I didn't like the look of the factory sigs, and the little mini's I replaced them with weren't very bright especially during the day ... so I got the parts and pieces and finally did it this weekend (well, at least the left side).
I think it came out pretty well. Hardest part was drilling the first hole ... commitment issues (once you start, you can't get a do-over).
So here ya go ... comments/thoughts?
Jimmy - can you see me now? And thanks for pointing out how dim the other ones were ... it got me off my a55 to finally do it.
I looked around for a sequencing set, but couldn't find anything that was flexible and waterproof ... would have been cool if someone made one though ...
The LEDs are a strip and not individuals ... I went that route since they are flexible and waterproof.
I milled the inside of the tailpiece so the LEDs faces would lay flush with the outside, and the ends of the strips are wedged in the corners. I haven't used anything (yet) to hold them in place as the holes were just large enough to squeeze the lights into, so it's pretty snug. Here's a pic of the inside ... sorry it's fuzzy, but the camera had a hard time focusing.
Thanks guys ... Measuring was a PITA with the curve, so I covered the tail with painters tape then bent the strip and laid it on top of the tail and made marks on the tape for spacing. Next, I drilled a small pilot hole to see where it would be on the inside (the inside has limited space for these to fit), then adjusted the position by drilling through the pilot hole with progressively larger bits to end up where it needed to go. Repeat 23 times ... then I used a Dremel with the flex extension and milling bit to do the inside. Fitting was fairly straight forward, and the strip stretches a little for any errors in the measuring. The strips on eBay for around $6/set look to be the same, and are from China ... so I got the strips at a local autoparts store instead ... I payed more, but it's the principle. And a far as brightness ... the third pic at the top is with the new Buell LED taillight on - not 'braking brightness', just regular 'driving brightness'.
that looks great. did you just cut the stock signal wires and splice into them or is there more involved. i am just wondering cuz i am pretty limited to my maint ability
The stock signals wires have bullet connectors that you can pull apart. Watch out because the wiring for these is really thin (top pic on my 4/13 - 9:34pm post) so you will probably want some type of strain relief (such as an electrical tie) to hold it to an adjacent thicker wire. After that, it's just a bullet connector (blue 16-14 gauge) slipped into the stock female end.
I hope I'm not breaking any sponsorship rules, so if I am, this can be deleted by an admin without losing any of the above info on how to do it.
Here's the ones I used - made by StreetFX, and i've found them at a couple m/c stores locally while others offered to order them from their catalogs ... or maybe one of the BadWeb sponsors carries them/can order them? If so, post up ... I've already mentioned above my preference to support the 'home' economy.
V8 - funny you should mention that ... I just got rejected for my front turn sigs, and not the back. Here in lovely VA, any sigs mounted on the bike must work and must be DOT/SAE approved. Worse part was that the LED sigs on the front of my mirrors are not DOT, but the turn sigs below them are DOT ... they want me to remove the mirrors and put the old stockers back on since even though it is in addition to a DOT light, since it is there it must be DOT or removed.
Some inspectors turn a blind eye since blinkers are not even required ... but if you have them ... blah, blah, blah.
So I took the main wire and daisy-chained connectors so I can quickly change lights round to pass insp. Meanwhile, I'll keep a set of stockers in the garage if needed ...
Make a Y cable with bullet connectors so yo can just whip the stock signals back in. Throw a piece of tape over the signals in the mirror so that no one can see them.
OK y'all, here's the video. Captcaz had to go captain, so he'll be away for a while in case there are any questions. Although I think he explained it rather well.