2Wheeltips

I know how personalized bike gadgets and accessories can be! Here, you can share your experiences with others. Have you found a fantastic bike gadget or accessory that few seem to know about? Tried something that looked great but turned out to be not so fantastic? Let others know your recommendations!

Handlebar mounted EZ-Pass holder. Works great very convenient

I agree, Tony.  Just a word of caution to people who might be inclined to try the EZ Pass holders that attach to your windshield or windscreen with suction cups:  they don't hold well!  The vibration from my bike caused the EZ Pass holder to come off and I was lucky as can be that I caught it before it flew off into the road. 

One of the best accessories/gadgets that I have found is the "Helmet Guardian." It is a double, locking helmet holder that attaches underneath your license place. It has 2 keyed helmet holders and, since it sits under the license plate, it is easily accessible. I like it sooooo much better than using the helmet holder that came with my bike (which requires me to remove the seat of my bike to access). You should be able to find it online if you Google "Helmet Guardian"...I love mine!

Hi everyone.

I've been posting a lot of pics of maxi scooter body kits from Japan. They make them for Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki brands. But I have never seen one in the US.

Are these body kits street legal in the USA?

A good accessory to add to your scoot is the Kuryakin ISO grips. They give relief from hand fatigue and cramping. Add the Throttle Boss for those long, dreary, straight road rides. Just make sure to get the 7/8th size which is for scooters.

The Kuryakin Grips can be bought in the US.
But there are other accessories that are available only in Asia.
I've been customizing my ride for the last year and I cannot safely say, I'm done.
The last accessory I bought in Japan was the custom exhaust system by Wirus Win.
On my last trip to Hong Kong (July 2009), the only accessories I was able to buy were my Ipod and Drink holder. Sadly, our reflex is already outmoded in Japan so the accessories are getting to be fewer, rarer and therefore more expensive.

Here are some pictures of accessories I've bought in Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Side Hub Cover


Base plate cover and handlebar risers


Front and Rear brake WAVE rotors


Clear Signal Lights and Rear Brake Housing Covers



Brake Cylinder Housing Cover




Mini backrest and mini rack.



You've seen the rest from my picture posts eg. Indiglo white panel gauges, face mask grips etc.
Hope you guys and gals like them. I certainly get tickled pink when people come up to me and say "Is that a scooter?" Hahahaha...

The height of luxury or decadence!
Swarovski crystal screws for your scooter!!!

i want those for my bike! bling for the bike!!!

i want those for my bike! bling for the bike!!!

Hahaha. I knew you would.

I love the bling!! I gotta have some!

one thing, though...if you are going to invest in Swarovski crystal screws for your bike, you had better add some loctite!!! I would hate to see those screws come loose and fly off into oblivion!!!

Well I just put my headlight modulator on, for the usual reasons of increased visibility and safety, etc.
I took all of about 4-5 min, the easy part was to hook it up inside the headlight housing (there's a lot of stuff {wires} in there), the harder part was to stuff everything back in there and screw the outer bezel back on again. It works like a charm, the photocell sensor is so small it's almost invisible if you don't know where it is, and I don't know why this is not standard equipment on all bikes. It flashes the high beam 4 x a second during daylight hours, and the pass light still works at night.
Now when it warms up a little more I have to take the seat off and fish out the wires to my rear brake light and install the tail light modulator too.
Everyone should get these.

mrlmd, did you ever consider putting on extra/accessory lights instead of the modulators? Is it something you might do in addition to the modulators? I have seen some bikes that have great accessory lights that REALLY seem to make them more visible on the roads. Just wondering....

I personally think the headlight modulator, which fast flashes the high beam, is more visibly outstanding than a group of lights on the front end, especially in daytime. It is something unusual to see and would be noticed. A number of lights would also probably attract more attention than a single headlight, but could be confused with a car or anything else on the road. One criticism of twin headlights on bikes is that they can be confused with a car far away in the distance, a mistake you don't want an oncoming car to make, especially if he/she intends to turn left in front of you. The extra driving lights definitely light up the road better than a single headlight at night, but y0u also don't want to blind drivers in front of you or coming at you, so they should be aimed slightly down to the road like low beams. If you do add accessory lights just for the purpose of increasing day and night time visibility, they probably should be arranged in a different plane than the headlight, forming a sort of triangle to separate the lights from one another. Obviously the more lights you add, the greater the chance someone will see you, day or night. Don't forget, the modulator only works in the daytime, pulsating the high beam, the photocell they all have disables them in dusk/darkness. They do not flash at night.
I'm also going to add the brake light modulator (flasher) for it's better attention getting ability. My plan is to get a bright red LED light and connect it up to this, leaving my regular brakelight in place, having 2 lights on the rear like cars do. I may mount it up higher on the back of my sissy bar (but if I carry something back there it would block the light), or just below the rear rack above the brake light. Or I could just wire it in to the brakelight that's on the bike, but it's actually reccomended to add the second light. The one I got flashes 7-9 x times over 3-4 seconds, then the light stays on steady as long as the brake is applied.
I think both of these are about all you can do to keep the cagers from hitting you, and anything you can do is an improvement. I haven't gotten myself to wear a yellow, green, or orange high visability vest yet, (probably even a better idea at night), but the rain suit I ordered has a great deal of yellow on the jacket, and if I have to wear that in the rain, it would be helpful to increase my being seen.

One other thing about adding extra lights - you must be aware of the current draw of these lights and how much extra electrical capacity your bike has in the charging system, so you don't run down your battery. Many of these high intensity lights will need their own wiring, not from the accessory pair of extra wires usually found inside the headlight housing, and may need another relay to power them. Many bikes, especially the smaller ones, have little extra capacity to operate these things for very long. So, rather than mess with all that, I personally think the headlight modulator is better for increased daytime visibility.

And lastly, if you did add extra lights on the front, you may not have enough juice left over to work heated grips, vests, jackets, gloves, pants, socks, GPS, radio, mp3 player, or anything else you might want to add. Add up all those amps and check your charging system before going out to buy something, it's not like a car. You have to have prorities and make choices for everything.
By the way, the headlight and brakelight modulators consume practically zero power.
Did I ever answer you?

By the way, Carol, I found the perfect bling for you and your bike - gemstone bike keys. The key blanks are specific for each bike brand so they're guaranteed to fit, you just need to get it cut to your key.

Here's another idea for a helmet lock, much more secure than locking the D-ring on the strap to the bike, specifically for a full face helmet. It's a gun trigger lock, many times given away for free by the local police dept., or you can get a short cable lock. It's in the pic below (excuse the rusty chrome and dirty fender in the pic, it's before I cleaned up my bike). I put the cable through the visor opening and then through the sissy bar, keeping the helmet sitting on top of the sissy bar, can't collect rain or anything inside.
Another use for a cable lock if you get one, is to put it through the arms of your riding jacket and lock that to the bike, if you don't want to wear it or lug it around in the store or wherever you go when you get off the bike for a short time.

I also posted this on the cold weather gear thread, but I'm putting it here too to make sure someone who's interested in this may see it, and then let the rest of us know if it works - ie, I'm looking for a volunteer to buy it first before I do.
It looks a little expensive when you add in the shipping but it looks well made and is supposed to stop the wind induced cold hand problem.

http://www.hippohands.com/Hippo%20Hands.htm

mrlmd, those look WILD! they do seem a bit pricey but they sure look unique! have you considered wind deflectors for your grips? we have a video that shows how to install them.
http://www.2wheeltips.com/videos/view/windscreen-installation_873.html

I have a full wide windshield that covers my grips and blocks all the oncoming wind with the exception of that little bit of turbulent air that comes up from underneath. That plus insulated gloves with gauntlets to keep the wind from going up your sleeve just about does it for me.
So far I have avoided riding when it's really too cold and I don't have to (take the car with the heat on).

I sold my Kawasaki Mean Streak and bought a fully loaded 2008 GoldWing/Air-bag model in November 2009. Not much I could or would want to add to this ride. I did get a battery bug to monitor the battery status since it did not have a voltmeter and I bought a belly pan that protects the underside of the bike and plastic coolant tank that's mounted very low. It is suppose to improve the aerodynamics of the bike but there are mixed reviews on that benefit. I've, also, added a set of Kuryakyn ISO pegs to provide an option for foot position on longer rides. I have not yet had the opportunity to try all this stuff out as our riding season ended abruptly in late November. I will give you a full report once we get going again in the spring...whenever that maybe???

For those gadget freaks and geeks, check this out - I found it on another motorcycle forum. For those hot summer days and frigid winters, it's AIR CONDITIONING and HEAT for the rider.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/entrosys-motorcycle-air-conditioning-and-heating-system-now-taki/

Keep your eyes open for upcoming reports on some of the neat gadgets and accessories that we found at the International Motorcycle Show in New York City this weekend!

Reflective tape on the bike. I have some by 3M

For you diehards up north of me who just can't give up the bike with all the snow, here's an accessory for you - in addition to the studded snows and tire chains, it's a set of outriggers mounted on shocks to keep you upright. Any takers?