Extra Lighting Part 1.
I thought about adding some extra lighting to the bike using a small L.E.D solution of some kind. Now, I'll admit that after the problems with the T10 L.E.D bulbs it feels like it could be a waste of time if they blow in the same way.
Now after a look through eBay (you can find just about everything on there, no matter how obscure) Somewhere like Maplin might also stock what you're after.
First, I need to look at the bike & see what possibly could be installed and where. The small vents on the front fairing at the bottom looked the best bet. So I needed to look for something ideal for that location.
On eBay I came across a pair of small round aluminum encased & magnified L.E.Ds that came with a strobe unit. They come in all colours but of course I went for white, at least I hope they're white and they have sent me the correct ones! Because even though I ordered white the box wasn't ticked for any o the colours on the pack. Now we don't need the strobe unit as this will make them flash like emergency services and we want them constant, so we don't need to use it. If you would like the option to add a bypass in the circuit to turn the strobe on or just bypass it and have it on constant, it's up to you. I also against the law unless they're amber I think?
Of course the L.E.D issue I had with the SMD T10 bulbs blowing pretty much straight away is now at the fore front of my mind and looking at these because of the magnification I'm unsure whether it's a type of rounded SMD or an more original type of L.E.D? I'm leaning on the latter & hoping but I'm still not guaranteed it won't blow. Because of this I should test it out first before mounting with the engine running for awhile to save me the trouble. I will wire the bulbs direct from the battery as they are an 12v DC input. The battery will still be charged by the bikes charging system and it shouldn't be affected in any way. I will also hook up a switch to the circuit once I know it works well, so they can be used in conjunction with riding light or headlights or on their own as well as being able to be switched off, which is another good point for wiring direct from the battery. Also if there is a slight pick up / spike in power from the bikes charging system that was blowing the L.E.Ds it shouldn't affect the circuit here as it's being fed direct from the battery, although I'll still test with the engine running just to make double sure.
[The place where they will be mounted, from behind inside the vent].
I went for a few meters of 10 amp electrical wiring cable. 10 amp maybe overkill and the wiring that's attached directly to the L.E.D units is thinner and certainly rated less but, it's always good to have the headroom just in case especially with virtually no price difference but, I think the draw will be fine. In fact I think that will be obvious.
Sometimes if the wires get too hot on an application they melt the insulation then can short together. I've seen this in radio controlled models wiring, when wiring wasn't exactly what it said it was on the tin so to speak & melted. But the draw is a lot on an RC motor and nowhere near as bad on an L.E.D in any case.
Make sure you get enough in length, remember you also have to have wire to run for your switch too, not just from battery to source.
I also went for a fairly large flick / toggle switch. That's so it can be operated easily while riding. Whether I will find some proper connectors to connect to the switch? I actually wouldn't be surprised if I already have some to be honest, it's just I'm not sure if I have the crimping still tool to connect them onto the wire. I'm sure I lent it out to someone fitting a car stereo or something and never got it back. In which case I may just solder the wires on.
This time I've got a nice pack of heatshrink sleeves to use instead of electrical tape. It should make everything look at little nicer and more professional than tape does for soldered joints etc.
And we've got an aluminum strip 3mm thick to make our right angled mounting brackets from. Now this was chosen because it's strong and also malleable, at 2/3mm thick it can be bent easily to form a right angle bracket but, once fitted with pressure we can also adjust the elevation of the light by slightly bending once again. 2mm is easier to work with but can snap if over worked too much on the bend point, I've gone for 3mm. A rubber mallet and a vice would come in handy for bending the strip. A blow torch to heat the strip briefly before it's bent on the bend point would help, as it makes the process easier but is not necessary. I have made sure the strip has enough length to make two brackets, also to allow for any mistakes / damaged brackets first off.
Again eBay is the best place for this. The strips come in various sizes this was ideal [I'll edit size in here] for this application. The L.E.Ds will obviously be attached to one side of the bracket and the other then to the inside of the front fairing near the vent either by bolts or epoxy. A bolt would also allow the light beam to be adjusted left to right but would require the drilling of the fairing underside along with rubber washers to stop the fairing from cracking under pressure from the tightened bolt.
First, I need to look at the bike & see what possibly could be installed and where. The small vents on the front fairing at the bottom looked the best bet. So I needed to look for something ideal for that location.
On eBay I came across a pair of small round aluminum encased & magnified L.E.Ds that came with a strobe unit. They come in all colours but of course I went for white, at least I hope they're white and they have sent me the correct ones! Because even though I ordered white the box wasn't ticked for any o the colours on the pack. Now we don't need the strobe unit as this will make them flash like emergency services and we want them constant, so we don't need to use it. If you would like the option to add a bypass in the circuit to turn the strobe on or just bypass it and have it on constant, it's up to you. I also against the law unless they're amber I think?
Of course the L.E.D issue I had with the SMD T10 bulbs blowing pretty much straight away is now at the fore front of my mind and looking at these because of the magnification I'm unsure whether it's a type of rounded SMD or an more original type of L.E.D? I'm leaning on the latter & hoping but I'm still not guaranteed it won't blow. Because of this I should test it out first before mounting with the engine running for awhile to save me the trouble. I will wire the bulbs direct from the battery as they are an 12v DC input. The battery will still be charged by the bikes charging system and it shouldn't be affected in any way. I will also hook up a switch to the circuit once I know it works well, so they can be used in conjunction with riding light or headlights or on their own as well as being able to be switched off, which is another good point for wiring direct from the battery. Also if there is a slight pick up / spike in power from the bikes charging system that was blowing the L.E.Ds it shouldn't affect the circuit here as it's being fed direct from the battery, although I'll still test with the engine running just to make double sure.
[The place where they will be mounted, from behind inside the vent].
I went for a few meters of 10 amp electrical wiring cable. 10 amp maybe overkill and the wiring that's attached directly to the L.E.D units is thinner and certainly rated less but, it's always good to have the headroom just in case especially with virtually no price difference but, I think the draw will be fine. In fact I think that will be obvious.
Sometimes if the wires get too hot on an application they melt the insulation then can short together. I've seen this in radio controlled models wiring, when wiring wasn't exactly what it said it was on the tin so to speak & melted. But the draw is a lot on an RC motor and nowhere near as bad on an L.E.D in any case.
Make sure you get enough in length, remember you also have to have wire to run for your switch too, not just from battery to source.
I also went for a fairly large flick / toggle switch. That's so it can be operated easily while riding. Whether I will find some proper connectors to connect to the switch? I actually wouldn't be surprised if I already have some to be honest, it's just I'm not sure if I have the crimping still tool to connect them onto the wire. I'm sure I lent it out to someone fitting a car stereo or something and never got it back. In which case I may just solder the wires on.
This time I've got a nice pack of heatshrink sleeves to use instead of electrical tape. It should make everything look at little nicer and more professional than tape does for soldered joints etc.
And we've got an aluminum strip 3mm thick to make our right angled mounting brackets from. Now this was chosen because it's strong and also malleable, at 2/3mm thick it can be bent easily to form a right angle bracket but, once fitted with pressure we can also adjust the elevation of the light by slightly bending once again. 2mm is easier to work with but can snap if over worked too much on the bend point, I've gone for 3mm. A rubber mallet and a vice would come in handy for bending the strip. A blow torch to heat the strip briefly before it's bent on the bend point would help, as it makes the process easier but is not necessary. I have made sure the strip has enough length to make two brackets, also to allow for any mistakes / damaged brackets first off.
Again eBay is the best place for this. The strips come in various sizes this was ideal [I'll edit size in here] for this application. The L.E.Ds will obviously be attached to one side of the bracket and the other then to the inside of the front fairing near the vent either by bolts or epoxy. A bolt would also allow the light beam to be adjusted left to right but would require the drilling of the fairing underside along with rubber washers to stop the fairing from cracking under pressure from the tightened bolt.
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