OK, got a little graduation cash and I'd like to put some running lights on YJ to make her a little mor visible - as well as make me a little more visible as well.
I've narrowed it down to a few kits and am going to go with either fork tube mount or engine bar mount...most likely the engine bars. I did find one set that bolts to the caliper bolts which would have been very nice but being priced at more than my bike is worth, it was out of the question.
So, I'm looking at these sets (first place I looked was J+P Cycles but other and better suggestions are more than welcome of course)
http://www.jpcycles.com/Search/ProductDetail?sku=3300750&Ntt=3300750&Ntk=product_number&Ne=0&N=0&Ntt=3300750&Ntk=sku_search&Ns=DefaultSort&results=10
or these Kuryakyn with either fork mounts or engine guard mounts:
http://www.jpcycles.com/Search/ProductDetail?sku=330-516&Ntt=330516&Ntk=product_number&Ne=0&N=0&Ntt=330516&Ntk=All&Ns=DefaultSort&results=10
and of course the mounts that go with them.
Any other suggestions for driving lights are welcome.
For rear marker lights, I'm looking at some simple stickon LED lights for my saddle bags J+P has tehem as well:
http://www.jpcycles.com/Search/ProductDetail?sku=3300774&Ntt=3300774&Ntk=product_number&Ne=0&N=0&Ntt=3300774&Ntk=sku_search&Ns=DefaultSort&results=10
I guess the main thing is Can my stator handle them?
If anyone has any other suggestions, I welcome them.
Thanks, David
It's all about watts available Vs watts taken. Count up total watts taken by the bike after the lights are installed, subtract from 220(I think). If you end up with a positive #, you win. Otherwise, you loose. Can your stator handle it? Yes. Remember, the stator runs full output, all the time. Your RR will just be dumping less watts to ground.
I have a pair of cheapo automotive driving lights (Pilot brand) mounted to "L" brackets, mounted under the front turn signal stalks. They are 55w each. At normal RPMs, the voltage stays around 13V+ with all running & aux lights on. Drops to just under 13V with the high beam on. At idle, it drops to below 12V. If the brake light & turn signal are added to the mix, the voltage drops to 11+. I'm seriously considering getting a pair of 35w bulbs for the aux lights. Wouldn't be great for night riding, but I generally avoid that anyway. Would still work great for the added visibility, which is why I added them in the first place.
You want as much of a 'triangle of light' as you can get to increase visibility. The case guards would make for some great separation from the headlight. I looked at the brake caliper ones, too but thought about what all that bouncing would do to decrease bulb life. The movement would add to the visibility factor, though.
As an aside, have you thought about a headlight modulator? Good ones run about $100 and really make you noticed. They are legal in all states (no matter what uninformed LEOs may say). Just a thought. I'm considering getting one of them. You do need a place to mount a light sensor so the modulation turns off in the evening / night.
Cool - more toys to add. Should make YJ look even better & safer!
H2O
Dave,
What ever you decide to add to the lighting circuit you should turn it on with a relay that the headlight switch powers. The point is that you don't want to add current through the handle bar switch contacts.
$0.02
;)
Coil
A fairly simple way to get rear running lights is to replace the Vision turn signals with Kawasaki GPz turn signals. They're rectangular, like the V, a little shorter and they use dual filament bulbs so with a little wiring, they're both turn signals and running lights. Aftermarket company Emgo also sells these signals.
Coil makes an excellent point. Factory wiring and switches are 'marginally effective' in order to save costs.
I've wired all my extra electronics through an auxilliary power center (fuse / distribution block) that is powered directly from the battery, run through a 40A relay. My auxilliary lights didn't come with a relay of their own, and the instructions said one was not necessary. So far, that looks to be true. At least those are the only real power draw I have. The other circuts control power ports to charge my cell phone, GPS and run my helmet camera. I have room to expand with more available circuits, but until I put 35W bulbs in the aux lights, my charging system is maxxed out.
H2O
Compared to Hondas of the 70's to 83 era, the vision switches are heavy duty , still it cant hurt to use a relay . I'll start hunting for a horn on of these days and add a relay to power it.
Rick, until then find a 6V VW bug horn and stick it on your V. The switch can handle the load, it's a bolt on install that looks stock. When 12Vs hit the 6V horn, it goes crazy. Olde tyme BMW rider trick. Really works for me.
http://www.jpcycles.com/ProductDetail.aspx?PID=3300773&source=08metric
Now you can use the above posted ones too. They are an exact size match to the simple refeltor lenses we have on the V.
Now if I can only find one locally instead of online, that would be great.
http://www.jcwhitney.com/OPTRONICS-COMPETITION-SERIES-DRIVING-LIGHTS/GP_2003730_N_111+10201+600027856_10101.jcw
I recommend these, and the bulbs can be chainged easily if you are drawing too much power.
Here thy are on my BMW
(http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q308/DrGimpo/F650CS/f650cslightmounts.jpg)
(http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q308/DrGimpo/F650CS/f650csdrivinglights.jpg)
OK, Graduation money was put to good use. I ended up going with the large clear Kuryakyn chrome bullett driving lights with the 35 watt bulbs and the p=mounts to fit on my engine guards. Also ordered the Red flat tail lights to put on the bags but they are backordered. and Fianlly, I ordered a Nelson Riggs Rainsuit to keep in the bags for rainy day riding.
Now it really is time to change out my fuse block.
David
How have you gotten by this long with a stock fuse block?
Early on When I started restoring the bike I took out the OEM fuse holders and scavanged some from a radio shack fuse block that was a similar size. I removed them from the RS block and fit them into the Yamaha block so it still looked stock.
David
I don't want to add more lights, I just want to have the turn signals lit up when I'm not turning.
How do I do that?
BTW: Interesting article on DRLs here http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/esv/esv19/05-0178-W.pdf (http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/esv/esv19/05-0178-W.pdf)
I think your best bet would be to do a conversion to a 1157 bulb. The original bulbs are 1156 (one filament), and 1157 bulbs have two filaments. The 1156 bulbs have two wires compared to the three wires for a 1157 bulb. It wouldn't be too hard a conversion as the sockets will be the same. You only have to find a constant power source for the third wire which would be your running lights then. You can probably tap off the headlight wire and hten have it go into a relay if need be. This way when you start the bike then all the lights will turn off while the starter is energized.
I think this will work. Correct me anyone if I am wrong or missing something.
Except that the running light part would stay on while the other is flashing. This would reduce the effectiveness of the flashing.
I was hoping for a solution where both flashers are either on, or only one is flashing
Quote from: roro on May 25, 2009, 08:22:13 AM
I don't want to add more lights, I just want to have the turn signals lit up when I'm not turning.
How do I do that?
BTW: Interesting article on DRLs here http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/esv/esv19/05-0178-W.pdf (http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/esv/esv19/05-0178-W.pdf)
there was a post that Lucky put up a couple of years ago that instructed how to do it. I did mine and like it alot!
you can search for the post.... but basically you
use the stock bulb holder, dremel a deeper grove to accept the 1157 bulb's staggered "holding posts"
and intall a three wire pigtail into the bottom of the stock bulb holder.
then find a hot wire for the third wire
not a good explanation.... but it's pretty easy to do.
A way, maybe. Use the stock holders, et. al. Wire the hot wires of the left and right side holders into the head light circuit. Wire the grounds of the left and right side holders into seperate relays powered by the left and right hot outputs of the turn signal flasher. Flasher powers the left or right relay, which kills the ground for that side. Result is that holder is always hot except when its' flasher is killing its' ground.
Only problem may be that the individual relays may not provide enough load to trigger the flasher unit.
Disclaimer: I have not done this or investigated its' feasability on the V wiring diagram. But, I think the concept does at least have investigative merit. FWIW.
Quote from: roro on May 25, 2009, 08:22:13 AM
I don't want to add more lights, I just want to have the turn signals lit up when I'm not turning.
How do I do that?
BTW: Interesting article on DRLs here http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/esv/esv19/05-0178-W.pdf (http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/esv/esv19/05-0178-W.pdf)
Cycle Gadgets http://www.cyclegadgets.com/ sells a kit made by Kisan that does that with the single element bulbs. It's also a self canceling turn signal which I know you don't need. I've got one on my V Strom and it works very well. They may have a cheaper kit to do what you want.
Art
OK, the new lights arrived today and I did a dry fit to figure out the best location on the engine guards. The lights are a bit bigger than I thought but will work out very good. The 35 watt (each) bulbs should be OK with my charging system. The "P-Clamps" were a little loose so I'll have to add a bit more shim to tighten them up. I'll also have to source a relay and some wiring as the kit only came with pigtails - nothing else. :-(
As far as "following the lines of the bike", I kind of missed the mark as far as looks. Everything on teh Vision is angular but the lights are smooth looking. But, they serve a specific purpose and thats making me be seen better.
David
Heres some pics:
(http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l299/xz550rj/SN850467.jpg)
(http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l299/xz550rj/SN850469.jpg)
(http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l299/xz550rj/SN850471.jpg)
(http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l299/xz550rj/SN850472.jpg)
(http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l299/xz550rj/SN850473.jpg)
(http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l299/xz550rj/SN850474.jpg)
Looking good, David! That's where I'd put them if I still had case guards. The most difficult part will be running the wiring so it is mostly hidden and protected from road debris.
That triangle of lights will make you much more visible from the front. :o I've had several people riding ahead of me in large groups tell me that they can really see my bike in their mirrors even with a quick glance. I don't have near the vertical spacing on mine that you will have. I still need to drop the bulb wattage on mine, though. I need to turn mine off in stop & go traffic - with them on, along with the cooling fan and the brake lights, the charging eventually drops to around 12V. The brake lights drop the voltage more than the cooling fan.
H2O
H2O, What wattage are your lights. I'm still waiting on the extra brake lights that mount on the saddle bags. They're LED Lights so they shouldn't draw too much but I'm worried about taxing my charging system too much.
David
I'm running 55w aux lights (110w total). Wish there were some between 35w & 55w. Those extra 40w you are saving will easily run LEDs. You shouldn't have any power concerns.
Don't worry about 'overtaxing' the charging system - remember, the stator is always putting out full power (at least it is when the revs go up a little from idle). If you are using the power, there is less to shunt to ground or create heat. When you start asking for more power, it just won't be available. The only time I notice the power drop is when the bike spends time at idle and has all the electrics running - headlight, aux lights, brake lights & cooling fan. So, that's really just in stop & go traffic, around town. On the road, the aux lamps & cooling fan pull the indicated voltage down to about 13 on my volt gauge. It seems to stay there as long as the revs are above 2500. It's the addition of brake lights, turn signal and low revs that pull it down to 12V or less at stoplights. That 40 watt savings of the 'weaker' bulbs would allow me to run the lights, fan, turn signal & brake lights even around town.
H2O
OK, so after the harley guy told me to go drink a can of beer and the little light came on inside my head as to what he was talking about, I set out to get the lights mounted.
Foregoing all the honeydo things I was supposed to do, the first half of my day was occupied by getting my carbs back in order and installed. Accomplished that and YJ is back to running like a top. The second half of my day was reluctantly whittling away at the long honey do list. Got the dogs bathed, painted both dormers, painted 4 of 13 window frames. (note to self - kick the painter that painted my house 2 years ago. Must have used water colors).
The third half of my day was spent installing the lights on the engine guards. Got it done and the can trick worked like a charm. One of the screws stripped so I'll have to contact Kuryakyn support to see if I can get another one. I also flipped the P brackets 180 degrees which brings the lights in a bit closer to the engine guards. They don't stick out as much anymore and it looks a whole lot better. For now, the wire is held to the engine guard by some black zip ties. I've seen some "chrome" ones so I may pick them up and swap them put eventually. So, of course, more pictures must be presented to show off the project for prosperity.
The fouth half of my day was spent with the wife and dogs enjoying ice cream (except Dexter - he just got the ride in the car which suits him just fine) at our local Sonic Drive-in.
Pictures:
(http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l299/xz550rj/DSCF0002-5.jpg)
(http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l299/xz550rj/DSCF0003-4.jpg)
(http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l299/xz550rj/DSCF0004-5.jpg)
(http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l299/xz550rj/DSCF0005-4.jpg)
David
Wow!I like them.They look great!
:) looking real good Dave 8) but four half's to a day make for a loooooong day mate :o ;D :D :D :D... ;)
8).......TIGER....... 8)
The beer makes one able to go all out for four half days in a 24 hour period! :D
Those lights look sweet! 8)
H2O
And it shure as heck countered the terrible buzz I got from absorbing all the carb cleaner through my skin.
David
Quote from: coilXZcoyle on May 13, 2009, 02:58:47 AM
Dave,
What ever you decide to add to the lighting circuit you should turn it on with a relay that the headlight switch powers. The point is that you don't want to add current through the handle bar switch contacts.
$0.02
;)
Coil
I agree, as I've already done that with my current headlight, driving lights, and the aux circuits. VERY good idea. It moves the load from the switches to the 40A relay. Reduces heat at some of the connectors in the harness, if you wire it in close to the items needing to control.
Finished the job today in about an hour. Would ahve taken less time had I known that I had a bad relay. Drove me crazy until I scavenged one from another project and it worked.
I had "fabbed" a custom wiring harness the other day so it was pretty much a drop in job and connected power, ground and switching current. The lights are nice and bright and are wired in to the headlight circuit. I set it up so they are on regardless of the high beam as I'm using them more like marker lights than actual driving lights. I ride with my high beam on all the time anyway.
Everything looks great now that I have the new riding lights and LED brake lights. YJ is really coming along.
The final project (yeah right, like there is ever a final project on a Vision) is to replace the factory fuse block with somehting more modern. (yup, I know).
Pictures to come.
David
Lights off:
(http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l299/xz550rj/DSCF0026-2.jpg)
Lights on:
(http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l299/xz550rj/DSCF0027-3.jpg)
Yummy!
Holy cow! They're BRIGHT! Maybe a bit too bright actually. Comparatively speaking, in the dark, the driving lights look like searchlights and my headlight looks like a minimag flashlight. I have a nice wide swath that extends out sideways several feet and a cone that extends about 10 feet from the bike. But man, they are bright to look at.
David