You Light Up My Life - Running Lights

[YellowJacket!]

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

[QBS]

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.

[h2olawyer]

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

[Coil Coyle]

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

[Brian_Matthewson]

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.

[h2olawyer]

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

[Rick G]

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.

[QBS]

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.

[vadasz1]

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.

[Kid Jedi]

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

[YellowJacket!]

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

[Kevin]

How have you gotten by this long with a stock fuse block?

[YellowJacket!]

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

[The Prophet of Doom]

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

[vadasz1]

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.

[The Prophet of Doom]

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

[Night Vision]

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

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.

[QBS]

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.

[artbone]

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

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

[YellowJacket!]

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: