Suzuki Switch Panel

 

The Suzuki switch panel was a project I began designing back in 2016. Being ever so cautious with the types of modifications that I added to my K5 GSXR-750 I was reluctant to add additional holes in my plastics just to incorporate a few switches for additional lighting or what have you and thus began my idea to fabricate something that I could just either mount or bolton to a convenient location on my bike that was easily accessible with my clutch free hand.

The first iteration switch panel was a simple flat panel piece of plexiglass that housed 1 LED rocker style switch and a simple square digital voltmeter that I purchased off of ebay. Since the plexiglass was see through I painted the back or bottom facing side with black spray paint to give the appearance of a gloss finish on the opposing or visisable side. Sandwiching the flat panel between the speedo and double bubble windscreen worked great for almost a year before I started noticing scratches on the bottom side of my windscreen where the panel came in contact with the windscreen. Additionally, scratches started developing on the plexiglass flat panel from my gloved hand and constant cleaning and well since this piece wasn't so easily recreatable I wanted to fabricate something that was more durable and I could consistently be reproduce on the fly should I need to recreate another.

The second iteration switch panel was a small testament to my 3D design skills. Using the first iteration as my template I took some measurements and I drew up my flat panel in Fusion 360 and 3D printed it. The panel was printed using PLA plastic and was 3mm thick to assist with heat warping and I also incorporated 3 more extra switches for my body glow lighting, fog lights, and manuel fan mod. The first switch controls the power on/off of the voltage meter. While this iteration was a failure due to high amounts of rising engine heat causing saver warping and cracking over time (1 year), it was a success in the fact that I was able to reproduce an exact replica replacement part in a matter of a few hours. Now I was on to something and I just need to find a suitable design and proper mounting location.

Third iteration. Loving the general location of this panel I wanted to fabricate a switch panel that I could now just bolton to the speedometer that followed the natural curvature of the bezl and fit the bikes race inspired design. This design needed to be smaller and more compact then its predecessor and offer a greater amount of air flow to assist with anti warping of the plastic during long rides over the years to come.

Having been tinkering with 3D printing for a few years at this point and using Fusion 360 to create decent CAD models I took some basic measurements of the top and back side of my speedometer and began drawing my new design in fusion. If you've ever had to design functional models in cad you know this is no easy feat  and after nearly a years time and a few

dozen or so test prints of this model I finally had something decent that I was able to produce consistently with little to no labor, not to mention free of all the previously mentioned issues.

If your interested in purchasing my custom switch panel send me a message using the contact form. If your interested in viewing more about this product take a look at my YouTube tutorial below. You'll find all the product information and availability in the descriptions section of this video.

Suzuki Custom Bolton Switch Panel with Voltage Monitoring