[rpo83]

Hi all,

I have been trying to roughly setup my new Buell screen and headlight on the wee tonight.

Fitting the stock instruments is going to be very tight... So i got to thinking... Would a dash from a different model Suzuki work on the wee?

This GSX-R unit looks nice and compact, maybe even the gear indicator would work?

The plug on the back looks identical to the Wee's...

What do you think the chances are that it would be plug and play???

 

[MickB72]

It would be logical that it is plug and play, but personally I wouldn't try it.
We have designed products at work that use the same connectors but different pinouts across our product lines because no one bothered to check how things were done before.:headbang:
I found the wiring diagram for a 1996/7 GSXR 750 on the web, I will try to go over it for you on friday and see if it looks similar.
First thing I noticed with the schematics is pin numbers are not included, you need to identify the pins from the wire colors. If you do not have that part of the loom from the GSXR, this will be difficult and a bit of multi-meter action and guess work would be required.

Maybe I am just making things difficult and it might just plug in and work....

I am busy this weekend, but after that I can help if you like.

 

[The Golden Monkey]

Stromtrooper Delta88 put a Uly headlight/fairing assembly on his wee a while back, and I believe he used the stock dash. This is the only photo I've found that shows the dash at all, and it's just the side, but it seems to be the same:

I just sent him a PM asking for more info.

 

[rpo83]

It would be logical that it is plug and play, but personally I wouldn't try it.
We have designed products at work that use the same connectors but different pinouts across our product lines because no one bothered to check how things were done before.:headbang:
I found the wiring diagram for a 1996/7 GSXR 750 on the web, I will try to go over it for you on friday and see if it looks similar.
First thing I noticed with the schematics is pin numbers are not included, you need to identify the pins from the wire colors. If you do not have that part of the loom from the GSXR, this will be difficult and a bit of multi-meter action and guess work would be required.

Maybe I am just making things difficult and it might just plug in and work....

I am busy this weekend, but after that I can help if you like.

Hi Mick,

i think from K7 onwards there might be a better chance, i looked at an SV650 dash today, it could be the answer... I assume it would be the most likely candidate due to the same engine...

I will hopefully get the headlight unit mounted tomorrow, so i should have a much better idea of what i am up against in regard to fitting the original dash.

Thanks for the feedback :thumbup:

 

[rpo83]

Stromtrooper Delta88 put a Uly headlight/fairing assembly on his wee a while back, and I believe he used the stock dash. This is the only photo I've found that shows the dash at all, and it's just the side, but it seems to be the same:

I just sent him a PM asking for more info.

Thanks Monkey, that is a great looking bike. Some feedback and photos from Delta would be fantastic.

I got most of the headlight mounting brackets made today, so i am hopefull that tomorrow i will have more of an idea about what i am up against.

At the moment the throttle cable and main wiring loom routing is posing enough problems, sometimes i wonder why i didn't just jump on the bike stock and do the trip :headbang: I must be a glutton for punishment..

Thanks for the help, it is greatly appreciated :thumbup:

 

[DrPaul47]

As a Uly owner if you are going to swap out the lights with a Uly, make sure you get a set after 07 or 08. They changed the refectors in the housing. The 06's were terrible. for the low beam to point out instead of just in front of the front tire the hi would be focused at the top of telephone poles. This is one of the mods I wanted to makes to my Uly, upgrade the headlight housing. Also the lights on the Wee are awsome compared to the Buell Uly lights. I had o put aftermakets on the Uly and still didn't get the light I am getting from my Wee. Just my two cents.

 

[Delta88]

Hi guys. I got The Golden Monkey's PM so I came to check out this thread. As far as the instrument connectors, they are definitely the same and they definitely won't plug 'n play. I researched GSXR, SV and even Triumph triple instrument sets, (they also use the same connector), and wiring diagrams. The FI SV's would be the best candidates because they have a redline that is close to that of the DL's and there would be no issues making the tach work, (2 cylinders vs. 3 or 4 on the others), and there are only a few wires that have to be relocated withing the bike's harness connector. I looked for a supplier for the mating connector so that I could just build an adapter sub-harness to mate the gauges to the bike - no joy on that plan. The real problem I had was that these units are narrower but just as tall as the stock DL instrument assy. Plus, you lose the temp and fuel gauges in favor of warning lights. In the end, I decided to try and make the stock gauges work - plus my odo stays the same that way.

I had a Dan Vesel dash panel - about 2/3 down the page here.....

V-Strom Accessories

- that I cut down to make a mounting bracket for my instruments. You could use some angle aluminum if you have access to some that is around 110 degrees instead of the common 90. I then made a surround panel out of sheet aluminum to hold the gauges and screwed this panel to the Vesel piece. Hopefully, you can see this in the pics below...

Luckily, I already had the face apart again to remake the headlight mounting. I rebent the gauge panel to create a better sight angle from the riding position which allowed me to move the light assy. up about an inch and back nearly an inch.

Side view, (oops - looks like I need to back off on the lower screws a bit).

Here's the panel from the gauge side.....

It's not pretty but it is solid and works very well.

If any of you want a different shot, now is the time to ask while everything's apart and I'm waiting on a buddy who's bending up my replacement light bracket. The first one was the thickest sheet aluminum I could bend with the brake press I have access to and it was a bit flimsy. The new one will be more than twice as thick.

The bracket is a simple U-shape that mounts to a pair of Bandit 1200 headlight ear brackets and accepts the back of the Buell light assembly....

Here it is mounted to the bike. If the bike were just a bit wider, I could have used a piece of 8" AL channel instead. That would have made this a bit easier.

Here it is temporarily mounted to the Uly light mount.

As far as the lighting, pso is right on. Even with the HID low beam conversion it is nowhere near as good of light as the stock V-Strom and not even as good as the naked SV headlight I had on there when I first stripped the bike down. This is a trade I don't mind making because I seldom ride this bike any distance after dark anymore. Most of my long distance riding, (when I'm most likely to ride through the night), is now done on the ST1300 which has excellent lighting. All of that being said, I have been monkeying around with some 4" halogen driving lights on the Strom but I haven't found a mounting location that I really like yet.

 

[greywolf]

Black Lab put in an Acewell instrument cluster. http://www.stromtrooper.com/new-england/49236-2010-bike-modifications-19.html

 

[The Golden Monkey]

If any of you want a different shot, now is the time to ask while everything's apart and I'm waiting on a buddy who's bending up my replacement light bracket.

This customization deserves its own thread, with lots of photos of course. :mrgreen:

 

[rpo83]

Thanks Delta :hurray:

I was basically at the same point as yours looks, the main difference is that i bought the buell dash fasia that links the 2 side pieces together.

I would be very interested in what dimensions your new bracket will be. I am on my second now, the first one was too close to the throttle and clutch cables, the new one looks too far :headbang: The depth of the second panel was 70mm, i think i shouild be able to shave 10mm off that.

Thanks for the information and pics, i really appreciate it.

 

[rpo83]

I spent another hour or so going over what options i had in regards to the bracket, and i have decided to keep it at it's current size.

I spent a bit of time grinding the original Buell dash mount, tomorrow it has a meeting with a band saw, hopefully i'll be able to figure out a way to adapt the standard instruments.

Here is a few pics from today's efforts...

The rest of the details are in my build thread, http://www.stromtrooper.com/australia-new-zealand/62767-i-couldnt-wait-any-longer.html

Thanks for all the feedback today guys, :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
:yesnod:

 

[Delta88]

Thanks Delta :hurray:

I was basically at the same point as yours looks, the main difference is that i bought the buell dash fasia that links the 2 side pieces together.

I would be very interested in what dimensions your new bracket will be. I am on my second now, the first one was too close to the throttle and clutch cables, the new one looks too far :headbang: The depth of the second panel was 70mm, i think i shouild be able to shave 10mm off that.

Thanks for the information and pics, i really appreciate it.

No sweat. I also have the Buell dash facia, I just haven't gotten around to the modifications to use it yet. My plan is to install it merely to fill in most of the gap that now exists between the top of the Uly side pieces and the bottom of my home-built gauge mount. Now I'm glad I waited because I likely would not have been able to use it now had I cut it up earlier. Sometimes procrastination pays off.

From memory, the new bracket will be 7-3/4" wide, the "legs" are 2-9/16" long, (with 2-1/4" from the front mounting surface to the center of the bolt holes that secure it to the Bandit mounts), and about 7" tall. I could have brought the depth in more, as you stated, (if my conversion math is correct, mine has right at 5mm less depth than yours so it splits the difference), but then the whole assembly would have to be mounted lower on the bike. This latest modification is partially to bring the lights and, more importantly, the screen up as high as is practical. Then there's the cable/hose clearance issue that you mentioned.

Your project is looking good. It's surprising how similar our approaches have been, half a world apart.

 

[gryphon51]

I have one question....

Why?? :jawdrop:
Why would anyone do this to their bike? did you smash it up? trash the fairings?

just curious...

 

[Delta88]

Why?? :jawdrop: ...

In his last post, above, rpo83 has linked to a thread he started to document his project in which he explains his reasons for personalizing his bike.

These builds aren't for everyone, (although everyone should ride one in the gravel just once - the difference is astounding), but they do illustrate the great versatility of the Stroms.

 

[JPK]

I don't have much to add here other than to say good luck with the mods -- looks like a very cool project.

One thought -- if you do want to try to make an adapter harness, as Delta88 suggested in post 7, you might want to drop an e-mail to Jim at Eastern Beaver. He seems to be able to locate factory connectors and may be able to get a mating set of connectors for you to make an adapter harness.

 

[rpo83]

No sweat. I also have the Buell dash facia, I just haven't gotten around to the modifications to use it yet. My plan is to install it merely to fill in most of the gap that now exists between the top of the Uly side pieces and the bottom of my home-built gauge mount. Now I'm glad I waited because I likely would not have been able to use it now had I cut it up earlier. Sometimes procrastination pays off.

From memory, the new bracket will be 7-3/4" wide, the "legs" are 2-9/16" long, (with 2-1/4" from the front mounting surface to the center of the bolt holes that secure it to the Bandit mounts), and about 7" tall. I could have brought the depth in more, as you stated, (if my conversion math is correct, mine has right at 5mm less depth than yours so it splits the difference), but then the whole assembly would have to be mounted lower on the bike. This latest modification is partially to bring the lights and, more importantly, the screen up as high as is practical. Then there's the cable/hose clearance issue that you mentioned.

Your project is looking good. It's surprising how similar our approaches have been, half a world apart.

Thanks Tim, your images helped focus my decision making. I can't wait, the bike should be finished next week :mrgreen:

Why?? :jawdrop:
Why would anyone do this to their bike? did you smash it up? trash the fairings?

just curious...

Hi gryphon,

nope it was a brand new bike, she hasn't even done 1 klm yet. I bought the bike for a trip, i wanted it to be as bulletproof as possible, so removing all the unnecessary stuff off the front of the bike seemed the logical thing to do, it will make roadside repairs and maintenance much easier.

I don't have much to add here other than to say good luck with the mods -- looks like a very cool project.

One thought -- if you do want to try to make an adapter harness, as Delta88 suggested in post 7, you might want to drop an e-mail to Jim at Eastern Beaver. He seems to be able to locate factory connectors and may be able to get a mating set of connectors for you to make an adapter harness.

Hi JPK,

after hearing from Tim, i ditched the idea of a dash transplant. I cut the buell dash up today and i think it will work.

Here are today's images.

Dash dummied up, checking angles...

From the back...

Taped up ready for the sikaflex...

I am hoping that sikoflex will be enough to hold the dash in place. Time will tell, when i next get back to the bike next Friday, hopefully the dash will be as solid as a rock.

Next Friday, if all go's to plan the bike should be running :thumbup: I just have to connect the Eastern Beaver Relay kit to the Buell headlights, assemble the dash unit and bleed the brakes. Oh and test my cunning luggage mounts.

Here is hoping that next week she will do her first klms..

 

[rpo83]

Here is a quick image on the dash install.

I am not yet sure how i will finish the dash, i am going to do 1 of 3 things:

1, paint the dash section black
2, cover the dash section with vinyl/leather
or..
3, Apply more sikaflex to dress the existing rough areas.

Overall i am very happy with how it turned out. If i was to do it again, i probably wouldn't have ground the power outlet mount away, i think the bandsaw would have provided a much nicer end result.