So What's Happening To My Valkyrie Now?...

[Bill Havins]

Hello to All,

Some of you are familiar with our "saga" from two years ago - I broke Judy's ankle when I dropped the bike on our way to the Grand Canyon.  Then she fell three days later and broke her hip on the same side.  A year later she had her knee replaced on that leg.  So, we haven't been riding at all.  Zero.  Then in June of this year my retina in my good eye detached.  Grrrrr....  After a rather scary few days I had surgery and can see well enough again.  I'm hoping the two of us are done with physicians for a while.

You may remember this thread:  http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,92859.160.html  It is the story of building the fairing for my Valkyrie.  Well...  There was a goal "hidden" in much of that work.

I bought the Valkyrie (sold my old Moto Guzzi) because I wanted more-modern electronics on my scooter.  Why?  For years I have been planning to build a cognitively-optimized instrument cluster that runs on a tablet or smart phone.  I built the fairing with a goal of being able to incorporate the tablet/smart phone into its structure.  I wanted cognitively-optimized instruments, and the ability to view Google maps, with a "flick of a finger," all on the same display.

During our months of convalescence and rehabilitation the design for all of this has been "cooking."  Last month my patent attorney filed a patent application for my "method" for the instrument cluster and the prototype is being built (here in my home office and garage - where else did you expect me to do it?).  I hope to post a thread about testing the prototype on my scooter in early Spring 2020.

With any luck, my Valkyrie will become the centerpiece of a marketing campaign for the instrument display.  No, it isn't just for Valkyries, or motorcycles, or even cars for that matter.  The method can be applied in any vehicle that has an operator who needs to refer to instruments.  And, it can display an infinite number of "datums," prioritized on the operator's need to be aware of those datums.  It's not just a speedometer, tach, and fuel gauge.

I'll reveal the first video of the prototype here on this forum.  And I'll share what I have learned about interfacing electronics to the Valkyrie's instruments sensors (really pretty straightforward).  This was happening even as I built my fairing.  I can't wait to have it on my scooter and take it to an industry show.

Cheers!

Bill

[Avanti]

I am so glad you have persevered and are still looking forward to the future. Never give up on a dream!

[Safety Steve]

Can't wait to see it Bill..

[Jambriwal]

Bill i hope you and your wife full recovery. We all have some medical issues from time ti time but you two have certainly been tested.

Your new project sounds very iinteresting. In my own experience growing up analog and learning digital has had pluses and minuses. I was cautiously concerned when buying the Valk with a digital dash. Having seen them in the 80's and 90's was hopeing for improvement. Actually i like the dash on our bikes very much, especially the speedometer. One draw make that two is its difficult to change the brightness. On my suv i constantly adjust from daytime to nightime brightness. Something automotive engineers do not seem to recognise. Brightly lit dashboards in the showroom look great. At nightime its like someone holding a flaslight to your face while you try to look into the darkness.
The other complaint which i will address shortly is putting some anti glare film on the face of dash display. Wrong time of day with the sun over your shoulder can be blinding. Well enough about me.
Looking forward to your project wether a phone or integrated tablet to connect could be very usefull indeed. Hope the thought of riding in the spring inspires you to continue your work.

[Bill Havins]

 [snip]

The other complaint which i will address shortly is putting some anti glare film on the face of dash display. Wrong time of day with the sun over your shoulder can be blinding.

[snip]

Isn't it a puzzle that the trim around the LCD display is as reflective as it is?  The reflection that comes off of that is sooooo bright that I sometimes have to hold my left hand over it.  I guess the designers thought the bike was "all about bling."

I've been doing hours of oscilloscope work on my scooter, looking to see just what kinds of signals make it into the OEM gauge cluster.  Interesting stuff.  Er, well, to me it is.  Just a geek, through and through.

Bill

[pago cruiser]

Hey Bill!

A detached retina?  Yikes!

Glad to see you still on the site - and that the Valk did not become another Craigslist posting!!

Your project sounds really interesting; looking forward to seeing your progress.

Kindly say Hi to Judy from me. 

[Bill Havins]

Hi, Mitch.

Judy said, "Thanks!" for the kind hello.

So, how are your radiator mods holding up?

Bill

[bscrive]

 [snip]

The other complaint which i will address shortly is putting some anti glare film on the face of dash display. Wrong time of day with the sun over your shoulder can be blinding.

[snip]

Isn't it a puzzle that the trim around the LCD display is as reflective as it is?  The reflection that comes off of that is sooooo bright that I sometimes have to hold my left hand over it.  I guess the designers thought the bike was "all about bling."

I've been doing hours of oscilloscope work on my scooter, looking to see just what kinds of signals make it into the OEM gauge cluster.  Interesting stuff.  Er, well, to me it is.  Just a geek, through and through.

Bill

That is why I bought the black ones that they put in the blue Valks.  I knew that the chrome trim would be blinding.

[pago cruiser]

Bill,
Radiator/Fairing/bags mods all great.
32000 on the bike now; use it mostly for long trips, and use the 2000 for my 100 mile a day total commute. One of these days I'll grow up and retire - like you!
I.can't.Wait.

Discovered the other day that a flat in the rear tire, while parked overnight, results in the bike taking a nap on the starboard side...
But between the stock crash bars, and the 2000 Valk saddlebags + crashbars, no damage to paint.
Even managed to pick it up without calling Triple A, or spraining any not exercised enough body parts......

Regards

[Bill Havins]

Mitch,

If you haven't done it already, put a centerstand on that puppy.  It keeps me out of all sorts of trouble!  Super easy to lift.

I got mine from my local Honda dealer.  It was in their "junk" parts" pile.  A little paint, ordered the "rubber bumper and a couple of spacers (OEM Honda parts) the "relieved" muffler part, and good-to-go.

I can't say enough good things about it.

But, you can't get the rear wheel off when the bike is on the center stand - that's what dealers are for (and tire-changing fees).  Just too old to monkey with that stuff.

Bill

[Crabballs]

Mitch,

If you haven't done it already, put a centerstand on that puppy.  It keeps me out of all sorts of trouble!  Super easy to lift.

I got mine from my local Honda dealer.  It was in their "junk" parts" pile.  A little paint, ordered the "rubber bumper and a couple of spacers (OEM Honda parts) the "relieved" muffler part, and good-to-go.

I can't say enough good things about it.

But, you can't get the rear wheel off when the bike is on the center stand - that's what dealers are for (and tire-changing fees).  Just too old to monkey with that stuff.

Bill

Agree!  The center stand is a must have.  I use mine all the time.  It's now second nature and don't even think about it.  As for the tire issue, yep, been there and I just took the trusty old shovel and dug a hole in the dirt to get the wheel off.  I refuse to fight with that crap.