My first Prolink! How to mount a GPS?

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NobleHops
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My first Prolink! How to mount a GPS?

Post by NobleHops »

Heya lads,

Just did finish restoring my first Prolink CBX, have about 100 magical miles on it so far, and it is excellent. So different from my '80, and so much easier to run at supra-legal speeds too! :o :o
20180823_162030.jpg
For those of you that use Facebook, or even if you do not, the entire project was chronicalled here:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 8f683ecbcc

This bike and I are going to hit the road for a couple thousand mile tour in about 6 weeks, and so in advance of that I have a little bit of farkling I still need to do, including finding some elegant way to mount a RAM ball for things like GPS and so on. Would be appreciative of any first hand experience getting one installed on these CBX bars, including a photo if that's doable. Hoping to locate it near the left switchpod so I can use my left hand on it.

TIA for your experience.

N.
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Nils Menten
Tucson, Arizona, USA '80 CBX, sort-of restored :-)

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NobleHops
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Re: My first Prolink! How to mount a GPS?

Post by NobleHops »

OK, answering my own question as I will sometimes do, I went back and stared at it for a moment and the unused 10mm x 1.25 mirror mount revealed itself to me. Duh :oops:

(This is NOT the bike we just completed, this is its twin though!)
20180831_105523.jpg
Ram makes a simple ball with a stud of that very size and pitch, I'll screw that in and Bob will be my mother's sister's live-in lover!

N.
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Nils Menten
Tucson, Arizona, USA '80 CBX, sort-of restored :-)

daves79x
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Re: My first Prolink! How to mount a GPS?

Post by daves79x »

I think you will really like the Pro-Link after your big trip. With the small and large improvements you made, it will be an extremely competent tourer.

Dave

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Re: My first Prolink! How to mount a GPS?

Post by Larry Zimmer »

Got about 50k on mine. With the 465 shock and RaceTech valves, (and re-built rear/new bushings) makes one fine road rider. Not too bad in some twistys, either. You will enjoy, Nils.
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Re: My first Prolink! How to mount a GPS?

Post by steve murdoch icoa #5322 »

NobleHops wrote:Heya lads,

Just did finish restoring my first Prolink CBX, have about 100 magical miles on it so far, and it is excellent. So different from my '80, and so much easier to run at supra-legal speeds too! :o :o
20180823_162030.jpg
For those of you that use Facebook, or even if you do not, the entire project was chronicalled here:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 8f683ecbcc

This bike and I are going to hit the road for a couple thousand mile tour in about 6 weeks, and so in advance of that I have a little bit of farkling I still need to do, including finding some elegant way to mount a RAM ball for things like GPS and so on. Would be appreciative of any first hand experience getting one installed on these CBX bars, including a photo if that's doable. Hoping to locate it near the left switchpod so I can use my left hand on it.

TIA for your experience.

N.

Ah, you kids today and your fancy electronic gizmos.
I bet you've also got one of those telephones that you can carry around, don't ya?

Nils, whereabouts is your GPS taking you?

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NobleHops
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Re: My first Prolink! How to mount a GPS?

Post by NobleHops »

We are headed up to the Sierra, and Yosemite, via Death Valley. Should be fun!
Nils Menten
Tucson, Arizona, USA '80 CBX, sort-of restored :-)

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Re: My first Prolink! How to mount a GPS?

Post by Syscrush »

That looks like a good option for the Prolink where those mounts are left unused. Others who have changed to different controls or who have the good taste to rock a twin shock bike might prefer something like this:

https://www.rammount.com/part/RAM-B-174U

It should fit on almost any bike.

I'm happy with my GPS mounting solution, but it involved custom triples so I don't think it's something I can recommend for a case like yours. ;)
Phil in Toronto
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Re: My first Prolink! How to mount a GPS?

Post by NobleHops »

Alrighty! Thought I'd follow this up with some photos and feedback.

Short version is that everything worked great, the Prolink was a total blast to tour on. It does make alarming noises in stop and go traffic in 95-degree temps, happily for me Dave was there to say "they all do that" and I got in the habit of shutting the bike off and paddle-footing it where I could in traffic to mitigate the heat build-up. Here's how the GPS mounting stuff worked out:

I bought and used this, in that disused mirror mounting hole on the left grip. That's a 1" RAM ball with a 10 x 1.25 thread. Looks great, works great.
20180917_204421.jpg
20180917_204354 (1).jpg
I despise glass fuses and replace them whenever I can, and lucky for me a gent named Peter Smick cooked up two versions of this, one for the twin-shock CBX and this one here for the Prolink. If you look closely you'll see a spare 15-amp accessory fuse, that takes advantage of an unused spade in the connector to the wiring harness. So we have fused power to tap, bueno! Reach Peter at pgsmick@psconsultations.com if you want one. His stuff is excellent, plug and play in this case.
20180608_174915 (1).jpg
We made up a short harness (with a disconnect to keep future fairing removal simple), from the accessory lead with a ground, and we wired that up to these. That's a Powerlet socket at right and a two-outlet USB to the left. Yes we drilled the fairing with a Unibit. :o :o
20181125_095215.jpg
I used the USB to keep my phone charged in my tankbag, and the powerlet was used to power the Garmin Zumo that was installed on a short RAM arm onto the ball.
20181125_095347.jpg
It all worked perfectly! Was also nice to be able to remove it from the bike in 30 seconds.
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Nils Menten
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Re: My first Prolink! How to mount a GPS?

Post by Syscrush »

Very spiffy. Can I ask why you used that Powerlet to power the Zumo instead of wiring in the lines that come with the cradle?
Phil in Toronto
A cool guy deserves a cool bike, a dork needs a cool bike...
Pics of Perry, my '79.

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Re: My first Prolink! How to mount a GPS?

Post by NobleHops »

:-)

In fact I wired the lines that come with the cradle to a Powerlet plug, and that is my mobile GPS setup for touring and travel on rented or borrowed bikes.
Nils Menten
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Re: My first Prolink! How to mount a GPS?

Post by Syscrush »

NobleHops wrote::-)

In fact I wired the lines that come with the cradle to a Powerlet plug, and that is my mobile GPS setup for touring and travel on rented or borrowed bikes.
NOICE!
Phil in Toronto
A cool guy deserves a cool bike, a dork needs a cool bike...
Pics of Perry, my '79.

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Re: My first Prolink! How to mount a GPS?

Post by patzx12 »

This is my setup..........................
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Re: My first Prolink! How to mount a GPS?

Post by Syscrush »

In theory, I don't like those fairings. In practice, I'm kinda jealous that you havea spot for a mascot on your bike!
Phil in Toronto
A cool guy deserves a cool bike, a dork needs a cool bike...
Pics of Perry, my '79.

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