A7xschecter6661
August 14th, 2011, 11:09 PM
Hey there. I have my pretty black and green bike and don't like the black & white/red face on the gauges. So I browsed around looking for replacements, then looked for guides on how to do it yourself. Then started emailing a vinyl place asking if I scanned the faces could they make me the faces with the lines cut out. Then I decided to do it myself and have some fun.
Keep in mind if you follow this and mess anything up its not my problem, I am using spare parts and swapping them to my bike when and IF it works correctly. Also these are not going to be perfect. But it gives you a chance to throw a little customization into them.
Here is what you start with: They just unscrew out of the cluster (luckily I had a spare from a parts bike laying around)
http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z449/a7xschecter6661/gaugescolor.jpg
Then I drilled out the back of the needle resting pin and pulled it through. Later this can be popped back in and super glued in the back.
Scan this to your computer and print a few copies. This will help you cut over the vinyl. Cut them out, I may have gotten lucky but it scanned to my computer and printed the correct size.
I then scraped off whatever I want to shine through with the dulled corner (flat) of a razor blade.
Then I slapped the carbon fiber on them trimmed off the extra (don't make it perfect because I did this the first time, messed it up and had to start over anyway so just get it close with scissors)
Then poked out the holes with a needle/screw driver/pen and tape the paper for that gauge over the faceplate. The holes help you line it up correctly.
http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z449/a7xschecter6661/photo_13-1.jpg
I decide to do my RPM gauge as triangles instead of just rectangles.
http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z449/a7xschecter6661/photo_33-1.jpg
The temperature face I messed up and combined the red area with the last line, but I actually like it better. But I may redo it to size it to match the height of the horizontal line.
http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z449/a7xschecter6661/photo_23-1.jpg
And finally, the speedo. I took off all the 10 increments as well as 45, 55 and 65 as those are the most common speeds I travel.
http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z449/a7xschecter6661/photo_43.jpg
Next will be some green paint on the back so it shines through green!
Then I will probably paint the bulbs for extra green and get everything together to take pics.
Let me know what you think!:thumbup:
Keep in mind if you follow this and mess anything up its not my problem, I am using spare parts and swapping them to my bike when and IF it works correctly. Also these are not going to be perfect. But it gives you a chance to throw a little customization into them.
Here is what you start with: They just unscrew out of the cluster (luckily I had a spare from a parts bike laying around)
http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z449/a7xschecter6661/gaugescolor.jpg
Then I drilled out the back of the needle resting pin and pulled it through. Later this can be popped back in and super glued in the back.
Scan this to your computer and print a few copies. This will help you cut over the vinyl. Cut them out, I may have gotten lucky but it scanned to my computer and printed the correct size.
I then scraped off whatever I want to shine through with the dulled corner (flat) of a razor blade.
Then I slapped the carbon fiber on them trimmed off the extra (don't make it perfect because I did this the first time, messed it up and had to start over anyway so just get it close with scissors)
Then poked out the holes with a needle/screw driver/pen and tape the paper for that gauge over the faceplate. The holes help you line it up correctly.
http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z449/a7xschecter6661/photo_13-1.jpg
I decide to do my RPM gauge as triangles instead of just rectangles.
http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z449/a7xschecter6661/photo_33-1.jpg
The temperature face I messed up and combined the red area with the last line, but I actually like it better. But I may redo it to size it to match the height of the horizontal line.
http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z449/a7xschecter6661/photo_23-1.jpg
And finally, the speedo. I took off all the 10 increments as well as 45, 55 and 65 as those are the most common speeds I travel.
http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z449/a7xschecter6661/photo_43.jpg
Next will be some green paint on the back so it shines through green!
Then I will probably paint the bulbs for extra green and get everything together to take pics.
Let me know what you think!:thumbup: