So this is my beater bike – a 2003 DRZ400E. I think I mentioned it an earlier post. My adventure bike build is on hold while I get the tools and parts for it, so this will be my current project bike. It’s also my daily rider, so I’m not getting too crazy with stuff that will take it out of action for more than a day or so. Even though it runs, it does need a lot of work. It’s an E model, so it had to be converted to street legal status in order to get a street title and license plates. Unfortunately, whoever did the conversion kind of half-assed it, at least in my opinion.
Here is a full pic of the handlebars. How many things do you see that need to be fixed? There is a lot… from left to right, I’ve got a headlight/turn signal control, left side mirror, kill switch, bracket (or whatever) that serves no apparent purpose, cell phone mount, key switch, key switch, USB/power port (just to the right of the handlebar clamp – sorry for the blurry photo), right side mirror, another unused bracket, and starter button. Tucked under the headlight shroud (not visible in the photo) is a turn signal/headlight indicator. The handguards attach at the clutch and front brake pivots. Way too much junk, and it’s a mess. Looks even worse in real life than it does in the photo.
I’ll start with the worst thing – the mirrors. They’re mounted too far in, so they’re completely useless. The only thing I can see with them when I’m riding is my shoulders or my face. From the way I understand folding mirrors to work, I also think they’re mounted wrong. I could just switch sides and mount them further out, but I decided to splurge and get a pair of Double Take Adventure mirrors. With those, I’ll be able to check my backside, and lane changes will once again be safe.
The second thing I’m changing is the headlight/turn signal control. The one on the bike right now is cheap and doesn’t reliably turn off the blinkers once they’re on. Plus it’s a major distraction trying to see the indicator hidden under the headlight shroud. So I’m replacing it with a control unit from Sicass Racing. The Sicass controller has actual push buttons, and the indicator lights for high beam and turn signals are on the control unit where they’re easy to see.
Next, I’m replacing the separate kill switch and starter buttons with a single controller. The one I bought is for a KTM, but it should work fine on my DRZ and free up some space on the handlebar. And finally I’m getting rid of the USB thingy, the cell phone mount, and the two unused brackets. This will drop the number of things mounted on the handlebar from 9 to 4. The free space is what will let me move the mirrors to where they’re actually useful, and also make room to mount a pair of Cycra Pro Curve hand guards.
Some of the parts might not make sense for a beater bike (the pricey mirrors and hand guards), but I have Cycra hand guards on my SWM and I really like them. Also, I’m planning on running Double Take mirrors on my adventure bike, so I wanted to try a pair before committing to them on that build. There’s a lot more to do on this bike, but this should keep me busy (and broke) for now.