maximNikenGT
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Posts posted by maximNikenGT
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1 hour ago, PhotoAl said:
Good writeup, thanks for the info on the battery terminals. Have too much experience over the years searching for dropped nuts and bolts!
How do you like the Neutrino Aurora? Contemplating getting the lower priced version for controlling aux lights as well as a heated gear controller. In addition would like to add some rear tail lights and brake lights. I had a Hex EZCan controller on my BMW that was somewhat similar but tapped into the CanBus for inputs like turn signals, high/low beams and brake lights. I really like having aux lights for visibility in the daytime and very seldom ride at night due to animals like deer.
Used to worry about the reliability of electronic devices but now most electronic devices are very reliable. However connections not necessary so but are (maybe) easier to fix on the road.
Very pleased with the Aurora. Actually had the regular Neutrino sitting around in a box for my last bike that I never got around to installing and learned that Arboreal Systems had an upgrade program where you could upgrade your unit for $100 more to the Aurora, which is what I promptly did. Turnaround time was fast (~5 days).
I had picked this power distribution module over competing units primarily because of the attention to detail in the software integration functionality. No issues whatsoever with setup on my iPhone XR and the Bluetooth connected no problem with the Aurora module. The Aurora app also has built in compass, speedometer, thermostat, altimeter and battery voltage readout so it eliminated the need to add any additional instruments and cables. Also has an emergency low voltage cutoff so in the event an electrical farkle takes too much juice when you're at a stop, it will automatically shut down those circuits to maintain enough battery to startup.
Currently running trickle charger connection, Kanetsu heated vest, and Givi tail lights on my V47 topcase, with slots remaining for future auxiliary lights, Garmin Zumo power cable, and possibly a garage door opener option that Arboreal Systems sells.
Biggest advantages are A) reduced need for crazy wiring and fuses, and B) the automated settings in the Aurora app that controls power levels for heated gear or lights e.g. Set the Lighting to automatically come on during sunrise / sunset, automatically and dynamically increase temperature in heated gear by ambient temperature or increasing speeds, set your topcase LED lighting to flash intermittently when you activate your brakes.
My biggest gripe is with how small the screws and connecting terminals are. Because the unit is so compact it seems ideally suited for 12-16 gauge wiring configurations. Additionally, because the connecting terminals are so small, your electrical wire stripping and trimming technique needs to be very cleanly cut and trimmed to just the right length of exposed wiring. Too little exposed wiring and the connector won't securely grip the wire, too much and you risk a short occurring because of how close adjacent cable connections are. I used a Shimano brake cable cutting tool for my road bicycle to ensure extremely clean and precise wiring cuts.
Was pleased to see that the Aurora had no problems adjusting output for LED lights, wasn't sure if it was capable of Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) necessary for dimming of LED lights, but was pleased that YES IT CAN DIM LEDS! This was one of my primary reasons for getting these since I don't like to ride at night without a ton of lighting because of wildlife.
There's also an option to link your auxiliary lights to your high beams. You have to connect a wire from your high beams to the specific relay only driven connection on the Aurora. You then use the app to link your auxiliary lights anytime the high beam is detected in the wire that goes to the dedicated relay connector. Once that's connected, anytime you activate your hi beams your auxiliary lights come on - which becomes helpful for passing.
Now I just have to figure out which lights to get e.g. Clearwater Darlas, Baja Designs Squadron SAEs , PIAA 270, or Denali D2s are currently on my short list. Only problem is that I may have to buy engine crash guards first in order to have a decent place to mount the auxiliary lights.
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On 10/2/2020 at 1:16 PM, angrygirafe said:
After my first multi day tour (different bike) and losing a bunch of bolts for my fairings, half the tools in my kit are loc-tite
Got my Loctite and Nylock bolts. No way in hell I'm losing a fourth set of bolts.
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Niken review in Mandarin Chinese. Skip ahead to 2:40 where the reviewer actually comments where if you're not careful maneuvering at parking lot speeds, you can drop a Niken, where he actually shows video of him dropping the bike.
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Niken at the track.
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2020 3 wheeled motorcycles
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Took my lady for the first time out on the Niken GT after I had enough time in saddle to develop enough comfort to motor 2 up.
A few answers from my pillion passenger to a couple of my questions:
1. How comfortable was the seat?
In comparison to my old 2004 BMW R1150R, this seat was way more comfortable in terms of support, width, passenger grab rails, and the backrest.
2. Did you like the backrest on the Givi V47 trunk?
It wasn't until halfway into the ride that she realized that she had a backrest that she could comfortably lean up against. Once she learned that it was there and that it was solid, she had plenty of room to sit back and relax.
3. How was the wind in pillion?
Wind buffeting is definitely there since the airstream definitely doesn't flow over the top passenger. I'm 5' 11" and she's 5' 4". With Schuberth C3 Pro women's helmet on it took some getting used to but after awhile the wind was fine for her.
4. How was visibility for her in pillion?
Seated in the pillion position she actually could see over the top of my head and have a good view around on the Niken GT.
5. Anything missing?
Where's my cupholder? NOTE: During one of our trips to Tail of the Dragon (via car) she saw a Goldwing with a cupholder for the pillion rider. Ever since, she wanted her own cupholder.
ADDITIONAL RIDER'S THOUGHTS: From a rider's perspective, having the pillion was no problem, only issues I did run into was during dead stop at a light on an incline. As I was leaning forward to make sure the bike didn't roll back down the hill at a dead start, the back of my legs did bump into the front of her boots on her footpegs. Not a huge deal, but not sure I could have done much differently for the scenario.
Now what was interesting is that next weekend we're planning on heading to Asheville, NC, to go see the mountain leaves change colors. Originally I was planning on driving the car but my lady was so comfortable on the bike that she actually suggested taking the Niken GT to Asheville. She's still adamant that a ride from Charlotte to Alaska is out of the question though, but she's definitely a keeper.
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May 2020 review of Yamaha Niken GT by Roadrunner magazine.
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Yamaha Niken on the Tail of the Dragon, Robbinsville, NC.
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Niken keeping up with sport bike in Switzerland.
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Has anyone installed a cupholder on their bike? Am trying to figure out where and how to mount a bottle holder to my bike to hold my Zojirushi thermal mug:
Stainless Mug SM-KHE36/48 | Zojirushi.com
The Stainless Mug keeps beverages hot or cold for hours with its high... -
8 hours ago, angrygirafe said:
After my first multi day tour (different bike) and losing a bunch of bolts for my fairings, half the tools in my kit are loc-tite
Gotta ask - what kind of bike and what year?
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I am not riding again until i get Nylock and/or Loctite. Lost ANOTHER bolt taking a joyride yesterday. 😤
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The Yamaha Niken GT side view mirrors look cool but are awful in that you can't see that much in them because they're so small.
Was looking at options to make them more usable and ran across this:
https://innovative-cycles.com/gps-video-mirrors
Anyone have these and are they legal?
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35 minutes ago, BBB said:
I'm not an electronics person, but I thought LEDs didn't respond well to dimming of current. I thought that "dimming" is achieved by modulating the time they are on and off, rapidly (pulse width modulation). So, unless your Aurora sends that type of signal to the LEDs you won't get speed related variation in brightness.
[I may also be talking bollocks, but didn't want to waste this chance to show my ignorance].
Good question - I actually thought the same thing because my home dimmer switch emits a weird humming noise when I switch traditional bulbs to LEDs, and the LED lighting fluctuates brightness as well. So originally I didn't think I could vary the LED lighting in the Givi except for basic on and off.
But when I did an initial test of the Aurora at varying currents for the LED lighting, I was able to set different brightness by adjusting the level. No fluctuation in the brightness of the LEDs and no weird humming. So in theory, I was able to adjust brightness manually. Attached are images I took just now at Low/med/high settings and while the trunk photos probably don't illustrate the difference that well in daylight, there was a difference in LED intensity for all three levels.
Now without having actually someone riding behind me to confirm that it actually increases in intensity when I come to a stop, and dims intensity when I get up to speed, you could be right because I haven't confirmed for sure yet that this is actually happening the way I thought I have it configured. But in my off the bike tests, the Aurora can dim the LEDs no problem.
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Trying to see what color options exist for the Niken.
So far I've seen black with blue shocks, blue with gold shocks, and now for 2020 pre-order in Japan, red with black shocks, or Grey with blue shocks.
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Pulled up in a parking lot the other day when two gentlemen in the car beside me ( who were waiting for their friend to pickup food) yelled out, "WHAT IS THAT?"
I told them it was a Yamaha. To which they asked, "what's the advantage to the third wheel?"
My response was," More confidence in the turns and it's a fun bike."
I think I may use this thread to capture general reactions I get.
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Additional reviews and thoughts about the Niken GT.
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Additional thoughts on installation, while the hardware was all nice and solid, I still hadn't figured out whether to tap into existing tail light wiring or run it to my Arboreal Systems Aurora power distribution module. I decided to connect it to the Aurora to have the LED lighting vary by bike speed vs brake actuation.
I also decided that running the LED lighting wire between the seat and the bike was not a safe solution long term because during test fitting of the wiring I noticed that it caused high compression along the part of the wire where it was sandwiched between the seat and the bike. Over time, this compression could cause wear in the housing surrounding the wiring resulting in a short.
To avoid this I ended up drilling a small wiring hole in the side panel under the passenger grab rails to run the LED lighting wire through and to avoid any cyclical compression stress on the wires every time someone sat pillion or if I put something heavy on the pillion seat.
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Final installation. Nice and clean after integrating top box LED lighting to my Arboreal Systems Aurora power distribution module. Took it for a test ride and the top box did not noticeably affect bike aerodynamics up to 70mph speeds.
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What did you end up doing for fender extenders?
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8 hours ago, Michiel900GT said:
For a non-US person this thread gives an interesting insight on US traffic laws. Never realised that there are so many differences between states.
I am equally fascinated at how speeding violations are handled internationally. Just curious as to how it works in Amsterdam. If you get a speeding ticket in nearby Belgium or Germany does that go back to Amsterdam somehow?
I've got a friend who a few years ago went with her parents to Australia where they got a speeding violation in Sydney via speed camera. Friend is Canadian but family is originally from Hong Kong and she resides in the US. Somehow Sydney notified Hong Kong authorities (instead of Canadian or US authorities) to notify her in the US that she had a speeding ticket to be paid in Australia. I had no idea that Australia and Hong Kong had data sharing agreements like that internationally.
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15 hours ago, 1moreroad said:
So if the OP's coworker took driving school to "get out" of the ticket, it shouldn't have been reported back to their home state.
Exactly. Hence my surprise especially since in Florida you have to be 30+ over posted legal speeds to be considered reckless.
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11 minutes ago, maximNikenGT said:
Hoo wee! 55 in 25 at the west end of Tail of the Dragon would have gotten you applause at my riding club meeting. 😃
Since you were right at 30 mph over posted legal speeds is probably what triggered the drivers education programming as a requirement for reckless driving.
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18 hours ago, SKYFLIX said:
Precisely. It is the discretion of the state where the offense took place to determine if it should be forwarded on. I've gotten speeding tickets in TN (less than 15+) that I never saw on my driving record in SC.
Interesting - my understanding of "reckless" driving is greater than 15mph over posted legal speeds or 80mph and over in the state of North Carolina. In Virginia it's 20mph over posted legal speeds. In South Carolina, "reckless" is 25mph over, and in Tennesee and Florida it's 30mph over. Hence my surprise when my coworker got her license revoked for a 15+mph violation in Florida when she resides in NC.
Cupholders on bike?
in Yamaha Niken Forum
Posted
Oddly in all my years of riding I've never gone through drive through on a motorcycle before until you just mentioned it. Not sure why the thought never occurred to me to attempt it. Ordering me a RAM cup holder to tick that one off the bucket list.