New Owner 2018 Voyager

[mcycle68]

I am picking up my new 2018 Voyager 1700 in a couple days. I'm looking for some advice from existing owners on a few things.

USB - I would like to get a dual USB charger into one of the glove boxes for an iPhone and bluetooth xmitter.

Battery Tender - there will likely be a few times during the year the bike will sit idle for a few weeks.

Driver Backrest - looking for info on a driver backrest (adjustable and/or removable would be great)

Any info on specific hardware and where to find it would be appreciated. Finally, I keep reading about IVAN's ECU flash
and would love to hear from anyone that's had it done. I figured I'd wait till I've got a couple K miles before making
a decision on IVANs.

I'm replacing a Honda VTX1300 and do plan to do some trips on the Voyager. I completed a USA Four Corners Tour back in 2010 on
the VTX (yes, mildly insane....), and I'm thinking about trying it again next year on the Voyager. The USA Four Corners Tour is
a trip to all four corners of the continental US in 21 days or less. ( www.sc-ma.com has info under the "Rides" tab )

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!

Jack

[jjamison]

I bought a new 2018 back in September. I was actually a little disappointed in the low rpm performance. I just had Ivan flash my ECU (at 1200 miles) and I installed it yesterday.
Well worth the money, a lot smoother, you can actually lug it down to 2000 rpm and it will recover without shuddering. There are alot of good things being said about Ivan's flash and I haven't seen anything bad mentioned. I hesitated for along time due to warranty concerns but finally bit the bullet.
I can't help you out with the other items though.

[Van Voyager]

Do the 1700's come with an AGM battery (my 1500 did - almost 20 years ago)? If so, you don't need a battery tender.

[Steverides5]

Backrest from Grasshopper. Inexpensive and works well for the price.

[Mr Jensee]

Van I have an Odyssey AGM battery on my 1200 and I strongly recommend keeping it on the tender when not riding. This will extend the life of any AGM. The only downside of using a tender on a regular lead acid battery is it boiling the water out over time.

[richey]

Check this out from Amazon...dual usb charging ports and a voltmeter for $9.99. It plugs into the 12v socket.
Just an fyi...if the cranking voltage drops below 10v while starting it's time for a charge or new battery.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01JA ... UTF8&psc=1

[Bulldog59]

Is this Voltmeter/USB waterproof or do you just remove it in bad weather? Thank you

[HMB Don]

I installed a USB port in the trunk, wired it to the account terminal under the seat. Cycle gear $15.00. My backrest is a Corbin, with a Corbin seat $$$$$. Ivan ECU flash, best money spent, I've had mine for 80,000 miles? I have a 2012, bought my Voyager just after Christmas 2011. The battery last until the fall of 2015, one day it just seemed slow to crank the engine so bought a new Lithium battery. Its a shorai battery, weight is 3.1 pounds, its been a good battery for 5 years. During the Eastern Regional ride-in this year the mornings were in the low 30s and the battery cranked with no problem. Only problem with the Shorai is the price and you have to use a Shorai battery charger also expensive. I've been wondering how long it will last?

For tire if you plan on doing for corners. I use Dunlop american elite, last year did a trip of a lifetime, to Alaska 13,000 miles pulling a trailer. A month later did the Eastern Regional ride-in another 5,000 miles for a total of 18,000 miles. No trailer During the ride-in, when i removed the tire for this last trip it still had 3/32s of wear left. I do my own tire balancing.

Oil, i use Amsiol in my Voyager 10/40. Because I can go 10,000 miles between oil changes or last year it was 13,000 mile before I changed the oil. It didn't use any oil! My Voyager has lots of miles on it. One thing is my Voyager took 24k to break in, and used some oil in those early miles.

Everyone enjoy those Voyagers and maybe see you all at the AVA International Rally in June 2021.

September 2020

[hank43]

I am picking up my new 2018 Voyager 1700 in a couple days. I'm looking for some advice from existing owners on a few things.

USB - I would like to get a dual USB charger into one of the glove boxes for an iPhone and bluetooth xmitter.

Battery Tender - there will likely be a few times during the year the bike will sit idle for a few weeks.

Driver Backrest - looking for info on a driver backrest (adjustable and/or removable would be great)

Any info on specific hardware and where to find it would be appreciated. Finally, I keep reading about IVAN's ECU flash
and would love to hear from anyone that's had it done. I figured I'd wait till I've got a couple K miles before making
a decision on IVANs.

I'm replacing a Honda VTX1300 and do plan to do some trips on the Voyager. I completed a USA Four Corners Tour back in 2010 on
the VTX (yes, mildly insane....), and I'm thinking about trying it again next year on the Voyager. The USA Four Corners Tour is
a trip to all four corners of the continental US in 21 days or less. ( www.sc-ma.com has info under the "Rides" tab )

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!

Jack

Jack;
Like Don Medina, I too have a 1700, bought in 2010, Corbin seat and backrest, IVAN-ized , (I think I was the first one ) never regretted doing so.
As for the Battery Tender, I have and use one, for what they cost, and depending where you live, it's cheap insurance. Wife and I had the bike Triked by Champion (Same trike as Don's wife Trish). Tons of room in the trike trunk! With the Ivan flash, I get much much better performance, and a little better MPG. I also added Temperature and Ammeter (Digital) gauges, Radio Mount and antenna mount for my Ham Radio antennas.