Confused wiring PIAA lights to my R1200RT

OK, so I've just bought back a nice set of PIAA 004XT lights from my trip to the US - great value. Mounted them to my R1200RT on some dinky little brackets also from the US.

http://www.cyclegadgets.com/Products/LightKits/detail.asp?bike=R12RT&kit=EZ-R1200RT

Usual high quality PIAA stuff, and the brackets were easy to mount too. All set up and working in a morning with just the one connection into the wiring loom.

But I have a problem that is really confusing me.

Wired exactly as PIAA suggest ~ 3 wires to connect. Main power to the relay (from the battery (+), earthed to the battery (-) and the last wire (that goes to the PIAA switch) from an ignition controlled live feed so the lights go off with the engine or iginition.

So I get the multi-meter out and check the wires on the back of one of the dipped lights ~ sure enough 0V with the ignition off, 12+V once you fire the engine. So I'm tapped into that, but now the PIAAs are on all the time, unless I switch them off.

I could probably take the main power off the battery and find another ignition controlled live, but I'd really like to understand why this isn't working. I did a similar installation on my GS and had no problems at all. And I simply don't understand why, when the feed comes from the back of the dipped beam, which goes on and off with the engine, why the PIAAs aren't doing the same thing?

All suggestions gratefully received.

Thanks, Alan.

The dipped lights on your RT will come on as soon as you start the bike so that is probably the reason why your PIAA's come on as well.

Rob

Thank, perhaps I've not been clear. The PIAAs should do that, but they are on all the time - controlled only by the PIAA switch, not by the PIAA switch or the ignition/engine ~ so at the moment I run the risk of leaving them on when I turn the bike off and returning to a flat battery!

anything to do with

the canbus wiring? understand you cant wire in the old fasion way. Was your GS a 1200 or 1150? nick

Sounds almost like the ignition fed live isn't

Just a thought, have you tried tapping into the other dipped beam lead? Just in case it's that side of the filament that is ignition switched IYSWIM.

Nick Marshall said:

the canbus wiring? understand you cant wire in the old fasion way. Was your GS a 1200 or 1150? nick

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I don't think so, my GS was a 1200 (& had two sets of aux lights on that!)

John Armstrong said:

Sounds almost like the ignition fed live isn't

Just a thought, have you tried tapping into the other dipped beam lead? Just in case it's that side of the filament that is ignition switched IYSWIM.

Click to expand...

Interesting thought thanks John - one for next weekend ~ but I did try switching it to the feed for the side light which gave the same result.

Just for now I've shut it all up and I'm back to the "desk research"!

Alan

Ho hum....

Of course, it does help if you connect the main leads to the battery the right way round....

Best close this thread before too many people comment (quite validly I hasten to add) on my obvious inadequacies.

Alan1963 said:

Of course, it does help if you connect the main leads to the battery the right way round....

Click to expand...

I was sort of right then