Modern Buddy

Here's an overview of what I've done to my Rattler...I narrowed the bars, painted the footpads, moved the front signals and replaced the rear ones with small LED's, de-badged it, removed the grabrail, moved the speedo and mounted some mirrors from a Helix down on the foodpad mounts. Whattaya think?










...one picture shows that the mirrors are, indeed, usable and the last one shows what a Rattler on a rally looks like...

--Keys

Innovative, but the jury is still out on those mirrors & the instrument relocation.

The reason I moved the dash was when ridden at night, the light from it is bright enough to be distracting. When I moved it rear-ward, it made a big difference. I suppose if I rode in a city with lot's of other light it wouldn't bother me, but I seldom do cities...

--Keys

Hmm,

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess.

B02S4 wrote:Innovative, but the jury is still out on those mirrors & the instrument relocation.

Keys, I LOVE those mirrors! What a neat-o idea. I've only seen mirrors on the legshield of some old Lambrettas.

Moving the display console seems like a lot of work. I wonder if some tinted clingfilm wouldn't have done the job? Hmmm....

good idea on the display, i wish it had a dimmer dial on it. anyone know how hard it is to switch displays?

polianarchy wrote:Keys, I LOVE those mirrors! What a neat-o idea.

Awww....you're the best, Poli! By the way, new updates to "skutergruven"...

--Keys

MotoSteve wrote:Hmm,

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess.

B02S4 wrote:Innovative, but the jury is still out on those mirrors & the instrument relocation.

In my view i would put the instrument panel back the way it was, here is the reason why. If by chance and i pray you dont, you have a frontend bump/crash that plate is going to take a chunk of meat out of something or even your manhood, on your way out and over the handlebars. Do what you want I just feel it unsafe.

Major Redneck wrote:Do what you want I just feel it unsafe.

...and since I ride at night a LOT more than I crash, I feel it is MORE unsafe to have my night-sight affected negatively.

--Keys

I think the mirrors look great Keys.

Are you enjoying the Rattler?

I'm LOVIN' it, Alix!!! Probably the most fun I've ever had on two wheels! You can check out my whole review at www.skutergruven.blogspot.com .

By the way, how are you doing after your epic journey?

--Keys

Man, I was already interested in the Rattler and then I read your review--now I'm anxious to make it happen RIGHT AWAY!

I'm doing great, thanks for asking. Sitting on my bike for so long created some physical discomfort and I'm finally over that. It also added a bunch of pounds to my arse, although that gave me some needed cushion. I've been going to the gym a lot and was recently accepted into Grad School for Mass Communications-emphasis on Multi-Media Journalism.
The trip and all the blogging/video taping made me realize I want to do more!

Funny, I was traveling this time last year! It's been cool here in Maine but I've been taking the scoot out for awhile and I still love her!

...and since I ride at night a LOT more than I crash, I feel it is MORE unsafe to have my night-sight affected negatively.

by your reply u do see what im talking about. being your a man of talent, look at other ways to dim it down, being all you did was move the angle of the light. When and If i get my rattler back first thing ill do is put some of the window tint i had left over from a job on one of my classic autos. Im sure that 35% well dim it down alot maybe too much. If you stopped by a window tint shop and asked they would give you a few scraps to try. I have night blindness if you know what that is. I also ride at night to work. On my other bikes the dash light itself is not bright but as soon as I hit the high beam then i have a problem. iv just taken somekind of small sticker or some tape and put it over the light itself.
Iv had many little dumps on dirtbikes as well as streetbikes, iv had two major ones on the highway/road. In "83" i had a crash that was totaly my fault for taking a shortcut on safety. 45 bones broken, 5 in the face, 15 teeth missing, left hand mangled and chewed down most of the bones, two back oparations 4 bolts three rods holding my back together. I hurt daily, cuz of my being a fool and doing something very stupid. Now i ride mostly automatic bikes eventhough i have other sportbikes, I ride the scooters, its very hard for me to shift gears and most all hold up the bike.

I really like how you did the turnsignals, did you have to drill a hole in the front? Again i dont have my Rattler, after 3weeks its been in the shop, that was just about 3 months ago. But i was already looking into moving the rear turnsignal but i had not about the front. Really looks sharp. Jury still out on the mirrors i would have to see if it improved the view to the rear. But your theard has given me an idea i can try on another bike that im having problem seeing...

I went out to ride last night to see if i got any glare. I must be taller than you. I couldn't even see blue unless i looked down or tucked.

Yeah, I had to drill two small holes to mount the signals. I drilled them into the black part of the plastic so if I discovered I didn't like it, I could just run down to my local Ace Hardware and buy a couple black plastic plugs and no one would be any the wiser!

I tried some window tint and it worked fine at night, but made it so I couldn't read it in the daytime. I'm considering making some kind of clip-on device to use only at night.

And Ray, as I said before, it isn't an issue in a lighted area, like a city street. Since I don't live in a city, and it's dark all around me, ANY extra light becomes a distraction. If I hold my hand over the display, my night-sight improves dramatically, and since my ability to see is paramount to me, I intend to find a solution to the problem. And yes, in the last 40 years of riding, I HAVE gone down. Quite a number of times. I used to roadrace, so of course I've been down. In traffic and on the racetrack, but I don't plan for that eventuality. I WILL prepare for the worst, but plan for the best.

--Keys

--Keys

That's true, i did have street lights. I forget how black night is supposed to be even though i grew up in the sticks.

Back a few years ago i bought a Bobster Goggle set, that has three lins. Dark green, clear, and ambor. Iv found that the ambor one works good at night in town but once out in the dark its too dark. I do own a pair of RayBan night driving glasses that i use at night when i drive one of my Cage'es. Would use it for the bikes but i need better eye protection. Far as the tint i was affraid it would be too dark at day but worth a try. When i get mine back out the shop ill see if i can come up with a fresh idea about it. The three weeks that i did have my Rattler I only drove it at night once for a short time being it was cold and snowing right after i got it.