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LED brake/tail lights - sorta

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whoa

whoa

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LED brake lights, been thinking about installing these, but only as a safety point. Was behind a bike Sunday on Loop 360 (nice wide road, hilly) stopped at a light. The rider looks back at me a few times, revs it nicely (sounded great), then hit it hard when the light changed. Even though I was acclerating fairly hard, he pulled away fast. In no time was over ¼ mile away, could hardly see his tail light.

But then he hit his brakes, the LEDs lit up nice and bright. Bout the same time I see a plume of dust in the esplanade. Hmm.... As I tipped the hill I saw the rider visiting with an APD officer. Easily over 100, bet that's gotta hurt. At least he chose wisely, and pulled over.

I wanted to ask him what LED assembly he'd installed, but figured another time might be better. They did show up quite well, and a fair distance away too.
 
:tab Interesting because I have LED turn signals on the back of my GS. They are pretty much worthless because they are near impossible to see durring the day. This has been bugging me for a while and I just haven't gotten around to replacing them. The other issue is that they draw less power than the traditional filament bulb signals. As a result, the electrical system acts as if the signals are burned out and the blinkers flash at a much faster rate than normal.

:tab I have thought about putting those LED bulbs in my taillight assembly because I have read they are quite bright. The other nice thing is that they are much more vibration resistant that a regular filament bulb, a real concern when riding offroad.
 
Tourmeister said:
They are pretty much worthless because they are near impossible to see durring the day.
Click to expand...

You're not kidding, I've had a very hard time seeing them when riding behind you.

I was thinking about getting the integrator kit from www.flashalert.com. This would have turned my twin row LED taillight into my turnsignals as well. I ended up not getting it because I wasn't sold it provided enough separation and felt it would confuse other people.
 
Now that I am running the bike sans muffler, I think I may buy some replacement OEM signals. Those are some of the best and brightest signals of any bike I have seen.
 
I agree. I also looked at the clear alternatives which are all over ebay, but I don't what a clear signal with a cheap LED. When I put my exhaust on I chopped my turnsignal about 1" closer to the bike which makes the right side signal partially hidden by the can. I may still go ahead and get this kit and further clean up some clutter from my rear (and it would give me two spare turn signal housings which given my recent rate of going down I need).
 
Soloman said:
I agree. I also looked at the clear alternatives which are all over ebay, but I don't what a clear signal with a cheap LED. When I put my exhaust on I chopped my turnsignal about 1" closer to the bike which makes the right side signal partially hidden by the can. I may still go ahead and get this kit and further clean up some clutter from my rear (and it would give me two spare turn signal housings which given my recent rate of going down I need).
Click to expand...

Definately skip the Clear Alternatives. I have it and am disappointed. Dim and cheap. It's weird because their other applications aren't as dim as they are for teh SV.

I'm sending my stock LEDs to get integrated.
 
Which brand of LED are they?

I see Hyperlites are selling a multi-function light setup, which include turnsignals, running lites and brake lights.

I run Hyperlite brake light on my K1200RS and just ordered the dual function hyperlite for the gs (running lite and flashing brake lite). It'll be at least a week before I get them on. But, I'm very pleased with the flashing LEDs on the K12RS.

I did put the LEDs in the tail-light assembly on the R1200GS. Ordered them through Adventureriders workshop. It's very bright.

http://adventurersworkshop.com/Merc...ore_Code=AWI&Product_Code=BrakeLedF650R1200GS

Tourmeister said:
:tab Interesting because I have LED turn signals on the back of my GS. They are pretty much worthless because they are near impossible to see durring the day. This has been bugging me for a while and I just haven't gotten around to replacing them. The other issue is that they draw less power than the traditional filament bulb signals. As a result, the electrical system acts as if the signals are burned out and the blinkers flash at a much faster rate than normal.

:tab I have thought about putting those LED bulbs in my taillight assembly because I have read they are quite bright. The other nice thing is that they are much more vibration resistant that a regular filament bulb, a real concern when riding offroad.
Click to expand...
 
I installed a Baja Designs LED tailight on my DRZ and the brightness is excellant. I actually had the ignition in park and could see the tailight 100yards away and 1 story up.

My brother tried the LED bulb replacements and said they were a waste of money. Though I never did see them. He tried them and was so worried they only lasted a ride or 2.
 
I have the integrated LED brake/turn/running light ensemble. Unfortunately I have speedy turn signals because I couldn't get the resistors to work correctly:roll: The brake light is really bright day or night. No complaints here. I believe I paid 48 including shipping off an ebay store.

I had the clear alternatives light and was not impressed with it at all.
 
Because LEDs use magnification to intensify the perceived light, they are very sensitive to viewing angle. Since they have less resistance, a properly rated resistor should added to the circuit to simulate the correct ohms.

Finally, for those with ABS which relies on the brakelight circuit (TM, you reading?) make sure any LED replacement you buy is specificly designed to work with your motorcycle and with ABS.
 
Interesting. However, I am not currently planning to mess with the brake lights. They seem quite bright and I have only lost one bulb in the last 45K miles.
 
Vitto said:
I have the integrated LED brake/turn/running light ensemble. Unfortunately I have speedy turn signals because I couldn't get the resistors to work correctly:roll: .
Click to expand...

We can take care of that Melanie. ;-)
 
I just installed a set of Electropods from Aerostich. I had wanted to mount them inside my tailight lens but found that the lens is completely sealed. So, after hacking a couple big holes in it I got them mounted and they seem pretty bright but not sure how they'll do in the sun yet. My main concern was for dusk and night. The other night I had a car come skidding past me through the red light I was sitting at. He didn't see me until the last minute, locked up his brakes and swerved into the other lane. Apparently he never saw the traffic light either.:confused:

Electropods:
http://search.aerostich.com/search?...uctimage.productprice.productsku&oe=&start=10
 
I installed an LED taillight insert made by BRAKE! It's very bright, even during the day, and even has a feature which pulses the taillight for a couple seconds when you apply the brake to attract attention to the driver behind you. They aren't cheap though. There are a bunch of LEDs on a circuit board, which also has the necessary electronic components on the back. The unit fits inside your stock housing, so long as the lens itself is not sealed or glued to the housing. On my KLX, the whole red part of the lens comes off.

Here are some pics of mine installed and operating.


http://n5cwm.dynip.com/images/klx650/klx-led.html

And no, I don't own stock nor own the company. Just a happy customer!
 
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