Voge DS800X Rally switchgear, heated grips and screen explained

These are design characteristics rather than faults. They are gathered here because they change how the motorcycle is used, and because several of them are reported as faults by owners who have not found the relevant page of the manual.

Heated grips and heated seat

Both have their own buttons on the switchgear. Owners report that they sit where they are hard to see and hard to find with winter gloves, and the practical answer is to learn their positions in the garage, gloved, before the first cold ride.

The manual adds three behaviours that account for most of the confusion:

• Three levels, with 3 the warmest. Each press steps through 3, 2, 1, then off. The first press therefore selects the hottest setting, not the mildest.
• Both default to off at every start. Heat set on the previous ride is not remembered.
• Both work only with the engine running. A rider waiting at the roadside with the engine stopped gets no heat, which is a protection for the battery rather than a failure.

The selected level is shown on the instrument.

Two behaviours often reported as faults

The auxiliary lights switch themselves off. The manual states that the long-range front lights turn off automatically when battery voltage falls, and come back on when it recovers. Lights that go out at idle in traffic with the grips and seat on, and return once the revs rise, are the system protecting the battery.

The hazard lights respond to the indicator switch. With the hazards on, pushing the indicator switch to one side leaves only that side flashing; pressing the centre of the switch restores both. A rider who brushes the switch with the hazards on can therefore see one side stop, which is designed behaviour.

The riding mode

The MODE button moves between normal and sport, and the instrument shows which is selected. The motorcycle returns to normal at every start.

The windscreen

The screen has two height positions, high and low, and the manual asks for the one that suits the rider's height. It is set manually by moving its fixings between two sets of holes, so it is not adjustable on the move, and on a motorcycle that alternates between motorway and trail that is the wrong place for the adjustment to live.

Two ways round it:

• Set it once for the riding done most, rather than compromising between the two positions.
• A taller touring screen or a deflector where buffeting at motorway speed is the problem actually being solved.

The adjustment most owners never use

The handlebar position is adjustable, which addresses reach and wrist angle more directly than any screen change. The manual's sequence:

1. Loosen and remove the clamp base bolts and the clamp bolts, with their spring and flat washers.
2. Lift off the clamps and the handlebar.
3. Refit the clamps in the position that suits, and pre-tighten the base bolts.
4. Refit the handlebar clamps, pre-tighten their bolts and set the bar angle.
5. Tighten the clamp bolts first, then the base bolts. The manual gives 35 Nm for the base bolts and 18 Nm for the clamp bolts.

After any change of bar position, the cables and hoses are checked at full lock in both directions, and the throttle checked for the idle rise described in DS800X Rally snatchy throttle.

Cosmetic wear

Owners report that the tank and fairing sides pick up zip scratches and knee wear quickly, since adventure riding puts clothing against paint. A tank pad and protective film fitted before the first ride cost far less than the paint they protect.

Related pages

The symbols on the instrument are explained in dashboard warning lights, and phone pairing in Bluetooth pairing.