Which dual sport kit the best?

[cloute]

Up to now 2 dual sport kits are interesting to put on a WR426 2001. There is the Baja Design and the other one is from ElectrexUSA. I know that the Baja is a bit cheeper. Anybody can help me about this or can suggest any other kit.Thanks! ?

[JamesD]

I haven't seen the ElectrexUSA stuff (except for the web site) but I do have a BajaDesigns kit on my bike. I will tell you what I don't like about it.

No key switch.

The light switch/horn switch isn't as strong as OEM dual sport out of Japan.

The license plate bracket doesn't look as nice as the stuff on the ElectrexUSA site.

To really work with the WR you about need to replace turn signal lights and brake/running light with LED lights or the headlight dims at idle.

Turn signals could be smaller and have sturdier mounts up front.

The way the battery is mounted could be better and the battery is bare minimum for the job.

Color pictures with the instructions were ugly at best and they were for stator mods. Something pretty important.

Overall it has a shade tree mechanic sort of quality to it.

The ElectrexUSA stuff *looks* like it is better.

For what I paid (bought it off someone else here that decided not to use it before they even got it) none of this is a big deal. I'll probably add the switch myself. It will still cost way less than the ElectrexUSA stuff.

[ May 31, 2002: Message edited by: JamesD ]

[hart]

I think everyone here has the baja designs kit.. I agree that it is kinda weak plastic and the directions weren't the best but not bad and to get a better battery or stronger controls = weight so I'm pretty satisfied with Baja Designs

[Rich_in_Orlando]

I suggest you skip the middle man and just build your own. I put a BD kit on my bike 2 years ago and the more I think about it, the more I feel I got ripped off. $400+ for a few feet of wire and some cheap electrical components! Most of my BD kit has crapped out, broke, or fallen apart. The only thing you have to buy that is motorcycle-specific are the turn signals and brake light switches. Everything else, you already have or can buy at Radio Shack or an electronics surplus store. If you want it to look OEM, go to the Four Strokes Only web site and get an OEM-style handlebar switch-not a BD style one, because they are definitely crap. You can also get the brake light switches and turn signals there.

I guy I ride with every weekend (Jerry426 on TT) made me wise to this plan. He did his own dual-sport kit for considerably less money than what I've spent. Are there any other TT'ers out there who've made their own DS kit? I'd be interested in the approach you took. Maybe we can pool our ideas and add a section to TT on how to build your own DS kit.

I know that a lot of you dual sporters out there would rather buy a kit and be done with it (that's exactly how I felt when I got the BD kit) but I've spent countless hours repairing, rewiring, and replacing components. I think the home made kits would weigh less than the aftermarket ones and hold up better.

Here's a list of what I can think of for what you need to do:

Power requirements

-Float the ground on the lighting coil (sounds daunting, but it's easy to do. Basically, you clip the ground wire on the stator lighting coil and connect it to a wire. Then run the wire up through the original wiring harness. A teflon-insulate wire works best for that. I can get into more detail if need be.)

-Use the original voltage regulator and get a high capacity (~50A) rectifier (about $3) to have 12V DC power. Make sure you heat sink the rectifier.

-Connect the rectified power to a 1.3 AH lead-acid battery (less than $20) and take all of the lighting (and turn signal, horn, indicator) power from the battery.

Lights

-The original headlight and taillight works fine. Add a third wire to the headlight wiring harness to allow for hi and low beam switching. The taillight is pre-wired for a brake light.

-Install brake light switches front and rear and connect them to the taillight.

Misc

-You will need to fashion a license plate holder. I made mine out of a 3" x 10" x 3/32" piece of aluminum and I mounted it using the three bolts that hold the taillight in place.

-I mounted the battery and voltage regulator in the airbox, but another good place would be behind the headlight.

-If you want to make your own handlebar switches, I used pieces of 1/8" thick x 1-1/2" wide aluminum strips that I got at Home Depot and mounted them to my brake and clutch perches and I used regular Radio Shack toggle switches and push buttons. (Get creative!) A 3-way center-off switch works well for the hi-lo-off headlight and I used the stock handlebar light switch to shut off all power from the battery to the lights.

-I don't have a wiring diagram, yet, but I'm working on it.

-I would suggest that you connect everything with bullet-style connectors and solder, so that way you can take it apart and the solder makes it more durable.

[Brian_in_Long_Beach]

I've got to disagree with Rich.

My first bike was an '88 XR600 that had a homemade dual sport kit on it. I bought it that way and I wish I never had. I ended up buying a partial Baja Designs kit - wiring harness, blinkers, battery, etc. I already had the head & tail lights. I was very impressed with the BD kit. Only problem I had was the regulator/rectifer fried and BD replaced it under warranty. I think I might have been the cause of the failure. I removed the BD wiring harness & made my own before I sold the bike. It's doable but I wouldn't do it again. There is a lot to be said for letting someone else do the R&D.

My wife's '92 XR250R had a BD kit on it when we bought the bike in '98 and I haven't done a darn thing with it. Haven't even broken a blinker on that bike.

I have a BD kit on my '99 WR and IMO the instructions were fine. The hardest part was snaking the ground wire thru the factory harness. The only problems I've had with the BD kit on this bike are broken rear blinkers (not necessarily BD fault) & I broke the turn signal 'knob' on the switch gear. I was able to glue it back together but it doesn't have the spring/ball for the detent. I replaced the rear blinkers with non-DOT legal flush mounts and haven't had a problem since.

Other than the rectifier/regulator on the XR600 I've never had an electrical problem with a BD kit.

A friend of my put the Driven Industries kit on his KLX300. Driven Industries mounts all the electrical stuff behind the headlight - pushes the headlight out. Two problems with this mounting scheme in IMO - 1. Adds weight up high and it's now affecting steering 2. It's vunerable to crash damage as evidenced by my friends head on collision.

Bottom line? For me it's not worth my time and effort to piece a kit together on my own - I can & have done it but I choose not to.

Brian

[Rich_in_Orlando]

Here's the list of things on my Baja Designs kit that I had to replace because they crapped out:

-battery - $40 + shipping

-handlebar switch - $60 + shipping

-Regulator/rectifier - $40 + shipping

-Horn- $12 + shipping

-front brake light switch - $20 + shipping

That's half the cost of the original kit!

So, for about $400, if you consider that I had to replace all these parts, I got some wires, 4 turn signals, a brake light switch, and a hi beam indicator. I also got a flywheel puller with the kit (the best part of it, IMO). Granted, I put a lot of miles on my bike every weekend, so maybe mileage has something to do with it. But I wouldn't buy another one.

[levy1]

I saw an E-Line kit on a WR400 and the design was really sharp. I do not know anything about the quality. Anyone installed this one yet?

http://www.elineaccessories.com/

[Brian_in_Long_Beach]

Rich - I gotta ask... None of that was crash related? I'm curious what the failures were. Like I said earlier the only problems I've had were operator induced ?

Maybe I just got lucky with the 3 kits I've got?

Brian

[PumpkinHumper]

I just got my 99 YZ400 Street legal and I peiced the kit together myself.

I used the folowing parts

1. Electrex 45w coil $170 (I dont want to hear it. Im gonna replace it with a 130W WR coil and flywheel soon from electrex $300. I diddn't have the money at the time.)

2. Acerbis Bilitz (I Think thats the name)headlight $80

3. UFO underfender brake tail light $25 (I think its for a ktm but with some triming it fit right in.

4. Electrex Brake pressure switch $18

5. Elextrex voltage regulator $20

6. Acerbis mirror $15

7. Radioshack personal alarm $15 and honda kill switch $8 wired together and mounted on the bar and behind the headlight makes a great horn and runs on 9v battery.

8. Radioshack switch and wire for the headlight and misc wiring. $10

So what does that add up to around $360

Im Michigan we dont need blinkers.

So far the only problem ive had is a blown tailight bulb. That is probably just because it aint a "HD" bulb. I can take the headlight and tailight off in a matter of minutes to have it back in "MOTO" mode

[Rich_in_Orlando]

Originally posted by NVR FNSH:

Rich - I gotta ask... None of that was crash related? I'm curious what the failures were. Like I said earlier the only problems I've had were operator induced ?

Maybe I just got lucky with the 3 kits I've got?

Brian

None of the failures were crash related. The handlebar switch literally disintegrated. I spent a lot of time trying to keep that thing working. I cleaned it out, I used dielectric grease in all the right places. Finally, the contacts wore away to the point that the switch quit working altogether.

The battery never held much of a charge to begin with, then it just quit working. I don't know what happened to the reg/rect. The brake light switch fell apart (it was on the front brake, so branches may have contributed to its demise.) The horn, again, just quit working.

[cloute]

Anybody ever tried the "Trick Dual Sport Kit". It seems good but I'd like to hear some feedback of it. Cheers!

www.trickdualsport.com

[lomitamike]

I've got a trick dual sport kit and I have no complaints. It's basiclly identical to a e-line only about $100 cheaper. Installed very easy using stock stater. The only thing I had to figure out was how to stop the horn from always blowin. The vibration through the handlebars kept the switch contacts arcing. electrical tape under the switch, fixed.

[wrooster]

gang,

i've got a wrf250 and i'm going to do the michigan six days. i need to get a couple of piece parts so i can sail through tech inspection. i'm hoping some of you full-time DS'ers have some answers for me...

in particular, does anyone have a specific part number for a REAR hydraulic brake light switch from either www.bajadesigns.com or www.ahmaclaughlins.com ? on the websites there seems to be a couple of different models for my wrf's REAR nissin brake cylinder.

i think that i need BD Part#120105 ==OR== FSO Part #44-0077. both of these seem to have the requisite wiring and bullet connections, thus easing the installation path. anyone know which part exactly?

next, same question for an inexpensive high/low headlight switch? maybe one that also replaces my current on-off switch? i'm not planning on putting turn signals on my bike, at least not in the near future. so right now i just need the high/low functionallity. but, on the other hand, i also have too add a horn as well; so, anyone have an AU or euro OEM yamaha "multifunction switch" sitting unused that you'd like to sell? or can anyone recommend a similar aftermarket switch?

thanks much,

the wrooster

[ June 02, 2002: Message edited by: wrooster ]

[Tony_Miller]

Dennis Kirk has the brake light switch you need, in two brands. Just buy the M10 X 1.25 thread single bleed banjo bolt. I've always just put a $2 bicycle horn on my bikes with a couple zip ties. No problems getting it legal.

[wrooster]

anyone got a part number? anyone?

thanks

jim aka the wrooster

[fastmonstr]

I have the e-line kit and it has been bulletproof. I had to re-inforce the rear fender to keep it from flexing with the added weight from the new tailight assembly.

[hodaphile]

I think the Trick Dual Sport kit is the greatest. I talked to the owner and compared to to my current kit (DSC, I love it but it is no longer made). What I love about the kit (TDS) is that it is extremely bullet-proof. The everything is contained in the headlight mount. Mounts and dismounts extremely easy (unlike Baja which can take an hour, this one is off or on in 5 minutes). It will definitely be the kit I use on my next bike.