Any thoughts on using this power distribution module on my SF2?

The day I picked up my 2010 Skoda I had to get fuel. I spent 20 minutes trying to work out how to get the fuel flap open, searching EVERYWHERE for the little lever inside the car to open it. After 20 minutes wading through the 300 page owners manual I discovered that you just push on the flap and it pops open!! Not even electronitrickery.

Another friend with a Skoda stopped to pick up some hard garbage treasure off the side of the road, double parked, as it would only tale 30 seconds. She left the motor running, got out, closed the door, grabbed the treasure and went to open the tailgate but the car had locked itself. So she has to leave the car, double parked, motor running and run 2km home and back to grab her spare key!!!

Mine also self-locked one day when I was putting the SFQ frame in the boot (at my welders, 40km from home), key on the floor in the boot, closed the tailgate, click ... all doors locked! Ring the other half, who has to drive out in a. borrowed car with the spare key. That's way too smart for my liking.

Now cars will actually assume a degree of control if they think you're going too fast or veering too much away from the middle of the lane!
 
It's everywhere, the designer knows so by some stupifying reason everybody on the planet knows without any note or instruction. I added a music app to my phone the other day after the original app started playing ads between songs. The new app I wanted was nice and simple, but I couldn't get it to play more than one song at a time. As usual, the fix was pressing every icon on the screen till it did what I wanted. Luckily, none of those icons resulted in mass nuclear missile launches. How hard is it to label buttons these days?
 
I know of two bikes with "key in pocket" ignition that refused to wake up and had to be transported by truck to a dealer who had the correct software. Both were on long tours, one in far north Norway, and one in far out of reach Arabia somewhere which took three months before the owner got it back. There must be tons of them.
 
Tried to turn on the heated seats in a current model DS company car on my way to a work location.
No more buttons clearly visible on dash or center console.
Three pages down in the menu of the onboard screen I finally found the friggin soft button...
 
Tippie said:
I know of two bikes with "key in pocket" ignition that refused to wake up and had to be transported by truck to a dealer who had the correct software. Both were on long tours, one in far north Norway, and one in far out of reach Arabia somewhere which took three months before the owner got it back. There must be tons of them.
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Yeah, the Multistrada has that remote "key in pocket" thing. They call it the HF (hands free) key. I dread the day when either the key stops working or I lose it. You can actually start the bike by entering a 4-digit PIN, but I have no idea what that PIN is. I asked the bloke I bought the bike from but he didn't know either. There's no way to find out what it is, so I have to take the bike to a service agent to have a new PIN programmed into its brain. I have a spare battery for the key stashed on the bike in case it goes flat while I'm on a ride.

One thing that bothers me about the HF key is that you can start the bike as long as the key is within range, but if after starting the bike, you drop the key on the ground without knowing (maybe through a hole in your pocket), you can actually ride off without it and the bike will keep running. You can ride for as long or far as you like without the key, so long as you don't switch the engine off. A small "No key" symbol appears on the dash but it's not very noticeable. You could potentially ride until the next fuel stop, switch the bike off and then not be able to start it again. I reckon the "No key" warning should be a bit more attention-grabbing. Maybe sound an audible alarm that you have to acknowledge before it will mute.
 
Dellortoman said:
Yeah, the Multistrada has that remote "key in pocket" thing. They call it the HF (hands free) key. I dread the day when either the key stops working or I lose it. You can actually start the bike by entering a 4-digit PIN, but I have no idea what that PIN is. I asked the bloke I bought the bike from but he didn't know either. There's no way to find out what it is, so I have to take the bike to a service agent to have a new PIN programmed into its brain. I have a spare battery for the key stashed on the bike in case it goes flat while I'm on a ride.

One thing that bothers me about the HF key is that you can start the bike as long as the key is within range, but if after starting the bike, you drop the key on the ground without knowing (maybe through a hole in your pocket), you can actually ride off without it and the bike will keep running. You can ride for as long or far as you like without the key, so long as you don't switch the engine off. A small "No key" symbol appears on the dash but it's not very noticeable. You could potentially ride until the next fuel stop, switch the bike off and then not be able to start it again. I reckon the "No key" warning should be a bit more attention-grabbing. Maybe sound an audible alarm that you have to acknowledge before it will mute.
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There used to be an old saw about the US spending millions of dollars developing a pen that would write in zero gravity. The Russians used a crayon.
My Laverda doesn't need a warning light, small or large, to tell me I don't have the key..
 
Saw a former colleagues post on linkedin that his Ducrapi had issues last time he started it with revs all over the place and running very erratic. Here is what i wrote to him...:

Seeing there is not only the red light but also the oil and engine warning light on, I assume you had stopped the engine already and just had ignition on when this pic was taken?

As you might know, I have some older Italien bikes. They are pretty easy to diagnose:

-engine running smooth? Engine is not the problem
-engine running rough? Check exhaust temperature by SHORT contacting it with the hand (just tapping, really…). The one that‘s significantly colder has a dead spark plug
-engine not starting but turning: you fool forgot to open the petcocks! Simulate that was by intention and go for a ride after silently opening them while the neighbors are shaking their heads…
-engine not even turning over: you fool forgot to charge the battery! Pretent you just wanted to check how the new leather and helmet feels and role it back into the garage, silently putting the charger cable on. Now take the other bike and repeat…
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Mean while I'm about to install a ignition cut off switch on my 100 Sport as its kick and go. Not that I ever plan to beyond ear shot of it. I don't like the idea of Tom, Dick or Harry just given it a prod 🙃
 
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