Update on tail light idea

[ddragon63]

Somethings are just this simple in life....

I was in a customers shop a bit ago, chewing the fat and brought up my conundrum to him. He pointed out to his dump trailer and says "Take yer ass down to NAPA and get a couple low profile LED trailer marker lights and mount em to the trunk above the red ones..."

I started to laugh.. "Ya I guess it could be just that easy huh?!"

He looked hard @ me and said "Damn boy! stop trying to reinvent the wheel... Its gonna be round still!"

So Here what I'm gonna go grab a pair of. I figure @ about $10 a pair if I don't wanna use em I got spares for my boat trailer...

[jetmechmarty]

If you swap your tail light assy with one from a XS11 standard you'll have twice the light mounted on your fender. It shows well, even under the trunk.

[ddragon63]

Now here's the big question. as these amber's are LED... In my experience going from standard to LED blinkers (my R1) they all work fine, only issue is that the speed of the flasher is faster due to the lower voltage. It came with a diode to slow it down but it doesn't bother me. Now are these amber's in the XS gonna cause the same thing? In my opinion the flasher speed of the XS could be a little faster so if that's my only issue than we're going in the right direction.

[natemoen]

As I said in your other thread, that is not a diode, it is a load equalizer that ups the current.draw. so then you are still drawing the same current as a incandescent bulb. No power savings at all.

Just swap out to a 2 prong electronic flasher.

[ddragon63]

As I said in your other thread, that is not a diode, it is a load equalizer that ups the current.draw. so then you are still drawing the same current as a incandescent bulb. No power savings at all.

Just swap out to a 2 prong electronic flasher.

thanks Nate

losing the auto cancel isn't a big deal to me. none of my other bikes have it. I'm use to canceling signals. So swaping flashes is not a big deal. I'll get some lights and do some mock up and post my final results

[JasonRedbeard]

+1 to nate with the electronic flasher. They're more reliable anyway, and will handle whatever load you throw at them without affecting the flash speed.

[fredintoon]

- - - Now are these amber's in the XS gonna cause the same thing? In my opinion the flasher speed of the XS could be a little faster so if that's my only issue than we're going in the right direction.

Hi Don,
here's what happened to me. Start with stock signal set up working OK.
Attach sidecar, remove right turns from bike and wire up to existing signals on sidecar. Left signals OK, right signals come on but don't flash due to only having 22Watt bulbs in them. Quick fix, mount a 3rd signal. This gives a 3 x 22 = 66 Watts load instead of the stock 54Watts load. Result, about a 30% increase in flasher speed. I can live with that. So I did, for about a month until my stock flasher unit died (presumably) of overwork. The Canadian Tire electronic flasher I replaced the stocker with has lasted for 3 years now. It don't talk to the self canceller but it does pulse at the same rate no matter what the load is.
So what I reckon is, running LED signals as well as the stock signals will increase the load on the flasher by how much? Another 2 Watts even? I doubt that's enough to make a noticeable difference to the flasher's speed or it's longevity.

[ddragon63]

Hi Don,
here's what happened to me. Start with stock signal set up working OK.
Attach sidecar, remove right turns from bike and wire up to existing signals on sidecar. Left signals OK, right signals come on but don't flash due to only having 22Watt bulbs in them. Quick fix, mount a 3rd signal. This gives a 3 x 22 = 66 Watts load instead of the stock 54Watts load. Result, about a 30% increase in flasher speed. I can live with that. So I did, for about a month until my stock flasher unit died (presumably) of overwork. The Canadian Tire electronic flasher I replaced the stocker with has lasted for 3 years now. It don't talk to the self canceller but it does pulse at the same rate no matter what the load is.
So what I reckon is, running LED signals as well as the stock signals will increase the load on the flasher by how much? Another 2 Watts even? I doubt that's enough to make a noticeable difference to the flasher's speed or it's longevity.

I don't mean this to sound bad.. But who needs auto cancel? I will admit its a cool thing to tell your buddies you have. After riding non auto cancels for years I still cancel my own signals even on "old man" just out of habit. Turn the corner, stab the spade.

[ddragon63]

Idea

Trailer 5 wire to 4 wire converter box.... make the reds in the trunk into running/brake/turns. no have to add any extra lamps... ta dah!

Should be able to wire it up in the trunk and just a a jumper from the brake to the converter then out to the turns in the trunk. that's my theory

[Gearsnd]

theory

just a thought dragon. i might be wrong. as i have been known to be on occasion. but if you wire your brake light into your turn signal into your to get the turn/brake/running light all on one light won't that allow the blinkers from one side to bleed power to the other side making them all blink at the same time?

[ddragon63]

just a thought dragon. i might be wrong. as i have been known to be on occasion. but if you wire your brake light into your turn signal into your to get the turn/brake/running light all on one light won't that allow the blinkers from one side to bleed power to the other side making them all blink at the same time?

Not if you use one of these... its the same box you would use to wire trailer lights... take your 5 in (brake, ground, tail, left blink, right blink)and it splits it into 4 (ground, tail, left blink/brake, right blink/brake) so each tail acts independently upon itself

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA300_.jpg

[Gearsnd]

i am saving that link! lol thanks. thats gonna help me with my next trailer build.

[ddragon63]

i am saving that link! lol thanks. thats gonna help me with my next trailer build.

for 13 bucks its cheaper than my idea of putting ambers in the trunk or an LED light bar. I don't have to drill anymore holes. Everything will stay the same. And like previous stated. if my theory hold up all I should have to do is run a jumper from the brake light on the fender into my trunk. All the rest of the wiring is already in the trunk. little snip here and there splice in the box 3m douple side tape the box to the inside of the trunk and done.

I'm still gonna buy a "no load" electric flasher and LED bulbs to save myself some taxing on the charging system.

I'll post pictures when I dig into it with final results and/or headaches

[ManagerMike]

Not if you use one of these... its the same box you would use to wire trailer lights... take your 5 in (brake, ground, tail, left blink, right blink)and it splits it into 4 (ground, tail, left blink/brake, right blink/brake) so each tail acts independently upon itself

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA300_.jpg

NAPA has them too, about 15 bucks! PN: BK 7551086