Install – The Trail Tech Vapor

Posted: Jul 2, 2010

After a stator wiring fiasco on my '09 KTM 450 EXC left my electrical system fried (more on that later), the no longer functioning back light in my stock computer provided me with an excuse to change my stock setup out for a Trail Tech Vapor. Trail Tech's computers are an easy choice for OEM replacement or upgrade; they're designed with a whole host of features that most stock motorcycle computers don't have.

In addition to basic information such as speed and distance, just about every time keeping mode imaginable, including stop watch, ride time, and accumulated ride time, are available but the Vapor in particular relays critical engine condition data to the rider. The unit features like an easy to read tachometer, but a clear selling point to me was the ability to know exactly how hot the engine is running. The Vapor kit that I purchased for my 450 EXC came with an engine coolant temperature sensor that tees into one of the bike's radiator hoses.

The kit wasn't truly “bike specific” or “plug and play”, since it actually covers several different models and manufacturers, but setup was fairly simple taking only a few hours, a time that included my taking breaks to snap photos. The instruction manual that is included in the kit is easy to understand, however as with other Trail Tech products that I have installed, there are several leaflets in the box that speak to specific models and manufacturers of bikes. Read them all, sort out what you need to know for your machine, pay attention to the instructions carefully and you won't run into any trouble.


The first step is to remove the parts that you are going to replace, obviously the stock computer which requires the removal of the front mask and headlight assembly. In my case I had a Trail Tech X2 HID light installed along with their stator kit which was the source of my electrical system woes after one of the crew here at ChainSlayer hurriedly wired my regulator up incorrectly and supplied unregulated power to the electrical system. While this was not Trail Tech's fault, it does drive home the need to read the instructions until you understand them clearly.

I'll review the X2 when I get my second light back from them; the first light got fried by the unregulated AC power (understandably they do not warranty lights that die due to electrical assembly error) and the second light that I bought off them showed up with a bad ballast, and is currently back at their facility for a warranty replacement.

While in dis-assembly mode I peeled off the seat and tank; you need to access the engine so that you can install the tachometer signal lead and coolant temperature sensor. I was surprised to find that the Vapor required the use of the wheel speed signal cable provided with the kit, obviously this is a necessity for bikes that did not come with OEM speedos, but it would have been nice if the kit would have come with an short adapter that would allow the purchaser the ability to plug the stock signal cable into the Vapor.

Instead you have to remove the OEM cable and sensor at the front brake caliper, and install Trail Tech's. The Trail Tech cable is good quality, and the sensor does just thread into the stock KTM sensor hole, but a “plug and play” solution should not be that hard to come up with - as mentioned earlier this kit isn't specific to any one bike but a range of makes and models, and so don't buy it thinking that you won't have to do any fitment work.



The sensor counts wheel revolutions off a magnet fixed to the wheel's rotor. Different bikes require different fitment of the included magnet, retained by a cir-clip, though the magnet that came in my kit had come free from it's housing. I could have epoxied it back into place, however I decided that the stock KTM magnet should work, and as it turned out later, it did.

The power cable is another example of where a simple adapter would have been nice. The stock KTM computer uses a three wire connector - the Vapor, a two wire connector. Instead of including an adapter, a new two wire plug is included in the kit. To install it the customer has to gingerly cut the plastic off the OEM connector to expose the wires without damaging the terminals of the wires within since they get re-used for the two wire connector that the Vapor requires. Not a big deal, but another example where a simple adapter would have been nice. For bikes that do not have power at the bars for a computer, a power cable that connects to the bike's battery, or for those bikes that don't have a battery, the stator, is included in the Vapor kit.


The tachometer gets its signal from the ignition, either off the spark plug wire or the stator wire that leads to the coil, your choice. The tach red signal wire gets wrapped around the spark plug wire several times or you strip the insulation off the end and trap it in the spade connector at the end of the lead from the stator. I opted to connect the wire to the stator wire spade connector. There is a black wire on the signal lead and this gets attached to a good ground; in my case I crimped an eye on the end and just ran it to the other side of the frame, using the regulator mounting bolt.


Some Vapor kits for certain models of bikes take the temperature signal from a sensor that fits into the pressure relief bolt hole on the top of the radiator. My '09 450 EXC had no such relief bolt so in my bike's case the Trail Tech kit includes a radiator hose tee complete with hose clamps so that you can cut an existing hose, and slip the tee into place. I took a look at the coolant flow circuit and wanted to install the tee just after the block before the thermostat, that way the Vapor would be able to monitor the engine temperature right from start-up before the thermostat opens, just in case it actually failed closed and didn't open.


Unfortunately there was not enough room for this and the only two places that it appeared the tee would fit is just downstream of the radiator or just downstream of the thermostat, which is where I elected to install it. I figured that it was more important to know the temperature of the coolant leaving the block instead of the temperature of the coolant leaving the radiator. After I drained the coolant from the lower water pump drain bolt (indicated by the presence of a copper crush gasket under the bolt head) I cut the radiator riser hose downstream of the thermostat and trimmed a little extra off to accommodate the center of the tee that would otherwise increase the length of the hose. I then slipped the hose clamps on the hose ends either side of the cut and installed the tee, slid the clamps up the hoses over top of the tee and tightened them.

I carefully routed the tach wire, which I encased in plastic tubing due to its delicate nature, and coolant sensor wire up the frame using zip ties to keep them neat, up to where the Vapor would be mounted just behind the headlight mask. The wheel speed sensor cable followed the stock routing using the OEM cable clips and the power wire, of course, was already in place.

Before I bolted the gas tank and seat back down I refilled the cooling system ran the bike to check for coolant leaks and to make sure that I didn't have any signal wire issues. It's always a good idea to push the steering from stop to stop to make sure that all cables and wires have full range of motion without binding or pulling.


Trail Tech has several mounting options available for the Vapor, the kit includes an adjustable plastic bracket that clamps to the bars. Their other options have to be purchased separately, there are protective holders available, even an entire dash that has interchangeable light options that can be custom tailored by the customer. I hadn't purchased any of the optional mounting systems so I initially mounted the Vapor using the plastic bracket included in the kit. The one arm plastic assembly is sturdy enough perhaps for street riding trips to the grocery store, but it places the Vapor in a precarious position for any kind of woods or off road riding – the first object that would strike it would leave it dangling, the Vapor wouldn't stand a chance.

I thought about buying a Trail Tech protective housing for the Vapor but in the end I decided to make a mounting bracket adapter that would allow the Vapor to bolt up in the stock computer position just behind the headlight mask utilizing the stock rubber vibration isolators. I fabricated the bracket out of a piece of 3/8” thick aluminum flat bar that adapted the 80mm OEM computer bolt centre to the Vapor's 40mm bolt centre. The stock computer mounting bracket interferes with the back of the X2 headlight; the installation of the headlight requires that you trim the KTM bracket to fit. When I fabricated my adapter bracket I notched it to accommodate both the X2's profile and the cables leaving the Vapor. In the back of the bracket I drilled a hole so that I could reach the reset button on the back of the Vapor without having to remove the unit from the bike.




Before I bolted the gas tank and seat back down I ran the bike to check for leaks and to make sure that I didn't have any wiring issues. It's always a good idea to push the steering from stop to stop to make sure that all cables and wires have full range of motion without binding.

There are a few minutes of setting up the Vapor after installation; the unit needs to know the circumference of the front wheel for speed calculations along with user established temperature and shift point alarms. Data entry is simple and well explained in the instructions and I had full functionality right after install with no issues. It is important to note that it seems the Vapor must be reset after initial connection or after unplugging the unit before it will read engine temperature via the sensor.


Vapor's display is much larger than the stock unit and easy to read, the white back light comes on when it senses wheel motion, power from the bike or the user decides to turn in on temporarily using the far right button at the bottom of the unit. It's nice to have more information at hand on the display, and cycling through the Vapor's three main display modes with its positive clicking buttons makes it easy to find the information you desire. When the Vapor is in “sleep” mode due to a period of inactivity, the clock conveniently stays displayed.

The Trail Tech Vapor is a good deal when you consider the features that it has. The stock KTM computer that I had to replace retails for around $300, but the Vapor in its silver or black “stealth” finish can be had for less than half that at $130, either through your local moto shop, online retailer, or Trail Tech directly off their website.