Extra Lighting Part 4.
Ok, so as of last time I haven't had chance to fit the new lights yet to the bike but, I'll document the process so far. We are virtually at the point of fitting anyway.
First up we need to momentarily tack our lights to our brackets with some glue. I used some super glue in fact I used a lot, it was more of a permanent bond, however we need them interchangeable. If one fails in future we want to have the possibility of being able to swap it out. The glue can be prised apart with a screw driver but for for now we can drill through our holes, through the bracket and use our nuts and bolts of a decent size as our main means of fixing. The glue will help to also keep the light fixed however should the bolts vibrate out over time without you realising. I just used a pack of assorted bolts I picked up at the pound store again while checking through the tools and thought they would be good especially for this, maybe an M4 thread ? I'm not sure without checking. But any small nut & bolt, small enough to fit through the holes (I drilled them out slightly
bigger, just can't go too big) and long enough to fit through the light and bracket together and have a nut tightened.
I just used a pack of assorted bolts I picked up at the pound store, again while checking through the tools and thought they would be good especially for this, maybe an M4 thread ? I'm not sure without checking with a die or thread gauge. But any small nut & bolt, small enough to fit through the holes (I drilled them out slightly bigger using my Vernier to check the drill diameter in regard to the bolt diameter, just can't go too big a nice snug fit) and long enough to fit through the light and bracket together and have a nut tightened. Be careful when drilling, when it burst through the back of the bracket the weight of the drill came down quick and the chuck just nicked the inner edge of the light's aluminium casing. It's not a problem as it will be painted anyway but if it came down with any more force it could crack the magnifying lense. Of course it wouldn't of happened if I was using my vertical bench drill but it's a lot of hassle setting it up just for this and I'm guessing most people would just be using a hand drill in the same way such as this. This is because the bracket is thin as opposed to thick metal and just punches straight through. And will take you by surprise.
They look ok enough to mount as is and you may prefer them aluminum. We will use some black Hammerite paint on the brackets and lights here though as the bike is black and it also doesn't make them stand out and look more natural on the bike. Hammerite can go on straight to metal without a primer and is much less of a hassle in that regard than other auto type paint. Make sure to mask off the lense to not get paint on it, a sharp scalpel / Stanley knife can be used to trim the masking tape off around the lense perfectly. If you do get paint on the lense, better waiting till dry then scrape off lightly with the tip of a flat head screwdriver being careful not to scratch the lense. If you wipe it you could smear it further thinning it out when dry, making it harder to remove / break off.
After this is done, I turn my attention back to the wiring and the (red) 'positive' wire from the lights at the front towards the back (batteries). The positive wire is where it's best for us to place our switch on (in most circuits). This is the wire where there's load and when switched off should anything happen is disrupted in flow. As opposed to just the circuit being broken if placed on the negative wire.
I check there is enough length from the lights at the front up to the visor / handlebar area where the switch will be mounted with some extra length to spare just in case it gets mounted somewhere else in the area instead or I need to cut a bit off and re strip / fit again. I plan on mounting the switch on that plastic piece just below the visor. That part cost about £50.00 to replace so I had better drill the hole nice and neatly and get it right if I do. If not somewhere on one of those quarter panels.
I used some more of the female type connectors I used earlier as the switch has the male type built in. A (red) positive wire connects to one connector on the switch, then another positive wire off the other one to go on to join the positive on the battery. I removed the plastic cover to the female connectors when crimping onto the wire and chose to use a little red heat shrink wrap sleeve instead. Remember to pop it on over the wire first other wise you wont get it over the connector. Those plastic connectors can be a bit scruffy after crimped. You can remove them by just pulling them off with two pairs of pliers or by putting the plastic bit in the vice and pulling the connector off. If you want to make sure the connector is crimped as tightly as possible after using the crimping tool you can use some pliers and put extra pressure on, heck in fact you could probably use pliers if you don't have the proper crimping tool anyway but it helps form a better rounded crimp shape. You could always add a little solder but I didn't here. Pliers after because removing the plastic diameter may affect the crimp from the pre-set tool!
Then I test the lights to make sure the drilling hasn't damaged them in anyway. I also check the switch works ok (may add video later, if there's any point. It would be a very boring video after all) by just touching the one remaining switch connector briefly to the battery electrode and turning the switch on and off everything works fine. I don't want to mount the switch then find I have a macaroni switch I need to replace later on. I also know I need to order and add another switch to the circuit to act as a main cut off switch and locate it down under the rear seat so I can turn it off when parked up. This switch will just act as a function switch. Otherwise there's nothing stopping the battery from being drained if switched on when stationary. If I switch the switch off under the seat it's off permanently. Since I get my locks out from there it won't be a hassle.
Speedometer.
It looks as though the wires under the speedo mentioned in the last blog were pulled by someone sticking their hand under there, as just like me everyone says one screw could've vibrated out but three or four wires in the same place wouldn't come out together, especially with one connector snapped by force. And there's no way anything would've snagged up there or even got up there while driving (sorry riding) with the fairing. It's all back and working fine anyway, in fact I think the connectors I put on were even better then the previous ones. As for the screw to replace properly I can't just buy one in spares so I need to find a match from somewhere. It's not worth £50.00 for a whole new speedo just for a screw! I think most electrical screws have a M3.5 thread, so I'll take a gamble on of those. Whether someone was fiddling under there trying to feel around for / find wires to try steal the bike when parked (most likely) I don't know? They would've had all the locks to deal with too but there you go. I think I'll take my hot glue gun and cover all the screws with a dollop of hot glue to stop them falling out along with some thread lock. The glue can be peeled back / pulled off with a finger nail if you need to remove a screw but would stop them coming out.
