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Ok so now on to one more project/upgrade to the bike. This one is to add more rear end visibility, to hopefully avoid meeting anyone behind me, that I wasn't planning on meeting.
I am adding red LED, tail/brake, strip lights, to the saddle bags, and will probably also add amber LED turn, strip lights, to the bags as well.
Here's what I have done so far.
The hardest part of this whole job, should have been one of the easiest, removing the wires from the tail light connector that plugs the bulb into the fender mounted connector. That is done, and I removed them so I could splice a pigtail to each of the three wires. The two pigtail wires off each of the three OEM wires will split and got to right and left sides of the bike. Here's the mostly completed part of that job.
This is just the wires soldered in place with heat shrink protection. The bare wires will have bullet connectors crimped on so they can quick connect from the wires leading to each bag. This end of the wire will be the female end, so if disconnected, the wires cannot short against each other inside the tail light housing.
The next step is to cut some 3/4x3/4" aluminum angle for the strip light mounting bracket.
This is the strip light mounted to the bracket. This is the back side. I plan on blackening the edges of the angle to make it less obvious. Maybe. The three wires are grnd, tail, and brake. This is the front of it, notice the screws holding it in place. I drilled and tapped the angle for 6-62 screws. I think I will touch up the screw heads with some red paint to blend them in also. This is approximately how they will look mounted. I will run screws through the bag and back them up on the inside with washers and nuts, all thread locked in place. The wires from these strips do not need to go inside the bags, but will be encased in black conduit, and zip tied to the bag frame, to keep it away from moving parts. If I mount the amber turns, those WILL have to go through the bag, unfortunately. All wiring will be quick connected at one of the holes on the sub frame.
I have a question. At my tail light there are 4 wire terminals, but only 3 wires. The black, red/white, blue, and the space for the orange/yellow is empty. what goes there?
I posted this from the manual. The blank space on mine is terminal 2 at the tail lamp connector.
The empty connector is just that. Same on my bike.
The missing wire might be for what we call parking lights and would be power to the back light when accessory power is enabled. In the headlamp there is what HD called the position lamp, we call side light, again not on your bike.
What I would of done is go to the connectors under the seat and make the splice there. In fact I think I mentioned I made a y lead to create two 7A connectors under the seat to then take new wires to the additional lights. This way I didn't touch any of the HD connectors.
Last edited by Andy from Sandy; Jan 6, 2020 at 11:12 AM.
I get it, this is not for everyone but its my bike. The next guy, if there is one, can rip it all off and make a scrambler, won't hurt my feelings.
Question on LEDs.
These are 3 wire lights. Ground, Low, High. I wired the low to running light at tail lamp. I wired high to brake light at the tail lamp. Power is supplied to all lines as it should be. Now here is the issue.
If I connect only the low and ground, turn key on, the low lights are on. As soon as I connect the high light wire, the low goes out. The high light will come on when I hit the brakes. I have tested the lights off the bike, at a battery, many times, and they work fine. I can even hook low and ground to battery, then touch high to Pos term on battery, and they get bright. I tried swapping colors around on the bench and it definitely only works one way.
I also measured the high to ground and get zero voltage until brake is depressed.
Anyone have a clue how to fix this, besides taking it all off and throwing it away? Lol. I can use it as is and have just extra brake lights, but prefer not to.
Sorry for the troubles here Handirifle. I hope none of my lighting system ever gives me problems. I know in my mind, I would never attempt to do what you are doing. It is beyond my ability!! My dad tried to get me into the electronics side and I refused. For me, this issue you face is exactly what I would expect to happen to me. But unlike you, the ONLY option in my mind is the one you mention... "besides taking it all off and throwing it away?"... It is as far as my electronics will take me....
I hope to hear and read there is a fix... I will copy to a word file and keep it. My brother is the electronics guy in the family and would likely understand every word...
I will keep the word file for him in case I need ever to do LED adapting to mine...
Well at least it is ridable, for now, if I choose to. Here is a pic of the brake lights, with the LED brake lights. Gonna post in the electrical/lighting section and see if someone knows there.
It din't come out right in the pic but the LEDs and the tail light are the same color. Now to get those tail light LEDs working.
I just realized the "amber" lights I got for blinkers are more yellow, so not sure what I will do there, If I DO mount them, they will be perpendicular to the brake light strip, at the bottom.
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