What's the best way to power running lights?

Andyb1375

Andyb1375

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Hi all

I have just fitted a pair of low wattage/ led spotlights/ day runners which draw about .7 amps, can I wire these directly into the low beam or do they need a separate power supply with switch.

Andy
 
Wire them separately to save any hassle both physically (they might show a fault) and legally. Not sure if they need to be switchable but depending how bright they are they will need to be able to dim at night or they will dazzle. Same as any OEM system I am guessing.
 
They will work direct from the low beam but probably best not to- they may well impact the headlamp bulb failure warning.
Best wire them via a relay mounted under the tool tray and get the relay switching from the aux power socket which is already in situ under the tool tray. They will stay lit for c. 60 secs after you switch off, but drawing .7 amps is no concern.

If you want to switch them manually, an Autoswitch from Nippys is a neat option.
 
Buckingham said:
They will work direct from the low beam but probably best not to- they may well impact the headlamp bulb failure warning.
Best wire them via a relay mounted under the tool tray and get the relay switching from the aux power socket which is already in situ under the tool tray. They will stay lit for c. 60 secs after you switch off, but drawing .7 amps is no concern.
Click to expand...

Cheers
 
as I wasn't using it for owt else I used the sat nav supply loom socket that is provided usually taped up near the head stock, its switched live and an amp or less is no trouble

I ran the live to the lights via a handlebar mounted switch

I think there were 3 wires on it, a multi meter will soon tell you whats what (with the ignition on of course)
 
trainman said:
as I wasn't using it for owt else I used the sat nav supply loom socket that is provided usually taped up near the head stock, its switched live and an amp or less is no trouble

I ran the live to the lights via a handlebar mounted switch

I think there were 3 wires on it, a multi meter will soon tell you whats what (with the ignition on of course)
Click to expand...

I am using the sat Nav lead☹️
 
If you have lights bright enough to bother fitting, the sat nav lead will struggle to deliver enough power.

I have a pair of 30 watt LED spot lamps wired with main beam. I could not get them to dim so fitted a pair of less powerful floods as day lights. One pair is run from the LH aux headlight. The other pair runs from the RH aux headlight. They are separately fused. The GS has a connector under the tank all you need is the GSA auxiliary fuse box or connect an aftermarket fuse box and switch. Don't bother with the GSA Aux switch.
 
I have a pair of 10W 900 lumen Cree V3 drls on my RT. They are powered directly by the nearside parking light. No switch and are off when engine is not running. Works just fine

I originally powered them from the headstock GPS socket which was fine except that they stayed on for ages after engine shutdown unless I unplugged them at the socket
 
I have gone for a autoswitch from Nippy Normans and will run them through a simple relay��
 
Well today I fitted the Autoswitch. Great little device and at £22 delivered I think it's good value.

Taking the tank off is easy, taped into the wiring harness, fitted the relay and 2 extra Cree lights. Happy days..
 
Kritou said:
I have a pair of 10W 900 lumen Cree V3 drls on my RT. They are powered directly by the nearside parking light. No switch and are off when engine is not running. Works just fine
Click to expand...

Good to know. I got me a couple of LED-strips I will put on my hand protectors, and was contemplating if I really needed to connect them in a more serious way.
 
I personally prefer to switch and fuse the positive side rather then the earth side.

I ran separate relay switched wires from the dip beam and main beam bulb wires. I then ran fused power wires from the GSA auxiliary headlights fuse block to each relay switched side. There are two fuses so I got two separate circuits. Relay switching coils pull almost no current so no false LampF signals. The fuses protect the heavier switched power side of the relay so any faults in my wiring wont fry the bike. One fuse for each pair of LED lamps.

I have one relay on dip beam and another on main beam.

I used the original GSA aux lights switch to drive both sets of LED lamps (two separately fused circuits). I have another switch in series to kill the day lights as they can cause dazzle at night. The main beam LEDs only light with main beam so dazzle isn't an issue. ;)

I can have all LEDs on/available or all LEDs off or just main beam LED on/available.
 
I've connected into the back of the aux socket under the seat to switch a relay for my DRLs, now my canbus charger doesn't work !
I'm probably going to change it to switch the relay from the rear light or the headlamp dip.
 
Or connect a separate connector direct to the battery for charging. It's more reliable and cheap as chips.
 
Thanks Bendy - Already done that.

It's just irritating that I've got an expensive & clever bike-specific charger from BMW but can't use the fekkr.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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