The CB1100 Community Forum

I FINALLY picked up my new CB1100 today, after waiting three weeks for my dealer to install accessories. No one went over the accessories at the time I picked it up, so I just loaded it and got it home. One of the accessories I had them install was some secondary LED lights, mounted on the front down tubes. When I discussed this with the service dept. mgr. and the time of purchase, he recommended that they would wire them through the existing light switch. They would come on with the high beam on the main headlight. Had some discussion about a separate switch, etc, anyway ended agreeing to his suggestion.
Upon further inspection tonight I find that they have drilled a hole in the plastic fairing just ahead of the left side access panel, below the gas tank and installed a little push button on/off switch.
(Is this the crankcase breather housing?)
So as I'm going around the twisty roads around arkansas at night, I have to take my hand off of the bar and lower it between my legs everytime I want to turn the led's on or off??
Is it just me or is this stupid?
Before I take the bike back, I wanted to ask your experienced opinions.
Does anyone have any ideas or experience with something like this?
Opinions welcome.
Thanks for your help.
Crutch in nw arkansas

Crutch...My first inclination is to say that LIGHTING controls should be on the handlebars to facilitate immediate access via almost thoughtless, secondary nature actions. The immediate urge to agree with you on the stupidity question not withstanding, I'd like to hear the mech's rationale for doing this. These are not the PRIMARY lights so if more light is needed on short notice hitting the brights should suffice. Are these RUNNING LIGHTS meant for long dark stretches of deserted road to supplement the main light or Fog lights more for peripheral lighting? Because either of those situations shouldn't require a lot of on/off action. Before hitting send on this reply I went out and sat on the bike and reached down on both sides. A little awkward even without gloves. IF I had to keep it this way would prob prefer the left side as not to have to take the hand of the throttle. Send a pic. I'd be interested to see how this was set up. Of course none of this addresses the sheer convenience of having both light systems linked to the high beam.

Thanks for the reply. I agree with you in theory that for long deserted stretches this would work fine, but where I'm going to do most of my riding there are not "long" stretches. Take a right on the end of my street onto the state highway and there are 72 curves in between here and War Eagle Mill, which is just 12 miles away. I'm concerned about coming around a corner and someone flashing their brights at me and I'm having to take my left hand off the controls to feel for the switch. I'll post some pictures tomorrow, too dark right now.
Thanks again.
crutch.

Crutch...on the upside, this will keep your mind off the oil cooler relocation project you're probably already contemplating.

That part they mounted the switch on is the air cleaner cover (or sounds like it from your description). On the parts fiche it is: Cover, L. Air Cleaner Side

Did your LED kit come with a separate switch already pre-wired into its wiring harness?

If it did, then you only need to click, turn, or invoke the separate switch to "on" position one time, and (with LED tapped to the hi beam switch), any time you use the high beam, the LED will turn on automatically through the switch on the handlebar.

IMO, I'd have them wire it on the high beams as mentioned previously. The cool part is they draw very little current. Along with switching them on with the high beams; you can momentarily flash them with the pass switch