More Lights, Horn, Back Rest, Lug Box, Foot Rest, DS tire.

had my SW 600 for 5 Mons now and 6,000 miles later ive added  a luggage box/back rest, wider foot pads for both me and the passenger, 135 db air horn, 2 added sets of driving lights. cut down 6-8 inches off the Givi add on windshield,

1] Windshield was to tall when raining could not see the road,
2] Had that same model Lugbox/Back rest on my 2 reflex scoots wife loves it.
3] Added 2 sets of lights am a Meteor coming down the road,
4] Added 135 db air horn,
5] added wider foot pads, feet are like ducks and kept trying to slide off the side, wife hates the pegs so added a pad for her,
6] 6,000 miles on a new scooter tire so went DS,[will see what this tire does]
7] Go Pro cam mounts

you can tell i love to ride Arkansas, 6,000 miles in 5 mons. Getting 50-60 MPG, using 93 octane no ethanol.

Very interesting scoot and mods. What did you use for the leg shields? It kind of looks like some thick rubber with a fabric base --like the inside of a tire. Pop-riveted on? 

What brand/size darkside did you use?

Where & how did you mount the top set of driving lights?

Tim

Whatever you used for the foot well material would be great if it was carried up even higher and flared back in creating leg shields as well. Those driving lights will save your bacon - LED's? Are they moto specific or generics? You don't give us much to go on.

Cosmic_Jumper wrote:

Very interesting scoot and mods. What did you use for the leg shields? It kind of looks like some thick rubber with a fabric base --like the inside of a tire. Pop-riveted on? 

What brand/size darkside did you use?

Where & how did you mount the top set of driving lights?

Tim

Joyroad TOUR RX1 165/70 R13 79T TL [now have 200 miles on the tire and zero issues, matter of fact it feels better than a normal bike tire]

lights mounted beside air intake with screws, lower lights where the reflectors were. wires went through the air intake.

for Power i ran 12 g braided wire direct from battery through an add on 20 amp breaker added a toggle switch on the dash, and a 2nd horn button by the current horn button.

the footpads are made from mud flaps for tractor trailers, 1/2 inch thick and non skid, i removed the plastic and drilled and then bolted a 8x16 inch galvanized sheet metal the the scoot frame, the used self taping screws for the mat.

dalehazelton wrote:

Whatever you used for the foot well material would be great if it was carried up even higher and flared back in creating leg shields as well. Those driving lights will save your bacon - LED's? Are they moto specific or generics? You don't give us much to go on.

i get minimal turbulence on my legs, also another reason for the wider mats i have leg issues with RLS and cramps so that allows me to move my feet around.

the lights are generics i replaced the bulbs with led bulbs.

i asked the dealership about what the power supplied could handle as far as add ons, they said no sweat.

wanted to add, one thing i was concerned with was aerodynamics and milage. absolutely no issues. and milage no difference still 50-60 from when i first got it. also seems as tho it handles better with the DS.

i have to modify the harbor freight tire changer tho.

was dark outside... a few pics to show what i did, i got the mat free a roll of it 16"x12' the steel plate some of might Q about, i removed the original mat and drilled 2 holes in the tube outrigger frame NOT the main frame, used 5/8 grade 8 bolts and nuts, replaced mat with new mat, did not last long so went and found the mat am using now.

Question on the lights that were mounted where the reflectors were, have you had any problems with them shaking? I mounted my Cree lights there and I haven't had a chance to see if mine shake or are effected by the front end mounting.

vader1701 wrote:

Question on the lights that were mounted where the reflectors were, have you had any problems with them shaking? I mounted my Cree lights there and I haven't had a chance to see if mine shake or are effected by the front end mounting.

no shake. i do like that loc as your lights point where ya steering.

Awesome thank you for responding. That was one of my thoughts about mounting them there, that they would aim where you steer...

DJ Charles wrote:

Than ks for your follow up pictures. They are a big help.

Did you use some type of reinforcing plate inside the front cover to attach the light bracket? I know you said that the lights are "generic", but do they have plastic bodies and plastic lenses? I'd be concerned that heavier (metal body) -even small 2 -2 1/2"- lights would cause the tupperware to crack and split. And if plastic body and plastic lenses (like Walmart 'Blasters'), doesn't the LED bulb kick out enought heat to melt the light? Given the fixed position of the mount bracket are the lights adjustible for up/down? Or did you pre aim the lights before you drilled into the tupperware?

Sorry for the amount of questions, but I don't want to drill into the front cover to mount lights then find out, "Oops! That was a mistake"

the lights are adjustable left and right,  and up and down if you loosen the mount screws, the bracket has adjustable slots, i used self tapping screws so that the plastic won't have any fatigue issues, carefull when ya use em go slow.  also another option if you have small hands/arms   that loc you can reach under and hold a nut of you prefer to use bolt and nut.

LEDs are cooler than halogen.

Some great ideas here for a fairly now SW owner like myself - thanks for posting and the images. Forgive my ignorance though as I'm confused about the tire. What does DS mean? Your image looks a conventional car steel belted radial.
My first aim is to get my wife comfortable so looking at pillion backrest options to work with the 'Honda Genuine Accessory' topbox.

DS means 'Darkside', it's the practice of levering a car tyre onto a motorcycle or maxi scooter wheel. Whether it's a good idea or not I couldn't care less, it's illegal in the UK and our insurance wouldn't cover it. It's almost exclusively an American thing, just like fitting beverage holders.  

A 'Darksider' is the name those that fit car tyres preferr to call themselves, and smugly love to tell others they've 'gone over to the Darkside'. They'll rattle on endlessly about the mileage they get from their Yakaflunki tyre or some obscure brand you've never heard of.

They also have their own little corner of the forum to play in, yet they prefer to post stuff the rest of us can read because the Darksiders needs an audience as much as they need oxygen. Yet they hate any comments or criticism from non Darksiders and cynical old gits like myself.

Look out for the  

about right from a bloke from up close to scotland ... Motorcycle Trunk Luggage Case Tail Box Rack Backrest For Harley Touring Cruiser

DJ Charles wrote:

about right from a bloke from up close to scotland ...

I'm not up close to Scotland at all, I'm in North Yorkshire which is a Yorkshire county, the other counties are West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire. It's part of Northern England, but closer to Scotland than North Yorkshire are the three Northern England counties of Cumbria, County Durham, and Northumberland.

Not that I would expect you to know that of course.

Meldrew wrote:

DS means 'Darkside', it's the practice of levering a car tyre onto a motorcycle or maxi scooter wheel. Whether it's a good idea or not I couldn't care less, it's illegal in the UK and our insurance wouldn't cover it. It's almost exclusively an American thing, just like fitting beverage holders.  

A 'Darksider' is the name those that fit car tyres preferr to call themselves, and smugly love to tell others they've 'gone over to the Darkside'. They'll rattle on endlessly about the mileage they get from their Yakaflunki tyre or some obscure brand you've never heard of.

They also have their own little corner of the forum to play in, yet they prefer to post stuff the rest of us can read because the Darksiders needs an audience as much as they need oxygen. Yet they hate any comments or criticism from non Darksiders and cynical old gits like myself.

Look out for the  

:lol!:

Everyone doesn't like the same things. We are all individuals with right of choice. What I do with my Silverwing may not be what others like so that be what it may, we should not be putting down each other for the mods if we don't care for them. We all have different tastes and that is the way it is supposed to be in my way of thinking. Some of the ideas presented on this Forum, I adopt. It is just a good way to share and if your idea is adopted so be it!

I agree. How and if you modify your Silverwing may differ depending on your personal preferences, location, riding style and use of your machine.  When I wanted to add lights as I sometimes commute home from work after dark, I had a look and a location in mind and I ended up designing a part to find a solution that I liked and worked best for me. Other locations work just as well and may work better for different lights or requirements. Some may not ride at all at night and don't even want auxiliary lights at all. As long as the modifications work well for the individual, serve a purpose and do not affect safety/reliability, that's all that matters.

DaveR wrote:

Everyone doesn't like the same things.  We are all individuals with right of choice.  What I do with my Silverwing may not be what others like so that be what it may, we should not be putting down each other for the mods if we don't care for them.  We all have different tastes and that is the way it is supposed to be in my way of thinking.  Some of the ideas presented on this Forum, I adopt.  It is just a good way to share and if your idea is adopted so be it!

DJ Charles wrote:

about right from a bloke from up close to Scotland ...

I'm not up close to Scotland at all, I'm in North Yorkshire which is one of the four Yorkshire counties (they used to be called Ridings) the others are West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, and the East Riding of Yorkshire. It's part of Northern England, but closer to Scotland than North Yorkshire are the three Northern England counties of Cumbria, County Durham, and Northumberland.

Not that I would expect you to know that of course.

Thanks for the Darkside enlightenment Meldrew!  We never stop learning.  Like the UK, rubber like that is illegal in Oz.  
DJ Charles thanks for the image of the Harley box and backrest.  Unlikely to go for that option but certainly gives food for thought.

Cheers guys and...Chill!!  There's enough angst in this world (eg. recent Paris events) without winding each other up on a common interest forum isn't there?  Time to have a bounce  

Meldrew wrote:

Meldrew wrote:

DJ Charles wrote:

about right from a bloke from up close to scotland ...

I'm not up close to Scotland at all, I'm in North Yorkshire which is one of the four Yorkshire counties. the others are West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, and the East Riding of Yorkshire. It's part of Northern England, but closer to Scotland than North Yorkshire are the three Northern England counties of Cumbria, County Durham, and Northumberland.

Not that I would expect you to know that of course.

i grew up in hertfordshire. way down S from you wanna be scots lol