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Ratbuell
| Posted on Thursday, March 26, 2009 - 10:10 am: |
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Well, wasted some time (depends who you ask, lol) in the garage last night. Installed my new Hella Optilux angel-eye driving lights and my freshly-painted Cee Bailey windshield. Pardon the movement on the darker pics, but the flash pics didn't showcase the angel-eyes well at all. The lights are mounted (no drilling!) to the holes where the turn signals used to be. Angel eye rings are hooked to my old low beam wire (I've got the high beam mod), so the LED isn't lit the same time the driving bulb is on. Driving beam is triggered by high beam, so they turn to "melt" when I flip the switch. Relay is mounted in the flyscreen - it's the black one secured to the crossbrace, the blue one is the LED flasher from Al for the CR front/homemade LED rear turn signals. I've also got GPS and heated grips hooked into the aux outlet...there's a LOT of stuff in there now, but I think I have enough zip ties to keep stuff from rattling around
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Mortarmanmike120
| Posted on Thursday, March 26, 2009 - 10:18 am: |
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Agh, my eyes!!! Ha, even your picture is blinding! |
Electraglider_1997
| Posted on Thursday, March 26, 2009 - 12:33 pm: |
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Are you remounting turn signals someplace else? |
Ullygan
| Posted on Thursday, March 26, 2009 - 12:34 pm: |
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Hey Ratbuell lights look great where did you get them? Also how are the mirrors working for you, I'm going to get that done soon... Can you show them in action on the Uly? Thanks |
Ullygan
| Posted on Thursday, March 26, 2009 - 12:36 pm: |
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Electraglider_1997 He has the 1125 CR mirrors, look good too! |
Natexlh1000
| Posted on Thursday, March 26, 2009 - 12:47 pm: |
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Oh I see! you're using turn signals on the mirrors! |
Ratbuell
| Posted on Thursday, March 26, 2009 - 01:54 pm: |
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The mirrors are working very well. Stock windscreen, they vibe maybe a little less than the stock lollipops. With the Cee Bailey BAW on there, the front end has a little more vibe in it and the mirrors show it. Signals work awesome, I can see stopsigns flashing back at me at night when I approach intersections The lights are from here: http://www.autoanything.com/lights/69A1333A0A0.asp x Had to mod the harness quite a bit for length, but the only wire running off the front end is battery + (it fits in the wire protector thingy on the frame, too!); the rest is all inside the flyscreen. I bypassed the switch that came with it and I trigger the LEDs off low beam, and the main beams off hi beam. I'm thinking about an override switch on the main power lead...just not sure on that yet. <shrug> I don't have a way to do video, but I can try and get a pic of the signals... |
Werewulf
| Posted on Thursday, March 26, 2009 - 06:50 pm: |
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good job! i always wondered why more people didnt mount their aux lights at the turn signal location... how is it working out, any problems? |
Ratbuell
| Posted on Friday, March 27, 2009 - 09:02 am: |
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No problems so far. The lights have been mounted for a few weeks, I just got around to wiring them all the way (I had a defect issue with one of the cateye rings that I was waiting to solve - it was rattling around inside the lens a little). Nothing hitting the frame when I go full lock...and hopefully fewer cagers cutting me off, now that I have *four* high beams! Once I got the idea for aux lights, and the CR came out...I KNEW I'd found my solution. No drilling, still fully lit for safety...perfect! I have yet to ride at night, but focusing the beams I noticed (since I had to mount the new lights "sideways" - the "Top" label is pointed towards bike centerline) the beam pattern is more | than _ on the garage wall. It'll make for some nice beam spread down the road nearfield to farfield, just not as much on the shoulders and sides. But...with the low beam still on to fill those areas, it should be fine. I find out tonight on the way home from work. Everything is very snug, but I can still make an adjustment if I need to (tilt/pan). |
Werewulf
| Posted on Friday, March 27, 2009 - 09:44 am: |
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the turn signal location looks plenty stout to me... |
Ratbuell
| Posted on Friday, March 27, 2009 - 02:15 pm: |
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Stout to mount the aux lights? Absolutely. I have zero worries about that |
99savage
| Posted on Thursday, April 02, 2009 - 08:29 pm: |
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Like your arrangement. Do the LED lights contribute anything when you are running Lo Beam? |
Sekalilgai
| Posted on Thursday, April 02, 2009 - 10:29 pm: |
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that is one tidy setup! |
Ratbuell
| Posted on Friday, April 03, 2009 - 09:20 am: |
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Contribute, as in light the road? Nope, not a bit. They're there solely for the braindead-cager effect of "huh? wazzat over there?", in the hopes that I won't get clobbered. I have yet to get a good picture of them, but it *does* have a very unique look on low beam - in addition to making the 'face' of the bike much wider than just one light. |
Widowmaker2011
| Posted on Friday, April 03, 2009 - 11:12 am: |
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Ratbuell , I know you said no drilling but did you use the brackets that came with the lights or fabricate something. Plus, for those of us without the 1125 mirror/signal conversion , you "could" do this setup but wire the led ring to the blinker input... The led rings would be the blinker and otherwise it would be just as he describes. Sweet setup. (Message edited by widowmaker2011 on April 03, 2009) |
Rwven
| Posted on Friday, April 03, 2009 - 11:19 am: |
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As long as amber halos are available. Blue would be a no-no in my state.... |
Methed
| Posted on Friday, April 03, 2009 - 11:54 am: |
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i doubt the ring would be visible enough to use as a turn signal when the extra lights are on... |
Widowmaker2011
| Posted on Friday, April 03, 2009 - 12:05 pm: |
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you are probably right Methed... no turns with high beams on... |
Ratbuell
| Posted on Friday, April 03, 2009 - 04:01 pm: |
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Yeah, I wired the LEDs to go off with main beam function, but I'm sure you can't see 'em at all. They're not blue, even though they photo that way, they're more an ultra-white or HID-white. Used the brackets that came with the lights. They're surprisingly stout, no wiggle or shimmy at all. I have them tight as close to centerline as possible, but they have an adjustment slot that would allow me to move them a little more than an inch apiece farther from centerline. |
Sanjuro
| Posted on Monday, April 06, 2009 - 02:23 am: |
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Nice lights. I've been thinking of adding some PIAAs but the price turned me off. Thanks for sharing; I'm tempted, especially at $50 from Amazon... I think I'll email Strada to see if his light brackets would work for those. |
Fung
| Posted on Monday, April 06, 2009 - 08:42 am: |
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I picked up the strada kit and really like it. |
Ratbuell
| Posted on Monday, April 06, 2009 - 11:34 am: |
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The light brackets have 2 holes pre-drilled for mounting to the vehicle. I only use one, bolted through the turn signal holes. Lockwasher/nut inside the flyscreen, rubber washer between the bracket and the bike (nacelle?) to help keep the light from rotating down with vibration. No issues yet, no refocus required. |
Will547_us
| Posted on Tuesday, April 07, 2009 - 10:26 am: |
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Thanks for posting this. I was about to order some PIAA's and was concerned which of their mounts to use. This is less expensive and solves the mounting question too! Cheers, Will |
Cityxslicker
| Posted on Tuesday, April 07, 2009 - 02:13 pm: |
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I do love giving deserving cagers the four light salute The hi vis reflective tape on the handguards is nice too. When they hit the high beams, the reflective tape flashes back at them. The best 2.50 ever spent. |
Ratbuell
| Posted on Tuesday, April 07, 2009 - 02:28 pm: |
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Yeh, I've been debating putting the black reflective tape (reflects white, looks black in daylight) on my handguards. Although, our XP is on a lift getting upfitted right now...I'm DIGGING the TIR3 lightheads on the handguards! |
Mad_doctor
| Posted on Tuesday, April 07, 2009 - 06:41 pm: |
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I mounted 2 TIR3 on the rear, (over the license plate lamp). I have them set for random flash. These are freakin bright. I thought about mounting peterson leds on the front hand guards. I think I will pass on that though. If you can't see the Whelan TIR3, you are in trouble anyway. It was a pretty easy mount, but those lights are kind of pricey, but well worth it. |
Tginnh
| Posted on Tuesday, April 07, 2009 - 07:04 pm: |
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Cityx - great idea. I have hi vis tape all over my bike, but never thought to put it there. Thanks for the idea. |
Svh
| Posted on Tuesday, April 07, 2009 - 07:47 pm: |
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+1 to Tginnh. Never thought of that but will be putting it there when I get home. |
Skyclad
| Posted on Wednesday, April 08, 2009 - 12:23 am: |
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Will547, the PIAA's are a bit pricey, but well worth it. I was running with some cheapos, more to check my wiring and mounting setup than anything else. I put on the PIAA 510 with all-terrain pattern on and absolutely love them. Not much more reach than the regular lights (with Ultrastar bulbs), but a beautiful, wide pattern than is great for riding at night in dear country. I have done the low beam wiring mod, so I used the low beam power lead to control the relay and ran a switched main power line straight form the battery. When the old low beam lead is energized, the aux lights are off. When the lead is de-energized (hi beam or key off) the aux lights are on. Makes it nice when I am camping and need some extra light, but don't have the key with me. |
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