Lighting

[crazy steve]

...As for LEDs you can buy resistors you put inline ONLY to the signal filament. This will allow your auto cancel to work, and will not require any more draw from your charging system except when your signaling....

The only problem with the 'store-bought' units is you need one for each LED bulb you put in. If you do both ends, that's four you have to install. You can eliminate two if you pick up a 3 ohm resistor for each side and connect them into the feeds from the canceller to the lights. Use at least a 25 watt rated resistor, and mount it away from anything that doesn't like heat. A 50 watt would be better, but those are rather large. The 25 watt will be fine if you don't leave the turn sigs on too long (roughly a minute or less).

Will your canceller still work? Don't bet on it. These are notoriously sensitive to load; there's been numerous postings about owners using 1157 lamps and having flasher/canceller issues, and these resistor sizes 'mimic' the 1157 lamp, not the OEM lamp. Most owners forget about the canceller and resistors, install a electronic flasher that doesn't care about load, and call it good.

'78E original owner

[Crazcnuk]

As far as I know 1157 IS the oem lamp is it not?

But yes, you should put one resistor on each of the 4 signal circuits. They don't have to near the light, just anywhere you canconveniently get at the wires, and munt the resitors for cooling, they can get warm, although I don't think it should be ab issue on signal lights that only flash a few times.

The resistors are designed to fool burn-out senors on tail light bulbs, which are on steady for long periods of time.

I don't know if you could put 1 large resistor on each side instead of 2 smaller ones? Don't see why not, except for mounting issues. Doing this might make two lights dimmer than the other two?

[crazy steve]

As far as I know 1157 IS the oem lamp is it not?....

....I don't know if you could put 1 large resistor on each side instead of 2 smaller ones? Don't see why not, except for mounting issues. Doing this might make two lights dimmer than the other two?

'Motorcycle' lamps are usually slightly different. The filaments and supports are a bit more heavy-duty, and the watts aren't the same; the 1157 is rated at 22 watts I believe, and the OEM lamps are 27 watts. A small difference and not something you would see at a casual glance, but enough to screw up the canceller on occasion.

As far as using one 3 ohm resistor per side instead of two 6 ohm, it shouldn't make any difference. Size-wise, it's the watt rating that will determine physical size, not the ohms.

'78E original owner

[rpgoerlich]

Might check http://www.crc2onlinecatalog.com/turn_lens.htm to see if they still have the Red Rectangle Lens in stock. Part # YAM004 for $3.95ea.

[Crazcnuk]

I wasn't talking about size, I just meant that instead of splicing into 4 wires, with 4 small resistors and finding someplace to put them all, you should be able to just put 2 larger ones and only splice 2.

You could moun thtem to your carrier rack, under the trunk if you wanted for cooling.

As long as the load is sufficient for the entire side, it should work.

[crazy steve]

Red turn lenses

Might check http://www.crc2onlinecatalog.com/turn_lens.htm to see if they still have the Red Rectangle Lens in stock. Part # YAM004 for $3.95ea.

Good link. And they still have some; I ordered and got two for my standard from them. I'll bet these are NOS items that they have, so if you're interested I wouldn't be hesitating because I suspect when they run out they're gone forever. The two I got are identical to those I bought 30 years ago and a search for the company (VEM) turned up nada...

'78E original owner

[yamahansolo]

i don't get it i use led's in the blinkers and my auto cancel still works with no problems...??? i still have te stock flasher relay and i did not install load equalizers.

[CatatonicBug]

i don't get it i use led's in the blinkers and my auto cancel still works with no problems...??? i still have te stock flasher relay and i did not install load equalizers.

Well, are you going to tell us which LEDs you are using?? Seems rather strange, since the system is designed in such a way that it really SHOULDN'T work with LEDs. More info please!

[psycoreefer]

I own a 1979 xs1100f standard (45k >/< original miles). By design, the front turn signals double as running lights. I would like to modify the rear signals to act as running lights as well. Is it as simple as using "front" signal assemblies on the rear and "tapping" into the front wiring?
I commute about 100 miles a day and often ride in the dark and the rain. I would feel much better if I had additional lighting on the rear.

Not sure if you saw this http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread...urn+Tail+Brake thread, but I detail how I made my rears work like turn/tail/brake lights. Only problem would be finding red lenses for the standard square signals.

[CatatonicBug]

Only problem would be finding red lenses for the standard square signals.

That problem is solved in post #19 on this thread. $3.95 each.

[cywelchjr]

Thanks to all for the replies. As for the charging system..I think I can place resisters to prevent excessive battery discharge. I will check with the C.H.P. (California Highway Patrol) to see if I will have to swap to clear lenses (red ones are not available for the XS1100 standard). Though this model does have an oversized taillight...I would feel much more visible from the rear when riding in the rain and the dark.

If you put enough resistance in the line to keep the current down the lights won't like enough to be worth anything. That is really the reason for going to LED's so you can have the brightness and lower the current at the same time.

[CatatonicBug]

Good link. And they still have some; I ordered and got two for my standard from them. I'll bet these are NOS items that they have, so if you're interested I wouldn't be hesitating because I suspect when they run out they're gone forever. The two I got are identical to those I bought 30 years ago and a search for the company (VEM) turned up nada...

Well, looks like the supply dried up! Part YAM004 is now an amber lens for another application...