Jazzing up the Downtown 300i

[TANWare]

I have been thinking about jazzing up the bike bit more and looking for ideas. My thought currently;

1.) I would like to do some minimalist graphics and/or pinstripes.
2.) A removable top box that really goes well with the overall design.
3.) I like the alumimum look foot rests I've seen on the Nikita's
4.) Rear light conversion to LED's including the license plate light.

Anyone else with idea's here or other ideas? while the bike is awseeome looking, making it look even better while possibly adding more functionality is a good thing IMHO...................

[streetdown]

I would like a slightly bigger windscreen. I sent an e-mail to Givi they said they have them but not yet avalible in the US as of yet.

[racewalker]

I just ordered a Givi windshield in Canada and it is available mid June. I have that, a tunnel bag (scooter bag), and a v46 liner bag all coming at the same time from Canada motor cycle.

[TANWare]

I saw the bigger wind screen picks, I wasn't too thrilled but it may grow on me, I'd like to see some pics of box's on these though to get a better idea........................

[racewalker]

When I get everything together I will shoot some pictures and upload them. I am not going to install the hid xenon low beams until after the first inspection. BTW on another thread you mentioned holding the dimmer switch to get both hi and low lights on at the same time. The flash switch for passing turns on the hi beams while leaving the low beams on. I need to do some testing to see if the system will support 140 watts and still charge the battery. I would like to set this up on the headlight switch so he low beams stay on all the time.

[TANWare]

NJ just did away with MC inspection and no more registartion stickers as well for bikes. The headlight high/low beam fuse is 15A so it would be ok there. The charging fuse is 30A so ok there as well. I think driving the systm should be alright but I wouldn't want to idle long like that.

I want HID's both on low and high beams. I think then is may be ok to not have all four bulbs burning, again I could be wrong here.......

[racewalker]

HID's take a big hit when you first turn them on and they have to warm up. On my system, they will be only low beams and this is why I want to keep them on all the time. This is all 2 lane hi way here so one does not stay on hi beam for a long time. I just have a hard time seeing brown deer and brown moose with brown head lights. I much prefer the 6000 degree blue/white lights for this. Both my old Ford truck and my People S 125 have them installed.

[TANWare]

HID's take a big hit when you first turn them on and they have to warm up. On my system, they will be only low beams and this is why I want to keep them on all the time. This is all 2 lane hi way here so one does not stay on hi beam for a long time. I just have a hard time seeing brown deer and brown moose with brown head lights. I much prefer the 6000 degree blue/white lights for this. Both my old Ford truck and my People S 125 have them installed.

How long is the warm up, I am totally unfamiliar with HID's?

[racewalker]

A couple of seconds from cold, less if they have just been off for a short time. Not good if one is turned off and the other isn't at full brightness yet. On my truck and my S 125 they both use what is called bi-xenon bulbs which move ahead and back for low and hi switch. The H8 bulb this bike uses is only one filament so would be switched off normally when you go to hi beam. When I first put them in my People S 125, Kymco canada tech told me to remove them immediately as they would take out the stator. It has been 4 years now and I am still waiting for the failure.
The lights are 35 watt same as the normal h8 bulb. YOu run another power line from the battery to handle the turn on surge.
I don't need them until fall so I will do some testing before I do the final install and this won't happen until after my first inspection. I have about 500K on the unit now so it will probably be next week if they can get it in.

[TANWare]

How big is the surge, do they even rate it?

[racewalker]

They are fused at 15 amps but it is just a flash to ignite them and that is on the direct wire from the battery.

[TANWare]

They are fused at 15 amps but it is just a flash to ignite them and that is on the direct wire from the battery.

The PnP kits that are available do not seem to have the normal wire for he flash and just run of the ballast. Now there seems to be a relay kit for those systems that have issues with flashing or only one light igniting and I think that allows the power tap in. I don't think that supplys the ability to have both low and high beam at the same time.

If these need that you are probably better off creating your own relay setup. All you need is to run one positive line in from the battery, two single throw/double pole normal off (actually you only need 1 single pole & 1 double pole) relays and some connectors to splice it all in.

I was also thinking about the battery and changing over to a Deep Discharge AGM battery. Fewer worries about maintenance and it should isolate the charging system somewhat from those surges. Again this is just a thought, I haven’t made any final decisions yet as this is unfamiliar territory.

[racewalker]

I am quit familiar with the systems as I have been using them for years. I already have 2 motor cycle kits ready to go in. It is just not a hi priority right now to put in. As far as the battery, the one on the people S 125 did well for the first year but I was hard on it. I purchased another one which was not properly prepared and it failed in a few months. The next one I purchased and prepared myself following the instructions with it. It is now on its second year and that is after not taking it out of the bike over winter. (my bad). I didn't pick up this bike for an extra day just so they could do the battery properly on it.
In the mean time I will do some testing of the 4 light system using the flash switch while riding. I don't usually run hi beams that long so should not be a problem but will see in time.

[TANWare]

I suggest the AGM battery as I am a great one for the "My Bad" scenario's. The reason I suggest doing the relays myself too is the fact that a standard setup will not do the four lights at one time. Easy enough to design a circuit as we are not really redesigning the wheel here, a fairly simple circuit will do.

Just to be safe I'd like to get the rear lights switched over to LED's first to lower power consumption there. Not that it needs to be done but also it should lower the need for bulb replacement so 2 birds with one stone as they say.

While the tub is out I'd like to get a power port in the tub hooked direct to the battery with a quick disconnect. This would give alot of options up to even a port to port connection to charge or jump the bike. The included power port is ignition switchable limiting some options.

With doing the HID's it would be easy enough, since we are running a power line from the battery, to also setup a third relay for ingition on power to a port we could use for heated gloves and the like............

Lot's & lot's to do as they say.................

[TANWare]

I haven't had time to pull the license light but ordered the LED's for the Tail and Turn signal. Ocne out I'll be sure what the battery is then look into an AGM battery. They say to make up for lack of cold cranking amps to add 20% to the capacity. So instead of 10A I supposedly need a 12AH or better..........................