Um, hi!

Wassup! Currently stuck at work while my new to me ride is crying to hit the pavement. Walked into a 2006 Storm Trooper white this week. It's a shame I had to put my SV650S aside for now but I love the new bike.

I'm looking into sliders, already found a few references here. I'm also looking into the SW-Motech topcase rack since my bike came with the optional Honda luggage. The only other thing is communications setup. I had a J&M on the SV but I'll have to customize something for the VFR since the until will hit the screen.

Anyways, just stopping in for the formal hello. :biggrin:

 

congrats on the new bike. Welcome to vfrw

 

Thanks. I'm lovin' the bike so far.

 

Welcome aboard Ranger!

I haven't heard the Storm Trooper reference before.

I like it!

As for your choice in bikes, :thumbsup: as I have the same one.

 

Welcome aboard, Ranger.

 

Howdy Brother! Enjoy your new ride. Maybe post a few pic of your baby?

 

Welcome aboard!

 

The old and the newer.

 

sweet score!!!.........looks really sharpe


welocme to the brother-hood........ummmm...wait thats a problem..................ok welcome to the woman-hood......thats better :thumbsup:

 

Hi Ranger! You can run, but you can't hide... Congrats again on the new bike!

Oh, BTW, welcome to the forum. I forgot that part...

 

Thanks everyone.



My current dilemma is where to mount the CB antennae. There is no place to run a mount to.

 

maybe off one of the passenger grab handles?

 

Have you looked over the stuff that Aerostich carries? I have no idea what you need, but here's a link;

Mounts :: Navigate & Communicate :: Aerostich/RiderWearHouse Motorcycle Jackets, Suits, Clothing, & Gear

They also have a good assortment of miscellaneous hardware specifically made for M/C luggage and accessory mounting.

 

ahhhh I thought when you said storm trooper you were referencing the V-Strom....their forum is called "strom trooper" or something.

I stared at that picture for a good five minutes wondering where the hell the v-strom was....and also why you were posting it on this forum.

oh my, where is my coffee.

anyway, congrats, and nice looking bike!

 

That's very nice, Boss. It's hard not to love the white ones, eh?

 

That is the only option with the stock luggage because it holds so tight to the tail but I chose a different route.

Can't come up with anything besides the topcase rack. The Honda luggage is so tight to the tail and exhaust there it nothing that I can find to mount the antennae to .

I ended up going with the SW-Motech topcase rack and will just use that until I need the topcase and then mount to the bottom of the rack for the antennae. I use J&M for communications and MP3 so I can use my helmet speakers, it's way easier on my ears than earbuds.

Hahahaha! :biggrin:

 

Ranger01 - I'm trying to figure out how to mount my J&M 2003 antenna to my new 07 Interceptor (with hard saddlebags). Any chance you can post pictures of your solution?

I noticed NOLA VFR's 08 has an antenna - NOLA VFR, if you read this, can you give advice?

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

um hello

 

Yes, I will. Give me until tomorrow, I'm in the process of moving and everything is in shambles. I successfully got the J&M mounted and used a Firestix Non-ground plane antennae on the back using 1/4" aluminum. It is mounted to the SW-Motech topcase rack which I have in conjuntion with the stock Honda luggage.

I recently did a 3000 mile trip from Wisconsin to Montana, burned through the Bighorns, Chief Joseph Highway, Beartooth Highway, Yellowstone, Blackhills and the Badlands. The VFR is a dream come true, the bike is incredible. The only issue I had was a pinhole in my Strada which was fixed quickly and is still on the bike with nearly 10,000 miles on it.

Forth coming thread about the trip as well once I've landed back on my feet.

 

Here is what I did with the J&M Handlebar CB unit. I believe I bought the Yamaha FJR mount because it is powder coated black and not chrome. The Concours mount might also work. I have Helibars so that is something to keep in mind. I bought the universal mount that you can get, went to Blaine's Farm & Fleet and bought some generic aluminum "L" brackets, 2" x 2" I believe. You will need to drill the holes out to the correct size bolt that you use.

Until I get a custom bracket made I found this to be the easiest and quickest setup. You will need 2 bolts, washers and nuts to anchor the mounting bracket from the CB to the Universal bar mount. I believe I used 1/4" on everything. I mounted the Universal Handlebar mount on the vertical rise of the Helibars. Mount the CB to the mounting bracket which was purchased with the CB. Use bluce locktite on the 3 screws. Mount the vertical portion of the mount to 2 or 3 of the "L" brackets (1 will eventually vibrate and break), loosely snug down. Run the "L" brackets horizontally so that the vertical portion is on the inside (right) handlebar. Loosely tighten. Once you get the correct angle, tank clearance and screen clearance, tighten eveything down. You may want to slightly bend the "L" bracket for better line of sight, it will still be somewhat hard to see but it is usable.

I tucked the power unit inside the left front fairing so it stays dry and has good airflow. This winter i will be installing a switched fuse block to power the tank bag, CB, GPS and auxillary lights that I wish to install. Right now I have the power directly off the battery which works but can be turned on independent of the bike.

This is the visual setup on the handlebar.


From the top.


Screen clearance.


Tank clearance.


For the antenna setup, I used a piece of 1/4" aluminum (1/8" is too sloppy and will have too much movement while riding. The antenna is a Firestix 2' Non-Gound plane antenna. It comes with a fixed length cable that you can not cut but can loop around in the trunk. It is very important not to alter the length of the cable. I found I had no problems with the 2' at all, my brother-in-law runs a 3' and would rather go with the 2' instead. I have a SW-Motech topcase rack. There are several holes that are pre-drilled that you can use. I believe the bolts are 1/4" or 3/8" by 2-2 1/2" in length, several washers, spacers and nylon locking nuts. You have to account for the drop of the rack for clearance, thickness of the aluminum, washers and rack for the total length.

Run the bolts through the rack with a washer on top, put the spacer underneath with a washer and nut to tighten it down. Have both in place. Put the topcase on and then visually mark where the antenna will mount and the bolts for mounting, you'll want 2-3" of clearance on the side of the topcase to reduce interference. Cut the 1/4" aluminum to length, round the corners if possible so there are no sharp corners. Drill the 2 mounting bolts holes and the 1/2" antenna hole (for firestix antenna only). Mount the aluminum to the rack.

Connect the antenna wire to the CB first, tuck it into the wiring running along the tank and wrap it around the trunk, then allow for enough to run out one side of the seat, to the rack and to the where the antenna will mount. Connect the antenna, make sure to ziptie the CB wire so there is no slack anywhere in the cable outside of the seat.

Make sure to tune the antenna according to the enclosed instructions, this is very important as to not burn out the CB.


Antenna setup with the SW-Motech topcase rack and Givi V46L topcase.


Back right view of the antenna setup.


Case setup.


Closeup view of the rack setup.


Underside view.


One very important thing I learned on my recent trip, the base CB is the same regardless of the single or dual setup. This comes into play when you come to use it. You will get wind noise and engine noise if the intercom is on. Simply pull the volume knob out, turn the volume on the intercom all the way down and then push the knob back in. This solved all of my noise problems.

I use Ed-sets for the audio portion in my helmet. I have a Shoei RF-1000 and I cut the speakers into the foam for best comfort. The J&M has an auxillary plug for your mp3 of choice, just to the volume on the mp3 all the way up and throw it in the tank bag, you have auxillary volume on the J&M for your helmet. The Ed-sets unit on the helmet is completely water proof and very light. You can also run earbuds if you don't want to run the mp3 off the CB you can run it off the helmet. You can get the cord for the J&M from Ed-sets for the proper connect, it works very well.

Here are a few pictures of the setup on the bike with the powered tank bag and GPS in place.





Here you can see the Ed-sets setup on the helmet.