What have you done for your T7 today?

[NeilW]

4 hours ago, Hollybrook said:

For those of you switching to lithium batteries, please get one with a battery management system (BMS)! There is a real and significant risk of fire without a BMS.  Lithium batteries without a BMS are OK for track use, but not on anything else. 

Correct - it shuts the battery down on Over voltage and low voltage.

[kainic]

7 hours ago, Hollybrook said:

For those of you switching to lithium batteries, please get one with a battery management system (BMS)! There is a real and significant risk of fire without a BMS.  Lithium batteries without a BMS are OK for track use, but not on anything else. 

It looks like  BS Batteries BSLi-01 does not have aa BMS.

[Tenerider]

3 hours ago, kainic said:

It looks like  BS Batteries BSLi-01 does not have aa BMS.

I've had a look in the datasheet: They don't call it BMS, but they have an "Built-in equalizing charge protection board, protecting  
battery from over-charging".

The cell balancer or "equalizing charge protection" is the BMS aa far as I know. Cell balancing is the most important task for a BMS in Li batteries. Different internal cell voltages can lead to fire etc.

 

Furthermore, they specify that the charging voltage may not exceed 15V - which is actually too high already for a 4 cell Li battery, so there is some kind of regulating circuit, which is also what a BMS does. Same for the charge indicator bar graph, this usually a BMS, too (since the state of charge can't be simply measured by measuring the voltage - voltage drop is extremely low in Li batteries for a long time).

I don't know if their battery will prevent over-discharging as well.

Anyways, that's all sufficient for me, but YMMV.

 

See https://bs-battery.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2023-01_BS-BATTERY_Manual_Lithium.pdf

Edited July 16 by Tenerider

[jdub53]

I suppose this falls under the heading of 'great minds think alike', at least if I can fool anyone into believing mine is even close to that category.

 

While trial fitting in my garage a Mosko Moto R40 rackless pannier system I inherited, my only concern was about its bottom pad sitting on the sharp edges of my flat BDCW Helopad. The Helopad serves as my T7's luggage rack when I fit it in place of the rear seat (changeout is as quick as rear seat removal), and is needed for the R40's rear attach straps. 

 

After first considering the use of a piece of scrap carpet between the edges and the R40 pad, I then thought if I could instead bend the Helopad's outer edges downward that would eliminate the edge concern and would make a better transition for the R40 onto the T7's side panels. I checked the BDCW website to verify the Helopad's material (1/4" 6061 aluminum) while formulating my bending plan, and was pleasantly surprised to see BDCW's prototype version 2 of the Helopad will incorporate the exact type of bends I was planning to make on my original version - and they're doing it specifically to make the rack more R40 and R80 friendly (obviously great minds at BDCW, but I already knew that).

 

BDCW - Helo Pad (Yamaha T7) - v2 - BlackDogCW

 

Using my hydraulic press, two scrap 4x4 boards and a wrecking bar wrapped with gorilla tape to protect the Helopad, I took my time and bent each of the four outer side "tabs" downward approximately 3/4" at their outboard edge. I'm very pleased with the end result, which will provide a perfect mount and transition for the R40's legs while retaining all of the other useful features of the Helopad.    

 

Helopad before (flat):

 

 

Bending rig:

 

  

 

Helopad after (what appears to be surface marring is just marks on the anti-scratch film I'd applied some time ago. The side handles will be removed when the R40 is fitted to the bike): 

 

Edited July 16 by jdub53

[Hollybrook]

@jdub53 nicely done! 

 

Are your grab handles aluminum or plastic? 

[Ede-DE]

My wild guess, plastic. The surface of aluminium looks like mine.

 

[jdub53]

2 hours ago, Hollybrook said:

@jdub53 nicely done! 

 

Are your grab handles aluminum or plastic? 

 

Thanks.

 

Handles are very strong plastic. Got them off ebay a few years ago mostly to help me maneuver the bike back into its far corner of the garage after every ride and they work great.

[Tenerider]

1 hour ago, jdub53 said:

 

Thanks.

 

Handles are very strong plastic. Got them off ebay a few years ago mostly to help me maneuver the bike back into its far corner of the garage after every ride and they work great.

That's the only thing I dislike about the Reckless system: Handles won't work, and they'd sometimes be handy on the trail.

Apart from that it's perfect for me. Just test-packing stuff for a week of camping in my 54l system (Reckless 40 but with the bigger Stinger 22). I hope my new, bigger tent will fit, but it seems to work out.

[Hollybrook]

@jdub53 I have similar handles that I bought off of AliExpress. I'd bet they are made in the same factory.

 

They have sustained three hits so far, two of which I would consider substantial. I hang some heavy Kriega OS-18 bags off them and they have held up well so far.  They are very convenient when moving or lifting the bike, except when I have them covered by a duffle bag on the seat.

[Balkaum]

Do you know, the handles mounted in reverse, are more comfortable to use?

 

It seems stupid, but i'm not going back.

 

 

 

[DK51]

Installed Spears Lightweight Throttle body Pull/Return Spring.  This significant reduced the force required to twist throttle. You can see the difference in springs rates with the OEM spring being on the left. Install time took less than 1 beer, and spring arrived with stickers and candy. 

[S.Ga.Rider]

Touched up some rust spots on the frame and engine brace with primer and flat black paint

[random1781]

I thought my battery was dying, but it turns out my Oxford heated grips were randomly turning on to full blast. Apparently water made it into the controller, which is surprising because it's pretty well sealed up...

 

 

The grips have 30k miles on them and have lived a good life, but I don't have ready access to replacements, so this is their afterlife. I happened to have an (on)-off-(on) switch, which basically functions like the two push buttons on the controller. I pulled them off, wired in the switch (below the voltmeter), and grotesquely taped up the controller (dangling in the background there)...

 

 

I haven't ridden in rain in a while and everything is beginning to fail! My Kriega bags are leaking too, but trash bags solved that!

[random1781]

Also got the bar that connects the soft luggage rack to the passenger peg replaced. Except this time instead of a weak tube it's a solid piece of metal with the least graceful but most robust weld ever. It took 5 minutes and $11.

 

 

They splashed water on there to cool it down, and the bottle they used clearly had paint in it prior.

[BigTex]

10 hours ago, random1781 said:

 

 

 

 

Pink Dinosaur for scale? 

[random1781]

1 hour ago, BigTex said:

 

Pink Dinosaur for scale? 

That's my engineer. He's been clinging on since before my T7. He used to be red but the stress of the job has caused him to go prematurely pink.

 

[Lewie]

Can it save my butt

 

[NeilW]

35 minutes ago, Lewie said:

Can it save my butt

 

From crashing or riding pain?  Riding pain probably yes because it is much wider that then 7" stock seat, but crashing, no

[Just Footerin]

I built up a new front rim unto my hub with stainless spokes. I was not surprised to see the original DID rims beginning to rot after only four years. You can pick off layers of sharp aluminium with a screwdriver. I seen this before on my old 660 tenere. 

 

 

[random1781]

2 hours ago, NeilW said:

From crashing or riding pain?  Riding pain probably yes because it is much wider that then 7" stock seat, but crashing, no

Need some type of ejection seat that you strap into and ride like a sled.

[Lewie]

Not ridden ‘butt’ fitted

 

Edited July 23 by Lewie

[Hollybrook]

@Lewie I have both seats, and each has good and bad points. If I could only have one, it would be the Seat Concepts, but at double the price, it should be better! 

[Lewie]

Did about 1000 miles last week on the rally seat and I must admit it was uncomfortable 

ok for the 1st 90 mins of the day but then just not good 

picked the SC one up to see how it is

is 3 seats enough?
I must admit usually I’m only out for a couple of hours and only on tarmac 

[Ede-DE]

I had the spring from OTR (Off The Road) since weeks and today was not the best weather to ride. So I did some mantainance 

The needle bearings were dry as the Ténéré desert itself. But I saved some good ol' grease from the 80s.

All that work was done in less than 2 hours. Including some cups of tea.

 

 

[sunndog]

On 7/14/2024 at 8:22 AM, NeilW said:

I got the EBL lithium and torture tested it. You can see the battery level on the top of the battery or use an app like SIZZAPP that shows you the battery level at all times- along with the location of your bike. 

 

This you bud?

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2023/12/28/ebl-12v-lithium-powersport-battery-review-project-tenere-test/&ved=2ahUKEwjd06aD0cGHAxUIWkEAHXNWL2sQFnoECB0QAQ&usg=AOvVaw233s1ObVJ-uTO_VXfsgNx6

 

Don't know if I can live with the idea of the tiny 2.5ah BS one earlier and this one has built in tracking?