Got tired of hearing my original mechanical speedometer whirr … grind … whirr … clack … no beeping though so I replaced it with one of those new fangled GPS speedometers, complete with accessory antenna. The good, it works, it is backlit (changed it to green), and installed very easy. The bad, it restarts my odometer count as like any odometer net mileage can’t be changed to falsify mileage and it only shows total miles in whole numbers (at least by default).
Was at 19,884 miles when i started the conversion. Hit 4,000 miles on April 20, 2023.
Didn’t like the large mounting blocks so changed the mounts to some HVAC duct hanger that I covered with black heat shrink first.
Found a NOS sissybar rack on ebay. Looks good installed so I’m trying to figure out what to do with it. Everything I add at this point just adds more weight, which decreases mileage, so other than the aesthetics I’m not sure if it is really useful for riding.
So I went to do a routine check as i had not ridden due to weather and noticed my sissybar insert is missing the top part. How did this happen? Not really sure …. but I did lay the bike down to avoid a collision back in December but did not notice it after standing the bike back up (yes, it was dark at the time). Maybe it was weakened from the impact & fell off later while I was riding it …
So it took a while. A lot of internet searches. A couple of wrong size mounting brackets (one came with the sissy bar) & a thought to make one myself. Then I found it. A NOS mounting bracket for the vintage Kawasaki sissy bars from 1980ish.
Still trying to decide which LED headlight bulb is best so took a few more night pictures with the accent lights on.
Had some trouble with the cutoff switch staying in place in the original charger port on/off switch and location so i bought a new switchable C14 port for charger use. This piece is fused and good up to 240v and 10 amps. a bit overkill for my 72v system but i like the idea of the charging port not being live all of the time.
Picture of the new charging connection (C14 style) along with the 2-point mounting bracket that fits under the right side panel.
Got tired of dealing with the mounting style of the 12v DC-to-DC converter so i changed it to a more flush-mount type.
So finally got around to making a basic sprocket cover from an aluminum roll, replacing last week’s venerable card-board cover. Also swapped out the bottom cover to protect the motor from road debris. Haven’t decided if i will keep it or go with an acrylic side panel so the sprocket is visible.
