Ducati Monster Forum

Ok, so I've read every thread on this board and many others about the Trailtech Vapor and decided that it is the right solution for Phase 8 or so of Operation Take-Shit-Off-the-Bike. I've never been a fairing guy, and after installing the dual headlights from Monsterparts it became clear that the stock gauges were just too big and stuck up too far. I looked at lowering them, replacing them with smaller options, but all the Motogadget and similar products were ridiculously expensive and limited my options with idiot lights, etc.

The goal of this thread is to document the ENTIRE Trailtech Vapor process, from ordering to install. I will update it as quickly as possible and will try to answer any questions that arise along the way. Any and all insight is appreciated as well, as I'm almost guaranteed to booger up the process at one point or another.

So, here goes nothing.

The Bike
2007 Monster 695
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Brakeline4.jpg)

Looks great except for...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Brakeline6.jpg)

Those big honkin' gauges sticking out above everything.

Phase 1 - Ordering
http://www.trailtech.net/vapor.html (http://www.trailtech.net/vapor.html)

(http://www.trailtech.net/media/computers/vapor/vapor-standard-stealth.jpg)

I ordered the Stealth kit as I didn't want the goofy Vapor font on my bike, and I ride a Dark Monster so silver looks a bit out of place.

I emailed Trailtech support and asked them which kit to buy. They suggest the 752-600 kit, so that's what I ordered. Two important notes on that: The 752-600 kit DOES include the proper tach wire, but comes with a radiator hose fitting as a temp gauge, which obviously doesn't do much good on an air cooled bike. I emailed their support again and they are shipping me out the correct temp wire FREE of charge (Typically $30 + ship). Their support has been absolutely great to work with so far. Make sure to note you need an aircooled  temp sensor for your order AND what NGK part # plug your bike uses.

I also ordered the Instrument Surround for the gauge so I didn't lose all my idiot lights, or at least the ones that matter. I chose to configure mine with: Neutral, turn signals, oil pressure, and fuel.

The unit itself is fairly small, about half the total real estate of the stock clocks. It is also much thinner, which is going to allow me to nestle it down just past the triples and above the headlights, nearly out of sight for anyone not riding the motorcycle. Here are two pics for size reference:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/SizeComparo.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/Gauge.jpg)

I may spray it Matte Black at some point, the gloss isn't quite what I'm going for and fingerprints a bit easily.

Shipping was fast and free, two days from CA to MD. All parts arrived packaged well and without damage.

Phase Two: Flashing the ECU

Next I'm sending my ECU to Houston Superbikes http://www.desmoporsche.com (http://www.desmoporsche.com) (formerly Desmo Porsche) to have the Immobilizer deleted and flashed to DP Race spec. I'm really only interested in the Immo delete, but I figure a few extra ponies and a better fuel curve can't hurt.

The process is as follows: Pull ECU, ship to HS, get billed, ECU ships back, reinstall. I will document that portion of the process as I get there.

That's where I'm at right now. I get frustrated when I find incomplete posts on the web so I'm going to make an effort to make this as picture and video intense as possible every step of the way. I need you guys to keep pestering me so I keep at it!

- Ted

UPDATE 12/27/10

So after my buddy finally passed his motorcycle license exam I can finally up the bike up until the weather warms up. That means time to pull out the ECU.

It's a mind-numbingly easy process. Takes 15 minutes even when taking pictures and with numb fingers.

First, prop up your gas tank with the well designed, rock solid tank prop rod found under your seat... Just kidding, grab a hunk of wood.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/Tankup.jpg)

After that is up you have great access to the task at hand.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/LayoftheLand.jpg)

Before you start removing parts all willy nilly let's prevent your ECU from being fried and remove the negative battery cable. Make sure you remove the wire with the terminal on it AND the main negative cable with the gold connector.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/Battree.jpg)

Now that that's done with you can start disconnecting the two ECU wiring harnesses.

Press down on the center clip, and rotate the hold down straps toward the center. You will have to give them a little extra push to get them completely released.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/ClipsAttached.jpg)

This is what the loose clips look like, they must be pushed past this position to be completely removed.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/ClipsDetached.jpg)

Once they're both released, you can pull the ECU harnesses off easily.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/ClipRemoved.jpg)

Now that they're disconnected, you just have to remove the bolts holding down the ECU (5mm hex).

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/Bolts.jpg)

Nothing special about these bolts except that the one one left holds down the ECU grounding wire. That will be important during replacement.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/GroundWire.jpg)

Once those two bolts are connected the ECU will come off in your hand.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/ECURemoved.jpg)

The ECU got shipped out on Christmas Eve, so it will be a little while before I get it back, but when I do I'll update again with instructions on how to replace it and take care of the TPS reset.

Update 12/30/10

Additional Parts Ordered

To install the gauges two additional electrical connections are required, the receptacle for the stock gauge cluster so you don't have to hack into the harness (killing your resale) and a turn signal relay since the stock one is actually built into the gauges. Here is the information to order both these parts:

Dash Harness Receptacle: Tyco Part No. 6437288-6 http://www.tycoelectronics.com/catalog/bin/TE.Connect?C=1&M=BYPN&TCPN=6437288-6&RQPN=6437288-6 (http://www.tycoelectronics.com/catalog/bin/TE.Connect?C=1&M=BYPN&TCPN=6437288-6&RQPN=6437288-6)

Turn Signal Flasher Relay: Superbright LEDs Part No. G215EB http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?action=DispPage&Page2Disp=/specs/G215-EB.htm (http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?action=DispPage&Page2Disp=/specs/G215-EB.htm)

Both parts are on order and in transit.

<bookmarked>   [coffee]

How much is the ECU flash?

Flash is $250. You can buy a second ECU outright with DP spec for $450.

This is great. I was hoping for a step by step for these gauges.

I'm gonna order them for myself as a Christmas gift......to myself  [thumbsup]

Thanks. 

I'm running a DP ECU that was part of the Termi slip-on kit I used to have on the bike.  If I ever get a re-flash (to drop the immobilizer), I'll send off the stock ECU and continue to run my bike on the DP ECU.

I'll see how complicated the wiring gets.  Although, I bet the complexity of wiring in a new speedo varies a bit from bike to bike.

Added pic of Vapor vs. stock gauges.

Out of curiosity, do the gauges run on some sort of battery back up? I assume that it isn't hooked up in any of your pics and yet the faces are still reading.

Yeah, it can run on a button battery too for applications without 12V power (dirtbikes, etc).

Ahhh.

Might I make a suggestion? I don't think I've ever seen button batteries do it, so you might be ok, but I've seen other batteries corrode over time. Just to be safe, it might be a good idea to take that battery out once you have it installed to prevent corrosion and possible failure of the dash.
(Oh, and this is just in case you haven't thought of it already)

Looking forward to the rest of the install. And if possible, could you take pictures of where all the wires are to be attached?

The wiring is my biggest concern, as it is with most people so that's what I plan on focusing on the most in this write-up. The battery is extremely well sealed but I've considered pulling it as well based on how the unit responds to not having it.

Any further on the install?

Not yet, the weather turned for the warmer in the last few weeks so the riding season has been extended a bit. It got cold in the last few days, most likely for good. The plan is to pull the ECU this weekend and get it shipped out. Trailtech got me the correct engine temp wire so I should be pretty well set to start once the ECU is finished.

I like the dual headlight set up, have you thought about fabricating a fly screen out of aluminum or even carbon fibre. even try the Buell XB fly screen.

Yep, I'm going to fab a piece out of sheet aluminum that just covers the wiring and breaks the wind coming over the gauge, nothing big. That will be a part of this write up as well.

I like this.

What does the unit go for?

~$180 for the gauge and the indicator light housing.

Added Update: ECU Removal

Added Update: Additional Electrical Parts to Order

Shipped ECU Fedex ground on 12/24, got ECU back flashed on 12/30. Now to find a VDSTS cable and get this sucker installed...

why do you need a VDSTS?

When they send you your ECU back it has a default TPS (throttle position sensor) value. In order to get it running right you need to reset your TPS value to whatever the sensor is reading on YOUR bike. Think of it as zeroing a scale. I found someone locally to borrow one from, waiting to hear back on when I can pick it up.

I swear this gauge thing has become a bigger project than I ever expected.  Good thing the forum and you exist to answer all my novice questions. 

I've been researching it for a few months, there's a fair amount involved. That's why we do these projects over the winter though :D

Update 1-3-2011

ECU Reinstall

Had time this weekend to reinstall the ECU and mock-up the custom fairing to use with the TrailTech and dual headlights. First, the ECU reintall.

First, here's the ECU upon its return. You'll notice the RACE sticker, which according to urban legend immediately means the bike makes 15 more hp and the only exhaust from now on will be rainbow farts. I'm a realist however, I don't expect much change.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/FlashedECU.jpg)

First is to reinstall the two bolts that hold down the ECU, taking special care to reinstall the ground strap on the left hand bolt.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/InstallGroundScrew.jpg)

Once they are both attached, time to reattach the ECU wire bundles. First seat them into place.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/InstallECUBundle.jpg)

Then rotate the hold down arms into place.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/InstallClipMoving.jpg)

Until they lock into place.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/InstallECUClipped.jpg)

Do the same on the other connector.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/InstallECU2Clipped.jpg)

Lastly reinstall the negative power lead.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/InstallPower.jpg)

Go ahead and lower the tank and reinstall the seat, the physical reinstall is finished. Now it is time to take care of the programming issues you will have with a freshly flashed ECU. First is setting the position of the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS). After that, fuel trim should be adjusted.

TPS Reset

To do both of these procedures you have three options:
1. Buy a VDSTS cable from www.technoresearch.com (http://) (http://) for your specific ECU
2. Take the bike to the dealer and pay them to do it (the bike is safe to ride, these procedures are for tuning purposes)
3. Be a cheap bastard and borrow one from a generous friend.

I obviously went with option 3. bergdoerfer was kind enough to let me borrow his cable (thanks!).

The TPS reset procedure is incredibly simple. First we have to get the bike hooked up. Find the ECU data harness that comes off the left side ECU connector. Looks a little something like this.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/TPSECUCableClosed.jpg)

Remove the plastic cap so you can get to the connector

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/TPSECUCableOpen.jpg)

Hook up the power leads on the cable using the alligator clips

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/TPSCablePower.jpg)

And then attach the data cable

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/TPSCableAttached.jpg)

Turn on your ignition and you're set to start adjusting.

Launch the software and click the gauges icon to connect to the ECU. You should see the TPS position change from 0 to whatever your TPS is currently reading, in my case 4.2

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/TPSGauges.jpg)

Now click the Active settings icon, the blue screwdriver.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/TPSActiveSettings.jpg)

Click the TPS tab

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/TPSTab.jpg)

Click the blue screwdriver, you will get a warning saying "Hey dummy you're about to screw with something that will affect engine operation, sure you want to do this?", We do, so click OK to proceed. You will get a brief countdown and then this dialog box.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/TPSIgnitionONOFF.jpg)

Turn the ignition off for at LEAST 13 seconds (I counted slow to 30 just for safety's sake) and turn it back on. Upon it powering back up, you should get this:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/TPSPass.jpg)

Voila, your TPS is reset, now on to fuel trim. For this one you're going to have to get the bike to operating temp. So you know what that means. Start it up, then

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/FuelTrimBeer.jpg)

Once it gets around 170 You can begin. Click the Fuel Trim tab.

Fuel Trim

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/FuelTrimTab.jpg)

The left hand side is your fuel trimmer. Click the Trimmer button, you will get a message at the bottom saying that the engine must be at operating temp, it is not an error, just a warning. Then use the arrows to raise and lower fuel trim.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/FuelTrimTrimmer.jpg)

The precise method is to use a gas analyzer positioned on the tailpipe to get a CO reading of 4-6%. The po boy method is to use your ears and listen to the motor. Starting from 0, raise the value three steps at a time. You should hear the idle speed increase SLIGHTLY. This is half science and half voodoo, not gonna lie. Keep increasing the value in two or three step increments until the idle starts slowing down instead of speeding up. Once that happens back off two steps and click Save. This method will result in a slightly rich condition, which frankly I prefer over lean.

You're set, you have a mostly tuned ECU and can go for a test ride.

ECU Flash Impressions

I'm a realist. I know that a little electrical voodoo isn't going to turn a tame 695 into a fire-breathing beast with a few mouseclicks. With that said, I'm truly impressed with the improvement. Not the incredible amount of power it adds (my ass dyno isn't finely tuned enough to tell you if I gained a few hp or not) but instead how much it improved the low end power delivery. "Throttle response" is a term I usually associate with jagoffs self-justifying spending stupid money on a worthless mod. But in this case, I'm that jagoff. Starting from a stop and low speed cornering are butter smooth compared to the jerkiness of the stock programming. Delivery is more linear, and once the roads aren't 15* it just might end up I have a few more horses. Overall VERY impressed with Houston Superbikes' work and would recommend spending the $250 to anyone. There are always the YMMV warnings, but my transaction was incredibly smooth and I'm very happy with the final result.

And most importantly after the flash, the bike started up without the gauges attached... Which leads to the next part of the write-up, removing the stock gauges and preparing to install the TrailTech Vapor...

Removing the Stock Gauges

Give yourself three minutes and this step will be complete.

First locate the wiring bundle going into the back of the stock gauges.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/RemoveWires.jpg)

There is a locking clip on the bottom of the harness, squeeze it and the wiring will pop out

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/RemoveDetached.jpg)

The only thing holding the gauges on now are the two aluminum nuts on the top triple. Grab a 5mm hex socket or allen key and pull those off.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/RemoveNuts.jpg)

Your gauges will now come off in your hand

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/RemoveGaugesOff.jpg)

Leaving an even more naked front end

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/RemoveNekkid.jpg)

With the stock gauges removed, time to figure out how we're going to mount the TrailTech. The easiest method I saw immediately was to use the stock gauge connection points to make a bracket.

I took a piece of Sho-card (manila folders or cardboard work just fine, but being in the sign industry, this stuff rocks for templating) and lined up the marks for the holes.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/BracketHoles.jpg)

I cut off small pieces at a time until I had a rough shape I could use as a starting point. I took care to make sure the bracket would be far apart from any electrical connections and hydraulic hoses

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/BracketRough.jpg)

Now it was time to adjust the angle of the mounting bracket that came with the TrailTech for the correct viewing angle while riding the bike. I used a very high tech bending procedure I refer to as "the ThighMaster" and bent them by hand to the correct angle. Perfectionists, feel free to find a more precise method.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/BracketBend.jpg)

Line up the TT bracket with your template and mark for holes

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/BracketLineup.jpg)

Now punch those holes and run bolts through them, mounting the bracket to your template

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/BracketScrew.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/BracketScrews.jpg)

Now install that assembly on the bike to test fit and viewing position.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/BracketMounted1.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/BracketMounted2.jpg)

After I knew the angle and position were perfect, I scanned in my template and adjusted it to make it completely symmetrical. Here is my template for you to use.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/BracketTemplate.jpg)

Print and check for size before fabricating (printers love to autoscale if you aren't careful). I happen to have access to a CNC router through my profession so I'm going to fabricate the part with that, but this could very easily be hand cut with a Dremel tool out of .063 aluminum (scrap is available at your local Signs By Tomorrow store - shameless plug - www.signsbytomorrow.com (http://) (http://) (http://))

Now if it weren't for all the wiring in that area in addition to what we're about to install from TrailTech I'd leave it like that. But the bundles of wire are going to be pretty ugly and I'd rather hide them. I'm not going to be incredibly detailed as to how I made this particular template since it is SO specific to my application, but I figured y'all would enjoy photos of what I'm building.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/WindFront.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/Wind34ths.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/WindRiding.jpg)

Here's the template for anyone that cares to use it. Blue lines are for folds.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/WindscreenTemplate.jpg)

That's where I'm at for now, updates as they are available.

Fantastic write up!  I'm glad you posted up the instructions on doing the ecu work as well (tps, trim) as I really had no idea what any of that shit meant in the first place :)  I've heard the terms thrown around but my fueling/ecu is all stock so I've never had to research it and I know just enough about motors to know why a Hemi is called a Hemi but only enough to be dangerous when I get a wrench in my hand.  Did you end up using that tyco electronics plug you ordered?  How difficult was the wiring (i.e.-figuring out which damn pin did what)?

Thanks, the goal here is to resolve absolutely any and all questions involved with this process. Granted I can't cover every model, but for the most part things should be consistent.

The Tyco plug is in the mail, wiring will be a major part of this write-up as it is the most misunderstood and black magic part of the install. I haven't wired mine yet, I'm adding to the write-up as I progress through the various steps. I'm waiting on the flasher relay and Tyco harness to arrive before I can move to the next part.

Nicely done Artful.  Now I have to do mine.  The weather has been too nice to take it apart.  Looks like I will get to the Acewell this weekend. 

I still have bergdoerfer's cable if you want to bring your bike up to do the TPS reset and fuel trimming this week before the install.

Looks great. I like how you designed the bracket & flyscreen. It's a tight little package. As I was reading I was wondering how you were going to keep the bug splatters off the back of the head unit but then I read further. Although, I noticed your headlight contours were not perfectly symmetrical in the template. As an architect my eye immediately catches stuff like that. It would be a super simple thing to throw it into AutoCAD, draw half of it with perfect arcs, then mirror it & save a DXF for conversion into gcode for the CNC machine. However it's not that noticeable. Only other thing I would like to see would be instead of the hard bends, more rounded bends at the sides. I suppose you could carefully achieve that by peening the sides over a piece of steel pipe or something but hey, not my business. I don't suppose the wiring schematics for the bike will have the pinouts labeled for that plug, anyone? Nice work.  [moto]

I'm a designer by trade so yeah, the slight variations are noticeable to me as well. ;D I actually did exactly what you mentioned with tracing the "good" side then flipping a copy but then went in and made some slight tweaks based on the paper template that worked. Mostly just smoothing curves, etc. I'm more concerned about the final product than slight imperfections in symmetry.

There will be slight curvature in the part, but I do like the hard bends for the side transitions. In my eye the Monster isn't a machine that is devoid of hard edges, so some slight curves with a hard edge or two is the right fit for the design.

The owner's manual does have an amazing schematic that details out exactly what I need to know to wire up a harness.

Awesome write-up!  [thumbsup]

Just say the word that you're done, and with your permission I'd like to enshrine this thread in the FAQ section.

Will do. the electrical parts I need should be in this week or next. You definitely have permission, I know how many resources I had to tap to feel confident doing this, I'd like to remove that for anyone looking to do it in the future.

Evidence proves otherwise  [laugh]

(http://www.codeherrings.com/images/moto/ducati/funny/unicorn_monster.jpg)

Yea, I'm bored  :-\

I just need to find a way to attach the horn. I'm sure I can fab something up...

I'm diggin the writeup, I'm returning my Acewell and I'm gonna buy the Vapor Stealth...So keep it coming and I'll follow along!  [popcorn]

Yep, the Vapor Stealth is on my list too.

Right on, I think you'll be thrilled with it. Heads up though, if you like the Acewell more the write-up will be almost identical for your gauge. Might be a few changes but for the most part the only difference will be how you choose to mount it and maybe a wire or two.

I did end up painting the face while I wait for the terminal to show up. Looks 1000% better with a matte black face versus the gloss cheap plastic look.

The gauge comes apart with a small Phillips screwdriver. I scuff sanded it with 600 grit sandpaper then sprayed it with Duplicolor Trim Paint. I've used the stuff on my bumpers on my car and it is incredibly durable. Nice balance between dark black without a surface gloss. The truly matte stuff looks a little gray.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/MatteBlack.jpg)

Much better than the original shiny gloss

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/Gauge.jpg)

Sorry if this is a stupid question but when I first read this thread I thought there were two things going on here, changing the instruments and flashing the ecu, but on re-reading I think the two may be connected. Is it necessary to flash the ecu when you change the instruments and if so why? Great thread btw.

If you have a bike with an immobilizer you have to flash the ECU to remove that feature, otherwise when you remove the stock gauges the bike will no longer start. Bikes without an immobilizer can skip that step.

Once again, sorry if this sounds really stupid, but how do I know if it has an immobiliser or not???? My bike is a 2000 900Sie if anyone can help.

I don't know much about the older Monsters but the simple test is to disconnect the gauges and try to start it :D

You do not have an immobilizer on your Monster! [thumbsup]



And Artful...
Great write up! [beer]

Thanx

Still no Tyco terminal but I did make some progress over the weekend.

Windscreen came back from my guys in Rockville, MD. Bending was surprisingly easy since it was only .063 aluminum, and a poor man's aluminum brake was perfect for the simple bends.

Lots of edge sanding and filing to get the edges smooth and perfect, then a coat of self-etching primer.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/PrimedCowl.jpg)

Then a Dark rattlecan match from my thread here: http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=45508.0 (http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=45508.0)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/DarkCowl.jpg)

Painted the bracket trim black and now waiting impatiently for the harness so I can wire it up!

The immobilizer showed up in 2002 on all FI Monsters (S4 all the way down to the 620)

First test fit of the painted cowl! Needs a slight adjustment on the mounting holes, it's shifted ever so slightly in one direction. Overall though couldn't be much happier. Now if that damn connector would get here I can finish this up...

Here are some pictures to tide you over.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/WindTestFit.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/WindTestFit2.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/WindTestFit3.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/WindTestFit4.jpg)

Looks great!!   [thumbsup]

Maybe a little trim around the bottom of the windscreen to keep both it and the light housings from getting scratched by vibrations?

Haha already trying to track down some rubber stripping :) If you have a source don't be shy about it  [thumbsup] Looking for something rubbery, not the plastic door trim you find at the auto stores.

I've used rubber tubing from the lab, but not for protecting visible surfaces.

If I find anything, I'll post up.

Snag a piece of silicone tubing off ebay intended for vacuum lines.  Slit it in half :)

Bike looks good!

Tapping my nerdy younger days I picked up a piece of neoprene fuel line from nitromethane R/C cars at my local Hobby Works (www.hobbyworks.com (http://)). Should work like a charm and hold up nicely to UV and vibration.

Fuel tubing worked great, didn't snap any shots last night as it was dark in the garage and snow outside this morning. Pics pending.

Good news! Tyco connector showed up (12 days from Germany for reference). Don't have the bike at the office to triple check but it looks like the right one to me.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/HarnessArrived.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/HarnessSize.jpg)

Should be able to get working on the harness this week in the evenings, pictures will show up as progress is made.

The pins are pretty tiny and close together, this will test my soldering abilities.

Here's the harness schematic as it sits right now... 99% sure everything here is correct, if you see any errors let me know.

THIS SCHEMATIC IS WRONG. 99% my ass lol. Page 6 has the correct schematic for fuel injected bikes.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/HarnessDraft1.gif)

thats pretty damn amazing!

I got my Tyco in the mail today too even though I also desoldered one from a crashed instrument cluster (now I have two connectors)....planning a Translogic MD2 dash install myself.    ;D

I gotta say that diagram inspires me to make a similar one for the Motogadget... Or better yet, a generic one.

The downside is I have an older (01 monster) and without first hand experience with the newer wiring, I'm hesitant.

A Motogadget diagram would be awesome  [bow_down]

I'm on lunch break... let me see what I can do...

I can't see it being THAT different from the Trailtech one, should be relatively easy to transfer the design.

(http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj19/DrunkenMonkey_bucket/motogadget1.png)

This is how my bike is wired. In theory it'll work with other bikes of the same year, and should only require a small alteration for older bikes (you'll need to wire in the tach line yourself since it doesn't feed into the connector)

I'll also confess I don't actually have the low-fuel warning connected. For some reason it wasn't working, could be my low fuel sender is busted :/

(http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj19/DrunkenMonkey_bucket/motogadget2.png)

This is if you aren't using the motogadget pressure sensor and just want to use the stock "on/off" style one your bike already has.

And no, you can't wire in your bike's existing temp sensors as they are calibrated completely differently.

Also all dashed lines indicate optional connections. I went ahead and got all the sensors connected because, well... in for a penny in for a pound.


Different connectors on the older bikes. If I could find a guide to the pins on the newer style connectors I could do a similar write up.

Ok, here's the final test fit of the windscreen with neoprene R/C car fuel line as trim.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/WindTrim.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/WindTrim2.jpg)

Now here comes the part that separates the men from the boys, wiring it up. I'll preface this section by saying that if you have NEVER soldering anything, enlist a friend for soldering the main harness connector. The pins are very close together and demand a bit of precision to solder correctly. That said, I did this is less than an hour with a sleepy puppy trying to cuddle with me every chance she got for me to sit still.

For the job you're going to want a low wattage iron (I used my 25watt) and hair thin solder (I used .022).

Start out by soldering the wire to the designated pin from the schematic I posted earlier. An armature such as this one will free up your hands. I'd venture to say this job could not be completed without one.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/WiringArmature.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/WiringSolder.jpg)

Slip a piece of heat shrink tubing over the soldered connection. You can pick up heat shrink from any electronics supply store, the web, or in a pinch Radio Shack. The stuff I had laying around was a bit thick for the job, I could have made life a bit easier on myself by buying shrink for a higher gauge.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/WiringShrinkTube.jpg)

Use your trusty Bic to apply some heat and voila, a well insulated connection.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/WiringShrunk.jpg)

Now... do this a lot more. One VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: Start from the center of the harness connector. Don't start on the edges and work your way in or you'll have no way of getting the iron on the inner pins. You'll eventually end up with this

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/WiringPigtails.jpg)

I marked each wire so I could easily identify it without having to see the harness clearly. Also, the little wire leader will allow you infinitely more room to work than trying to wire up your entire schematic directly to the pins. Multiple splices with the Trailtech connectors and such in the way would make a difficult soldering job even harder.

TIPS: When you shrink the tubing with your lighter, it's possible you will get carbon on the adjacent pins. Wipe it off with a rag or you will get weak connections.

I used 18 awg wire. Any thicker and I don't think I would have been able to fit the wires so close together.

Call me paranoid but after I wired the 12v constant power and ground I went out to the garage and plugged the connector in. I used a bulb tester to make sure my orientation was right before I soldered any more wires. Use the old carpenter's adage, measure twice cut once. To get this thing done and realize it was upside down... I probably would have set the bike on fire and moved to Mexico.

Beautiful! You might be able to avoid the carbon deposits from the lighter by using a heat gun or hairdryer to shrink the tubing...guess it depends on the type of tubing.

I also noticed that your Trailtech gets wired directly to the coil. I wonder what the stock dash uses to read the RPM...

A signal wire that is out of range for the Trailtech.

So far so good for the most part. Need to check factory wiring though, the fuel light comes on but doesn't go back off like the factory gauge is (full tank). Oil pressure and neutral are working like a charm.

Also, there are going to a few revisions to the schematic. Tach needs a reference ground and speedo is acting wonky. Haven't hardwired it yet, waiting to get an email back from TT. Their standard design uses a separate speedo cable with a magnet so it might need a ground reference as well. Any insight is appreciated.

Not sure what type of speed signal the Trailtech requires, but it seems the Motogadget is not compatible with the speed sensor on my S2R (Hall sensor). I will have to use the sensor that they provided with the Motogadget (dry reed contact triggered by magnetic field).

My reference ground for the tach signal is the aluminum battery box I made. The coils are attached to it, if ti matters. The important thing to have a reliable tach signal was to put a resistance (470K or 1M Ohm I can't remember) in line on the wire.

As for the speedo, the stock TrailTech "sensor" is made of metal with metal bolts attaching it to the frame, so maybe that is the ticket...

Cheers and keep up the good stuff, once you're done this will have to go to the how-to section!! [thumbsup]

Was there no room on the plug to use crimped female pins on all the wires?

Not sure I'm following you. If you mean to crimp the wires to the pins using a butt connector or similar, no way, the pins are far too short to get a crimp on them. If that isn't what you meant please clarify?

i think duc head meant something like this:
(http://www.rcbuilder.com/lh_guide/img_female-pin-receptacle-crimp-open_250.jpg)

Yeah. This job's a nightmare (as you are discovering) without something like this to help.

Me? I buy my connectors pre-soldered. I'm lazy that way.

Would you then solder those connectors to the harness to keep from coming apart?

I might try those connectors along with an electrically insulated potting compound to hold them together. It would seal the water out as well.

The pins on the terminal are far too short for that type of connector. They're really designed for surface mounting through a PCB. The soldering wasn't a nightmare, just challenging.

Still stumped on the fuel sensor being grounded with a full tank...

Read the fuel level backwards  ???  [drink]

I'm having the same problem. On my model it's not grounded, but it's showing that it passes current when the tank is full.

I can't figure out if it's a bad sender or I'm reading the diagram wrong or it's just got a high resistance rather than infinite resistance (at least until the tank is low)

 :P

BTW: My diagram has the zener diode backwards. The zener is there to only let current flow once the voltage goes above 9v (in an attempt to get around the problem I described above)

I know my sender's good because I can hook back up to stock gauges and all is well. I'm wondering what in the hell that switch is actually doing, because it isn't working like oil pressure and neutral circuits...

On my bike ('01 900) it's a powered circuit. I.e. voltage goes into the sensor and passes through it when tank is low. i.e. you get +12v off that lead when the tank's low.

This is the opposite of the neutral and oil circuits which ground out when oil's low / neutral is engaged.

I hope that helps.

Interesting, that just might be it. I think I was mistaken in assuming that because the stock gauge lit the fuel light that that meant the actual circuit was powering during the "key on gauge dance". I guess it's possible the factory gauges were powering that circuit instead. If that's the case it is just a matter of running a wire from Pin 20 to the LED to Pin 22 (ground).

Dammit now I have to drain the tank I just filled lol. Screw it, not working on it tonight, I'm crawling into bed with the woman and the dog at a decent hour tonight.

My advice: Measure the ohms on the sensor.

0 ohms means uhm, not sure what it means since yours lights up when you first turn on the bike. Let me check on your other thread on this subject to see what it means :)

Where should I be measuring resistance? On the sensor itself or on the dash leads? What pins should I be looking for?

derby the wiring diagram and let me take a gander as there are a number of possibilities.

Still, regardless measure the resistance on the sensor leads. Regardless of whether it's a simple of complex circuit that controls the lights we may be able to come up with something.

In the meantime, I'd also try measuring the voltage on the two dash leads you mentioned when the bike is first turned on, and keep measuring the voltage for a minute or so. I'd also look into trying it out with an ordinary incandescent bulb connected to the two dash leads.

Slightly off topic right now, but I just found my long-lost notes from when I installed the vapor on my bike (carbed 2001 M750 btw). I figured I should post here before I lose them again ..  :-[

From an email with trail tech: the red RPM signal wire requires a 600K Ohm inline for an accurate reading. This is only necessary if the kit you get doesn't have a resistor already built in. I'm a cheap bastard and I bought mine off eBay so I needed the resistor.

The nearest Radio Shack had only 1M Ohm (#271-1356) and 470K Ohm (#271-1133) resistors. I don't remember which one I put in, but either worked pretty well.

I had also bought a 100K Ohm resistor to put inline with the 470K in case it was too little and the 1M was too much, but in the end I didn't use them since the reading was accurate enough.

And now back to your regularly scheduled programming ;D

Yup, the kit I specified in the first post on here comes with the "resistorified" tach wire. Haven't had time to screw with the fuel light, damn women don't understand that silly things like fixing stuff around the house and paying attention to them shouldn't take precedent over figuring out a wiring diagram for a part you're using to replace a part that worked perfectly well in the first place.

Damn Ted, I'm a bit lost in this.  Think you could post up a few pics to show what you're talking about?






































 ;D

Only pics you'd understand are ones with naked ladies! [cheeky]

Here, I took this one to illustrate it clearly for you :D

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/GaugeFinger.jpg)

Project is on hold for right now until I get my fuel light figured out...

Played hookie from work today (ok, so I was sick) and got back to work on this. Everything except the fuel light works like a charm. I'll update everything once I'm near a real computer, but damn it feels good to see everything (except that godforsaken fuel light) working.

UPDATE: 3/16/11

The gauge is installed and working. Yesterday was a pretty busy day of working on it, so here is the next to final update until someone figures out how to make the fuel light work.

This is the final schematic I used. It has significant changes from the original one so THIS IS THE ONE TO USE ON A FUEL INJECTED BIKE.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/FinalHarness.gif)

I'm not going to post how to route the wires because every bike is different, but I will give a few pointers that should be common sense"

1. Avoid moving parts
2. Keep them away from heat whenever possible. They won't melt, but they will get brittle over time
3. Run them along with factory wiring when possible, and trace the frame to hide the wires. It's better to use a few extra inches of wire rather than jump a gap and expose the wire
4. When in doubt, more zip ties. Small ones

Speed Sensor
The Trailtech doesn't work with the factory speed signal coming into the dash so you have to install their speedo cable and sensor. It's essentially a beefy bicycle computer lead and magnet.

First replace one of your rotor bolts with the TT magnetic bolt. The rotor bolts are T40 (Torx) and they are IN THERE. I used a torch to melt the Loctite and some PB Blaster. Couple taps on the ratchet with a hammer and one broke free.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/FinalRotorRemove.jpg)

Replace that bolt with the included magnetic bolt.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/FinalRotorMagnet.jpg)

Now it's time to install the sensor. It installs easily on the inside of the left fork lower. Make sure you install it at a height so that the magnetic bolt passes UNDER the tip of the sensor. Mounting it too low will result in a double reading. I just used some brake cleaner to clean off any oil and funk on the fork lower then used the double sided tape supplied with the sensor. You might be thinking not to trust tape there, but the tape supplied is 3M VHB. We use it in the sign industry for permanent installs and the auto industry uses it to adhere friggin body panels. It's not going anywhere.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/FinalSpeedSensor.jpg)

Now you just need to run the wire up to the dash area. Luckily Ducati somehow knew that you were going to install an aftermarket dash and they supplied a perfect passthrough for you. Just inside your brake line on the lower triple there is a hole with a perfect diameter to run the wire through.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/FinalSpeedWire.jpg)

I was yanked at first that I was going to have another wire junking up the look of the bike when the whole purpose of this project was to clean it up, but it blends very well and you barely notice it.

Tach Wire

Yet another "learn on the fly" experience on this one. All the reading I did talked about simply attaching the tach wire to the negative terminal of the coil. Surprise! the Fuel Injected bikes don't have one! So I tried splicing into the fuel injector wire figuring there is a pulse to the injectors on every firing of the coil, but didn't get a good tach signal. So instead I patched into the other wire, the ECU signal to the coil. Sho 'nuff it reported a perfect RPM. NOTE: The Trailtech can be set up for different motors that have different pulses per revolution (PPR). Set up your gauge (in the setup section of the owner's manual) with a PPR of 0.5.

Here is the patched wire. Notice the e-taped injector wire (brown) where I tried tapping originally.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/FinalTachSignal.jpg)

Engine Temp

This was the last and most frustrating of "discoveries" yesterday. The plug ring is a simple device. It's a copper ring with attached wiring that slips over the end of the spark plug and acts as the crush washer. Piece of cake right? You must have forgotten you are working on a Ducati! The plug has a machined recess seat that it fits snugly into. With the plug ring in place on the plug you don't have enough room to slide the wiring past the cooling fins and also the ring prevents the plug from seating. So what else would I do when faced with extra metal in the wrong spots? That's right, Dremel to the rescue.

THIS PART IS BEST LEFT TO A PRO IF YOU AREN'T COMFORTABLE WORKING WITH A ROTARY TOOL NEAR SENSITIVE SHIT.

I pulled the plug and stuffed a wadded up paper towel into the plug hole. This is to prevent any metal shavings from getting into the cylinder. I then ground a small piece of the fins off to give the wiring tab clearance. The most nerve racking part is grinding the recessed area flush with the plug seat just enough that the wiring tab will seat as well. Use compressed air to clear any metal shavings before you pull the paper towel out, and make sure the paper towel is in there securely before hitting it with the air. I didn't snap many pictures of the finished product because I was puckered too tight to stop working for fear I might lose my nerve. Here is the finished product:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/FinalPlugRing.jpg)

Turn Signal Tap

The last step was to tap into the center wire of the turn signal switch. By this time it was late and I didn't have my phone on me so I don't have any pictures but it's very straightforward.

On the left controls follow the large wiring bundle (not the fast idle cable housing!) and carefully slit the outer insulation to expose the wires inside. Find the turn signal center post wire. The wiring diagram calls it orange, but it's closer to a salmon color. Snip it and strip it. Connect that to the negative side of your two post turn signal relay, you'll probably have to run a little extra wire to give yourself enough slack to properly route it, I did. Seal up the slit you made in the control bundle with e-tape and you're done.

Plug everything in

Because I was doing a ton of testing and figuring shit out I had obviously plugged in everything what felt like a hundred times to make sure it was all working. Now is the time to cross your fingers and pray all your connections were tight and accurate. No worse feeling than plugging it in and finding a problem.

Plug in the white harnesses from the Trailtech unit and also the main wiring bundle into the existing dash harness. Turn on the key and marvel at how everything works (except for that boil on my ass fuel light).

I'll make one last post on how to setup the Trailtech computer, but that should get you up and running with all the proper connections.

Closing Thoughts

Got a chance to ride the bike today with it all buttoned up, and I'm thrilled. There are still some things to attend to; the speedo is reading about 10% high (but I didn't measure my wheels yet) and the engine temp is in a different range since it is reading head temp, not oil temp so I need to set my temperature warning lights a bit higher.

Here is the before and after

Before:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Brakeline4.jpg)

After:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/theartfuldubber/Trailtech/After.jpg)

Riding the bike the gauges are extremely easy to read at a glance and there is a lot more information available. It is mounted very solidly and I Loctited everything.

The overall process was pretty straightforward even if time consuming. A lot of the frustration came from figuring out how to make something work, and now that I have it figured out it wouldn't be TERRIBLY hard to do another. Here's my completely subjective and skewed difficulty rating system of the entire process, first for myself writing this, then what I would anticipate if you were following along at home.

My clumsy self doing this for the first time:

ECU Flash
3/10
Biggest challenge - finding and using VDSTS cable

Fabricating the windscreen
4/10
Biggest challenge - building the template and devising a way to mount it

Fabricating the mounting bracket
2/10

Wire Diagram
8/10
Biggest challenge - finding the subtle differences between carbed bikes and fuel injected

Building the harness
7/10
Biggest challenge - precision soldering and heat shrinking

Installing the Trailtech wiring
4/10
Biggest challenge - finding a reliable tach source and removing the rotor bolt

And now if I were to do this again or if you were to follow these at home:

ECU Flash
3/10

Fabricating the windscreen
6/10

Fabricating the mounting bracket
3/10

Wire Diagram
1/10 - it's already done for you you lucky bastards :D

Building the harness
7/10 - 9/10 if you don't have much soldering experience

Installing the Trailtech wiring
3/10

Would I do it over again?

For the most part, in a heartbeat. The lack of working fuel light is my only lingering issue with the install and it honestly bothers me. On my old Sportster at least I had a manual petcock for emergency fuel. On the Monster I'm stranded if gas slips my mind on a ride.

The install was harder than I thought it would be because most of the wiring info and knowledge that's available is based around the older carbed bikes because people have been working on them longer. I feel confident that if you feel comfortable following a schematic and have basic soldering and fabrication experience this could be a weekend project once you get all the pieces in place.

 [thumbsup]

Mind if we enshrine this in the FAQ at some point?

Certainly. If you move it will I lose the ability to edit it?

Nope, you'll still be able to edit it.

Although if I edited it down to just the essentials and made a new post, No. But that's work. And I hate work  ;D

In that case move when ready.

Question: do you know what size temp gauge they sent? (25mm? 19mm?) and if it will fit the water cooled bike (such as my S4)? I'm about to order one and i was wondering if you happened to know. Thanks, and awesome writeup!

According to the website it's a 25mm insert, no idea if that will fit your bike or not though.

Thank you to artful for the thread and he pointers he gave me. This is my outcome.(http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss5/jesustrey/DSC_0808.jpg)(http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss5/jesustrey/DSC_0805.jpg)(http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss5/jesustrey/DSC_0809.jpg)