Stupid question about controls

Mechano · #1 25th January 2005

I think it's a stupid question...

...But I really am in difficult to become abituated to this strange handlebar electrical controls.
They are huge, difficult to use with hands into winter gloves. The flashing high beam is a must here where people drive cars like mad cows and roads are not so large like in US or Australia.

That's the stupid question:

Is there an aftermarket kit for a more standard and complete set of controls?

Is there at almost the only flashing high beam kit? It's easy to mount on this new bikes because the high beam pulse can be taken from lo-high beam switch and sent directly to the existing wires. The only problem is to do something clean and with a stock look.

Has anyone never tried to mount jap controls on an Harley?

I've no problem cutting wires and modify by myself.

--
Mr. Mechano
'04 XL1200C red/silver
Kawasaki ZRX1200

gordy · #2 25th January 2005

I would have thought that the bigger buttons would have been easier to find with thick winter gloves....at least thats what I find.

Some of the aftermarket controls offer smaller buttons but they cost a lot of money.. Or you can you the minimal route and switch to stainless flush buttons but theres quite a bit of work and cost involved.

Mechano · #3 25th January 2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by gordy

I would have thought that the bigger buttons would have been easier to find with thick winter gloves....at least thats what I find.

Some of the aftermarket controls offer smaller buttons but they cost a lot of money.. Or you can you the minimal route and switch to stainless flush buttons but theres quite a bit of work and cost involved.

With heavy gloves you have less moving abilities. Small and well disposed into a small area are better than bigger at long distance between them and from the finger.

I want to try to build at almost my own flash beam (passing?) button to the left side.

--
Mr. Mechano
'04 XL1200C red/silver
Kawasaki ZRX1200

bubbahog · #4 25th January 2005

I have some difficulty myself when I've got my winter gloves on - I agree that some of the controls can be hard to reach. I also like the controls better than any rice-burner I've seen. I guess I'll just have to live with it, myself. Let us know if you find anything.

There are aftermarket kits to make the headlight flash. I remember them being discussed on one of the bulletin boards, I just don't remember which one. More unfortunately, I don't remember their proper name, or who makes them. The good news is, though, that they exist. You'll be able to find one somewhere.

If you want more light up front, how about a passing lamp kit? Might not be a European styling thing on a Sporty, though.

Mechano · #5 25th January 2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by bubbahog

I have some difficulty myself when I've got my winter gloves on - I agree that some of the controls can be hard to reach. I also like the controls better than any rice-burner I've seen. I guess I'll just have to live with it, myself. Let us know if you find anything.

There are aftermarket kits to make the headlight flash. I remember them being discussed on one of the bulletin boards, I just don't remember which one. More unfortunately, I don't remember their proper name, or who makes them. The good news is, though, that they exist. You'll be able to find one somewhere.

If you want more light up front, how about a passing lamp kit? Might not be a European styling thing on a Sporty, though.

The turn lights buttons have the problem they are not switch but pulse button, and don't have a feedback click.
The left "rice burner's" controls are lever with switch and feedback click. So you can feel when they'll start working without look at the dock panel. And it's easy that you can switch off simply by a soft straight pressure that has a feedback click too.

It happened often to me, to press the turn lights button but the turn lights don't start blinking, simply because I didn't press deeply, or sometimes it occurs that I double press fastly so I turn on/off at the same time (because of a bump or simply the bad feedback of heavy winter gloves).
With a clicking lever switch you can't be wrong.

I don't want more lights on my front expecially if they will make ugly my bike. I prefer to make more powerfull the existing ones. I've seen some Xenon lights (not talking about the Xenon colored bulb lamps) but the real "Xenon" gas system with all the electronic components necessay to multiply the electrical tension to excite the gas and make its reaction) a bit expensive but really impressive.
http://www.brightheadlights-hid.com/...bike-x5006.htm

--
Mr. Mechano
'04 XL1200C red/silver
Kawasaki ZRX1200

wickedsprint · #6 25th January 2005

I prefer both signals on one side personally, do not care for one button on each side of the bike. Wonder if there is an easy fix for that.

Mark_Bench · #7 25th January 2005

Weird, personally I prefer the Harley controls, My wife's Buell has Jap stle controls and I am constantly leaving the turn signals on! maybe look to Buell parts for working with the existing Harley stuff.

cobra0478 · #8 25th January 2005

Why try to modify the sportster to function as a jap bike??
Just buy a jap bike and be done with it.
Don

AZbiker · #9 25th January 2005

Umm, Cobra, he's already got a Jap bike.

Mechano, I don't think the turn signal module cares where the signal is coming from. You could go to the dead-bike junkyard and maybe find some controls from a late model Japanese cruiser, like a Vulcan--I think those use 1" bars. Also the new Triumph Bonnevilles use 1" bars.

As long as you connect the right wires together, I see no reason that the switches couldn't be changed. It would be a lot easier to adapt some Buell controls, but there's probably not a lot of Buells in Italian junkyards.

Just to clear up any confusion, the "flasher" that Mechano is talking about is for "flashing to pass" and is a spring loaded switch on the backside of the left switch housing that only activates the high beam when pressed.

Speedy818 · #10 25th January 2005

The stock buell blast has it, I know. I can't imagine that it would be that hard to find a pair of 7/8" bars (even stock Blast bars are pretty close to Sportster bars), along with new risers & pick up some OEM hand controls. It just seems like a lot of work for something that you could flip back and forth on. Mr. Mechano - how much passing are you doing over there? :-)

Speedy