Miscellaneous – Page 8 – Not Your Average Engineer

December 16, 2009

Mystery aftermarket part in my motorcycle

While doing the overhaul on my bike I discovered a mystery part attached underneath the driver seat. It looks aftermarket as the screws holding it in place and the manner of attachment are very much not in they style of what Honda does. My best guess is that it’s part of an old alarm system. I am a little worried to hook it up to 12 volts to see what happens though. The last time I did that to a mystery siren I had my ears ring for the next week!

The unit says “Quorum” on the side. A little bit of googling shows that there is a company that manufactures alarms under that name. However I couldn’t find that company’s website or any photos of the siren.

Looks to me like a siren.

Wiring harness wasn’t connected to anything.

It was mounted where my finger is pointing. The two screw holes are visible just to the right of my finger. The pink wire in the upper part of the frame near the red fuse holder has the same type of connectors as the wire on the unit. That pink wire doesn’t go anywhere and was clipped. No evidence of any modification to the rest of the bike’s electronics.

December 16, 2009June 21, 2020

Frogg Toggs for Motorcycling

A few weeks back I ordered a couple of inexpensive pairs (clearance rack!) of Frogg Toggs. My buddy Carl informs me that these are some of the best rain suits one can get for motorcycling. I haven’t worn them in the rain yet but I thought I’d show a couple photos of me looking silly in them.

The two rain suits in their packaging.

A 2XL one piece rain suit that was on sale for $2. It fits when I am only in street clothes but would not fit over motorcycle apparel. I will use this as a passenger rain suit for those unexpected nasty days.

The two piece suit that should actually fit over my riding gear. The integrated hood will be nice for really bad days. The pants are just pants though so not the best for day upon day of torrential downpour.

December 15, 2009

Athena’s PC800 trunk liner bags

A month or so back I was searching Ebay for parts for my Honda Pacific Coast when I stumbled across some sharp looking trunk liner bags. It turns out that a woman in Oregon makes them at her house not only for the PC800 but for several other sport touring bikes as well. I shot her an email and a few days later went to her house to pick up a pair. As luck would have it she still had one or two pairs of the “ghost” bags left. I can’t find a listing on Ebay at the moment from Athena but if you keep checking every few days for PC800-specific bags, you will find her.

The bags come in a pair. They are designed in such a way that it does matter what direction you place them in the trunk. Athena suggested that I use a twist tie or piece of ribbon to show which side needs to face which direction. I haven’t done that yet though because I can’t figure out which way the bags are supposed to be oriented. Maybe when I go to a PC800 rally I’ll ask someone there to show me the light.

Looking inside one of the bags. On one side there is a large zippered internal pocket. That would be a good place to put maps or dirty underwear.

On the other side there are three open-top pockets. I put my glasses, checkbook, house keys, and other small things like that in these pockets. They are also good for your toiletries and clean socks.

Looking down into the bag.

A bag stuffed full. Athena informed me that these are designed to be stuffed to the brim. Also note the reflective light piping. It is a very, very nice feature to have. You might also notice the D ring below the zipper. There is one on the other end of the bag as well. Attach a shoulder strap from another bag and suddenly you have a very easy way to carry the bag if you don’t feel like using the handle.

All in all I am very impressed with these bags. They are very well-made and it is obvious Athena cares about making these bags right. I am very happy to have them as a part of my touring gear. They will log many miles in the years to come.