New Niken GT owner with questions...

[Merculis]

It's a pleasure to meet you all!  I'm celebrating my new Niken GT with a couple of quirky finds/questions.

The GT adds the comfort passenger seats, but without the heat that you get if the comfort seats are purchased separately.  Is the wiring in there somewhere or can it be added by just purchasing certain elements of the heated comfort seat (wiring/control)?

Also, the site and marketing material seems to indicate that the GT comes with a "Security Alarm".  Leafing through the manual and just searching the bike itself, I see no evidence that it's actually included.  Am I missing something or was it false advertising for the US market?  Interestingly enough, if you look at the "Electrical 2" diagram for the US vs EU model, there are 2 extra parts for the latter; one of which is an immobilizer.

[maximNikenGT]

Welcome to the group. 

Can't speak to the security system aspect but in respect to the heated seats option, if you get the Yamaha factory heated seat you still have to   have a hole drilled into the piece of the fairing right next to the seat for a rocker switch to be installed to control seat heating.

https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/yamaha-heated-comfort-seat-niken-gt-2019?sku_id=1644987

 

Other option is to buy something like the following as a separate heating element to be installed under the factory seats and run the necessary cables and drill the hole for the rocker switch.  

https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/saddlemen-seat-heater 

Pro Tip: if you have an electronic power distribution unit like the Arboreal Systems Aurora plus then you don't have to drill a hole in the fairing for the rocker switch and can cut down on a bunch of wiring and eliminate the need for a separate relay by utilizing the electronic switch to dynamically turn up the seat heating as ambient temperature drops. 

 

[Merculis]

35 minutes ago, maximNikenGT said:

Welcome to the group. 

Can't speak to the security system aspect but in respect to the heated seats option, if you get the Yamaha factory heated seat you still have to   have a hole drilled into the piece of the fairing right next to the seat for a rocker switch to be installed to control seat heating.

https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/yamaha-heated-comfort-seat-niken-gt-2019?sku_id=1644987

 

Other option is to buy something like the following as a separate heating element to be installed under the factory seats and run the necessary cables and drill the hole for the rocker switch.  

https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/saddlemen-seat-heater 

Pro Tip: if you have an electronic power distribution unit like the Arboreal Systems Aurora plus then you don't have to drill a hole in the fairing for the rocker switch and can cut down on a bunch of wiring and eliminate the need for a separate relay by utilizing the electronic switch to dynamically turn up the seat heating as ambient temperature drops. 

 

This is interesting a very useful information, Maxim...thank you!  I'd heard of power distribution systems, but didn't know about the Arboreal Systems Aurora Plus; that seems like quite an elaborate piece of kit.

I actually went ahead and sprang for the Yamaha Comfort Heated Seats today since my bike is still brand new and I suspect I can resell the Yamaha Comfort Seats without the heat.  That being said, this idea would be great for powering the heated gear of a second rider who is a bit more temperature sensitive.

I'm actually curious now if you've done anything for adding a tablet + CarPlay or if there's a RAM mount or other mount you like for mobile devices?  I was considering the Garmin Zumo XT and pairing it with the Yamaha OEM GPS Mount.  I suppose part of me is convinced that if Yamaha went through the trouble of designing a GPS mount for the Niken, it's probably decently made.  The other part of me, however, is addicted to Waze and I like the idea of running that or Rever on a hacked together tablet with a CarPlay dongle.  I'm just not confident where a tablet would be best mounted or if I can somehow get away with mounting it to the Yamaha mount.

Anyone have thoughts on that?

Edited July 29, 2021 by Merculis

[maximNikenGT]

I run Garmin Zumo XT for navigation and cell phone for Sirius XM. The Zumo actually links to your cell phone data to provide  real time traffic updates and alternative routing options. The Zumo doesn't seem to have navigation lag issues like Apple or Google maps when in motion. Only downside is the persistent data connection eats a ton of power in the cell phone. No way my iPhone XR lasts a half day of use with this configuration.

If you plan on using Waze on your cell phone as well as Zumo for navigation, I strongly recommend the wireless charging of the RAM mount since the wireless makes the RAM mount electrical connections less susceptible to inclement weather. Your phone / tablet however is still exposed to the elements though, but at least when the phone / tablet is off mount then you're not as worried with it getting wet. 

I've found insufficient screen brightness an issue on my iPhone XR in heavy sunlight, but no issues with screen brightness on the Zumo XT. 

One of the other riders actually carries his phone on his body since he had issues with vibration affecting his phone over longer distances,  your experience may vary.  

As far as RAM mount vs Yamaha mount for GPS / smart phone, the stock position of the Yamaha mount is a little too low for my preference. Would prefer it to be above the speedometer but haven't found a mounting bracket solution that doesn't vibrate at speed that I like yet. The RAM mounts are pretty universal and I can swap them out across bikes if I ever needed to. I sometimes swap my GPS mount out with a cup holder in case I want to grab a drink at drive throughs. 

Zumo XT mount and cell phone RAM mount photo links below. Both are powered by my Arboreal Systems Neutrino plus Aurora which saved a bunch of weight in cables, mechanical switches and relays. https://www.neutrinoblackbox.com/

 

Link to zumo xt and RAM

 

Niken RAM mount details.

[Ferrett847]

Welcome ,it's ram mounts for me all the way because of the flexibility of position in various lighting conditions  and as maxim says the standard mount is a bit far away from you .