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TECHNICAL MOTOBRICK WRENCHING In Remembrance of Inge K. => The Motobrick Workshop => Topic started by: 552255 on April 02, 2012, 08:54:00 AM

Title: "stock" running lights?
Post by: 552255 on April 02, 2012, 08:54:00 AM: Is it possible (reasonably) to get the signals to become running lights as well? needing some more visibilty up front.
Did a search and didn't find much, mostly LED type upgrades, etc. I have some driving lights under the 'nose' fairing mounted, but the orange up on the fairing would be better i think...

any info appreciated-
thanks, eric

'97 K1100LT
Title: Re: "stock" running lights?
Post by: DRxBMW on April 02, 2012, 10:08:23 AM: Quote from: 552255 on April 02, 2012, 08:54:00 AM
Is it possible (reasonably) to get the signals to become running lights as well? needing some more visibilty up front.
Did a search and didn't find much, mostly LED type upgrades, etc. I have some driving lights under the 'nose' fairing mounted, but the orange up on the fairing would be better i think...

any info appreciated-
thanks, eric

'97 K1100LT

http://www.run-n-lites.com/ (http://www.run-n-lites.com/)

(http://www.run-n-lites.com/images/thumbnails/thumb-RNL0019.jpg)

Easy enough to "roll your own" circuitry.
Title: Re: "stock" running lights?
Post by: 552255 on April 02, 2012, 04:20:49 PM: Yes-

thats what i'm looking for! thanks

found run-n-lites after more searching....
Title: Re: "stock" running lights?
Post by: frankenduck on April 02, 2012, 05:03:30 PM: I might have some used ones available. (They're not very bright.)
Title: Re: "stock" running lights?
Post by: johnny on April 02, 2012, 08:30:09 PM: greetings 552255...

the best forward facing conspicuity lights are the catz xlo ambers (http://www.motobrick.com/index.php/topic,330.0.html) which used to be called acid orange for a reason... they will burn into the a-holes brain that there is a moto there...

as for transforming front turn signals into running lights... no conspicuity there bro... you can score a singalminder (https://www.kisantech.com/index.php?cat_id=4) and do it that way... at least you will get bung running lights with a singnalminder...

i use run n lites (http://run-n-lites.com/prod-run-n-lites.asp) for bung conspicuity... nothing better than outlaw ambers on the bung... the man knows they are too right to be wrong on a moto...

my vote... catz xlo ambers front... run n lites bung... if you ride with anything less you best have your affairs in order...

j o
Title: Re: "stock" running lights?
Post by: frankenduck on April 02, 2012, 09:07:27 PM: Don't know about the front LT/RT lenses but the rear running lights will, after many miles, start to warp the lens slightly from the heat of the filament in the bulb.

On my K75 I installed LED bulbs with an LED-friendly relay and inverted the signal from the relay so they're always on full-on as running lights and flash off for turns. I wouldn't try this with filament bulbs as I'm sure the heat of a normal bulb would melt the lens.

(http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j246/smithduck/k75f/K75f_running_lights.jpg)
Title: Re: "stock" running lights?
Post by: conybeare on April 04, 2012, 04:27:31 PM: Anyone tried these? http://www.hyperlites.com/hyperwhite.html (http://www.hyperlites.com/hyperwhite.html)

I thought they might be a good alternative for those of us who are stuck with 35A alternators... and too cheap to upgrade. Then again, given that left-turners are our #1 enemy...
Title: Re: "stock" running lights?
Post by: motodude on April 25, 2012, 11:39:18 PM: Frankenduck,

Since you have experience with both the Kisan SM-6 and your DIY flasher, which do you prefer? Was the cost savings worth the effort it took to make the DIY? Which, if either, works better day-to-day?

Obviously the DIY was cheaper and there's some satisfaction from rolling your own, but does it work better in the real world? Do any of the SM-6's features justify its cost?

Thanks,
Tom
Title: Re: "stock" running lights?
Post by: frankenduck on April 26, 2012, 12:22:15 AM: I would never have done the DIY thing if I'd known about the KSM at the time.

The running lights feature of the KSM sucks IMO because it also lights up the indicators in the cluster.

BUT, the thing I really like about the KSM SM-6 is that when when hit the turn signal again it turns it off. All of my Ks are now equipped with KSM SM-6s if that tells you anything.
Title: Re: "stock" running lights?
Post by: motodude on April 26, 2012, 12:44:38 AM: Quote from: frankenduck on April 26, 2012, 12:22:15 AM
I would never have done the DIY thing if I'd known about the KSM at the time.

The running lights feature of the KSM sucks IMO because it also lights up the indicators in the cluster.

BUT, the thing I really like about the KSM SM-6 is that when when hit the turn signal again it turns it off. All of my Ks are now equipped with KSM SM-6s if that tells you anything.

Thank you. That's exactly the kind of information I was looking for.

Reading about the KSM, I wasn't sure I'd like the, "hit the same button to cancel" feature but maybe it isn't so bad. The other thing, from my reading, that I didn't like was the "flashing the turn signals when applying the brakes" feature, flashes the front turn signals too.

I suppose one could install some additional relays to invert the turn signals, instead of using the KSM running lights feature.

Thanks again,
Tom
Title: Re: "stock" running lights?
Post by: conybeare on April 26, 2012, 01:55:50 AM: Where did you guys find your amber acid lights? I've only found one or two sources online and a pair is running around $190 (http://foglights.com/xlo.html (http://foglights.com/xlo.html)). Any cheaper sources out there?
Title: Re: "stock" running lights?
Post by: johnny on April 26, 2012, 06:56:57 AM: this is where i got mine... (http://www.ebay.com/itm/CATZ-FET-XLO-BMW-K1100-FOG-LIGHTS-ORANGE-K11OG-PIAA-/150498016039?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item230a617b27)

his prices have more than doubled in the past few years... perhaps thebob (http://www.motobrick.com/index.php?action=profile;u=770) could score some in japan and send them over...

j o
Title: Re: "stock" running lights?
Post by: thebob on April 26, 2012, 07:01:32 AM: I was just going to say those things are quite spendy!

Most bike lights here are really expensive, I usually buy from the states or the UK, but lots of companies don't like to ship!
Title: Re: "stock" running lights?
Post by: johnny on April 26, 2012, 08:50:01 AM: 車用ライト（ハロゲン、フォグランプ、LED）のCAT

catz are the #1 tuner car lights in japan...

freaky that they can be shipped to another country sold and shipped back to japan for less than they can be bought in japan in the 1st place...

http://www.fet-japan.co.jp/catz/index.html (http://www.fet-japan.co.jp/catz/index.html)

j o
Title: Re: "stock" running lights?
Post by: thebob on April 26, 2012, 07:28:26 PM: Dealer chains are really tightly regulated here. So there are lots of middlemen to support.

Also prices in Yen have stayed the same and the USD/Euro/STG have dropped a lot over the past couple of years.

I even buy my Yamaha parts in the UK, even with shipping it is cheaper than shopping locally.

On the other hand, used K parts seem to be very cheap here because people don't do DIY!
Title: Re: "stock" running lights?
Post by: billday on April 29, 2012, 10:38:59 PM: Getting back to running lights... my front turn signals are little halogen jobs from Dennis Kirk, mounted on aluminum brackets of my own design (ha ha)... I've been thinking of mounting a second pair of the same lights just below the turn signals, and wiring them to the parking light to serve as running lights.

But now Duck's comments have me wondering whether the housing and lens could hold up to the bulbs being always on.