Triumphrat

Mancha · 05-16-2005

Hi All,

I just finished installing my new speedometer/tachometer plate.

Click here

This Thruxton is the second "standard" bike I've owned; both with low bars. Although I love the cafe look, I've always disliked it when the speedometer and tachometer cups stand up well higher than the bars, essentially being the highest point of the motorcycle. This is especially bad on the Thruxton, with its bent speedo/tach plate, which thrusts the speedo and tach up at least an inch or two higher than they need to be. I decided to do something about it.

I had a custom plate made. This plate is a flat piece of aluminum with holes for the speedometer, tachometer, and two of the idiot lights. I had to get rid of two of the four idiot lights in order to make the plate more compact, keeping the speedometer and tachometer closer to the handlebars. I also moved the speedo and tach a millimeter or two closer together, also to make them fit better.

Fitting required the usual fiddling. Even with the pictured teflon spacers, the inside acorn nuts on the back of the cups were hitting against the headlight. I considered chopping off a couple millimeters of those bolts and using flat nuts instead, which would have done the trick but might have looked odd. I also considered ways of dropping the headlight just a half inch or so. Ultimately I removed the standard Thruxton headlight brackets and switched them from side to side. Although I'm not positive, I think this lowered the headlight just the smallest requisite amount.

The sleeves were installed after the fact because it turned out we'd drilled the idiot light holes too large. As it turns out, this was a serendipitous mistake. The sleeves hold the idiot lights firmly in place, and protect them from the movement of passing cables. Without the sleeves, the only thing holding the idiot lights in place would be the plastic idiot lights' plastic bezels, which aren't very firmly attached to their lights in the first place.

I maintained the oil light and the hi-beam light. I'm still unsure what to do with the other two. I'll probably stuff them into the headlight shell, although it's getting kind of messy in there.

Anyway, I'm pretty happy with it. Your comments are welcome.

Mancha

dialysis · 05-16-2005

***** nice. black and clean looking: perfect from the cockpit.

not that there is much wind protection, but i get minimal blast on my helmet with the stock setup. from profile, yours seems a half inch lower and probably not a big deal, however i am curious if if lets the wind in?

Mancha · 05-17-2005

Quote:

On 2005-05-16 19:43, dialysis wrote:not that there is much wind protection, but i get minimal blast on my helmet with the stock setup. from profile, yours seems a half inch lower and probably not a big deal, however i am curious if if lets the wind in?

Thanks for the feedback Dialysis.

I hadn't really thought about that big plate providing wind protection. I'll be honest though, I rarely think about the wind buffeting on the Thruxton. Nor do I much worry about the forward riding position. When it comes right down to it, the Thruxton is a less friendly bike than my SV650s. But who cares? :wink: I bought it to be an alternative to the SV, and I'm willing to put up with some of the comparative discomforts of the Thruxton. I just want it to look cool (which some may say I've been moving away from rather than toward).

That said, I've not yet ridden it because I have to mount a mirror. I'll let you know if I notice any change. I also intend to add a flyscreen sooner or later.

Hey, if it IS windier, then I have no excuse to delay the flyscreen any longer, right?

buggy · 05-17-2005

Got flyscreen with bike so I can't make any comparisons, but it seems to do the job and looks really cool, but it does drop the hooligan factor a notch or two. I'm already debating it's removal along with the back fender, but I'm building up a 72 bonnie cafe and the thrux will have to wait.

agro · 05-18-2005

Yea, that looks much better, with the other 2 idiot lights you probably could mount one above and one below the 2 that you have installed, to form a cross?

Mancha · 05-18-2005

Thanks for the feedback Agro. I guess I could have fit all four dummy lights in. I hadn't wanted to because I was trying to go for a sparse look, and because I'd originally intended to have less room between the four retaining bolts and the dials (in fact, the middle portion, between the four bolts and the dial faces, was supposed to be open, but the guy who made the plate refused, saying that wouldn't allow the plate to be strong enough). By the time it came to pass that I would have more room, I'd already given up on having all four lights. Sort of a brain fart really. That said, I'm okay with just the two.

Mancha · 05-19-2005

I finally took the Thruxton with new plate for a ride last night (taking care of kids during the day is a serious ride-damper). I didn't notice any change in wind pressure or location. I was sort of worried that the wind might whistle through the sleeves, but this turned out to be a moot fear as well. And the view from the seat is just really great. I feel like I'm more hunched over the forks. I've always liked bikes that are essentially flat on top (a straight line from the rear cowl, over the gas tank, to the front end), and the Thruxton now better matches this aspiration.

Dave67 · 06-13-2005

that looks pretty cool, what did you end up doing with the indicator and neutral lights

Mancha · 06-13-2005

Quote:

On 2005-06-13 08:47, Dave67 wrote:
that looks pretty cool, what did you end up doing with the indicator and neutral lights

Actually, after taking off the lenses themselves, they're now just dangling down. They fall down a few inches and end up resting somewhere near the lower triple clamp yoke. They're no problem there, butI intend to stuff them into the headlight shell sooner or later.