Gear Advice

Airportbum

Premier Member
#1
I am looking to add to my already overpacked bike. I have a 2018 Honda Gold Wing DCT. The draw back is you can't push start it.

1. What battery pack jumper would be a good fit for a Gold Wing?
2. What mattress is most preferred for the Iron Butt Motel? Not that I don't like the cold concrete picnic tables in California and Colorado, and the park bench somewhere in the South (still don't know where I was) but thought i would try something new...
3. What aux lights should I be looking at for the Gold Wing? Clearwater, LED Rider??? I have a generic set now, but they can't be dimmed.

Thanks Mike
 

CB650F

Premier Member
#7
3. What aux lights should I be looking at for the Gold Wing? Clearwater, LED Rider??? I have a generic set now, but they can't be dimmed.

Thanks Mike
I use a pair of Denali D4s with a Datadim controller so that they go from high to low with my factory headlight. They aren't Gold Wing specific, but I bet you can find a good way to mount them. I mounted mine on the front fork tubes. They do a wonderful job of lighting up the road ahead of me, and to the sides so that I can more easily see deer and other wildlife on night rides.

I am of no help at all when it comes to questions 1 and 2 though.
 

Airportbum

Premier Member
#9
does the skene have to slice in with the wiring or can I use it through a fuse block. Will it affect the can bus if i splice the wires?
 

BigLew55

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#10
Not sure what your plan is but I ran mine off of a separate switched circuit. The high beam is a no-cut tap.
Someone else will have to comment on canbus
 

EricV

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#11
On jumper packs, I've had AntiGravity XP-3 which will jump start a V8 multiple times on one charge that was nicely compact and worked well, as well as a Juno Jumper that is more compact and easily jumped my FZ6 inline 4 bike dozen times or more on a single charge. The Juno should also start the Wing easily. It's rated for 300 amps of starting power and up to V6 autos. The AnitGravity Sport version would also do fine for the Wing.

You can get a clampless starting harness for the AntiGravity or the Juno that allows you to skip clamps and just have a pigtail sticking out where it's easily accessed when/if you need to jump the bike. I have one and it's so much nicer on bikes with difficult battery access. These can be found online ebay and amazon too, sometimes for better prices or free shipping. Make sure the harness you buy has the correct plug design for the jumper pack you buy. My Juno takes the older XP-3 style of cable, for example.

Camp pads are a religion. Some like the folding foam over the rolled foam. More compact to tie down to the bike. Others are fans of the self inflating types like Big Agnes that can run hundreds of dollars. Here is a cost effective Coleman self inflating pad with a built in pillow for $36.53. NO direct experience with it, but having done my share of IB Motel stops, a pillow would have been a nice addition, helmet on or off. And at that price point, and compact storage size, I'd be trying that one if I needed/wanted to go with a self inflating style.

Lights are another religion. :D Older Wings could throw massive light with upgraded headlights alone. LED or HID? Look at the dimmer units first before you toss metric buttloads of cash at new lights. Sometimes HID still kicks butt over modern LED aux lights and the Wing likely still has the alternator capacity to run about anything you want to. I have limited knowledge of Canbus, other than you usually want to avoid it at all costs. There are specific bits if you want to tap a CANBUS system for a trigger wire to a relay to avoid issues. Beyond that, wire direct to the battery and avoid cross contamination with the CANBUS system and you'll be a lot happier in the long run. Another CANBUS specific fuse block HERE.
 

Gerry Arel

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#12
You can get a clampless starting harness for the AntiGravity or the Juno that allows you to skip clamps and just have a pigtail sticking out where it's easily accessed when/if you need to jump the bike. I have one and it's so much nicer on bikes with difficult battery access.
I cannot believe I never knew this was a thing! Just considered this when I returned from my 48 ride, and though you 'can' get to the battery pretty easily enough I was more concerned with getting the clamps onto the posts as there not much room to reach the positive terminal and I was just thinking that this might be an issue I don;t want to deal with.

I have a WeeGo branded jump pack that I have used many times in our cars and others bikes, etc. and they have a tether (though it looks identical to what you linked for the AG ones) so I just ordered one. Now I can just snake out the cord and plug it in if need be without digging out that plastic panel.

One more thing I added to my list, and crossed off on the same day. Thanks!!