Hey fellow Baggers, I posted this over in the "General Chat" forum, but I see more LED questions over here, so I thought I'd re-post.

Being a chick, I'll admit, I'm more into how my bike looks versus how the durn thing works. When I went to buy my bike, all I heard the salesman say was "Blah, blah, blah, chrome, blah, blah, shiny, blah, blah, blah, turquoise/antique white, chrome, blah, blah". Start talking about Torque, Dyno Tuning, Fuel Maps, or the like and my eyes glaze over. (It's probably a lot similar to how many of you guys feel when a woman starts asking you your opinion on wallpaper or china patterns!) Every now and then though, that wee bit of testosterone coursing through my system kicks in and curiosity gets the better of me. At those rare times, I actually take interest in something other than "how pretty my bike looks" and become consumed with understanding just how or why something works - to get beneath the surface and get to know my bike better. (Awwww, it kinda sounds like I just might be falling in love!) Anyway, this time it was understanding LED’s and Load Equalizers. Since I’ve seen many questions regarding both, I thought I’d “share” this knowledge with all my new "friends" on HDForums!

I'm sure many of you "wrench-types" already know what Equalizers do and why we need them, so this stuff may be nothing new. But, if you are one of those that might have some questions about the "why's and wherefore's" of LED's and Load Equalizers, perhaps this will help.

I replaced my stock turn signals with LED's and now they're acting crazy!
Usually, when you remove incandescent bulbs from a blinker system and replace them with LEDs - the stock flasher relay begins to blink too fast. Flasher relays are designed to "tell" the operator a bulb is out by causing the flashers to blink fast when it detects a drop in power. Since LED's consume far less power than most regular bulbs, the relay "thinks" a bulb is out.

Alternatively, it is possible that your blinker system will stop working all together - either the blinkers will come on and stay on steady, or they will not come on at all, or the left and right indicators will illuminate at the same time. Basically, things go hay wire!

What can I do to prevent/fix that problem?
Install a Load Equalizer.

What exactly does a Load Equalizer do?
It adds just enough load to the system so the stock relay system does not "think" a bulb is out, which allows the relay to operate properly with the new LED turn signals.

Do I need one with my LED Accent Lights?
No

Do I need one with my LED Brake Light/Tail Light?
That depends. If you install one with the Run/Brake/Turn feature, then you will need a Load Equalizer. If you install a simple LED Tail Light/Brake Light w/o this feature, then you will not need one.

Can I run the stock turn signals with a LED Run/Brake/Turn Tail Light?
Yes, but because of the turn signal feature in the tail light, you will still need a Load Equalizer.

I want to install LED turn signals in both the front and rear, will 1 Load Equalizer handle both sets?
In most instances you will need to add a second Load Equalizer, one for each pair of turn signals. It would be best to double-check with the Manufacturer of the Load Equalizer.

Anything else I need to know about the Load Equalizers?
Yes. Because they add resistance to maintain proper function of the turn signals, these babys run hot. So, by design, their lifespan usually isn't very long. 2 - 3 years on average. Also, running your hazard flashers or turn signals for any length of time (say, 3 minutes or more per one Tech I spoke with) will likely fry the Load Equalizer due to exessive heat being generated.

What's so great about LED's anyway?
They are considerably brighter than conventional bulbs, which on a bike gives you a better chance of being seen. In addition, they use far less power than regular bulbs, produce considerably less heat, are impact resistant, last about 10 years (continuous use) on average, are in waterproof enclosures and illuminate 20% faster than standard bulbs.

Are all LED's the same/equally bright?
No, like anything else, they have different built qualities, some fit HD specifically and some are Universal, they can vary in intensity and of course, the cost between suppliers varies.
By all means, do your research. When I asked, the HDForum members seem to consistently like the ones from Radiantz, Custom Dynamics and Kuryakyn.

That's about it. PLEASE let me know if I missed something or have given out mis-information!

 

+1 on Custom Dynamics. I've used them and had great experiences with them.

As far as load equalizers go I have to give a big thumbs up to BADLANDS. I had a couple questions when I bought my first one a while back so I e-mailed the company...at about 10 PM. 20 minutes later I had a response from the OWNER of BADLANDS explaining in detail what I needed to do for my setup. And, he gave me a discount! Great service and I'll use them again in the near future. Best part is I only needed one unit to run both front and rear signals and the unit does not get hot.

Great explanation by MONSTEAD....LOL about he wallpaper/china....just like my wife zones out when I'm going on and on about exhaust or anything else mechanical....but she loves the ride.

 

Actually, since my riding buddy and myself installed the LED amber directionals, we like the faster blinking, after following one another and testing them out in traffic they certainly stand out. I am not going to worry about a load equalizer unless doing it this way may damage something. my 02.

Vaughn

 

Well Done!! Now go shine that sweet lookin' Motor you got there. Wish I had that color.

 

Nicely put!

I would like to second what 09STREETGLIDER said about Badlands. Rick is one of the owners and will usually talk on the phone or via email with anyone and offer support. Badlands makes, to my knowledge, the only run/turn/brake controller with built-in load equalizer that is alarm compatible and DOES NOT get hot. You can run your flashers as long as you want. I have alot of LED's on the back of my Ultra (check album) and every one of them is running through my Badlands Illuminator. I know Kuryakyn's run/turn/brake controller wouldn't handle my setup. I tried it.

+1 on Radiantz LED's. They are top shelf and have a lifetime warranty. Does anyone else offer that?

As always, you get what you pay for.

 

I have the HD Run brake turn signal module and ridetimetechnology LED Brake Light and Fender Trim light and you do not need an equalizer. I don't have LED turn signals yet.

 

Monstead, thanks for the information. It appears to be incomplete because some LED products include resistors in their circuit boards so that load equalizers are not needed. For example, the Harley saddlebag spoiler/LED's and Tour Pak spoiler/LED products do not require load equalizers. The tri-bar light in the bottom of the fender on Street Glides plug directly into the TP harness on the bike and don't require a load equalizer.

So I appreciate your information; but, there are LED products that are wired or can be wired to turn signal and brake light functions that don't require load equalizers.

 

I am aware there are, and anticipated, exceptions to what I've posted. I welcome anyone who is aware of the exceptions to add them to this discussion as it's meant to be informative and helpful. So, Thank you for pointing this out!

I am not disputing your claim there are circuit board with built in resistors on some LED's. Trust me on that one! However, I'm having a hard time understanding how that would work as I thought resistors "restricted" flow, and we're trying to add load in this instance.

Since I do not have a Tour Pak (well I do, but it's leather) my research did not encompass tour pak lighting. I studied the websites of and spoke with techs at Kury, Radiantz and Custom Dynamics and a couple of others I found by Googling "LED +Motorcycle" "LED + turn signal", etc. (Even then, I got conflicting information from 2 different techs at the SAME company!) I also Googled "Load Equalizers" because I wanted to understand exactly what they did. That search did direct me to a couple of vendors that sold LED's, but of course, since the search specified L.E., it makes sense those LED's required the use of a L.E.

That being said, I'm not sure what functions each of those Tour Pak lights is capable of. But, if I understand you correctly and there are Tour Pak lights that work as a turn signal, then I definitely need to amend my "report" for that exception.

After your post, I am thinking that since the HD Tour Pak is "stock" and not an aftermarket accessory, it makes sense that the MOCO made sure adding HD lights to it would not interfere with the existing system. Therefore, they built something in to avoid having to add an additional Load Equalizer under the seat. Just a thought.

Throughout all my research, which was in no way comprehensive, I did not come across any LED's that did not require a L.E. when using the Run/Brake/Turn lights on my '09 RKC. I would not be surprised to hear of exceptions, I just did not find them.

Of course, if you use the LED turn signals and don't mind the fast flashing, you don't need a Load Equalizer. But, if you go that route, there is no guarantee you won't have the problem of your turn signals acting as hazard flashers (both signals flash instead of one). Also, there are some bikes (most are non-Harley) that don't require a L.E. since they don't have signal relays that inform you when a turn signal bulb is out. That got me wondering if there is perhaps some modification/part replacement could be made to "turn off" that feature, thus eliminating the need for a Load Equalizer. Mind you, this is just me "wondering".

Anyway...thanks again...you got my brain going again, darn it!

 

Dang!.....You're female, you ride a scoot like mine, you write an excellent scooter tech article, and you live kinda close.

How do you as a female feel about a guy who always needs a shave, parks and works on his bikes in the house, and forgets to buy food before parts?

Thanks, now I know why my converted rear turns wig-wag ever since I installed the Kuryaykn LED license holder.

...........er, do you cook too?

 

I'm trying to understand your setup because it seems like you contradicted yourself. You have a ridetimetech LED fender trim kit that functions as Brake light and Running light only. (no need for L.E.. with this) You also said you have the HD LED Run/Brake Turn signal module and are not running this with a Load Equalizer. Did you mean you have a tail light with integrated turn signals? I'm confused because you later said you do NOT have the turn signal module. I'm taking that to mean you have the run/brake/turn tail light (with the integrated turn signals), but have not installed LED's in your actual turn signals. I don't dispute this is now working at this time, but if I were you, especially if I was thinking about adding the LED turn signals, I'd get myself an equalizer.

Again, it is not necessary to have a L.E., but you are likely to experience fast flashing, no flashing or your turns acting as hazards when using one turn signal. (some people don't mind fast flashing) In my case, everything (seemed to) work fine for a few months. I got my bike on Sept 12. My turn signals worked fine until Jan 17th, when they went haywire. It was not until late Oct that I discovered my rear HD turn signals were not flashing as brake lights like they were supposed to. Probably ever since I picked up the bike. Other than that, they were fine. The Kury Panacea tail light was working as it should too. No issues with my alarm either. Then, last week, my alarm went off when I went out to go ride (fob was on the bike). After some time, it finally decided to recognize the fob, so I was finally able to start the bike and take off. During the ride, the alarm light kept going on and off. And, every time I engaged the left turn signal, all lights would flash (as hazards). Apparently, since the alarm going off enlisted the hazard flashers the TSSM was overwhelmed which made evertything go haywire. My Service Manager says the alarm went off because my system (TSSM) was already overwhelmed and confused, and because of that, all the other stuff happened.

This all got fixed yesterday. My HD Run/Brake Turn signal module, which has now been replaced with Kury, DID have a L.E. and it was installed along with the one that came with the Kury Tail Light. Problem was, Kury Panacea doesn't mix with HD's version of Panacea. Equalizer or not, the TSSM was getting overwhelmed and confused.