Home
Projects
Site Map
New/Updated Pages
Contact Me
New Rear Indicators
In the wake of my trip to Kimmy's Moto-X Park on Easter Weekend, the XT was in a fairly sad state of repair - the right rear indicator was smashed in a fall on the Enduro Track and the side stand spring had fallen off while I was riding to Kimmy's.In order for the bike to be road legal again, I had to repair those two faults and renew my registration which had recently lapsed.
On Saturday 19 May 2007, I loaded the cubs into the car, dropped the damaged indicator on the seat and headed up to Boyd Honda, knowing that they had an extensive selection of spares and after-market parts. My aim was to locate a pair of indicators that I could easily remove the next time I went off road.
The woman who served me hauled out a box with assorted indicator lamps in it and I settled on a small pair - complete with bulbs - for $20. A new side stand spring of the appropriate length cost me a further $7.
I stopped in at Road and Sport Suzuki to get a new registration sticker then we went to a scrap metal yard to find a piece of metal to make a new mounting bracket for the side stand spring. I found a small piece of metal and a couple of bolts and the woman who was running the place kindly let me have them for free.
The final stop was at Pickerill Autoelectrical where I picked up a couple of waterproof connectors - $9 for the pair.
Once home I removed the other rear indicator and cut the wires off both the indicators so I could use the wire for my new indicators. I attached a plug to the short length of wire on the new indicators and attached the sockets to the original indicator wiring.
Mounting the indicators was a simple matter of removing the mounting brackets for the original indicators, which were secured to the grab handles, and bolting the new indicator in place using the existing bolt.
A quick test confirmed that they were working properly.
New rear indicator, mounted in place of the old indicator's mounting bracket.
Rear of the XT showing the new indicators in place.
Mounted with only one easily-removed bolt and fitted with easy-to-reach connectors, it will be a simple matter to remove the indicators - as well as the number plate and rear view mirrors - next time I venture off road. Perhaps, I'll also remember to drop the pressure in the tires, next time.
The indicators were replaced and the new registration sticker was in place, that just left the side stand.
As the end of the post that held the spring had snapped off, I had intended on making a metal plate that I would bolt to the frame in place of the defunct side stand switch but Juliet's father said we could probably get away with just bending the post forward and up then hooking the spring over it.
It was an easier plan and I figured that if it failed we could always fall back on my plan so, using a pipe as a lever then hitting the post with a hammer, we managed to get it bent to the point that the spring would not slip off.
We tested it a few times and it worked without coming loose so we did not need the piece of metal or the bolts I had picked up from the scrap metal yard - good thing they had cost me nothing.
I took the bike up to the shops and back and it felt unusual to ride my own bike again after riding Juliet's Hyosung Aquila for so long.
After that I did a bit of general adjusting to realign the hand levers and bark busters that had been knocked and shifted during the falls on the trail.