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Brief Okay, I have to admit that the first time I saw this thing, I thought it looked pretty cool. Little lights for the gauges that was probably more fluff than function. Either way, there was one thing I was sure of... I knew I had to have it. Overview When I began looking into this device, I quickly learned that it was not some silly toy only meant to accent your bike with a tiny electronic light show. This thing has been extremely well thought out and is packed with so many features that I never would have thought about. I was pleasantly surprised to find so much ingenuity in such a seemingly simple little device. Basically the Shift-i device comes in two different configurations. A curved pattern that fits nicely around your existing tach or speedo, and a semi straight bar that can be mounted just about anywhere on the cluster. 
 Another cool feature is that for a small additional price, Ecliptech will custom color the gauges to match your bike or preference.  Because of the distance between the gauge cluster and the windscreen on my '98 RR, I was unable to use the preferred curved Shift-i which I feel better serves the visual style. Actually, with my height I wouldn't be able to see the Shift-i display if it were mounted on the tach anyway, as that part of the cluster is covered by the arc of the stock windscreen. I guess I could have opted to replace the screen with a bubble type shield, but I prefer the more stock look and decided to mount the Shift-i display at the bottom of the cluster which was easily viewable from both the upward and tucked position. Details Oh my, where do I start. This thing is so jam packed full of features I don't know where to begin. Ecliptech's site (http://www.ecliptech.com.au) is awesome, filled with visual information about all the features. I'll start with some of the features I was most interested in. First off, I like the fact as soon as you turn the key on, you are shown your current battery voltage. You can watch how far the voltage drops as you start up the bike. My '98 RR has been pretty flawless for the past eight years and over 65,000 miles. The only problems I've had with the thing are with its charging system. I was interested in the Shift-i's ability to show the current battery voltage, as well as provide an over voltage alert so you can hopefully avoid a charging failure before it happens. At startup the voltage will go way after a few seconds, depending on the settings the Shift-i will begin to display the current RPM. As you would expect, the Shift-i will begin to display the current RPM. You can change the way the Shift-i actually displays the RPM range, and I urge you to visit their site to see all the different choices. )
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) At first I left the display as is, which meant that the entire RPM range was displayed. Although it was cool to be able to quickly glance down to see where I was in the RPM scale, it just didn't give me the fine RPM values that I preferred. That was easily fixed when I changed the settings to start the display at around 7,000 RPM. This gave me a more detailed range during the strongest part of the power band. It was now very easy to quickly see where I was in the power RPM so I can shift accordingly when entering a corner. I know what you're thinking, I should know my bike well enough to tell where I am in the RPM range without looking at the gauges. With today's smoother running engines, it's sometimes hard to quickly judge what gear I'm in and where I am in the power band. The Shift-i gives me a bright and quick alternative to fishing my RPM out of the analog gauge. I found that on more spirited rides I would watch the Shift-i display more than glancing at the actual tach. If I talked about all the features of this device, you would probably get tired and stop reading this. So just let me touch on a few features that I thought were well thought out, much needed, but often forgotten but other manufacturers. Nine different display modes can be easily changed to your personal preference. Battery Voltage meter which automatically shows your battery voltage while cranking the engine. You can also see the battery voltage while riding for those times you are suspecting the charging system may not be doing its job. Auto dimming brightness control. Very cool. Bright for those sunny days and dim for the times when you are riding at night. All handled automatically with its built in light sensor. Another cool feature is auto cruise dimming of the display lights. If you're cruising at the same RPM for a short time, the lights actually dim slightly. Installation is a snap and instructions can be found for most types of bike directly from Ecliptech's site (http://www.ecliptech.com.au). Attach three wires to the back of your existing cluster and you are good to go. The lights display the current RPM lightning fast with no lag whatsoever. To be perfectly honest, I became interested in Ecliptech's Shift-i display simply for the fluff factor. But after just a few rides I found myself actually using the device instead of the tach. When configured to your liking, the lights are actually clearer and most easily identified when out cruising the streets at both cruising and more spirited speeds. The funny thing is, I have the setup on my '98 RR and not my new '05 RR. I find myself searching around a bit looking for those darn little lights when I'm out on the new bike. I guess in this case the old adage is true, "you never really know what you've got until it's gone."
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