Saturday, July 18, 2009

DN-01, all dressed up

You may recall a previous post on this blog in which I talked about the new Honda DN-01 motorcycle that I bought this year. I thought it was a great bike -- and loved its fully-automatic HFT (Human Friendly Transmission). The bike was a bit let down by its impracticality -- its small windshield hardly blocked any breeze, and except for a tiny nook under the seat which might have fit a sandwich, it had no storage space.

Well, as you can see by this photo, I have addressed these two issues, and now I love this bike.


Thanks to Jim Lawson, who a couple of months ago turned me on to the aftermarket catalog "Twisted Throttle", I discovered that there was hard luggage -- both saddlebags and a top trunk -- and a bigger windshield available for the DN-01. I ordered all of these things right away, and got them within a few weeks. My friend Ed installed the bags and their requisite mounting hardware (I was thinking of trying to do it myself, but the more I looked at the instructions, the more I saw disaster in the making), and they work great -- they look good and hold a lot.

I decided to install the windshield myself, and I managed to get it done (although, as in any project requiring the removal and then reinstallation of large pieces of complicated bodywork, there were a few nail-biting moments) with only three fasteners left over... and everything seems to work okay, so may those fasteners aren't TOO critical.

The windshield definitely does a better job of protecting the rider from windblast, but I wish it were a few inches higher -- right now I get a lot of breeze directed at the top third of my helmet, which can be distracting. Still, I like it better than the stock unit.

I highly recommend these modifications for anyone with a DN-01. -- PL

6 comments:

~ tOkKa said...

-->> That thing looks huge, what is the dimensions ? !

Unknown said...

For the shield, try adding a lip to the top. You can find them in the aftermarket catalogs.

Kerwin (aka the boyscout) said...

Thanks man. I just bought my DN-01 May of 2011. I love it. Your picture is exactly what I have been slowly deciding to do with my bike. I had no pix to see what it would look like all together. Your pix made me jump out of my seat and dance around my room. I will have the same setup in the next few weeks.
Kerwin

Kerwin (aka the boyscout) said...

I already have the Givi windshield, just gotta get the tailbag and the sidebags and rack system for it all.

Kerwin

Anonymous said...

It is almost impossible to get this damn windshield off. You basically have to dissemble the entire motorcycle. I have watched the ONLY pt1 and pt2 video on YouTube. I must be missing something. I popped the sides off around the mirrors section but it is still stuck???? I would pay money to watch a COMPLETE step by step video.

Unknown said...

i have the same bike and it is awesome to ride,where can i get the same exact setup of the side luggage and top luggage and also the mounting brackets to go along with them?