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Greetings all. My DLX is on its way from Florida. I have a set of type II bars to go on, and I'd like some advice on another mod:
Before I moved to the US, I rode various bikes for very many years in the UK and Europe. No bike I ever owned there had US-style daytime running lights (front turn signals [or indicators as we call them in Britain] that stay on all the time). I believe that is still the case. Here in the US, the front turn signals are on all the time - the so-called running lights.
Now, I wouldn't think of riding without a bright front light on, day or night, but it seems to me that having the turn signals on all the time as well as the headlight does nothing to increase my visibility and lowers the contrast of the turn signal - at a glance it may not be clear if I am intending to turn or not. In short I'd like to deactivate the front running lights. A front "running" light is required by law in many states, but this does not have to be the turn signals.
I understand that the bulbs have two elements, so is it just a matter of cutting a wire or moving a jumper, or will I need a European turn signal relay? Any ideas? RSP
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At night, these lights are visible and identify your vehicle as a motorcycle instead of a bicycle or a car with a single headlight.
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(08-02-2016, 04:22 AM)Ulvetanna_imp Wrote: At night, these lights are visible and identify your vehicle as a motorcycle instead of a bicycle or a car with a single headlight.
Thanks for your post. I doubt I will be riding at night much, if at all, and the gain in signal contrast and clarity during the daytime will more than outweigh any loss of ID at night.
Besides, if having the turn signals on all the time as running lights made a measurable difference, we should see it the accident data from those places where the turn signals are only used as turn signals, like Europe. We don't. Running lights do make a difference, to be sure, but in the studies I've seen "running lights" means riding with the headlight on, which is a no-brainer.
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RSP, if you look at the wiring diagram you will see that the turn signals are single element bulbs. One side is tied to ground and the other goes to the turn signal relay.
The bulbs are on all the time, so the relay must break the line to flash it.
Since the rears are not on all the time, the relay must energise the line to flash. I would imagine you could de-pin the relay connector and rearrange the wiring so that the front and rear signals are tied together and then work the same. Looks easy enough on the diagram, but I'd have to do futher research and I'm not taking up that project. May need some new pins too, or be really good with soldering. Or do a hack job. Good luck with that!
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RSP, if you look at the wiring diagram you will see that the turn signals are single element bulbs. One side is tied to ground and the other goes to the turn signal relay.
The bulbs are on all the time, so the relay must break the line to flash it.
Aha! That would suggest a simple wire swap somewhere. Many thanks.
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This is my take on running lights, coincidently just finished fitting them an hour ago on my recently acquired CB. The same set have been on my last 3 bikes over 5 years now. Some say they help visibility, some say not.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/sdioecn38p3lo8....jpeg?dl=0
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RSP...cool Avatar. At the risk of sounding un-hip, is there a significance to it?
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(08-02-2016, 06:14 AM)EmptySea_imp Wrote: RSP...cool Avatar. At the risk of sounding un-hip, is there a significance to it?
It's known as the Kanizsa Illusion - we think we're seeing something (triangles) but we're actually confabulating. Life is often like this.
(08-02-2016, 05:46 AM)marvincon_imp Wrote: This is my take on running lights, coincidently just finished fitting them an hour ago on my recently acquired CB. The same set have been on my last 3 bikes over 5 years now. Some say they help visibility, some say not.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/sdioecn38p3lo8....jpeg?dl=0
They look great.
Do I see braided hoses on your bike? I'm thinking of this mod. How do you find them?
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Confabulating?? Are you related to Cormanus and Pterodactyl
I need a better education.
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(08-02-2016, 08:35 AM)Lord Popgun_imp Wrote: Confabulating?? Are you related to Cormanus and Pterodactyl I need a better education.
Sorry. It's a bad habit. Confabulation is a technical term in cognitive science. It means that in some situations our brains "fill in" gaps - in memories, images, sounds, all sorts of things.
So yes, I'm definitely a dinosaur...
