LED daylight running lights on handguards

[gipsymagpie]

I bought some of these on ebay:

...and wired them via convenient holes in handguard into the sidelight using some of these:

.

They add a bit more width to the oncoming shape for doddering drivers. The are sticky backed and seem to have bonded well (after a few rip and sticks). I have shown it without my HID on because it just swamps the camera. Only question is whether the one led on each handguard is a problem if facing sideways. I'll just get some clear amber model paint if it is. I suppose you could get amber ones to have turn signals in your handguards too or red ones to have brake lights on your panniers via superseal connectors to allow panniers to come off.

Total cost...£5.73 for the LED and a few quid for a couple of positaps.

The LEDs were from gfx-tec in HK. The amber paint I'm going to use is from models4hobby - clear orange Humbrol. Photos to follow of amber painted outside leds.

Here are the direct links to the items I bought (obviously now closed auctions):

Clear orange paint

LED light strips

Posi taps

 

[Northern Monkey]

How's about an eBay link?

 

[Fanum]

Shouldn't be too hard to make them flash with the indicators either

(saying that 'cos on cars with similar lights on mirrors, people expect them to flash......be careful that you dont get a tweed cap wearing buffoon trying to blame you because your 'indicators' weren't working )

 

[pympster]

Looks really good, still haven't mastered fiddling around with the electronics...

 

[gipsymagpie]

No fiddling really. Just tapping into 2 wires with the fully reversible posi taps. Here are some more phots...

Close up and unlit....not massively eye pleasing

This bit I am least happy with due to having to use bodge tape

The normal running rig. Like I said the HID stops down the camera.

 

[AberdeenAngus]

They look quite good.

Give it a certain Audi look

 

[Pablo1]

like these very much, would appreciate an idiots guide on how to if you have time, main thing im likely to screw up is the wiring connection, can you tell us a bit more about these posi whatsits.
appreciate a few more pics of the wiring if you have time.
good post thanks

 

[gipsymagpie]

Done the amber paint + wiring

With some Humbrol model paint the sixth LED (which actually is backwards with the handlebars central):

As for the wiring, these are all the instructions you need:

Dead simple. I followed the handlebar electrical cable and cable tied the wires to them. To tap into the sidelight, the wires from the LED are helpfully labelled with a sticker as +ve and -ve. You twist the 2 +ve wires together and tap into the blue wire and the 2 -ve wires tap into the brown wire. Et voila...

 

[Schtum]

I wired these Acerbis ones on a friend's K1200R, a couple of years ago. ISTR that at the time, I just bunged the bare wire ends into the block connector in his dip beam headlamp bulb.

 

[patzx12]

As long as they are not mistaken for a turn indicator signal by a driver that only sees one side of the bike.

 

[gipsymagpie]

As long as they are not mistaken for a turn indicator signal by a driver that only sees one side of the bike.

Perhaps but trucks have steady orange to the side. Plus really don't want white to the rear. I think the singularity of the amber led should avoid confusion. And with the amber being slightly to the rear I'll be physically past any danger they might cause. I think...

 

[Fanum]

Perhaps but trucks have steady orange to the side. Plus really don't want white to the rear. I think the singularity of the amber led should avoid confusion. And with the amber being slightly to the rear I'll be physically past any danger they might cause. I think...

I hate to say it, but i suspect you may be wrong there

It's not hard to imagine any number of scenarios where someone looking at solid ambers may assume that you're not turning, and puts themselves in a position where because they think that, you are maybe in trouble.

I have vectralights fitted on the rear corners of my panniers, run from a Kysan signal minder.

They show red to the rear and amber to the front, the reds go double bright on braking and they all flash as indicators when the indicators are on.

I initially fitted them because the panniers are so big that they hide the rear indicators from traffic that is more than about 15 degrees off my centre line, but i'd be very cautious about having any sort of lighting that could cause ambiguity in your signalling......you have to bear in mind that the dumbest people out there will always be the ones who are the biggest danger to you, and set things up to mitigate that

 

[Timolgra]

I always assume no one's seen my indicators anyway......not that I'd fit anything as gay as these

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

I always assume no one's seen my indicators anyway......not that I'd fit anything as gay as these

I think your bike is crying out for these and the OP should back light his IAM sticker to warn the old dodderers on the road of his presence

 

[Timolgra]

and the OP should back light his IAM sticker to warn the old dodderers on the road of his presence

 

[flatdog]

I think your bike is crying out for these and the OP should back light his IAM sticker to warn the old dodderers on the road of his presence

Anyway he hasn't got enough room on the front of his 1100 now those ostrich eyes have been fitted.

 

[Bikerbuk]

Quite smart! How do they get on with the canbus system? Hope I'm not sowing myself up as a complete muppet here but I've no idea how to wire in auxiliary lighting with all this canbus malarkey.

 

[gipsymagpie]

No issues with canbus. The think the power draw is tiny

 

[Virco]

Hello mate,
below, just a few adjacent questions, inside the quoted text (in blue) :

Talking about wiring: do these Posi-Taps break the insulation of the hot cable (the one being tapped into), do you have to remove a bit of it before screwing them over, or do they work by induction?

Which one is the lamp you tapped-into to and have you replaced a filament bulb with a LED one there? How does this work with the bike's computer?
.

 

[chas820]

The Posi taps have a sharp pin inside that pierces the insulation and that looks like the side light bulb holder to tap into.Generally the led`s draw so little current that they are not seen by the canbus.