My New Ingenious Sat Nav Mount

[SANGER_A2]

Previously I had my sat nav mounted on my bars. I've gone back to using the stock '08 bar clamps and also wanted to be able to mount my GPS in a position nearer the clocks where it would be more protected from the elements and also easier to see. I've managed to do this now.

I bought a 50cm long copper bar with a diameter of 22mm on ebay, chopped it down and flattened and bent the ends. I mounted this above the clocks using the top two inner fairing mount holes. The GPS mount I built originally fits onto this perfectly - although I modified it slightly by adding some rubber to stop it damaging the paint on the bar.

I just used a hammer to bash the ends of the pipe to get them flat and also to bend. I then drilled a hole in each flat part for a bolt to go through. I painted all the bits using Plastikote BBQ paint because it can be cured in the oven to go rock solid. I think it looks a lot better than the copper and mix of other colours I would otherwise be getting.

I have a fan-assisted oven and I waited till my girlfriend was out and use it to cure the paint so it will be rock solid. I heated the bits up to 150c for 10 mins, then let them cool for 10 mins, then heated them up to 200c for 15 mins and let them cool before installing. This worked great for me but it may vary depending upon the material you painted and your oven.

Here you can see a comparison between the painted object and the original copper pipe:-


Here is one of the bends at the end of the pipe:-


As you can see, it's been marked by the hammer, but most of this is covered by the washer:-


Here is the mount. I cut up a rubber air-pipe length-ways and glued it on for added grip and protection:-


Here is just the pipe installed. I think it looks great! I'm really glad I bothered to paint it and the washers etc:-


Here is the mount installed onto the pipe. I have since painted the big silver bolt black by the way:-


I have my sat nav in a waterproof bag designed for a walkie talkie. I just cut the end off the part that would cover the antennae for the wires to go through. As you can see, it all fits fine:-


There isn't as much glare on the screen as it seems in the last picture. I have headphones plugged into it anyway to direct me:-


And here you can see it all mounted up from the side:-

[Wavex]

Great idea!

[stryken]

Looks good man... saw it on your photo bucket just before you posted it here.

Nice thing with the bar you added is you might be able to use it for other things as well.

I just got a GPS myself, I did something a little different, not as sheltered as yours but its working well. --Link below--

http://www.fz6-forum.com/forum/fz6-m...my-mirror.html (GPS - Ram Mount - On My Mirror)

[CHEMIKER]

Excellent! This is exactly what I have been looking for; I was going to have my mechanical engineer friends design a bracket that would use these very bolts. Thanks for posting this!

[CCHOUSEKY]

Amazing work, Sanger! What a great idea, and the craftsmanship is first-rate.

I guess I'm just gonna have to either get more ingenious when it comes to modding my '06 (since we don't have those bolts in that area) or upgrade to a '07+!!!

I currently use a RAM mount for my GPS, but I too have been wanting to put it nearer to the gauges and have been thinking about a way to do this. Now that I've seen your idea, I might try something like this...thanks!

[Fred]

Very good work. Those bolts goe right to the fairing stay, so it's a very solid mounting point.

Does the bar want to rotate at all due to the weight of the GPS?

Fred

[SANGER_A2]

Originally Posted by Fred

Very good work. Those bolts goe right to the fairing stay, so it's a very solid mounting point.

Does the bar want to rotate at all due to the weight of the GPS?

Fred

It is rock solid. The bar can't move at all once the bolts are put through loose due to the fact that the bends in the bar are at the same angle as the fairing plastic. I can actually make the whole bike move by pulling on the bar due to the fact that it's bolted into the frame. Putting the sat nav on makes no difference at all and the extra rubber I added means that it can't rotate at all.

[SANGER_A2]

Originally Posted by stryken

Looks good man... saw it on your photo bucket just before you posted it here.

Nice thing with the bar you added is you might be able to use it for other things as well.

I just got a GPS myself, I did something a little different, not as sheltered as yours but its working well. --Link below--

http://www.fz6-forum.com/forum/fz6-m...my-mirror.html (GPS - Ram Mount - On My Mirror)

Yeah, I fabbed up a mount for my last bike that put the sat nav just above the clocks and it's the perfect place for it in terms of shelter and visibility. It wasn't as solid or good looking as this one though!

[Erci]

Thanks, SANGER_A2!!
I don't know if I am going to bother painting mine.. I don't plan to keep it on full time. My fabrication was quite easy. I used a vise to flatten out the pipe, so there was no hammering involved whatsoever

[SANGER_A2]

Originally Posted by Erci

Thanks, SANGER_A2!!
I don't know if I am going to bother painting mine.. I don't plan to keep it on full time. My fabrication was quite easy. I used a vise to flatten out the pipe, so there was no hammering involved whatsoever

Well they say "Imitation is the best form of flattery"! Looks really nice mate. The vice made the bends look smoother than mine. I still think it needs painting though. It then looks like a proper part of the bike (and not silly). Should last longer too.