short video showing the photocell in operation:
Wiring connectors:

Wiring diagram:

Video-

 

[GS1000G Shopper]

Plan C

Plan C

Time for plan C. The Equus has a safety alert for low oil pressure that can't be shut off or modified, and the GS doesn't make enough pressure to keep it happy.

I had some old (say 20 years old) Equus single oil temp and air temp (thermometer) 2" gauges from an incomplete project that were new in box. I picked up a similar (black dial & letters, white needle) Teleflex marine voltmeter for $15 shipped. It has a slightly larger bezel than the others, hence the tighter fit. I had to file one edge to get it to clear.

I mounted the oil temp sender in the same location as the other unit, and will add a 15 PSI oil pressure gauge where the old pressure sender was- the gauge will be slightly smaller. The air temp sensor was mounted under the fairing on one of the mounting rails.

After looking things over, I went ahead and mounted them in the radio part of the Cyclesound housing.

Here's the final outcome. There is the top bracket for the GPS/Audio unit that is not installed in these pics:

 

[Planecrazy]

Time for plan C. The Equus has a safety alert for low oil pressure that can't be shut off or modified, and the GS doesn't make enough pressure to keep it happy.

I'll bet you could probably go with a different sending unit, that would fool the Equus into thinking the pressure was "different" than what it actually is. I presume that the unit is receiving an electronic signal to indicate oil pressure, so by experimenting with different sending units you could probably find one that would provide a "normal" for the Equus, as well as a "no oil pressure" threshold.

...just a thought.

Regards,