Most HATED Farkle or Accessory

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dudeckp

FJR Therapist
Joined
May 8, 2014
Messages
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Location
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Trying to think of an answer to BobbyBlue's post about our Most Loved Farkle or Accessory, but it felt like picking a favorite part on the bike (headlight, forks, tail light?) How can I pick a favorite among:

  • Helibar risers (my back's favorite)
  • RDL (my butt's favorite)
  • Apollo heated grips (my hand's favorite)
  • LEDRider aux lights (my eyes' favorite)
  • Samsung Tab S tablet (my routing brain fave)
  • Garauld's Highway pegs (feet & knees...)
The list goes on and on, and it just wouldn't be fair.

SO, what about the Farkel or Accessory you just couldn't get off the bike fast enough?

For me it was the TomTom Rider v5. When it thought you were on a road you weren't, or made a turn it didn't instruct you to make, it took 2, 3 ??? minutes before it had finally recalculated a new route (usually after I had passed that exit or intersection!)

I had it sold before I came home from the first really long trip I took with it. (replaced with a Nuvi2797.)

What about the rest of you?

Peter DuDeck

FJR Therapist

EDIT: Thanks for the participation. I meant this to be more "compilation" than "debate," so let's keep the product/brand/etc defense to PM's if you really think the poster misused, misunderstood or was just too stupid to do it right.

If the poster changes their mind (or mindset,) they should correct themselves.

You may resume your regular nonsense....

 
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Easy: Vista Cruise.

Required constant fiddling. It was either too tight so it

kept the throttle from snapping closed or it was too

loose so it wouldn't hold the throttle open.

It simply never worked as promised.

Replaced it with a NEP. It works perfectly and only needs

adjusting about every 5th year. Bliss.

 
Hated is too strong a word, but, when I purchased my Zumo 550 I went with the satelite radio puck for I can't remember how much but I did have to purchase a contract for one year and I only used it while travelling across Canada and the USA. Given I was on the bike almost every day for 2 1/2 mths I found there was a great deal of repetitive broadcast as well as advertising which I thought was factored out by having the satellite anyway? That was 2010 and it's sitting in a box somewhere never to be used again!

 
Currently hating my V-Stream windscreen. I'm just the right height to sit in the buffeting. If I lift my butt off the seat like two inches it improves so clearly it works for taller folks. If I can ever get with my buddy who's several inches taller than me we'll finally make the trade and both of us will be happy.

 
Mine was the speedhealer. On first thought it was great once I go the calibration dialed in. Then went and did 5000 mile trip and the speed was accurate but the odometer recorded low compared to gps and google maps. Not what you want when you do IBA rides.

Off it went.

 
I may be in the minority here but I (didn't hate) but definitely did not like my throttlemeister throttle lock. I have the heavy ones which did help a lot with minor I-4 vibrations but as far as a throttle lock it was useless (to me) ...

Since I really only use a throttle lock to rest my hand for a few seconds at a time it is just to much of a pain to engage especially since you need to twist it to do so. I ended up never using it ..

Changed to a throttle lock that I can engage and disengage with a thumb button and now I use it all the time ...

Some guys love them ... Not I ...

 
Funny, I loved the Throttlemeister on my other FJR, and I "like" the Vista Cruise, but less and less over time, as it slips more and more. So I got a Go Cruise, and now I hate IT. Damn thing's just in the way all the time. So thanks to this thread, now I'm considering dumping another $20 down the throttle lock hole and trying that NEP mentioned above.

Thing is, about these gadgets, if they work, they're great. Never considered the very very expensive cruise control option, though it would be great to have.

But with all my thinking about this related stuff, I just remembered the VERY WORST farkle ever, so bad I just threw the SOB away--the "Wrist Rocker" (sold under many names), those paddle-looking rests where the weight of your hand holds the speed. Except they have this unnerving tendency to give the throttle a surprise "blip" when you least expect it, maybe shooting you into an intersection or some other ugly scenario. Absolutely DANGEROUS. There are several threads about these demonic pieces of crap, but I hope you never are tempted to try one.

 
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I know no one will agree with me, but I despised my custom, made for me, Day-Long saddle. Too much money, too much time, too much shipping, and it didn't fit me (or the bike really) nearly as well as $600 should. Sat me up too far, tilted me back too far, and was too wide at the front. Getting it fixed would have required yet more photos, more shipping, and more waiting. Had to have bar risers to reach the bars with the lift and tilt, and didn't like what they did to the handling. Sold it for a significant loss, and happy to do so.

Have a Sargent now -- it's O.K., but only O.K. Have tried Corbin in the past (plywood is softer). Hoping to see Seat Concepts have a unit ready soon...

 
Laminar Lip.

I first installed it with the supplied velcro "dots", which I thought didn't seem strong enough. So I re-installed with extra strong dots. That should work. I couldn't pull it off without a great deal of pressure. Didn't want to drill the shield and use the supplied nuts/bolts - maybe I should have !!

.

Got into a really strong cross wind/dust storm in Kayenta AZ and the thing blew right off. Nearly took my neck with it !

.

Never really did notice that it made any difference anyway
no.gif


 
Frame sliders. Dropped her in the garage after 2 months. Put frame sliders on, and not once since. They haven't done anything, but sit there and look ugly. Friggin' Murphy's Law!

 
I had to think a bit on what, if any, farkles I have taken off. Grip puppies. I got used to the larger diameter and enjoyed the cushyness, but they were just big sponges in the rain. when you put as many miles on in a year as I do it is inevitable that you will run in rain. Those things are history! BTW, I swithed to BMW grips on the 07 and loved them.

I have a vista cruise on the 07 and love that. Yeah I did have to adjust it periodically, but I didn't mind. The bike is still for sale, but if I keep it the vista cruise is history and a cruise control will be installed. Absolutely love it on the 15!

 
I would vote for the tipover insurance of the rear case guards. With the cases installed the big loops look acceptable, but a lot of the time I ride without the cases, in which case they protrude out of the sides with nothing else around them and look like a couple of Dumbo ears.

 
This: https://www.saddlemen.com/saddlegelâ¢-comfort-pad-fleece-covered-large-universalNot only does nothing to increase the comfort,but increases the height of the saddle and the advantage of your handlebar risers is lost..
I'd been pondering the beaded seat covers. Someone gave me a cover to try. I made it about 1/3 the distance that would cause pain on the empty stock seat before the pain from the beads had set in. All it did was change the pressure points and make them worse. Only advantage was rolling your butt from side to side gave a nice massage effect, but then you were back to the pressure points. Thankful to the guy that gave them to me that I didn't spend money on them.

 
as rogdeb said Laminar Lip, not only did it not seem to work it caused so much break dancing of my windshield I thought it would tear

the screen out of the bolts. The dancing was too much action for me

 
I bought a sheepskin seat cover and never liked it and it sits on the shelf in my garage, but I didn't really hate it.

The only thing I really dislike is the Muzzy exhaust system. It is a four into one and I bought it to get rid of the heat from the catalytic converters. It did solve that problem and reduced the overall weight of the machine, but it was very loud when first installed. Over the years I have modified it several times to make it quiter and it is now much better, but I will not modify the exhaust on my next motorcycle.

 
After a couple dozen bikes, cars, and airplanes I've learned to never add accessories until you've owned it a few months. During the initial excitement, especially if you buy it in the winter and can't ride it right away, it's easy to go overboard buying a bunch of unnecessary crap. Ride it for awhile and decide what it needs - don't just start buying stuff because a bunch of guys on an internet forum tell you to.

 

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