Gaging Group Buy Interest

[odowda]

I have been looking for some white gauge faces, the glow kind that have control for color (easy to switch between green or blue) and brightness while night riding. A few years ago I put a set on my ZX11 and it made an incredible difference in reading the gauges both during day and night riding. The quality of the setup was excellant and the installation was fairly easy on the ZX. So why isnt anyone making these for our FJRs? Finally found the firm, Street Racer.com and asked if they were developing any for use on the FJR.. They already make them for several models of Suzuki, Kawasaki and Yamaha - mostly sportbike applications. They responded that they could make them up, but it would take a minimum order of ten kits at $89.99 each plus they needed and old gauge cluster to use as a template. So, is anybody else interested? Maybe someone with a wrecked cluster on hand. Would a group buy scenerio be possible?

 

[DocDanDC]

What Generation of FJR will you be doing?

 

[Mooseonagoose]

I more or less have it all spent just now, but I will follow this w/ interest. I have a car [scion] w/ a white faced backlit tach/speedo & really quite like it, I find it to be very easy on tired eyes at night! No glare, but very visible.

 

[FJRMGM]

its a lot of work to get to the gauges on the FJR just to change the color - you have to take the front fairing off.

Been there, done that.

 

[ionbeam]

It would be cool to be able to swap gauge faces to something like this:

Day/Night



But, unfortunately nobody makes gauge faces for the FJR. Given the changes between Gen I and Gen II gauges there is probably little incentive for anyone to make replacement faces either.

 

[odowda]

The custom gauge faces look trick, but my interest was in visibility. The ones that have the entire face lit with a black needle and numbers is much more readable at night. Being in my early sixties it is both trick and a safety concern. the improvement in visual discrimination was phenomenal when I changed the ZX11 over to these. There are alot of guys doing the farkle adds with both Gen 1 & 2 models. Mine is the former, an '04. If someone, a list sponsored provider, had the business capability to become a dealer for these, they would only have to pay 50% ($44.99) but they would have to order 50 at that rate to price qualify. Might be able to pick up a nonworking Gauge cluster for cheap at a MC breaker yard to use for the pattern. RCP might be able to make the pattern from just the faces alone. I'm suprised that Warchild, Sampson or one of the other Tech/provider guys who have done such an incredible job of providing all the various other farkle componants would not be interested in adding these gauge kits to their other offerings. I might even give it a try if I can dig up a cluster for a pattern. What do you think?

 

[FJRBluesman]

I've always liked the black writing on a white face. Great visibility and reminds me of my Duc dash too.

My dodge truck dash is this way (black on white) and at night everything completely changes colors for night vision, it's pretty trick. At night with the lights on the dash, the white background becomes black, and the black letters are glowing green.

 

[twowheelnut]

I'd be interested, especially if they come with paragraphs.

 

[odowda]

its a lot of work to get to the gauges on the FJR just to change the color - you have to take the front fairing off.
Been there, done that.

The kit I had on the ZX11 had a small (3/4" square) cool-lookin satellite switch with a long jacketed wire that attached to the cockpit cowl right next to the gauges. You could mount it wherever you wanted with a stick velcro patch. The switch capsule had a micro thumb wheel reostat on the left side for brightness and slide switch for color change on the right side. I could change the color or brightness while I was riding. It took seconds to detach the switch body from the velco when I wanted to remove the cowling. The trickiest part of the intallation was getting the contact adhesive backed faces over the old gauge faces (you dont have to remove the old ones!) and lining up the screw holes before pressing the new ones down to seat the adhesive. Found a web page where the guy surface slit down the protective paper over the adhesive backing down the middle before putting them over the needles. He then lined up the screw holes in the face and used a pair of tweezers to peel the protective paper back. When these faces stick, they really stick. Although I didnt use this method (didnt find the web page until after) mine went on perfectly. The markings on the original faces dont show through; the new faces are opaque. Not sure about removing the needles; it would be super easy that way. I'd worry that pulling the off or pressing them back on might damage the sensitive mechanism. The problem with removing the ZX11 needles is they use a mechanical stop for the "0" position on the needle rotation, cant imagine how to correctly palec it back onto the original rotaional position. Finally, if ththe glow gauge faces were made with a larger hole in the center, they would clear the small tail on the needle more easily.

AIA for the lengthly post, but like all things mechanical, experience does help.

 

[kulwen]

I would be interested for a GenII version.

 

[FJRBluesman]

I'd be interested, especially if they come with paragraphs.

OK digits?

Well I hope the grammar is better than mine....

 

[NightShine]

This would be a way cool farkle! Just the thing for the aging of America!

 

[twowheelnut]

I'd be interested, especially if they come with paragraphs.

OK digits?

Well I hope the grammar is better than mine....

Not you, numbnuts, the other guy.

:lol:

 

[Bike Effects]

Since I sell gauge faces (not for the FJR) you need to consider how difficult they are to install. I did my R1 and it was a nervous time doing it. Trying to pry off needles and press them back on in the correct position is not for the faint of heart.

 

[FJRBluesman]

Not you, numbnuts, the other guy.



:lol:

They're not numb! I've been holding on to them all day.. in fact there pretty warm....

 

[odowda]

Since I sell gauge faces (not for the FJR) you need to consider how difficult they are to install. I did my R1 and it was a nervous time doing it. Trying to pry off needles and press them back on in the correct position is not for the faint of heart.

As a vendor, why dont you add these to your products. https://www.streetracerparts.com Seems there is market interest.