So here we are, and it's May 2017. This blog probably would have continued to be neglected were it not for someone asking me a question about repositioning the wind screen's well nuts. I am ashamed to admit that I have not had my butt in the saddle for...well, too long, except for riding to the dealer to get two recall notices and a state inspection taken care of. I am planning on rectifying this situation in the latter half of 2017 even if I have to just set a notice to go riding on my calendar.
Life Support for the Battery
The downside of the V-Strom sitting idle is that my battery had gone complete flat. Again. The place where I park it does not have power readily available, so putting it on a trickle charger really isn't an option. I found a solar panel battery tender that I thought would do the trick, but I wasn't really sure how I would route the wire into where I park the bike. For whatever reason over the past year since I bought it, I have completely overlooked the fact that there is a translucent skylight in the roof, which allows plenty of light for the solar panel to generate power. Just to be sure, I put my multimeter to it, and it read 17-18VDC at the leads. Bingo! Two nails and a hammer later, I now have the solar panel battery tender mounted up on the rafter just below the skylight, and all I need to do is install the charging pigtail on the battery so I can just plug it in when I get back from a ride. For those of you who are have a similar need, it is a Sunforce 12V Power Sports Battery Maintainer. Click on the link for more information. Please note that this is specifically to maintain a battery that already has a charge. If your battery has gone flat, then you will need to use a charger.
UPDATE: So due to some surgery at the beginning of 2018, I was unable to ride pretty much for the first half of the year. By the time I was recovered enough to do so, it was just too damned hot, and then I started a new job. In mid-October, I decided to go for a quick shakedown ride and was disappointed to find that my battery was dead, even though it had been connected to the solar battery maintainer. Apparently all the recent rainy days had conspired against me, and the solar panel was unable to keep up. So the lesson to be learned here is to occasionally check the battery even though it's on the maintainer or just disconnect it altogether. *sigh*
Upcoming Goodies to be Installed
As you may or may not recall, my wonderful wife bought me a Garmin Zumo 660 GPS, but despite the Zumo having a rechargeable battery, Garmin only provided the powered cradle for it. This left me without any means for mounting it until I made the time to figure out where to run the wires. I have since decided against a RAM mount solution and went with the SW Motech vibration damped GPS mount from Twisted Throttle. My original thought was to simply run the power to the AUX power port under the right fairing, but the Garmin cradle also includes additional wiring a 3.5mm headphone/audio jack and a 2.5mm mic jack as well as a mini-USB port for a traffic receiver antenna which is pretty useless for a motorcycle as it integrates with a 12V DC power plug. While I have bluetooth and won't really need the additional inputs/outputs, I thought it might be good to have available. There's still a part of me that's considering stripping open the primary cable casing, cutting off and sealing those other leads, and still running the power to the AUX power port. I can always buy a replacement Garmin cradle for $50.
The other item to be installed is a Givi side stand foot enlarger plate. This will help to keep the side stand from sinking into soft ground or dirt by providing a larger surface area. I had been meaning to do this since I bought the V-Strom, but I never got around to doing it. I figured it was time to fix this.
When I get around to installing these items, I'll be sure to post an update of the installations complete with pictures and any lessons learned. Until then, keep the rubber side down!
