Although the instrument cluster display assembly on the Ultimate motorcycling Yamaha Ténéré 700 Project Bike is easy to read on paved roads, it is difficult to read on gravel and washboard roads in the Pacific Northwest. I didn’t notice any wobbling of the measuring unit, though Drive over 1,100 miles of freeway from Los Angeles to Portland. However, on my first off-road excursion, the navigation system told me to take the path on the left, 0.4 miles from the paved road. I walked down the gravel road expecting to see the digital odometer count up. To my surprise, the dashboard vibrated so hard that I couldn’t read the numbers.
The logistics of the procurement of a Yamaha Tenere 700 this project took several months. The anticipation turned into preparation time – I’ve watched every video and read every review I could find. One of these reviews led me to Camel ADV products, based in Calgary and owned by a talented inventor. Cory Hanson founded Camel ADV with the development of a permanently mounted auxiliary fuel tank for adventure bikes that automatically diverts its fuel into the main tank. Hanson has since made many products that add durability or rideability to many brands of adventure motorcycles.
The creative invention from Hanson that interested me this time is the Camel ADV Products T7 anti-bobble head kit. It is supposed to help me read the instrument display when driving on the average fire brigade road in the PNW.
The mounting kit is humorously named after the small toy figures, whose spring-mounted heads wobble with the slightest movement. The $ 69 kit consists of two powder-coated stainless steel rods that you screw onto the instrument measurement unit to stiffen the mounting system, and two set screws.
I watched the 16 minute instruction video on the Camel ADV website and then started my iPhone stopwatch to measure myself during the installation. It took exactly 30 minutes and I was working at a cautious pace. The instruction video is just right to walk you through the entire installation. You will need the appropriate size metric hex keys – T3, T4, and T5 – with a few short ones for the lower screws. No, the T7 does not require a T7 Allen key.
The next morning I made my way to a 92 mile gravel road. No matter how fast I was or how much washboard the surface was, the LCD display didn’t vibrate at all. Quite simply, the T7 anti-bobble head kit works.
I am a driver who uses most of the information on the display. I never had to look twice. Both small and large font information is always in focus when I look at the dashboard.
The Camel ADV Products T7 Anti-Bobble Head Kit is a simple solution to a vibration problem. By stiffening the instrument cluster bracket, it also reinforces the support of the headlamp cluster – a two-on-one corrective action. If you’re just driving on the road, you probably won’t notice the vibration of the instrument cluster. However, if you are going off-road with your Yamaha Ténéré 700, you will want this kit.
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