question for those using LED tail lights

[scottyintex]

For those of you using LED tail lights.....I have some questions.  Did you pop the light bulb out and plug the LED into the bulb socket? Or did you cut that little plug off and braid the wires together? Have a few questions you might not be able to answer but would like your thoughts on. Felt like I needed to move the right turn signal off the bike over to the sidecar so there would be no doubt which way I was going to turn.  For the sidecar tail light....... I took a tail light off a wrecked R65 mounted it on the sidecar fender. For the turn signal I drilled a hole in the side of the tail light, inside the tail light, glued a turn signal light socket in there and wired it. It works very well at night...is a little bit dim in day light if you also have the brake light on.
On the LED light , it looks like there is a row along the bottom for the license plate light, which the sidecar does not need. If I wire it to the turn signal wire instead of the license wire do you think it would be bright enough? Is that whole row on the bottom just for the license plate? The license plate bulb takes 5 watts, the turn signal takes 21. Is there enough power..I have no idea what a LED takes..........just know it isn’t much. Would be glad to hear the thoughts of any of you on this matter. Since I have an extra head light and tail light on the sidecar......I would like to lessen the power drain with the LED’s.

                                                                        

[Justin B.]

Just after a rough calculationMost LEDs I've worked with are fairly bright with 30 ma of current, so if the assembly has a dropping resistor per LED then each LED would pull about .43 watts - if fed 30 ma.  I think I got that right, if not I blame it on gettin' old and forgettin' crap...

[nhmaf]

30mA through most LEDs will be quite bright.  The I-V curve for LEDs is not linear, though
most LEDs will only have a forward voltage drop of  about 1 V to 2 Volts while conducting.
So, depending on how the LED array is wired (there is usually a series resistor  to +12V,
but there can be a number of LEDs in series illuminated by a 12V source) . So, depending
on the total number of LEDs and the configuration it may be a greater
or less current drain than your present incandescent bulb.  But, LEDs will not burn out for
as long as you own your bike (and then some !)   With the newer, high efficiency LEDs
now available, you can get alot of Lumens for the amount of power required.  The illumination
from a LED is much more directional than a bulb though, so don't count/expect on fringe or sideways
illumination that isn't within about 100 degrees (50 degree to either side) of straight behind the bike or inline
with the LED (however it is pointed).

I don't have one of these LED brake lights (yet) but I would assume that they are designed/arrayed
so as to consume no more power than a stock bulb, and probably significantly less.  I'd expect a typical
turn signal array to consume lmuch ess than half an amp, or less than 6 watts of power.   Large brake light arrays will
be slightly higher than this.  

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

Scotty,

I am afraid the row of white LEDs along the bottom are wired into the same circuit as the running light, so it would be difficult to separate them from the rest of the unit to use for a turn signal.

You might talk to Rick at Motorrad Elektrik about your needs regarding the brightness of the turnsignal.  He might have an idea for you.


Regarding your other question, the LED insert he sells replaces everything except the taillight shell and lens.  The bulb socket and reflector are removed entirely.  A MUCH superior set-up, IMO.  The LED bulbs that replace the stock bulb in the socket do not have the same visability, and they still suffer from the weak point of the socket, itself.

[Chris_in_BC]

Below is taken from the Brake! product information page.
I am using the Brake! tail/brake light setup on all my bikes and although relatively expensive I am really impressed at how effective they are. Amazing the number of other bikes coming up behind me commenting on how bright the lights are.
http://www.homebody-design.com/index.html
******************
Brake! LED taillights consume a minuscule 0.6 Watts in running light mode and 4 Watts with the brake applied. Compare this to the standard 5 Watt/21 Watt 1157 incandescent bulb. Some bikes even use two of those power-hungry bulbs—that’s 10/42 Watts!

This reduced power requirement eases the burden on your bike’s electrical system, which is important if you’re using additional electrical accessories like heated vests and heated handgrips. Many motorcycles (particularly of the dual-sport variety) have very little electrical power to spare in the first place, so what better way to reduce power consumption than with a brighter, more durable and less power-hungry LED taillight?

Does your headlight dim when you apply the brakes? Old, damaged and/or corroded wiring is not uncommon on motorcycles. The increased resistance that results means there is a lower voltage (below 12V) reaching lighting devices. The Brake! LED taillight has its own voltage regulation, and can operate on supplies as low as 9 volts without any reduction in light output. And its low wattage leaves more power for the headlight.

The problems with wiring LED's into a turn signal circuit is that generally the flasher unit doesn't see enough power drain  to work. It thinks you have a burnt out bulb. I understand you have to put a resistor in the circuit to trick it into thinking their are the right number of bulbs around. You can Google this info, have seen it mentioned on sites where folk are doing this on cars.
      

      

[Joan]

Wow, Chris, those are cool! And I like that graphic.

$115 is about the right ballpark compared to Running Lites(?) and such. I remember one wet spring riding behind Ben Timms in the ice cold pouring rain from Prince George to Hope and the only thing I could see of him a hundred yards aheas was his beautiful orange running lights, the kind that flicker when you touch the brakes.

Loud Suits Save Lives.  

[Justin B.]

Chris, my kid has one of those in his R1200ST and it IS extremely bright.  Myself, Ican't afford one of these BUT I do have a sack of LEDs out in the shop somewhere and will probably do me up a circuit board and roll my own...

[Chris_in_BC]

Justin,

 Yes they are pricey, but definitely work, and something you could always transfer to the next bike.

You seem to be a fairly handy person with tools.  For my G/S 80 I went to Dual Star site and bought the Brake! product for the KLR650 then modified it to fit in the G/S. The G/S is the smallest of the BMW taillights, so should be fitable in R65 lens.
Still $85.00, but  its better than the $115-120 I have seen.
http://www.dual-star.com/index2/Brand/Kawasaki/klr_650_led_taillight.htm
Chris