[OminousDarkness]

The top picture is how she looked back in November when I got her. The bottom picture was taken a few days ago. What do y'all think?

 

[Green1]

Looking really sharp. My bike has the same stock paint scheme as yours. Although I swapped out the side covers for chrome ones. Perhaps this year I will change my tank's colors. I can't really tell what color you chose (kind of looks greenish blue?). I also like your mirrors over my round ones. Keep up the good work.

 

[OminousDarkness]

Looking really sharp. My bike has the same stock paint scheme as yours. Although I swapped out the side covers for chrome ones. Perhaps this year I will change my tank's colors. I can't really tell what color you chose (kind of looks greenish blue?). I also like your mirrors over my round ones. Keep up the good work.

Thanks! And everything is black. I had the tank and fenders sandblasted and then powdercoated. Next to impossible to chip or scratch powdercoating. I would love to have some chrome side covers, mine are stock black. I think what might be throwing you off is that there are no Vulcan logos anywhere. At some point I'll add the chrome sidecovers, or I'll do them myself. It's actually fairly easy, but I'm lazy!

I hate my mirrors, so if you're interested in a swap, let me know. I was planning on ordering some that sort of look like aviator sunglasses.

Thanks for the reply, and I'm serious about swapping mirrors if you're interested?

 

[OminousDarkness]

Looking really sharp. My bike has the same stock paint scheme as yours. Although I swapped out the side covers for chrome ones. Perhaps this year I will change my tank's colors. I can't really tell what color you chose (kind of looks greenish blue?). I also like your mirrors over my round ones. Keep up the good work.

Whoops, I should mention that the BOTTOM picture is how she looks now. The TOP picture is how I got her. Before & after, ya know?

Here's a picture of the tank right after I put on a brand new, OEM gas cap. ($200!!!!!!!)

 

[Green1]

I figured the top was factory. I could not tell the bike was black. Is that a satin finish or is it just cloudy? Still looks good. Was there any problem getting the gas tank coated? I have often wondered about the heat. In the old days you couldn't find anyone to even agree to solder or braze a old tank, bike or car). Everyone was swearing they would explode like a bomb. Ever try to braze a thin metal tank full of water?

Still looks good. I will probably keep my mirrors for now. One doesn't like to stay set (it is kind of scratched from being dropped a few times). Plus anything eztra from my bike works on my son's bike. I love having 2 basically identical bikes in the garage.

 

[OminousDarkness]

The finish is sort of between matte and satin. Coating the tank was a breeze. Simply empty the fuel, remove petcock, cap, and fuel float sensor, allow all traces of fuel to evaporate by setting the tank out in the direct sunlight, or, place in an industrial oven like he did. Then, seal all openings with aluminum foil and sandblast.

Powdercoating relies upon running a positive electrical current through the item, and the powder machine is the ground. It's really neat to watch it being done. The powder floats through the air and is drawn to the metal almost as if magnetized. And, there's very little loss of powder.

No worries on mirrorrs, lol, I'll probably order those aviator style ones I saw.

Stay safe and happy riding!

 

[Jason Pittenger]

I like it! Matte/satin finish is really growing on me!

If you want to take the all black theme a bit further, I bought clear/smoke lenses for my rear signals and taillight.

Tail Light Lens KAWASAKI 86-06 Vulcan 750,KZ1000 LTD,VN700 Smoke | eBay

86-06 VN750 Vulcan 750,KZ1000 LTD. Tail Light Clear Lens KAWASAKI 86-03 Vulcan 750, 86-05 Eliminator 125/600. Tail Light Lens for. Smoke Lens. BRIGHT2WHEELS LOCATED IN OHIO, USA. OUR PRODUCT DESIGNS ARE MARKETING ORIENTED.

www.ebay.com

2FastMoto Kawasaki Light Smoke Turn Signal Lens for Vulcan 750 800 900 1500 1600 | eBay

Give your Kawasaki a Custom look! Lens only, signal not included. SURFACE FINISHLIGHT SMOKE ACRYLIC. Misc Body Parts Mirrors. Eyewear Clothing & Accessories. Engine Related Parts. Electrical and Lighting.

www.ebay.com

I switched my tail light bulbs to red LED.

Amazon.com: 1157 Led Brake light, 1157 7528 2357 2057 BAY15D Led car bulbs, Upgrade 12V 24V 57SMD with projector replacement for Back Up Reverse Tail Brake Parking Lights, Brilliant Red 2pcs : Automotive

Buy 1157 Led Brake light, 1157 7528 2357 2057 BAY15D Led car bulbs, Upgrade 12V 24V 57SMD with projector replacement for Back Up Reverse Tail Brake Parking Lights, Brilliant Red 2pcs: Brake Lights - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

My turn signals I rewired to be red running, red brake, amber turn signals.

Custom Turn Signals

I'm working on some custom turn signals based off the Neopixel LEDs. They are RGB and can be individually controlled. They will go inside the stock housing. I am also ordering some clear lenses to put in front. The goal is to have them act as running/brake lights (Red with blue center dot)...

www.vn750.com

I never changed out the front signals from stock.
You could drop some amber 1156 bulbs (led or incandescent) in there instead of rewiring.
I even put some tinting over the rear reflector to finish the blackout look, though I went a bit too dark with the tinting.

 

[OminousDarkness]

I like it! Matte/satin finish is really growing on me!

If you want to take the all black theme a bit further, I bought clear/smoke lenses for my rear signals and taillight.

Tail Light Lens KAWASAKI 86-06 Vulcan 750,KZ1000 LTD,VN700 Smoke | eBay

86-06 VN750 Vulcan 750,KZ1000 LTD. Tail Light Clear Lens KAWASAKI 86-03 Vulcan 750, 86-05 Eliminator 125/600. Tail Light Lens for. Smoke Lens. BRIGHT2WHEELS LOCATED IN OHIO, USA. OUR PRODUCT DESIGNS ARE MARKETING ORIENTED.

www.ebay.com

2FastMoto Kawasaki Light Smoke Turn Signal Lens for Vulcan 750 800 900 1500 1600 | eBay

Give your Kawasaki a Custom look! Lens only, signal not included. SURFACE FINISHLIGHT SMOKE ACRYLIC. Misc Body Parts Mirrors. Eyewear Clothing & Accessories. Engine Related Parts. Electrical and Lighting.

www.ebay.com

I switched my tail light bulbs to red LED.

Amazon.com: 1157 Led Brake light, 1157 7528 2357 2057 BAY15D Led car bulbs, Upgrade 12V 24V 57SMD with projector replacement for Back Up Reverse Tail Brake Parking Lights, Brilliant Red 2pcs : Automotive

Buy 1157 Led Brake light, 1157 7528 2357 2057 BAY15D Led car bulbs, Upgrade 12V 24V 57SMD with projector replacement for Back Up Reverse Tail Brake Parking Lights, Brilliant Red 2pcs: Brake Lights - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

My turn signals I rewired to be red running, red brake, amber turn signals.

Custom Turn Signals

I'm working on some custom turn signals based off the Neopixel LEDs. They are RGB and can be individually controlled. They will go inside the stock housing. I am also ordering some clear lenses to put in front. The goal is to have them act as running/brake lights (Red with blue center dot)...

www.vn750.com

I never changed out the front signals from stock.
You could drop some amber 1156 bulbs (led or incandescent) in there instead of rewiring.
I even put some tinting over the rear reflector to finish the blackout look, though I went a bit too dark with the tinting.

View attachment 54382
View attachment 54383

I love it! I can't wait to get my saddle bags.

And, you're gonna love this: That red reflector you painted over on the rear tool/cargo box? So, I haven't done this yet, but I have all the stuff to do it.. I'm going to convert that into an additional brake light. Rather easy, just remove the reflector (heat gun/blow dryer works great) drill a small hole in the center of the black plastic behind the reflector, add a single red LED and splice directly into the existing brake light harness. The LED consumes such a low amount of voltage, it will have little to no impact.

Here's a few things on my existing shopping list:

Yes, these are made for Harley, but it's rather simple to rewire to accommodate the difference. I could just buy chrome switch covers, but all of my switches are faded, so this is how I'm going to justify it, lol!

Next up, replacing my stock mirrors. I don't like that square-ish look. So here's the first option I like:

However, these might be too small to see well. So, I'm not quite decided yet..

Mirror option #2:

You can never go wrong with more "chrome", am I right? These sort of remind me of aviator sunglasses. These seem classier, and sort of retro in a way, but not awkwardly so.

Finally, I want to add these turn signals:

I like these a lot. Simple, elegant, and multi-functional.

I like these for the handgrips:

And at some point, I'm going to replace the headlight with an LED system.

I've also got two of these 6 foot long LED strips that are powered by 3 AAA batteries. You can change the colors, make them slowly fade in and out, pulse, and can even be set to come on only when in motion. They came with remotes, too. I got both at Walmart back around Christmas, and I've going to mount them to run along underneath the tank, below the seat and down the side of the rear fender. Instead of using the adhesive strip that they came with, I'm going to use clear heat-shrink tubing over them and then mount with zip-ties. Those will look neat when they're done.

Sorry for the extremely long reply! You got me all excited showing me your blacked out Vulcan!

 

[Spockster]

Those switches are going to be 1/8" too large for stock bars. Our bars are 7/8".

The last set of mirrors are what I'm using and they're decent mirrors. I liked the Emgo El Chico mirrors better, but couldn't find any when I broke one of the pair. I liked the shape and the sight picture on the rectangular El Chico. Those triangle mirrors will be too small and probably too short unless you're checking out your shoulders.

 

[OminousDarkness]

Those switches are going to be 1/8" too large for stock bars. Our bars are 7/8".

The last set of mirrors are what I'm using and they're decent mirrors. I liked the Emgo El Chico mirrors better, but couldn't find any when I broke one of the pair. I liked the shape and the sight picture on the rectangular El Chico. Those triangle mirrors will be too small and probably too short unless you're checking out your shoulders.

Thanks for letting me know about the size difference. Hmmmm, what would be the best way to approach that? Get a handlebar that's 7/8", look for different switch covers, or try to make up the 1/8" somehow?

Yeah, I noticed how small those triangular mirrors are. They look cool, but definitely too small.

What about these? Yep, made for Harley, but I can fabricate an adapter:

 

[Spockster]

Thanks for letting me know about the size difference. Hmmmm, what would be the best way to approach that? Get a handlebar that's 7/8", look for different switch covers, or try to make up the 1/8" somehow?

Yeah, I noticed how small those triangular mirrors are. They look cool, but definitely too small.

What about these? Yep, made for Harley, but I can fabricate an adapter:
View attachment 54389

Same problem, small and short, and it's easier to get the correct threads.

Been so long.... Do our mirrors have left hand threads on one side? Or is that a Yamaha?

My friend stuck some of those mirrors on a Vrod and he had to duck and stretch to see behind him. Seems like the picture always makes them look a lot bigger than they are.

You have 7/8" bars now. Don't think I've ever seen any aftermarket switch covers for our bikes. Maybe paint yours? Could be tricky not making the buttons stick.

 

[OminousDarkness]

Same problem, small and short, and it's easier to get the correct threads.

Been so long.... Do our mirrors have left hand threads on one side? Or is that a Yamaha?

My friend stuck some of those mirrors on a Vrod and he had to duck and stretch to see behind him. Seems like the picture always makes them look a lot bigger than they are.

You have 7/8" bars now. Don't think I've ever seen any aftermarket switch covers for our bikes. Maybe paint yours? Could be tricky not making the buttons stick.

I've actually found aftermarket covers for the vn750 that are chrome. I just wanted something a little less "boxy"....

 

[Jason Pittenger]

Here's a demo of my rear lighting (before I changed the taillight to black lens with LEDs)

Demo of custom LED turn signals on my Kawasaki Vulcan 750.

The turn signals use a smoked clear lens, each with a pair of high power RGB LEDs. They run 70mA red for running lights, 700mA red for brake, and 700mA red ...

youtube.com

I thought about the handlebar end lights for my bike. But since they shine 360 degrees, I was worried they would shine back in my face. I already have issues with the dash lights reflecting off the windshield at night. Otherwise I like the idea of having some light at the widest point of the bike. Keep people from getting too close.

In the front, I grabbed some of those LED signals designes to wrap around the forks. I instead put them on the Airbox covers.

Testing an adjustable flasher relay with my LED signals. Kawasaki Vulcan 750.

youtube.com

I added some super bright driving lights.

Driving Lights on a Vulcan 750

I wired this in through a current limiting circuit. When on low beams, it limits the current to a low-level making the lights dimmer and not blinding people....

youtube.com

They add SO much light when driving at night!

Driving Lights on a Vulcan 750 Night Ride

I wired this in through a current limiting circuit. When on low beams, it limits the current to a low-level making the lights dimmer and not blinding people....

youtube.com

For the side, I replaced the side reflectors with ones that have a built-in LED.

Kawasaki Vulcan 750 Reflector changed to side indicator

Reflector changed to side indicator.Part number C323A.Positive lead connected to front running lights.Negative lead connected to turn signals.Result: light o...

youtube.com

I posted about each of these over in the electrical forum.

 

[OminousDarkness]

Here's a demo of my rear lighting (before I changed the taillight to black lens with LEDs)

Demo of custom LED turn signals on my Kawasaki Vulcan 750.

The turn signals use a smoked clear lens, each with a pair of high power RGB LEDs. They run 70mA red for running lights, 700mA red for brake, and 700mA red ...

youtube.com

I thought about the handlebar end lights for my bike. But since they shine 360 degrees, I was worried they would shine back in my face. I already have issues with the dash lights reflecting off the windshield at night. Otherwise I like the idea of having some light at the widest point of the bike. Keep people from getting too close.

In the front, I grabbed some of those LED signals designes to wrap around the forks. I instead put them on the Airbox covers.

Testing an adjustable flasher relay with my LED signals. Kawasaki Vulcan 750.

youtube.com

I added some super bright driving lights.

Driving Lights on a Vulcan 750

I wired this in through a current limiting circuit. When on low beams, it limits the current to a low-level making the lights dimmer and not blinding people....

youtube.com

They add SO much light when driving at night!

Driving Lights on a Vulcan 750 Night Ride

I wired this in through a current limiting circuit. When on low beams, it limits the current to a low-level making the lights dimmer and not blinding people....

youtube.com

For the side, I replaced the side reflectors with ones that have a built-in LED.

Kawasaki Vulcan 750 Reflector changed to side indicator

Reflector changed to side indicator.Part number C323A.Positive lead connected to front running lights.Negative lead connected to turn signals.Result: light o...

youtube.com

I posted about each of these over in the electrical forum.

Wow dude, it's so cool to meet somebody who shares the same ideas! I can't watch YouTube right now because all I have is satellite internet and it sucks. My mobile data is also spotty at best. But, I live on a mountain in the middle of the woods with an incredible view and so much wildlife to enjoy. I'll check our your vids when I head into town.

 

[OminousDarkness]

Here's a demo of my rear lighting.........

I finally got around to watching your videos. Excellent work! Regarding the reflector/turn signal conversion, did you add some sort of m/f adapter so that you could easily unplug them? To simplify the removal of those plastic covers when needed?

I'm assuming you did, but you know what they say about assuming? That's right! When you assume that it's a fart, you could be wrong.

 

[Jason Pittenger]

I finally got around to watching your videos. Excellent work! Regarding the reflector/turn signal conversion, did you add some sort of m/f adapter so that you could easily unplug them? To simplify the removal of those plastic covers when needed?

I'm assuming you did, but you know what they say about assuming? That's right! When you assume that it's a fart, you could be wrong.

I honestly don't remember now!

 

[OminousDarkness]

I honestly don't remember now!

Well, I'm thinking when I do the same, I'll probably add some "breakaway" style connectors. This way, if I try to remove them but completely forget (like you have apparently done) about the wiring, it will just pop loose.

I just posted a windshield I bought today, go have a look and tell me what you think.

 

[OminousDarkness]

I already have issues with the dash lights reflecting off the windshield at night.

Regarding this comment you made about the dash lights reflecting off the windshield....

Since I'm about to add a windshield to mine, I was thinking of a way to try to prevent that. I wonder how hard it would be to make a sort of "divider" between the gauges and the windshield?

My brother is a genius with 3D printing, and I was thinking of having him make me a little plastic "plate" that would go over the indicator lights. Below is the basic idea. The colored holes you see could be any shape I want, even little skulls like my user pic here. I could make the turn signals into little arrows, or, I could even use letters, like L for left, R, for right, etc....

What do you think?

OR, I could just order this to replace the RPM gauge, and remove that little indicator section entirely, and fill that spot with a small battery monitor. Like this:

 

[Jason Pittenger]

Let me know what you guys come up with, I'd be interested in some sort of cover.
I haven't pursued it much myself because my limited 3D design/printing skills are all function and don't look very good.
The aftermarket tach also looks pretty sweet!

Speaking of 3D printed, did you see my cup holders and custom crampbuster (throttle wrist rest)?

Cup holder

Cup Holder for wheelchairs by Enabl3D_Designs

This cup holder was my first foray into the 3D design/printing world. It was designed for use with everything from coffee cups to water bottles. If you mainly use larger water bottles or insulated cups and want something that holds them more snugly, please look at my other cup holder design...

www.thingiverse.com

I have an updated design that's lighter weight and has drainage holes, but I haven't uploaded that one yet.
This one still works just fine, it's just a little wasteful on material.
In the picture above, the left one is the old design and the right one is the new design.
It will hold a standard 16.9 oz water bottle and will also fit a Yeti Rambler® 30 OZ Tumbler.

Cup holder bar adaptor

Motorcycle Handlebar Cup Holder by Morpheous85

This takes the already designed cup holder, and added a clamp for use on motorcycle handlebars. I sized mine for 7/8" diameter bars (0.875 in). A thin 1/16" piece of rubber is recommended for the vertical mount and required for the horizontal mount. I have not tested the horizontal mount yet...

www.thingiverse.com

This version broke after 1 year. I beefed up the design a bit but I haven't uploaded it yet.
It needs a bit more of a fillet where the cup holder tab meets the C clamp.
But this file should get you most of the way there.
The updated version also had a slightly tighter fit to the cup holder itself.
I never had one fall off, but this was done as a preventative measure.
Mine are resting on some windshield clamps, so I can't say if they slide down over time or not.

Throttle Rest (I'm using this version)

Throttle Rest for Vulcan 750 by Morpheous85

This is a Throttle Rest for Vulcan 750 with stock grips. After trying many different types, I designed my own with the help of a mechanical engineer. It has teeth to grip the stock grips, and a slot to add a hose clamp. This thing WILL NOT SLIP on the grip. It has a protrusion on the...

www.thingiverse.com

I have it adjusted for 60-75 mph comfortable cruising with my hand resting on the bar.
I've had it over a year and it's never moved/slipped on me.
The angle allows me to slide my hand up the grip and not have to reach around or over it when letting off the throttle.

 

[OminousDarkness]

Speaking of 3D printed, did you see my cup holders and custom crampbuster (throttle wrist rest)?
View attachment 54409


Cup holder

Cup Holder for wheelchairs by Enabl3D_Designs

This cup holder was my first foray into the 3D design/printing world. It was designed for use with everything from coffee cups to water bottles. If you mainly use larger water bottles or insulated cups and want something that holds them more snugly, please look at my other cup holder design...

www.thingiverse.com

I have an updated design that's lighter weight and has drainage holes, but I haven't uploaded that one yet.
This one still works just fine, it's just a little wasteful on material.
In the picture above, the left one is the old design and the right one is the new design.
It will hold a standard 16.9 oz water bottle and will also fit a Yeti Rambler® 30 OZ Tumbler.

Cup holder bar adaptor

Motorcycle Handlebar Cup Holder by Morpheous85

This takes the already designed cup holder, and added a clamp for use on motorcycle handlebars. I sized mine for 7/8" diameter bars (0.875 in). A thin 1/16" piece of rubber is recommended for the vertical mount and required for the horizontal mount. I have not tested the horizontal mount yet...

www.thingiverse.com

This version broke after 1 year. I beefed up the design a bit but I haven't uploaded it yet.
It needs a bit more of a fillet where the cup holder tab meets the C clamp.
But this file should get you most of the way there.
The updated version also had a slightly tighter fit to the cup holder itself.
I never had one fall off, but this was done as a preventative measure.
Mine are resting on some windshield clamps, so I can't say if they slide down over time or not.

Throttle Rest (I'm using this version)

Throttle Rest for Vulcan 750 by Morpheous85

This is a Throttle Rest for Vulcan 750 with stock grips. After trying many different types, I designed my own with the help of a mechanical engineer. It has teeth to grip the stock grips, and a slot to add a hose clamp. This thing WILL NOT SLIP on the grip. It has a protrusion on the...

www.thingiverse.com

I have it adjusted for 60-75 mph comfortable cruising with my hand resting on the bar.
I've had it over a year and it's never moved/slipped on me.
The angle allows me to slide my hand up the grip and not have to reach around or over it when letting off the throttle.

Excellent work! Love those big mirrors, too. (Not a fan of round mirrors, but I like that they're big!)

My brother got into 3D printing about ten years ago, maybe longer. Right when those things first became available to the everyman, he had one.

You ever heard of para-motoring? For now, I'll assume not. Hanging by a parachute with a big propeller strapped to your back. Well, he was having some problems with one of those engines, so he sent it out west back to the manufacturer.

They fixed his problem, but the owner asks my brother, "Where did you get this gauge setup?" (It's a thing he made that houses the common indicators for altitude and airspeed, fuel, etc...) So, Brandon says "I 3D printed it."

The owner says "How much would you charge me for one?'

Brandon said "I dunno, twenty bucks?"

The owner replied, "Great! I'll take a thousand of them. When can you have them complete?"

And the rest of the story is funnier when Brandon tells it, but basically, he thought that the owner just wanted one for himself, but no, that guy now re-sells them for more than double what Brandon charges for them.

He's made some really neat stuff, intricate. Maybe I'll have to put you two in touch. OH! There was this other thing he made... So, there's this electric bicycle that is real popular, but the batteries are crazy expensive, right? Brandon and his wife each have one. So Brandon prints (and wires up) an adapter so that he can use Dewalt power tool batteries on the bike, and as far as I remember he ended up selling a whole lot of those, too. I'll get you some pics of that stuff if your interested in seeing his work. I know he has a bunch on thingiverse as well.

Here I go again, writing like I'm working on one of my novels. Sorry! Ttyl!