My talk-thru, review, and general info about the Trail Tech Vapor model 752-301. I give a few tips and descriptions of how it works, and how to install it, and what it does and comes with.
Nice review, just brought my first bike and chose the drz.... Speedo has light but no display so I’ll need a new one! Great too see it has the tacho, definitely an upgade. The light cluster addition look great too
I wired it straight into the 12V just like the instructions said...I forget now exactly what points the connections were made at, but I'm 90% certain I wired it up to "wake up" when the bike was switched on. It worked pretty well...no dead battery! Hope that helps...I would get a wiring diagram and look for a spot where you can tie into the 12V that's active only when the bike is on. Best of luck!
Possibly! You'll actually need to go to their website and check their lists to make sure you find the right model for your bike. They are somewhat specific, so take a gander on over there and double check!
It's fairly waterproof. The plugins are sealed with rubber o-rings etc, and it looks legitimately waterproof. I wouldn't blast it directly with the hose, but I remember getting mine wet several times and it being fine. So don't gratuitously soak it, but don't fear the water either. Hope that helps!
that's a great question. Here in AZ, in the US, no. In fact, I'm not sure even a speedo is a requirement out here. Headlight, turn sigs, brake light--definitely. But the rest...I don't think so for most of the US. I would ask your local motor vehicle division for the low down on that one!
Hey Greg! Well hopefully you won't have too many power issues, but yeah, it's a great bang for the buck. I hard wired mine to the tach and it's glassy smooth. Add the shift light/red line light and it's a killer set up.Thanks for the remarks!! Enjoy your Vapor! :)
Yup! Off a 525 I think...stripped out the old crappy bulb and stuck an HID kit in there...5500K, 35W from DID Tuning. Best upgrade I ever did and cheap and easy to do. :)
No worries bro! :) I would try disconnecting it from your bike power, and then take the battery out of the Trail Tech for a few minutes and let it sit. Then try plugging it back in and see if that reset helps it at all. Hope that helps!
Good question! It may vary by model, but the battery hatch on the back on my old one looked like a watch battery...flat, pancake shaped. My guess is it may be an easy find at Wallmart or something, or really cheap from Amazon. I'd say look on the back of your Vapor unit and pull that battery hatch off, and see what's in there. The battery model number is probably on the battery itself... Conversely, if you are running it off the 12V, make sure it's getting enough juice!
hey! It's actually very quick and very accurate...more accurate above 15 mph ish. But it will actually say "35.3" mph, and it's pretty up-to-the-split-second...I felt like I always knew my speed with instant accuracy. Hope that answers your question!
Well...in theory, yes it should. The RPM reading is done either by wiring straight into the coil (which quads have, right?) or by wrapping the sensor wire around the spark plug cable. So the RPM actually might be the easiest thing to connect on your quad. Hope that helps!
Thanks man! Glad you like! Mine has gotten washed and rained on and it's fine, so I'm guessing a few puddles won't hurt nothin'. Seems to be pretty weatherproof and sealed.
Yes, I do think it could handle that! I would avoid spraying water into your coil where it would be hooked up for the tach gauge, and I would avoid getting the connectors overly soaked, but that's true of any electrical equipment. But I think even the connectors are well sealed so I wouldn't worry too much about it....just don't blast away at it directly with a high pressure hose. I think it's a great unit for ATVs. :) hope that helps!
Thank you sir! I assume it will--however, go to the Trail Tech website. Each model varies slightly to best match certain bikes. The 752-301 model you see here works on the DRZ, the RMZ, and I think the KLX 400s. Their other models are set up to match a lot of different bikes. I love this thing...go take a look at their site and find ya one. :D
well...I've never raced anything outside of Mario Kart, but yes, it seems like it would be. It's easy enough to install, it's light, it's simple, and it can be removed. So, my best guess is that it'd be fine for enduro racing. Also, the ability to program the EXACT front wheel size for speedo/odo accuracy...that's a winner too.
Hey Andrei! It's a KTM headlight, with an HID bulb installed. You can find them on eBay or from KTM dealers. It cost me about $80 used from an internet site. Hope this helps!! :D Thanks!
Hey Lifted! I would go to Trail Tech's main official website. That will tell you if the 752-301 will work on your '05. It *should*, but ya never know. I wouldn't take Amazon's say as final...so check their site. As for the mod, I ended up using a piece of fabbed aluminum to get the mounting right. It's not perfect, and it's not pretty but it works. I'd check Home Depot for aluminum bits to try a fabbed mount.
Certainly! The coil is...kinda like the distributor? I think it tells the plug when to fire. And yep, ya just wrap that wire around the plug cable...I don't think it has to be smack up against the head or anything. The dirt bikes these are made for also get hot, so I'm reasonably certain the sensor wire can hack it. :)
I forget exactly on the wheel size...I measured it very carefully and then converted it into mm. Because I don't remember exactly how to do that, I'd say "read the Vapor guide" on the wheel size and all that. Now as for the trip odo, I wired the gauge into the bike's ignition so it turned "on" when the bike did. That being said, it holds the mileage via the internal battery, so make sure your battery is good--a dead batt can kill your odo I think. hope that helps!
If I remember correctly (and it's been a while since I rode it since it's been cold as heck here) you go to the screen where you can see your trip meter, then hold the center and right (or left) button down together for about 5-6 seconds. You should see the RPM gauge flash once, and then again after a few seconds and it should be reset. Let me know if that works for ya!
Not on this model--but this model is for the KLX400/DRZ400 thumpers, so yeah. Now, they probably do make some for 4 cyl motors, so go check out their main website for a model list. I think they *should* work for a 4-cyl, because of the way it measures the RPMs. But go take a look...it's a fantastic unit, worthy of supermotos and streetfighters alike :)
Hey Ry, well mine survived a dump, and honestly, I think you'd probably break the mount first. That being said, I'd protect my investment. I drive on-road, so if my speedo gets smashed it means I probably did too. For you, yes, I'd be on the safe side. Or just order it, look it over, and then order the protector if you feel it necessary. :) Good luck!
Good question! Ummm...well, the speedo SHOULD. The tachometer...yeah, it should too if you hook it up right. Temp gauge I'm not so sure about...but I would imagine that if you had a little time and imagination you could at least get most of the features to work. Hope that helps!
Great review, I have one on order I got from amazon for about $80 shipped! I'm putting it on a 06 YZ450F and unfortunately if you wire it up to the stator you may have problems starting on this particular bike since it creates just enough power for the ignition. I may wire the Vapor up to a 9V battery and just install a external switch to power it up. Either way it really is a bang for your buck! I'll probably hard wire the tach as well.
Pretty cool item. Mine is wired directly to the pulse generator on hot days it does get very jumpy. In idle. It will show 2k to 10k rpms. No big deal. I can tell what it is by the sound of the motor. But does become useless if you're really trying to see an accurate reading
Well, I can't say for sure but here's two thoughts: 1. Did you wire it straight to the battery or to the ignition? If you wire it to the battery straight, it doesn't know when the bike is "off" right? 2. It takes a long freaking time to go into sleep mode. 30 min+ maybe? hope this helps!
Are you referring to the sensor for the temp? Cuz this version with the bolt puts the sensor right into the coolant, so...6 of one, half dozen the other? This version seems accurate enough I reckon. If you were meaning a different sensor let me know...but the accuracy seems to be spot on.
Never mind. I found out my bike has one that is the model 75-901. It is $129.00. I'm just going to order the same kind from Amazon... For $80.59... Saving about $40.00 in total.
Hey man sorry for making sort of "off topic". I really like your headlight because you can mask all of your wires. Could you tell me please what's his name and how much did it costs ? Sorry for my bad english, i didn't writed in english for a couple of weeks and i forgot the grammar :D Have a good day !
Thanks man! I liked it a lot better than the silver model. It should be pretty easy to fab a mount with the stuff they give ya, and a few bolts and aluminum bits. If ya get totally lost shoot me a PM and I'll help ya out.
So I guess the tach isn't programmable to change the max rpm? Don't think I need a 12,000 rpm tach on my thumper. Also I wonder if there'd be any problems with using the engine temperature guage as an EGT guage since my bike is air cooled. Thanks for a nice review.
Hey Bryant! No sir, I don't think you can reprogram the tach. hehe yeah 12K is a bit much! As far as temp goes, one of the guys over at the ADV Rider forums says he just tapped into the oil cooling system and got fairly accurate readings, so as long as you're smart about it and get some good advice about how to rig it, it is theoretically possible. Thanks for stopping by and watching!
Great video ! I'm interested in buying the TrailTech for my '05 DR660 SE , however I'm not sure if I would be able to transfer my mileage . Or did I miss that part in your video ?
There is "a way" to do this...it's not well-known because of the abuse potential, but a few creative google searches should yield what you're looking for. I programmed this one with the correct mileage...there's a legit way to do it. I don't remember what it was (since I sold the bike three years ago) but yes, you can transfer mileage. :)
Yep! You just have to cycle through the odometer display... I forget exactly how to, but it's very easy. I think they have the manuals online, and they should be able to tell! But yes, it's a very easy unit to read and scroll through!
Disloyal Dashie U mean the metric system? that all but 6 countries in the world use and the other countries are too stupid to change to....yeah fuck the metric system *rolls eyes*
Great vid. Now I guess that doesnt matter if the bike is 2 cylinders right? I am thinking about the tach you pick one of the coils to connect the wire.
mayyyybe. It's hard to say...they make a lot of model variations for different brands etc. Some are very universal...their website can tell ya pretty quickly what model your bike needs.
thanks man! Ya know I never did...though I think it's pretty easy to do with the Clymer manual. I wanted to make a "dash plate" with turn signals, neutral light, etc etc but I never got around to it before I sold it. My brother did with a Ninja 500 though, and it wasn't that hard actually. :)
rogueguineapig I was considering putting one on my 2004 ninja 500 when i make it into a streetfighter this spring. you mentioned your brother put his on his 500. how did that go? is it accurate and effective? is it even worth it?
Andrew Howden hey man! He did do it, and even better, I got to ride it this last fall! It worked out very well actually... the only issue was the RPMs. I think it tended to double the RPMs displayed because of having 2-cyl vs just one. The solution then I think is to only wrap the sensor wire around one plug wire rather than connect it to the coil. he built a metal plate and "dash" for it with LEDs for the neutral etc etc and it looked awesome. I'll see about some proj pix for ya!
Andrew Howden here's some links to his bike once he had it done. It was fast, loud, mean, and way too much fun. imageshack.com/a/img30/7272/7bi0.jpg imageshack.com/a/img849/5163/qezf.jpg imageshack.com/a/img404/4834/38yq.jpg imageshack.com/a/img19/9758/3ncr.jpg
I'm not sure...it's certainly possible that it's defective. I do know from other experiments and ventures that electronics do funny things when they lose voltage. If the battery is old or dying in a weird way, it just *might* do that. It's hard to say though... if everything else looks good, I'd look at the speedo sensor itself. Is it possible there's something else magnetic down there that makes the speedo read much faster? Like it's sensing two magnets instead of one?
If I get this should I worry about rocks or tree branches breaking it? I race hare scrambles and Gncc locally. I don't really wanna spend an extra 50 for the aluminum mount/protector but if it will keep this from breaking, I will.
Great review, thanks much this was very helpful. I'm looking at one of these (752-704 as recommended by Trail Tech) for my '94 Yamaha XJ600S. Nice ending music, by the way. :D
+Siper2 thanks man! Glad it helped you out! I think it's a great product and I've seen them used on a Ninja 500 and a BMW K75 with good success, so I certainly recommend them!
+rogueguineapig Yes, very helpful. Detailed walkthroughs are always great. I know of a few people on forums who've used these, they seem to work well. I'm undecided on getting the indicator surround bezel. It'd be very handy, but then you can't utilize Trail Tech's protection bracket. So I might go without the bezel and figure out something custom for the signals/warning lights.
Awesome! When my brother used one for his Ninja 500 Cafe he just bought indicator lights and fabbed up an aluminum or steel bracket/plate to use as his indicator bezel. You can see it in the video "Kawi Ninja 500 Cafe Racer - Custom DIY Build" on my channel somewhere. He eventually sold the bike but his bracket worked really well. Hope that gives you some ideas!
+rogueguineapig I found that vid last night, yeah looks like a pretty cool surround. I would have to find someone to fabricate me something like that, but I like it. Doesn't look like he's got the protector on his Vapor? I'm guessing that somehow secures it from being stolen.
I'm not sure how he rigged it...he's doing another on his BMW K75 and fabbing the fiberglass surround himself. Regarding theft..man that's a tough one. Probably a well designed metal surround or something. :/
Nope mine was spot on...checked it with a car and a radar site a few times. :) My *guess* (keyword: GUESS), is that if your wheel size input is off by just a little, you'll see the speed get more inaccurate the faster you go. I took this bad boy to 65 no sweat. :) So that would be my guess on what is happening: they programmed in a slightly inaccurate wheel size. Whatchu think? :)
yep, sure does! I did with mine...I will say that ANY non OEM odometer will kill your value, mileage correct or not. If you can, keep that stock ODO with the miles. If not, make a very clear video showing the before and after to show potential buyers someday.
+STA TRENA I wish I could! I sold this DRZ years ago, and I had another one recently but it was stolen so unfortunately I'm useless there! Sorry about that, but thanks for stopping by!
+STA TRENA I will say this: follow the spark plug wire UP from the spark plug, and follow it till it leads you to the coil. There will be one wire coming from the coil and another tied in with the frame (the negative). I made my RPM wire connection up there, were the spark plug wire plugs into the coil. I hope that helps somewhat!!
OK GREAT! Thank you so much! But one question... with wiring the coil... what exactly is that? Also with wrapping the sensor, do you simply just wrap it? Because my plug is right on top of the head obviously and I'm worried about the sensor getting to hot.
Nice video. I just bought one for my KLX400. If you're still replying to comments could you please detail how you went about setting up your tach sensor/wire? Thank you!
+Andrew B hey thanks for stopping by! I stripped the wire back and tapped into the coil itself, rather than just wrap the wire around the plug cable...it seemed to make the tach solid and not twitchy at all. Hope that helps man!
I WISH!! Oh how I wish. I've wanted a gas gauge for just about every bike I've owned, but it appears that they're somewhat spendy, and only sold separately, batteries not included. :P
Great vid. Thanks! Hey, who makes that handlebar clamp and ignition switch holder? They're not stock are they? I'd like the same for a project bike of mine. Cheers!
I *think* a unit for a KLX/DRZ or a similar bike would probably work out just fine. My hunch (and it would do ya well to verify this), is that these bikes are similar enough that the Vapor Tech would work fine. The speedo can be set and calibrated. The temp gauge can be wired up two different ways. The way the tach gets it's reading would be similar. My guess is that a similar model would probably work ok for ya, but heck, email Trail Tech and see what they say! Hope this helps!
I know it might be different depending on country .. But does a motorcycle require those indicator lights, hi beams, neutral lights to pass local warrants? (Dashboard) I'm trying to avoid spending extra if I just need the vapor ;) thanks!
Sorry to bother again... But, i went to their website and saw the Trail tech Vapor in Stelth (Black) the that i was thinking of ordering... But iI didn't see any lists to check for what model... Do you know what page I can check this on? Thanks!