Sp8Ball’s Mod Thread (Stealing Other Poster’s Ideas Since Mid-2010)

[sp8ball]

All -

Sorry for the delay in getting the Interior Door Handle LEDs and Cupholder LEDs write-ups posted. Been swamped with work, grad school, and some personal life "stuff". I have the pictures organized - just need to put the text to it and post it.

I also have the parts for several new mods (Kappa speakers, Satoshi Grille, TE fog bezels, and yellow fog lights) sitting in my garage, next to my motorcycle.

Mrs. Sp8ball would like to see the motorcycle gone in the near future, as she is worried she'll lose me and have to raise our newborn on her own (and she won't ever see my stepson again). I get where she's coming from, and I know why she's concerned and all. But I just got the bike (a Suzuki Boulevard M50) last year and I love it. In fact, I just took the motorcycle safety class last year and LEARNED TO RIDE last year. So I'm just getting comfortable and good at it...and then I'll shelve that skill set.

She's telling me if I ditch it now, I can come back later and get whatever motorcycle I want. Of course, "later" means when the kids are in college...which is in 20 years. I'll be 55 years old!

She did tell me I could take the money and do mods to the truck, though...

What to do...what to do...thoughts?

(pic below)

 

[desertred]

I can understand Mrs. sp8ball's concern. However, being almost at the age that Mrs. sp8ball will allow you to return to a bike, I can safely say that the appeal of a bike may very well be as strong then as it is now. I95 (and even around Bel Air) is not the most friendly environment for a motorcycle, especially during commuter traffic. You might want to consider your better half's advice at this point. If its that big of a sacrifice on your part, maybe it might serve as a bargaining point for those wheels and tires you want. : Then in 20 years, picture yourself back on a bike with Mrs. sp8ball legs wrapped around you from behind (aka Harley & Marlboro Man style) running the back roads while the kids are cracking the books.

Nice bike, by the way!

 

[TxCJ3Pilot]

You have the 4Runner and it seems to keep you busy. I think I would listen to the wife - she has valid concerns. Suggest getting rid of the bike for something the family can enjoy together. E.g.; a small travel trailer - go camping; maybe a small boat for fishing :surfer:. You get the idea... I have owned motorcycles and can attest that inattentive auto drivers (cars, etc.) can make for a bad day on the bike. Best regards to this hard decision. BTW, does the wife have any "toys"?

 

[emsmatt]

I say ditch the bike. doesnt matter how many safety classes you take you are never very safe on a bike. In my experience its been rare that the bike wrecks Ive seen are because of the fault of the rider as opposed to the vechicle that hits them or causes them to bail. With a new baby and happt wife its just not worth the risks for a little 2 wheel fun.

 

[WhiskeyCop]

BTW, does the wife have any "toys"?

Here we go again...

:whip2:

 

[TxCJ3Pilot]

Here we go again...

:whip2:

Note the "devil and whip" you left us with. Is there something I should know here WhiskeyCop? olice:

 

[SeattleMike]

There are two kinds of motorcycle riders: those who have crashed and those that are going to crash. I've dumped three bikes in my lifetime, all of which I was lucky enough to walk away from... but I have friends who've got everything from 3rd degree burn scars to full body road rash to amputated limbs.

It's not about how well you can ride, it's about how well you can survive impacting the side of a Ford Flex because SoccerMom didn't see you when she turned left in front of you. That's just one way to die on a street bike, there are thousands more.

And why are you pretending you get a vote on this? She obviously has your balls in her handbag, so negotiate the black wheels/new tires (tell her you would be trading one bad boy image for another) and accept your fate.

 

[1engineer]

There are two kinds of motorcycle riders: those who have crashed and those that are going to crash. I've dumped three bikes in my lifetime, all of which I was lucky enough to walk away from... but I have friends who've got everything from 3rd degree burn scars to full body road rash to amputated limbs.

It's not about how well you can ride, it's about how well you can survive impacting the side of a Ford Flex because SoccerMom didn't see you when she turned left in front of you. That's just one way to die on a street bike, there are thousands more.

And why are you pretending you get a vote on this? She obviously has your balls in her handbag, so negotiate the black wheels/new tires (tell her you would be trading one bad boy image for another) and accept your fate.

Mike is correct as usual. I was a very good rider (rode motorcross as a teen) and had several motorcycles in my early-mid 20's. My wife (27 years now) said the same thing as yours. I scoffed at the idea. Several months later I was riding around dusk (my bike was a 1000R) and a small van pulled out in front of me. I was going 55mph and had a split second to evade. I laid the bike down, on dry pavement at 55 mph. It hurt. Bad. I then realized my wife must be clairvoyant and sold it and never looked back. I was lucky to walk away with just some big scars. My wife told me to get a safer hobby and she would support it, much as your wife did. She agreed with my choice and fully supported it because of its healty lifestyle implications and I have been doing it ever since. My choice? Mountain biking haha! I get all the adrenaline fix I need and have never looked back. Choose wisely grasshopper.

My old motorcycle:

 

[Johnny Utah]

There are two kinds of motorcycle riders: those who have crashed and those that are going to crash. I've dumped three bikes in my lifetime, all of which I was lucky enough to walk away from... but I have friends who've got everything from 3rd degree burn scars to full body road rash to amputated limbs.

It's not about how well you can ride, it's about how well you can survive impacting the side of a Ford Flex because SoccerMom didn't see you when she turned left in front of you. That's just one way to die on a street bike, there are thousands more.

And why are you pretending you get a vote on this? She obviously has your balls in her handbag, so negotiate the black wheels/new tires (tell her you would be trading one bad boy image for another) and accept your fate.

good advice. I get idiots pulling out in front of me and i'm driving my 4runner! haha. I doubt sp8ball would be taking this harley out on i-95 just yet, it sounds like maybe its more of a side street cruiser for now. She is right though, safety is key, and unfortanately a bike is not as safe 4 wheels, but, you already know that.

Depending on my much money you would lose on selling the bike, i'd definitely negotiate the black wheels tires in the mix if you must sell it.

It's a beautiful bike though.

 

[philsey]

sp8 - Other members have said it all quite well, and I totally concur.

I believe a motorcycle is a selfish, and irresponsible toy for a married-with-children man.

Listen to your wife, and just do it. Screw the loss you'll take, I believe you can afford it.

Further, do it because it's 'the right thing to do', and leave the 'negotiating-for-other-toys' completely out of it. It demeans the purpose.

As said, transfer the time/money to a family-oriented activity ... ours became boating.

ps: my last bike was a new Honda CB400F. All of you will have to Google that. I listened to my wife. Happy wife, etc.

 

[sp8ball]

Wow...that's an overwhelming response! I expected half of them to be like that, and the other half to be "be a man and ride your bike". After all, I am going to a New Kids on the Block concert later this month.

You've all told me the same thing - and it was the same thing I was already thinking. It's the responsible thing to do, and I know that. And she knows that. I really enjoy riding the motorcycle...but that may have to wait for a later point in life.

Let the negotiating begin...

 

[NYRunner]

Great minds think alike. Every, and I do mean *every* one I know who rides has had to lay it down or been railed by a driver who didn't see/hear/notice/whatever-the-&^%$-ing reason that they were oblivious to them being there.


I haven't had one since the early 90's (has it been that damned long since college?! lol) and have to agree with everyone- as much as I drool over them and have even been on the brink a few times.................. at this point in my life I just know better. To me the risks very much outweigh the rewards.

One of the reasons I chose the 4Runner was safety. 10 years ago I was sitting on the NJ turnpike in stop and go traffic, behind a greyhound bus mind you, on a beautiful sunny day when the 18-wheeler behind me didn't "see" us all stopped again and left 50 feet of tire marks (per the police report) before plowing me into the back of that bus. If he didn't see me in the Maxima I was driving her sure as heck wouldn't have seen me on a bike! At the time I actually had a "Harley fund" but that was the very end of that... they'd still be trying to figure out who I even *was* if I was on a bike that day.

Sell it. Revel in the memory, mod the hell out of your 'Runner, and spare yourself the inevitable injury & pain.

ps- philsey, I once had a Honda Ascot VT500

 

[Reata]

I have one too, but DITCH THE BIKE AND GO WITH THE MODS!!!

Your kiddos can enjoy the truck with you, and she is right - you can get a bike when they go to college.

Another option is to trade the street bike and get a dirt bike. A hitch hauler is great and then you can take the bike on campouts and drive the fire roads, county roads, etc. More fun, more to see, and NO CARS to take you out.

All -

Sorry for the delay in getting the Interior Door Handle LEDs and Cupholder LEDs write-ups posted. Been swamped with work, grad school, and some personal life "stuff". I have the pictures organized - just need to put the text to it and post it.

I also have the parts for several new mods (Kappa speakers, Satoshi Grille, TE fog bezels, and yellow fog lights) sitting in my garage, next to my motorcycle.

Mrs. Sp8ball would like to see the motorcycle gone in the near future, as she is worried she'll lose me and have to raise our newborn on her own (and she won't ever see my stepson again). I get where she's coming from, and I know why she's concerned and all. But I just got the bike (a Suzuki Boulevard M50) last year and I love it. In fact, I just took the motorcycle safety class last year and LEARNED TO RIDE last year. So I'm just getting comfortable and good at it...and then I'll shelve that skill set.

She's telling me if I ditch it now, I can come back later and get whatever motorcycle I want. Of course, "later" means when the kids are in college...which is in 20 years. I'll be 55 years old!

She did tell me I could take the money and do mods to the truck, though...

What to do...what to do...thoughts?

(pic below)

 

[Reata]

After reading all of these responses to the question, I think I am throwing mine on the market too. I would rather get Reata all dolled up and ready for a little camping anyways.

Thanks to all of you,

 

[SeattleMike]

Who wants to tell him his saddlebags are on backwards?

 

[WhiskeyCop]

Note the "devil and whip" you left us with. Is there something I should know here WhiskeyCop? olice:

Well, there have been references to how hot Mrs. Sp8Ball is and a request for a picture of her, and there you go asking if she has any "toys". Just made me laugh.

 

[philsey]

After reading all of these responses to the question, I think I am throwing mine on the market too. I would rather get Reata all dolled up and ready for a little camping anyways.

Thanks to all of you,

:bravo: :thumb3:

 

[sp8ball]

Who wants to tell him his saddlebags are on backwards?

TRUTH: That picture was the only one I had on the computer that was readily accessible, and it was downloaded from the email the seller sent to me when I was buying it. In other words, that's not my house (or helmet), it's from the guy who owned it before me.

And yes, I took the bags off for a while, and then put them on properly!

 

[sp8ball]

Modification: Interior Door Handle LEDs

Two LED lights (see previous post about making LEDs), some speaker wire, and steady hands: About $7.

Difficulty Scale (1 to 10): Five, because you have to get into the door panels, do some breaking down of door parts, drilling, etc.

Sp8ball’s Personal Intimidation Factor (1 to 10): Two, because Antman was helping and he had already done it.

Install Time: 3+ hours, because Antman and I also did the Door Handle Change-out mod at the same time, since we had the door panels off.

Reason for Doing It: To give the interior a nice lighting touch. Those handles are black, on a black door piece, and can be hard to see right away at night. This lighting appears on Limiteds, so this is a good way to get a Trail/SR5 on par with that trim level.

Benefit: Good, subtle lighting for night viewing of black door handles on a black door. Very reasonable price.

Cons: Getting to the pieces.

Other Products Considered: None.
______________________________________________________

Let’s once again give credit where credit is due…this is an “Antman Original.” If you haven’t noticed, Antman likes to tinker with lights and electrical doo-dads. This is good, because I hate electricity. Well, I hate working with it – but whatever.

As he had already done this mod (and the mod that follows), there was a lot of conversation between he and I about doing this mod and documenting it. This is super easy to do when your partner in crime is (a) super competent, and (b) has done the mod before. You’re basically getting a free ride on the mod while mugging for the camera.

My apologies for posting this a full two weeks (gasp!) after the mod was completed. Life just sorta hit me in the face. The good news? I have class on Monday, 23 May and Tuesday, 24 May, with a take-home Final Exam the evening of the 24th…and I have completed 11 of my 12 graduate courses towards my Masters Degree in Systems Engineering. The final “capstone” course is a 10-week group project over the summer (with my 3 friends and co-students at work)…and I’m done. And Mrs. Sp8ball finished her final graduate course a week ago today, earning an “A-“ and completing her Master’s work in Biotechnology from Johns Hopkins. Yes, you read that right…and she’s hot.

Still trying to get her to do the Kappa Speaker installation. I think I’m almost there…

Enough of that nonsense, though! Let’s get to the Interior Door Handle LED work!

First, remove the door panels as described in the “removing the door panels” tutorial I posted earlier in this thread.

Tape off the metallic-looking sections of the door panel, as it will need to sit face-down, and this material is prone to scratches…



Lay the door panel down on a blanket or towel for further protection.



Unplug the wired connection from the top of the door panel.



Gently remove the electrical tape and unwrap the cloth-like sleeve that protects the wire.

 

[sp8ball]

Modification: Interior Door Handle LEDs, cont.

Remove the screws that hold the door handle assembly in place. (I think there are 4 of them)



See these two swirly disks? They are plastic “welds”. They need to be broken. Just jam a screwdriver underneath them and work it around a bit, and then lift up and break the welds.




Remove the door handle assembly from the door.



Now, you’ll want to “clean up” the plastic that was left behind from those two plastic welds. Take a pair of pliers, grab the plastic, and twist it around and around until it breaks off (think of an alligator getting its prey in a death roll).





If you don’t do this, when you put everything back together that little bit of plastic will cause the door handle assembly to sit on top of the broken plastic instead of its original “flush mounted” position. As a result, you will have a gap between the two pieces at final assembly that will look like this (look near the thin end of the door handle):