Some of the pictures might not be very good since for part of this install an old cell phone was all we had to take pictures with, sorry about that.
The choice was the Vapor model with tachometer but there is no kit for the DR350 so we choose a Vapor kit for a DR650 but we encountered several problems installing it so we would like to share that here and how to overcome them.
We also chose to install the optional indicator lights for it.
It already had a custom dashboard with a bicycle speedo that had failed on us so hopefully going with a more suited unit for motorcycle use will make it last a lot longer.
Old dashboard:
Made sure to mark the old indicator lights while removing old dashboard (turned out it wasn’t needed):
Did some mockups trying to figure out where to mount the key switch since it can’t be up on the dashboard anymore, finally settled with this location under the handlebars:
It came with some 90 degree mounting bracket but could not see any way to use that …though it was good as a template for manufacturing this aluminum plate that can be bolted on top of the handle bar clamps (the bracket it came with to the left, reused the rubber mounts to reduce vibrations):
Since the ignition switch would be more exposed then before we added dielectric compound on the back of it:
A big zip tie holding it to a hose clamp suitable to secure it on the handlebar and wrapping the assembly with vulcanizing tape:
Once properly clamped in place using a dremel with a small cutting blade to trim off the excess from the hose clamp that extended all the way it wouldn’t allow the key to be inserted since the clamp was a bit to large:
The indicator light kit has the same connector as the stock one on the DR350 so one would think it would be just to plug it in, but NO the pins are all wrong and since this bike have had some changes here and there on its electrical system so things might have been swapped around before. So measured up where the different pins should go in the new connector and used a small screwdriver to get them out and rearrange them:
Didn’t find any pin for the high beam in the plug and had already removed some of the old cables so went with hooking it up directly in parallel with the bulb itself:
There is room for 4 different indicator lights but the Suzuki DR350 only uses 3, neutral, high beam and indicators (Turned out to be trouble once it was all together, the high beam indicator comes on with the lights off and in parking but with light on the indicator follows the high beam might need to look more on this some other time.):
Next step speedometer sensor, following the instructions won’t work at all, the smaller 350 must have a weaker caliper so our solution was a aluminum bracket holding the sensor:
With a plastic spacer to get it in the correct position:
And the magnet for sending the signal needed some work to mount also the kit comes with several different options but since its so little material in the disc drilling a hole and gluing a magnet was not an option.
The magnetic bolt is not really correct either:
To recreate the support on the stock bolt we threaded a correct size pipe and cut a small piece from the end:
Threaded it onto the bolt and bolted it back in place with loctite:
For the tachometer sensor we took both wires down to the spark plug cable, the ground was bolted to the frame together with the tank mount that we have for the larger fuel tank:
The sensor cable was wrapped around the spark plug cable:
And secured with more vulcanizing tape:
Last is the temperature sensor but putting that around the spark plug as its intended to be mounted is not possible, there simply isn´t room for it:
So we mounted it up on a bolt holding the valve cover:
The ring was simply cut and clamped to reduce the size and a piece of it cut away:
And if you have set up and used the unit before connecting the temperature sensor you need to reset it by holding the left and middle button or pressing the red reset button on the back. And it won´t show any temperature below 40 degree C (~100 degree F) so let it warm up to test.
And a short video:
Hope this helps out for anyone out there wanting to install a Trail Tech unit.
