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New LEDs -brake lights- Flashing.

FlaNC700X

FlaNC700X

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Hi everyone- after seeing techie add more red to the back of her bike I decided to add some more lights also. I figured it would save a lot of squeezing in and out of my brake hand if the LEDs were flashing. So I went to the local bike shop and found a set of 2 pods flashing red with 8 LEDs in each pod. Cost was about $30. Yeah I know somewhere they were cheaper and Beemer could have made them with spare parts in one of his three garages. But when you got an itch you scratch! So it took some time to figure out how to download my pictures on my phone to the iPad, but I finally figured out Dropbox would help. Now I know there is probably a lot better ways to do this but I just did it my way. I figured if I could identify the brake power cable and just tap into it and a ground and I'd be good to go. Lesson 1 - if your going to screw with electronics you better have spare fuses! Timeout to visit local auto store as bike shop doesn't carry fuses! WTF? So under the rear fender is a Phillips screw I removed it to find a not so water tight compartment with rear electronics running through it. Timeout- wipe water from face that dripped from panel. Now you can see a bunch of bolts screws and hex key heads securing the back light and plate assembly. Yes of course I removed every screw like a dummy. So the ones to remove are the hex head ones. This will remove the light assembly. I used a voltmeter to determine the right wire and spliced into the brake light power wire. This is fed from the fuse panel through a 7.5 fuse. The pods came wired with a .5 amp inline fuse. So I felt confident, soldered the wires together sealed each polarity then sealed the bundle. Tucked the excess wire into the brake assembly as there was plenty of room in there. I couldn't decide where to mount the LED's for maximum effect. I wanted them to have separation from the original brake light but not to far to show excess wire. I choose the bracket that holds the side reflectors on the plate assembly. Here are some pictures.

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Trying to get more photos....continuing
 
I sure wish I knew something about electrical/mechanical work so I could do something like this. I'm no Bob Villa around the house, either (I think that disappoints my wife more than anything :cool:) I thought about doing something like this, and may have to have my dad do it. Looking forward to more pics, and the final product.
 
image.jpg

image.jpg
This picture shows where I mounted the LED's on the bracket that hold the reflectors to the side of the plate.

image.jpg
This shows final position, I will try to load the video next so you can see them flash.
 
I found a flashing unit that is the same size as the reflecter under the tail light, it would fit perfectly and look almost stock. One problem the shop wants $180 for it, great unit designed for law enforment cars, just to much money when you live on VA disability.
 
Cutter J. Duke said:
I found a flashing unit that is the same size as the reflecter under the tail light, it would fit perfectly and look almost stock. One problem the shop wants $180 for it, great unit designed for law enforment cars, just to much money when you live on VA disability.
Click to expand...

Have a look at this one. Also the same size as the reflector and much less expensive. Hell for bright. Programmable flash patterns. Dimmable. I am using two of these (on homemade forkleg mounts) in amber continuous run mode for front lights. I have them wired as running lights, but they alternate with the turn signals to provide extra turn signaling.

I have found Strobes-n-more quality to be very high. Up there with Whelen...

Strobes N' More
 
NICE FINDThank You Beemerphile, for the link. this unit is a lot less expensive and within my budget. It looks like a good unit and I like the no questions asked replacement policy. I'll be doing some close mesurements and talking with them. Again thanks.
 
Cutter J. Duke said:
NICE FINDThank You Beemerphile, for the link. this unit is a lot less expensive and within my budget. It looks like a good unit and I like the no questions asked replacement policy. I'll be doing some close mesurements and talking with them. Again thanks.
Click to expand...

I'll save you the trouble. The fit is just about perfect...

DSC00690.jpgDSC00691.jpgDSC00692.jpg

If I hadn't decided to just 86 the whole unit as part of my "Touring Tail Tidy" I'd have done likewise.

Some US jurisdictions will ticket a flashing brake light that keeps on flashing. Generally, one that flashes a few times and goes constant usually gets by. You can program this light for constant on and use a 3rd brakelight flasher to give it some flashes and then go constant. This device also can be programmed to not repeat the flash until the brakelight hasn't been used for a certain time. That prevents you from constantly flashing the person behind you in stop-n-go traffic.

http://www.3rdbrakeflasher.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=65&products_id=181&zenid=821d764eb86e50dd07da6ff6608cc844
 
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Beemerphile said:
I'll save you the trouble. The fit is just about perfect...

View attachment 786View attachment 787View attachment 788

If I hadn't decided to just 86 the whole unit as part of my "Touring Tail Tidy" I'd have done likewise.

Some US jurisdictions will ticket a flashing brake light that keeps on flashing. Generally, one that flashes a few times and goes constant usually gets by. You can program this light for constant on and use a 3rd brakelight flasher to give it some flashes and then go constant. This device also can be programmed to not repeat the flash until the brakelight hasn't been used for a certain time. That prevents you from constantly flashing the person behind you in stop-n-go traffic.

Universal Brake Light Flasher/Strober - 36 modes Universal Brake Light Flasher/Strober - 36 modes [unvbrkflsh36] - $19.95 : 3rdBrakeFlasher, E-commerce web site
Click to expand...

I would be happy with a simple constant one when brake is applied, Could I just tap into the brake wire or do I need some sort of resistor? Hi tech electrics are not my strong smoot.
 
soggybottom said:
I would be happy with a simple constant one when brake is applied, Could I just tap into the brake wire or do I need some sort of resistor? Hi tech electrics are not my strong smoot.
Click to expand...

Resistors are only needed for turn signals which have mechanical (vs. electronic) flasher units. As long as the brake light is designed to operate on 12 vdc you do not need a resistor. One of the programming modes for this light is "constant on". There is a dim function available that you might want to use because it is hell for bright. The wires to tap for brake are green with yellow stripe for 12v+ and solid green for 12v-
 
I thought of that location Beemer but it was too close to the main light, and the main brake light is bright enough. I wanted to increase safety if someone was coming up behind me at a traffic light, if the person is already stopped behind me I merely release the brake.

Side note: on my bike it was the green and pink wire.
 
FlaNC700X said:
I thought of that location Beemer but it was too close to the main light, and the main brake light is bright enough. I wanted to increase safety if someone was coming up behind me at a traffic light, if the person is already stopped behind me I merely release the brake.

Side note: on my bike it was the green and pink wire.
Click to expand...

John,

I don't see a green with pink wire anywhere on the service manual schematic (or on my motorcycle). For all models the brake is green with yellow, the tail light is pink with blue and the ground is solid green. My bike matched the schematic in the service manual. Hard to believe that you have something different there, but I guess anything is possible. I agree that some light separation is a good idea. That is one reason I started over from scratch. But Cutter was looking for a good light to fit where the reflector is and I thought that the Strobes-n-More light was exactly what he was searching for. Even in dimmed mode, it will outshine the stock brakelight handily and can be flashed either with it's own programming or extrenally as I have done with th 3rd brake light flasher.
 
Maybe it was blue and pink but I do remember the pink, oh well does not matter it's done.Today when I was visiting cycle gear I saw a product that goes either above or below the license plate. It was about $6 cheaper, but I think mine look better.

Update: after zooming in on one of the pictures Beemer is correct on the color.
 
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I have a GYB Stopper LED bar on all my street bikes and scooters. It's mounts to the bottom of the license plate (US size, anyway). I have them rigged with a programmable flasher module from eBay. The light bar flashes rapidly 5 times in the first second, then stays on steady. The flash cycle repeats each time the brake is reapplied. It was an easy install and is very effective.

By them at Amazon, Cyclegear, and other places. Comes in red lens or white lens but lights up red either way.

Greg

stopper.jpgstopper2.jpg
 
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