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  • Turn Signals -> Turn/Tail/Brake lights

    I've had a few people pm me asking about this mod, so I'm going to do a little post. Follow the link to see what it looks like all done.
    http://rides.webshots.com/video/3093...03299774JaEGkV

    I did this a while ago so some of the pictures aren't perfect but you should get the general idea. I had to take apart what was done so I could show the steps so bare with the pictures.

    First thing you'll need to do is take off your turn signals and take them apart to get the bulb sockets out. I've relocated mine so I could get bigger bags but you should be able to figure it out. Once you get them off you'll have to take out the screws holding the little bar across the base of the socket. Once that is off you'll be able to pull the socket, wires, and rubber boot all out of the signal housing.


    Once you get the socket out you can take it to your local autoparts store and they should be able to find you one similar, but with two contacts in the bottom like this...

    I got mine at NAPA, sorry I don't have a part number, I also had to solder the little ground straps from the old sockets onto my new ones.

    Next put your signals back together, you'll have one new wire that you didn't have before, run it up along the turn signal wire to the under seat area. You'll need red lenses to put on the signals also, like these...


    You'll need to figure out which wire is the "bright" element of the bulb, I did this by just touching each wire to the + batter terminal and labeling them, left bright, right bright and "dim". The two dim ones you can hook together, those are your tail lights. Take the Left and right Bright lights and hook them back up to your turn signal wires, make sure the turn signals work, if they don't stop here and fix them. you should have something like this...

    You can see that I just crimped the old bullets back on my new wires with some barrel connectors.

    Now get yourself one of these, its a trailer light converter for hooking up a 4 wire trailer to a 6 wire, or "independent" turn signal car. you can see the part number, I'm sure other brands will work just as well.


    In my case I found I didn't need the "ground" wire or the "tail light" input wire, so I cut them off to get rid of the extra tangle. Green is right turn, yellow is left turn, and red is brake. The side with the brake wire is the "input" side. I believe these colors are standard but make sure you check the diagram that comes with your doo-dad.

    You can see in the picture that I crimped bullets on mine, I did this so I could go back to "factory" if I had problems on the road or if I ever sold the bike. You could also solder and shrinkwrap or use barrel connectors if you wanted to, make your own call

    Now plug the adapter into your turn signal wiring, the bullets on mine made it easy....Make sure your blinkers work, if not troubleshoot now and fix them now.


    Ok, so you turn on the bike and what, it looks like this..

    Still no running or brake lights, bummer.

    That is where this thing comes in, I was able to find a plug that matched the one that runs to the stock tail/brake/license plate light at a local electronics store. I got it and cut it apart and made my splices in the middle, this allows me to easily go back stock if I need/want to. Mine is a bit more complicated then yours because I also run a brake light modulator.

    Again you can use whatever method you choose, the important splices are...

    The red "brake" input for your adapter needs to hook to the center, yellow wire of the three pin connector. This is the brake light wire. Don't just cut the wire because it also still needs to be connected to the large, center brake light, you need to "tap" it so it connects to both.


    The left over wire from your signals, the "dim" element needs to hook to the blue wire in the three pin connector, this is the tail light wire

    Now turn on the bike and see if everything works, should look like the video at the beginning of this post.

    If it works, tuck it all away nice and neat, I tucked mine into the space between the plastic mud guard and the battery, you can also see my brake light modulator in there.


    Now have one of these and enjoy your new lights...


    Hope this helps....
    1979 xs1100 Special -
    Stock air box/K&N Filter, MAC 4-2 exhaust, Bad-Boy Air horn, TC fuse box, Windshield, Soft bags, Vetter Fairing, Blinkers->Run/Turn/Brake Lights, Headlight Modulator, hard wire GPS power

    Short Stack - 1981 xs1100 Standard - lowered for SWMBO.

    Originally posted by fredintoon
    Goes like a train, corners like a cow, shifts like a Russian tractor, drinks like a fish, you are gonna love it.
    My Bike:
    [link is broken]

  • #2
    Where did you find the red lenses?
    Ich habe dich nicht gefragt.

    Comment


    • #3
      Round red lenses (specials) are easy, Mikesxs has them. I got mine on e-bay though. I have 1 pair I could sell, when I got mine on ebay it was a set of four so I have two left over.

      Square-ish red lenses (standards) I have no Idea. I imagine they are available some place but I don't know where.
      1979 xs1100 Special -
      Stock air box/K&N Filter, MAC 4-2 exhaust, Bad-Boy Air horn, TC fuse box, Windshield, Soft bags, Vetter Fairing, Blinkers->Run/Turn/Brake Lights, Headlight Modulator, hard wire GPS power

      Short Stack - 1981 xs1100 Standard - lowered for SWMBO.

      Originally posted by fredintoon
      Goes like a train, corners like a cow, shifts like a Russian tractor, drinks like a fish, you are gonna love it.
      My Bike:
      [link is broken]

      Comment


      • #4
        I have been thinking about doing something like this, since I had a Saturn Ion run up my back. Might be more visibility. I like the idea of the trailer light converter.
        Ich habe dich nicht gefragt.

        Comment


        • #5
          More visibiltity is why I did it. Its also why I added the brake light modulator, which I can shoot video of if your interested, basicly it holds the brake light solid for 3 seconds then flashes it on and off 3 times, then repeats over and over till you release the brake.

          I figure that at night my tail lights are 3 times as bright as they were before, plus there is some horizontal separation, which helps with depth perception and estimation of distance, I'm sure we've all experienced coming up behind a single light, its hard to tell how close it is or how fast we're closing in on it.

          For a while I had the "signal" lights hooked to the modulator too, but on a different output so they would flash opposite the main light at first and then stay on solid. Very attention grabbing but I had a State trooper stop me and tell me it was "confusing" because it looked like I had 4-ways on or some kind of blinker malfunction. My response was, at least I got your attention! He said "change it!".

          I also have one of those HJC wind lights on my helmet, not very visible during the day but you notice it at night.
          1979 xs1100 Special -
          Stock air box/K&N Filter, MAC 4-2 exhaust, Bad-Boy Air horn, TC fuse box, Windshield, Soft bags, Vetter Fairing, Blinkers->Run/Turn/Brake Lights, Headlight Modulator, hard wire GPS power

          Short Stack - 1981 xs1100 Standard - lowered for SWMBO.

          Originally posted by fredintoon
          Goes like a train, corners like a cow, shifts like a Russian tractor, drinks like a fish, you are gonna love it.
          My Bike:
          [link is broken]

          Comment


          • #6
            Thanks, I needed that.
            Garrett
            79 XS11 Special (Lazarus)
            80 XS850 Special (Old Faithful)
            80 XS11 Standard sorta stock (Beatrice)
            79 DT 100

            Comment


            • #7
              Clarification

              I've gotten a few PM's on this specific question so I'll add it here:

              Q. Why do I need the trailer do-dad? Can't I just hook the 2 element socket right to the wire's I've already got somehow?"

              When you switch to red lenses you've got 4 options for how to make the lights work.

              1. Leave them like they were stock, just turn signals except now they're red.
              This option doesn't requires anything more then a screwdriver to switch the lenses, no need to modify anything.

              2. Hook them up to run as Turn signals and Tail lights, or "Turn/Tail".
              This option requires you to replace your current single element bulbs and sockets with new dual element bulbs and sockets. You don't need the trailer adapter to make this work. Just hook the "dim" side of your new bulbs to the tail light wire (this was the blue wire in my 3 pin connector), and hook the "bright" side to the appropriate turn signal wire. Your done! Go for a Ride! The result is that the lights are always on "dim" and flash bright for turn signals.

              3. Hook them up as Turn Signals and Brake lights, or "Turn/Brake".
              This option is very similar to option 2, you need the new bulbs and sockets but not the trailer adapter. Hook the "dim" side to your brake wire ( this was the center yellow wire in my case) and again hook the bright side to the appropriate turn signal wire. The result is that the lights are on dim when the brake is pressed, and then flash bright for turn signals.

              4. Hook them up as Turn Signals, Brake lights, and Tail lights or "Turn/Tail/Brake". This option is what I detailed above, you need new bulbs, sockets and the trailer adapter. The trailer adapter has the logic in it so that when the brakes are applied and a turn signal is on the appropriate light flashes from dim to bright. Without the trailer adapter you'd find that when you switched on you're turn signal with the brakes applied it wouldn't flash because the brake circuit would be supplying current to keep it lit all the time. If you search the web for "Turn/Tail/Brake" you'll see that there are a lot of gadgets for sale for Motorcycles that do what the trailer adapter does, but they want $30 or more for them.
              the result here is that the lights are always on dim, light up bright with the brake, and one side will flash bright dim with the turn signal while the other sided stays bright with the brake.
              1979 xs1100 Special -
              Stock air box/K&N Filter, MAC 4-2 exhaust, Bad-Boy Air horn, TC fuse box, Windshield, Soft bags, Vetter Fairing, Blinkers->Run/Turn/Brake Lights, Headlight Modulator, hard wire GPS power

              Short Stack - 1981 xs1100 Standard - lowered for SWMBO.

              Originally posted by fredintoon
              Goes like a train, corners like a cow, shifts like a Russian tractor, drinks like a fish, you are gonna love it.
              My Bike:
              [link is broken]

              Comment


              • #8
                Nice little write up for this!
                Nathan
                KD9ARL

                μολὼν λαβέ

                1978 XS1100E
                K&N Filter
                #45 pilot Jet, #137.5 Main Jet
                OEM Exhaust
                ATK Fork Brace
                LED Dash lights
                Ammeter, Oil Pressure, Oil Temp, and Volt Meters

                Green Monster Coils
                SS Brake Lines
                Vision 550 Auto Tensioner

                In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.

                Theodore Roosevelt

                Comment


                • #9
                  Hey, Psychoreefer,

                  Where'd you get the brake & turn signal assembly? I'm looking into building some removable side cases, so I'd like to move my blinkers back beside the tail light.

                  If anyone else reading this has found a brake & turn light assembly they like, let me know.

                  Thanks,
                  Brian
                  '80 SG with motor from a '82 XJ

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by BigRed View Post
                    Where'd you get the brake & turn signal assembly? I'm looking into building some removable side cases, so I'd like to move my blinkers back beside the tail light.

                    If anyone else reading this has found a brake & turn light assembly they like, let me know.
                    The stock one is just fine. If you want to move the signals back, there is a bar that mounts to the license plate bracket that will hold the stock signal stems. They pop up on ebay pretty often.
                    1980 XS850SG - Sold
                    1981 XS1100LH Midnight Special (Sold) - purchased 9/29/08
                    Fully Vetterized and Dynojet Kit added, Heated Grips, Truck-Lite LED headlight, Accel Coils, Irridium plugs, TKAT Fork Brace, XS850LH Final Drive & Black SS Brake lines from Chacal.
                    Here's my web page devoted to my bike! XS/XJ User's Manuals there, and the XJ1100 Service Manual and both XS1100 Service manuals (free download!).

                    Whether you think you can, or you think you cannot - You're right.
                    -H. Ford

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by CatatonicBug View Post
                      The stock one is just fine. If you want to move the signals back, there is a bar that mounts to the license plate bracket that will hold the stock signal stems. They pop up on ebay pretty often.
                      Hey bug, how do you go about mounting the XJ or special signals to those bars? I have that bar already on by bike with the standard signals but they have pinch bolts on the signal stems. I know I have herd other people say you can still get the signals to mount fine , but how?
                      Nathan
                      KD9ARL

                      μολὼν λαβέ

                      1978 XS1100E
                      K&N Filter
                      #45 pilot Jet, #137.5 Main Jet
                      OEM Exhaust
                      ATK Fork Brace
                      LED Dash lights
                      Ammeter, Oil Pressure, Oil Temp, and Volt Meters

                      Green Monster Coils
                      SS Brake Lines
                      Vision 550 Auto Tensioner

                      In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.

                      Theodore Roosevelt

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I made a set of turn signal/brake lights from an old xs11 standard tail light. I just pulled the two prong tail light unit base out of the tail light and dropped it into the turn signal, but there wasn't enough room in the turn signal screw to fit two wires through........
                        79 XS11 Special (Lazarus)
                        80 XS850 Special (Old Faithful)
                        80 XS11 Standard sorta stock (Beatrice)
                        79 DT 100

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          If you search around I did a little write up with some up close pictures of when I moved my signals back. I also did it so I could fit larger bags on my bike.

                          The basics are:
                          1. remove your stock signals
                          2. Find the appropriate sized drill bit and drill a hole in each side of the tail light base, in a location you like the looks of - careful there's a whole wad of wires in there you don't want to screw up.
                          3. Go to the hardware store and buy a pair of bolts that thread into the stock signal stems, and some washers and a grommet of some sort.
                          4. Go home and drill out the center of that bolt, if you've got a drill press it shouldn't be too hard to clamp the bolt down and do it, otherwise you'll have to do it like I did and get a thing(can't remember the name now) that will let you screw the stock threaded part of the signal and the new bolt together, then you use the stock piece as a guide for your hand drill.
                          5. Thread your wires through the grommet, through the hole, through a washer, through the bolt and tighten everything up.
                          6. Go for a ride!

                          Edit, found the post, guess I didn't do much of a write up but it does have some better pictures.
                          Last edited by psycoreefer; 10-21-2010, 09:08 AM. Reason: Added link to post
                          1979 xs1100 Special -
                          Stock air box/K&N Filter, MAC 4-2 exhaust, Bad-Boy Air horn, TC fuse box, Windshield, Soft bags, Vetter Fairing, Blinkers->Run/Turn/Brake Lights, Headlight Modulator, hard wire GPS power

                          Short Stack - 1981 xs1100 Standard - lowered for SWMBO.

                          Originally posted by fredintoon
                          Goes like a train, corners like a cow, shifts like a Russian tractor, drinks like a fish, you are gonna love it.
                          My Bike:
                          [link is broken]

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            I liked this so much …

                            With my XJ I now have an tail light error on my dash. If I figure this out I'll post it.
                            '82 XJ1100 -
                            fusebox, 2nd gear fix
                            tail/turn/brake

                            Comment

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