Taking a load off........I love LED's!!

[Snaggletooth]

One of my winter projects was to convert all my running and marker lights to LED. I've got my front fender marker and then four double sets in the rear light bar and then four mini Barons on top of the light bar. That's fourteen 194 bulbs alone. I can see the drop on the volt meter when I turn them on. Wanted to get that down a bit.

 

I stopped at about every truckstop and and independent bike shop I came across looking for housings and light assemblies and never really found anything that would make a clean mount or look like it belonged there.

 

Then I found these guys a while back.

 

www.superbrightleds.com Right out of Missouri, USA!

 

I bought a few LEd bulbs with the 194 type wedge base to try and liked what they did. In fact, I had one out of the first batch that was a bit intermitant and I shot them an e-mail and they sent a replacement the next day. No problem at all with their customer service people.

 

These LEDs have voltage range from 5-14.5 volts depending on the LED type and a full selection to cover about any application. You can select the beam pattern, how wide, on most of the styles and luminous intensity for your application also on most.

 

So I ordered everything I needed to do the markers and will get to the dash lights later on. For under $45.00 I got enough to do everything and that included shipping. A whole $5.00 for that.

 

But I took a pic of the rear bar with only two LEDs in the Barons. Should be able to pick them out easy enough. Brought the red back out instead of that orangish color. Betting that my volt meter won't even flinch when I kick all these puppies on.

 

I paid about .96 cents each for the stock 194 bulbs and $1.99 each for the 5 bulb LEDs that went into the Baron.

 

Just read the spec sheets on the LEDs before ordering. The LEDs are bit bigger depending on the application. I ordered three different types for mine to get them to fit.

 

Now if that ain't a poor man fix......what is?

 

Mike

Edited March 10, 2010 by Snaggletooth

[Kregerdoodle]

Looks good...and those are some great prices also....

[mbrood]

I concur... superbrightleds is a great bunch to deal with... if your order is under $25, you have to order on-line... over and you can just call 'em. Either way, their products are exactly as advertised and great. I have a few that I replaced also... made a real change in my voltage drop as well! (and 14 others on the side and up front!)

 

http://www.bergall.org/temp/venture/rearlight.jpg

[a1bummer]

That's where I got all my LEDs to build my sequential turn signals.

[Snaggletooth]

They are good folks to work with. They replaced the bad bulb I got without a problem and N/C on shipping. They answer e-mails same day and I get my orders within a couple of days.

 

Hard to beat service like that and the prices are decent. I was considering replacing the four Mini Barons on my light bar with new LED bullets at $80.00 a pair. Got the same affect for $1.99 per light with their bulbs.

 

Good enough.

[Condor]

Thanks for the link Mike. As soon as the '91 issues get ironed out.... yep it's gonna be this summer or else... I've gotta do something about all the Baron's on the thing. It has more lights than a Christmas tree. Prices look very good. Maybe this project won't break the bank....

[Dano]

Good look there Mike, that's next on the list for me,,,,,,,

 

Now you need to set that off with a custom platform hitch that I make for the 1st gens,,,:mo money:

[Snaggletooth]

Condor!!!! Yikes!!! Ya'll got some bulbs there buddy! I only had 16 to deal with. I just finished up installing the last of them in mine. I flicked the switch and the digital voltmeter barely flinched at all. Now that alone is worth the change over to me.

 

I spent a lot of time checking specs on the LEDS as they are a bit bigger depending on which bulb you choose. For the bulbs that mount from the side I ended up using the WLED-X5 Wide Angle LED-R5. ($2.99 each) It fit well and looks fine. I just went ahead and ordered the tail/brake light bulbs with the 1157 mount tonight to. That should do it for now. Yeah.......Right.

 

Dano.....

 

You gonna be getting a PM in a bit.

[Condor]

Good look there Mike, that's next on the list for me,,,,,,,

 

Now you need to set that off with a custom platform hitch that I make for the 1st gens,,,

 

Dan, Maybe I missed it, but you got a pic??

[friesman]

Dan, Maybe I missed it, but you got a pic??

 

 

Yeah , that:sign yeah that:

 

Brian

[Dano]

I had posted some last year after I built it, but here's some I took last night. I use 1-1/2"x 1/4" flat bar for the horizontal bars, tied in at the muffler bolts, 1" flat bar for the vertical support bars (you gotta change out those top fender bolts to grade 8 tho, don't ask me how I know!); 1-1/4" angle for the rear cross piece between the runners, flat plate for the cooler rack and an 1-1/4" Class 1 stinger and tube. Everything is stick welded, extremely durable, offsets are built in to get around the rear pumpkin and swingarm.

 

I'd probably go 150 + shipping if somebody wanted one, you buy your own stinger and ball (saves on shipping costs).

 

These could go on either with or without the chrome rear "bumper", a small modification to the inside chrome piece (the up-sweeping piece) for the vertical riser to get past it is neccesary, but easily achievable with basic tools.

 

Watchya' think? Ya, I know she's dirty, hasn't had that spring bath yet.........

[Condor]

 

Watchya' think? Ya, I know she's dirty, hasn't had that spring bath yet.........

 

Looks like it'd pull a tank Dan. One question. Is the ball tang permanently welded on or is it removable? OK two questions. If it's removable where is the pin to keep it from pulling out??

[Dano]

The "tang" or stinger is removeable, if you look at the underneath pic, you can see the hole that the pin goes thru, I just didn't install it for the pics, there's also a hole in the rear cross piece for the chain to hook into. I pulled my Craftsman trailer to Dons and down to the IR last year without any concerns, once I rebuilt the trailer and moved the box back about 6" to get the load corrected. A small 6 can (or bottle!) cooler will set easily on the platform tied down with some short bungie cords, ends up just below the license plate (for you LEOs out there!).

[Snaggletooth]

Ok...ran into this tonight. I know the LED conversions on the turn signals on the 1st gen require a load (resistor) on the bulbs to create the proper load to avoid the computer warning and convert to the electronic flasher to create the proper flash timing. Got that!

 

My question is when I removed the stock 1157s for the brake lights I got the light signal warning on the dash. The bike knows there is no light there now. Fine. If that because of the loss of a complete circuit? The LED 1157 bulb will complete that circuit or is that system sensing the load created by the bulb? If so then I would need the load resistors installed.

 

So is it just sensing the loss of circuit or the load itself?

 

Mike

[86er]

It''s sensing the lost load. You have to go into the cpu and short the reed switches. Check out this post: http://tinyurl.com/tail-light-warning About half way down you'll find a post by A1Bummer and he shows the switches that have to be jumped. I never found a reed switch for the turn signals, they just blink faster unless you use a resistor.

 

[Snaggletooth]

Thanks Todd,

 

That is good info. Something else to do before I button the old girl up again.

[capn eddie]

snaggletooth looks good, great job on the lights. superbright is only 5 miles from my house. pass by it going to work. also got dano's starter clutch mod installed and your right it starts before you get your thumb off the start button. But back to the lights ,i will be looking into doing this later this year but for now the suns out and i need to ride. once again great job but i think you need more lights ,you can't let condor out do you on the lights are ya:stirthepot:

Ed.

[Snaggletooth]

Hey Cap'n,

 

Does superbrights have a walk in store down there? Might be time for a road trip with a grocery sack. I could have fun it there.

 

Ya know....been looking at the bike....again, and I have put a lot of chrome acorn nuts on the thing. superbrights has the 11mm single LED stud that would replace them nicely.

 

That could kick up the light count by quite a bit.

 

Humm....

 

Here we go again.

 

Sounds like you are happy with the new engage clutch. Makes a big difference in mine for sure. I fought the chatter and slip most of last summer.

 

Later.

 

Mike