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New And Improved Alternative Ram Mount


huntinggunns

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Thanks to all the VFRD members that purchased one of my original Alternative RAM mounts. I have stopped making that mount for a couple of reasons. Due to having to source the parts from so many vendors and the amount of machine work involved, the cost to make that mount was more than what most people wanted to pay for a GPS mount. I understand that. Also, even though the mount would lock in solid, if you exerted enough force on the ball you could loosen it up. It would take more force than any GPS could ever exert, but it could be done. That was always something that bothered me. I started looking around at the available RAM mounts for steering stems and came across one that uses a wedge type system to lock the unit in place and also has index points between the base and the ball mount to keep the ball from rotating. With a little bit of machining on the lathe I modified that mount to work with the 4/5/6/7/8th Gen just like the old style but without the high cost and rotating problem. I am happy with the mount now, it is rock solid and will not rotate. Here is the price breakdown and some pictures of the modified mount:

4/5/6/7/8th Gen

The base for this mount along with an OE steering stem cap are cut to fit together when inserted into the steering stem.

RAM mount - 14.00

Stainless screw - 2.00

OE stem cap - 4.50

Labor/paypal fees - 18.00

Shipping - 7.15

Total shipped CONUS - $46.00

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Here is the 4/5/6/7/8th Gen mount mounted on a 7th Gen, 4th Gen, and 8th Gen. I will get pics of it mounted on a 5th and 6th Gen eventually.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Good system.

I bought mine off a guy from Manchester area, his company is called Telferizer.

His uses a rubber system that expands when twisted so it locks in place. The ball on the top is also rubber so it grips.

I think hes got a patent?

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Good system.

I bought mine off a guy from Manchester area, his company is called Telferizer.

His uses a rubber system that expands when twisted so it locks in place. The ball on the top is also rubber so it grips.

I think hes got a patent?

I have seen the telferizer, it is a pretty good unit. I know that it is assembled from a rawl nut, a piece of all thread, a flat washer, and a RAM ball mount from RAM products. The unit fits against the steering stem with the flat washer and the rawl nut expands inside the steering stem when tightened. Not sure on a patent though as there are probably 20 different companies that make steering stem mounts for motorcycles using the same principals. This unit is made from a modified RAM mount with a wedge design and an OE steering stem cap, not from a rawl nut that expands, so it is quite a bit different than the Telferizer.

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I have seen that mount somewhere else for sale, never thought about it working on the VFR good catch .

Roll On ..

Its a brill place to mount the sat nav tbh. Ive got my Garmin zumo 390 there.

I tried it on the handlebars with the supplied mount but thought it left it too exposed and it moves abit with the bars too much.

On the stem, its easy to look at, out the way of any damage (feels like its nice and tucked in, which is nice when youve just spent a small fortune on a sat nav), no dangling wires for the power supply as it just tucks under the tank.

I wouldnt have anything else tbh

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I got my new and improved mount a week or so ago...life gets in the way. Anyhow, it's perfect. Tha's all I've got to say about that.post-18624-0-30495100-1434654093.jpg

Awesome job, and you can't beat the price. Perfection all around.

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Mine's on order. I've had one that installs on the tank mount bolts, and ever so nicely has put a rub mark on the top of my tank.

Looking forward to it with great anticipation!

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  • 2 months later...
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Update to the initial posting. After taking a poll of all the members that attended Sum Sum 3, I have decided to only make the mount with the black cap. It was a pretty unanimous decision by all that the mount with the cap looked the best on all generations of VFR's. Hopefully all the members that were able to get one at Sum Sum will post up their thoughts and pictures of their set ups of the mounts soon. For all the other members that wanted one but did not get one, I have just received some more components and can fab up a few when needed.

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I haven't gotten a good picture but did get out and use mine yesterday. I mounted a 5" extension, a round base, and a modified otterbox belt holder. I cut the clip off of the back of the belt holder and mounted it to the round base. Now my phone/gps/music is all in front of me. Steady as a rock and sits just above my tank bag. Not water proof but I haven't seen one I'd trust yet anyway. The great thing is that my phone can stay in its otterbox case. I can even plug it in for charging with this setup.

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  • 3 months later...
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Gunns, this looks like a really slick setup. Dumb question I have to ask = this location is a better spot than the clutch lever location, yes? I'm asking as my stem location has a powerlet in it = I'm thinking I've got things in reverse here as the central spot would be easier with tank bag etc. Is this kind of the common wisdom with this? (Would assume you've move power to one of the side panels then)

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Many schools of thought on that question. Most run the GPS or phone cradle in the steering stem so it will be centrally located in front of the rider for easier viewing. As far as power goes, I hate to drill pretty fairings so I either make mounts for the USB port to mount by the key switch or use one that mounts to an inner panel. Hope this helps.

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I'm using a steering stem mount (of my own design) at the moment on my FP, and my Zumo 590, mounted with a long RAM arm, almost completely blocks the view of my bike's tachometer. Not ideal. However, mounting location is always going to be a compromise. In theory, the higher you can mount a GPS, the better, because that means you have to lower your sight less to look at it. I mount my GPS onto the dashboard on my ST1300 for that reason. But mounting location options are more limited on a SPORT-touring bike like the VFR. Handlebar mounting might make the GPS a little higher, but it's off to the side, which isn't great, either. Compromise...

Ciao,

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If the system is set up right it will not interfere with the view of the instruments at all. Here are pictures of that set up on the 1200. All instruments are clearly visible without having to look around the GPS and the view of the GPS is in line with the instruments. In the picture posted the GPS was moved a little too far forward but still did not interfere with the view of the instruments. See the pictures in post #1 on this thread:

http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/75602-alternative-ram-mount-system/

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Thanks for the pics Stan, now we have pictures of the mount installed on all the generations of VFR's that it fits. Looks like it worked liked I envisioned, to look like it came that way from the factory.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Received one of these mounts just the other day, my thanks to HuntingGunns.

Delighted with the quality and look. Currently using it to hold my mobile phone for sat-nav reasons.

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Cheers.

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  • 2 weeks later...
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I recently purchased one of the modded RAM ball mounts from huntinggunns. It holds like a champ and Fred was great to work with.

The immovable object:

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...with phone assembly:

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Next, I'm hoping to bring USB power to the phone with something from 3BR Powersports.

RAM parts:

triple-clamp ball mount (huntinggunns)

short double-socket arm (RAP-B-201U-A)

diamond ball base (RAM-B-238U)

cradle for iPhone 6 (RAM-HOL-AP18U)

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  • 1 month later...

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