| Author | Message | ||
     Mikef5000 |
  I've been looking at Fog Lights for this bike since I got it. As most of you have noticed from my other posts, I plan on doing some major riding this year, and the stock headlight just wasn't going to cut it! I decided to go the cheap route... for a few reasons. 1) Most of the higher quality motorcycle specific fog lights were chrome, which I did not want. 2) These are VERY easily accessable, and VERY cheap if I ever need a replacement. The set I got I originally found on ebay. Then I went to walmart and they had the same set and I was sold! You can't beat $14 for the kit!   If one brakes, just stop by the closest walmart and pick up a new set and bolt it right up! They take standard 55w bulbs, so replacement bulbs are easily accessable too. Now, for the fun stuff: I have it setup so that with the Low Beam headlight on, I have a Switch to turn the fog lights on or off. and with the High beam headlight on, the fog lights are on too! Not matter what the swith is doing. I changed this a little, the switch was moved to between the "splice into the low beam", and the "relay". That way the relay isn't always active, and the switch has low power going through it rather than high.  All of the wires on the Low Power side (splices to relays, and relays to grounds) are 18 gauge. All of the wires on the High Power side (Battery to relays, relays to fog lights) are heavy duty 16 gauge. There's a 15 amp inline fuse. I used the black plastic side panel next to the battery for my base plate. I have the switch and both relays mounted to that. That way I could do 90% of the wiring off and away from the bike. This made things MUCH easier.   There were only a few wires that are permanantly attatched to the bike: Battery wires, Splice wires, and wires going to the lights themselves.  With the panel installed, the switch is lined up with the tail, and both relays and all the wiring is hidden up behind the plastic.  The Relays are upside down, so all the wiring is accessable from under the seat, incase something goes wrong, I can simply bypass the relays and run the battery wire straight into the fog light wires. This should also keep water away from these wires. It's not pretty... but who's looking for pretty under the seat anyway?   (Message edited by Mikef5000 on January 05, 2007) | ||
| Iamike |
Looks good, those are the same lights I put on my Honda. The funny thing is those jerks in the pickups and suvs that drive with their really bright foglights on all the time will flash me when I have mine on. I put the projection type on the Buell. I really like that extra light on the sides that help show the deer before they commit suicide. | ||
| Mikef5000 |
Now for the output: Low Beam:  Low and Fogs:  Low beam:  Low and Fogs:  High Beams and Fogs:  I'm happy with them! | ||
| Mikef5000 |
Oh yeah... I'll have daylight pictures up Sunday night probably. I was at work through most all of the daylight hours today, and same thing tomorrow. Darn these short days... and long hours. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Very nice! Clean install, and you can't beat the price! | ||
| Bad_karma |
It's good to see this info. i have been think about some driving light for my s3 but I'm not crazy about the price of PIAA's and really didn't want to easter egg my way through light choices. Who is the manufacture of these lights? Thanks Joe | ||
| Mikef5000 |
OPTRONICS® COMPETITION SERIES FOG LIGHTS Can be found on ebay (just search "small fog lights"), Walmart, or JCWhitney.com. Around $15 each place. I don't expect them to last long, but as long as they last one summer, I'll be happy. It should be easy to slap new lights on there without having to redo the mounting brackets of wiring. | ||
| Cruzzen |
Very cool! Looking forward to seeing them on the next ride. | ||
| Djkaplan |
This thread is going in my personal archive. Great stuff. | ||
| Rum_runner |
Djkaplan What do you mean by personal archive. I been trying to do some saving of certain threads so i can use them for later. But can't figure out how im not computar savvy.  | ||
| Henrik |
That's a very nice set-up. I'm planning something similar for the S2. Now if only I understood your excellent wiring diagram ...  Thanks for the write-up. Henrik | ||
| Mikef5000 |
Haha. A couple classes in automotive electrical systems probably helped with that diagram. If work is slow today I'll remake it with wire gauges and the correct switch location. | ||
| Iamike |
I did some wiring changes on my bike where I have the front turn signals on all the time for better visibility to oncoming vehicles. The power is fed thru a normally closed contact on the relay(1 for each side) then they go off when the turn signal flashes. After my stator burned out a couple of years ago I added a voltmeter to my dash. I have noticed that when I am running with the fog lights on the voltage drops a few tenths. If I turn my high-beam on it drops to about 12.5 volts. My fog lights are only 35w ea. so 55w ones would be more of a burden on the electrical system. I have considered adding another circuit that turns off the front turn signals when I have the fog lights on. It probably isn't an issue as long as the voltage doesn't drop to the point where the battery is being discharged. | ||
| Mikef5000 |
Hmmm, I figured in these beefy harley motors the alternator would be more powerful! I'll have to test it out and make sure I'm still in the green with the fogs and high beams on. | ||
| Djkaplan |
"What do you mean by personal archive? " I print out the entire thread and keep them in a notebook. That way, I can peruse an old thread without even turning my computer on. | ||
| Rum_runner |
my bad i thought you meant your stored them in a personal file on your computer or some where on the badweb board. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Go to "File" then "save file as" in your browser and you should get a decent copy available. It will age, so links won't work, and future browsers may not display it well... but it's something. Printouts ain't a bad idea either. | ||
| Iamike |
I got out my manual and looked up the specs for the electric system: alternator output-23A regulator max-22A headlight low-4.58A,high-5A tailights x2 - .42A=.84A engine,dash lights-4A also the: turn signals x2 .83=1.66A brake lights x2 1.75=3.5A of course these are only on for a short duration. It would appear that there is enough current available for 55w (x2=9.2A)lights but when my voltage starts dropping when I turn on my brights, that tells me that I am meeting the capacity of my system. | ||
| Sparky |
I save these threads by copying and pasting the text into a blank email that is saved on the hard drive. If pics are to be included, then those are saved locally and pasted in too. Good job on the lights inst'l. | ||
| Henrik |
The tuber charging system is a bit aenemic. I've seen a few reports of upgrading to an XB charging system and have without luck asked for clarifications from those who've done the upgrade. Supposedly all the charging system parts fit and you'd need to replace both the stator and regulator to accommodate the 3-phase system. But then it gets fuzzy: - the XBs use different size engine sprockets than the tubers. - one of the parts - rotor or sprocket, at the moment I don't remember which - is not available separately. So you'd need to buy a complete XB rotor/sprocket assembly and have the XB sprocket pressed off and then have your tuber sprocket pressed onto the XB rotor. To the tune of an extra $100 or so. - I've tried to find out whether it's possible to run the tuber rotor on the XB stator, but no word as of yet. Which is where feed-back from those who've done this would be nice ...? Henrik | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
His bike and my bike have the same charging system but mine has fuel injection. So he has a bit more wiggle-room than I do think. How much current does the fuel injection eat? Would I be able to get away with fog lamps too? | ||
| Oldog |
Nate the Fuel pump is spec at 2 amps IIRC, the other sensors operate at 5v and a few mils, Injectors ??, my bike same as yours measured at the key switch about 9.2 amps motor off. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
So that 9.2 included the lights being on too? That's not bad but I don't think that your measurement takes into account the injectors and ignition not doing anything. | ||
| Iamike |
My figures add up to 9.4 and with the 9.2 of the 55w fog lights we have 18.6. That leaves 3.4 excess. That should be adequate but I'll check mine with the ammeter after I get it all put back together just to see. | ||
| Oldog |
Nate: Engine off so no injector current and no coil current no pump current. Great Job Mike! | ||
| Cbrxxblackbird |
I have the same lights I bought them at Walmart. | ||
| Mikef5000 |
How long have you had them? Holding up well? | ||
| Cbrxxblackbird |
Sorry to say I have had them for the last 3 years and never opened it up but I plan on it now that I saw what yours looks like. | ||
| Mikef5000 |
LOL! Oh, I see! | ||
| Cbrxxblackbird |
My bike is the same color so now I know what it will look like. I was also wondering if you can change the single headlight out to a dual? I might be making my own if this does not exist. |
