Commuter build is done, Batwing, Case, Lights, Suspension

It's good to see that your are refitting the bike to suit the mission you are using it for. Too many people seem to look at these bikes and dismiss them because they aren't exactly suited to that mission as it sits on the showroom floor.

I'm new to motorcycles, having purchased the XG as my first bike at the beginning of this year. I'm fascinated by how much they can be personalized to meet the specific needs of an individual. Not being as new to internet forums, I'm not amazed by how many people make posts about however somebody chooses to spend their own money modifying their own bike is wrong.


The extra set of mirrors stood out in your post about the lights, but thought I must be imagining it. Thanks for explaining them. It's an odd look, but whatever works. The stock mirrors are hardly a beloved feature of these bikes.


That earlier post on the extra lights really struck a cord with me. If I were on southern California freeways like you I would want all of that and a rotating beacon atop my helmet. Those lights are a bit of over kill for my commute on rural interstate highways, but did cause me to reflect on how riding a blacked out bike wearing a black touring jacket at night probably wasn't my best idea. Your post inspired me to add reflectors to the saddle bags and start shopping for a hi-viz jacket. I'm also upgrading from bulbs to LED lighting as fast as I can do so.


The Memphis Shades batwing fairing is something I want for my bike, mostly because we deal with a lot of wind in the Midwest. My understanding is that the mounting of the Memphis Shades batwing fairing isn't all that difficult. Loosely mount the brackets until you get the fairing latched into them and then tighten everything down. My local independent mechanic doesn't seem to think it's a very sturdy mounting system, but the several people on the forum with these haven't remarked about that. Does the mounting seem sturdy to you?


The turn signal relocation sounds to be the daunting part. The YouTube videos I have seen talk like removing or at least loosening the fuel tank is required so that the wiring can be rerouted. It doesn't sound difficult, just more than this lazy guy wants to do. I'm considering having the previously mentioned independent mechanic do it or have it done as part of my 10K scheduled maintenance. What are your thoughts on that part of the installation?

I didn't need to fiddle with the tank for the turn relo. Having been there I can't imagine why they say that.

I did cut a little bit of the electrical tape at the end of the wiring harness to give a bit more slack, this would be the end at the top of the steering column, in retrospect I don't think that was necessary, but if it was, lots easier than raising the tank. Once done the wires were long enough as-is. What I originally tried to do was use the stock mounts and move them lower, the wires are not long enough for that, the relo kit is needed.

As far as mounting sturdiness, well it's strong enough. I've seen some pretty big fairings with 4 mount points before so I wasn't worried about it.

Motos are infinitely personalizable, some people ride stock, I think that crowd can flip bikes more easily.

And some people obsess over every detail. I see sport riders going on and on about suspension and tires and clip-ons for example. My needs were different.

I actually like obsessing over things, working with my hands and customizing things is fun for me. My mods are generally designed to be reversed with minimum fuss too (the whole flip thing).