Easy Way to do a Headlight Mod?

[JustPassinThru_imp]

Here's where I'm at. I'd like to set up, as an alternate running light, a couple of LED aftermarket running-light units. I think I have the mounting issues cracked.

These are not to be IN ADDITION to the headlight; but IN PLACE of them. I envision a toggle switch - either/or.

I want the Flash-To-Pass trigger to work always.

Why? I live in a cuckoo town where they have stoplights set up SO...SLOW...the cycles take over four minutes. With daytime traffic (it being a prosperous little town) your wait at a light can be over ten minutes.

Air cooled? No fan? Kill the engine.

But...given that these signals don't follow a PATTERN (as traffic-sensor signals don't) I can be called to jump to move. Meaning a quick start.

Meaning, sometimes, SEVERAL starts and stops at these lights. Dead ten minutes and starting and stopping. I like to keep the key on so the turn signals, brake lights...all that rot...stays on.

Hard on the battery.

LED running lights with low current draw...better on the battery.

SO. I want to have a toggle or rocker switch...LED running lights or low-beam. I want the flash-to-pass high-beam working at all times; I use that EXTENSIVELY. More effective when low-beam is out.

Advice on wiring this? I had wanted a headlight relay; but maybe, since I seldom ride after dark (safety in a deer-and-bear area) the relay isn't important. Will one more toggle in the flow from battery to bulb, add that much more impedence?

Advice? Thoughts?

 

[metalmaven_imp]

I don't have any knowledge on this but I was just thinking about maybe altering the location of my headlight just slightly forward and up and maybe adding some LEDs myself (cause I love gadgets) so hopefully you can get some good feedback on this.

 

[emptysea]

I think I'd save my money and energy and just avoid the intersections or turn right on red when I got there to go the long way around. I have never shut my bike down at a stop light because I think it leaves me too vulnerable. Adding lights makes sense, I think, but if I were going to power down at long lights and if that resulted in excess battery drain, I think I'd just out it on a charger at night. That's my advice, but I know it's not helpful in achieving your goal. I don't have the technical expertise to fully understand your question, much less provide a solution. Good luck and post pics.

 

[JustPassinThru_imp]

I think I'd save my money and energy and just avoid the intersections or turn right on red when I got there to go the long way around. I have never shut my bike down at a stop light because I think it leaves me too vulnerable. Adding lights makes sense, I think, but if I were going to power down at long lights and if that resulted in excess battery drain, I think I'd just out it on a charger at night. That's my advice, but I know it's not helpful in achieving your goal. I don't have the technical expertise to fully understand your question, much less provide a solution. Good luck and post pics.

Well, that's a logical approach - when it works.

Doesn't work here. There are four major streets; one north-south; one diagonal; and two east-west. MOST of the city is of relatively new build; it has experienced explosive growth in the last twenty years. Which means that all side-streets either have stop signs on the major street - which is unsuitable given the endless heavy traffic; or else are just barricaded.

You have to deal with these long lights. And you have to deal with this traffic. There is no other way...those lights are set up as they are, I'm convinced, DELIBERATELY to make auto-travel INCONVENIENT.

I'm not imagining that. Living here almost two years, it was a surprise to me riding across the country, how "quick" traffic lights were in every town I went through. They're set up here to be intentionally long and disruptive...for the same reason the bus line has free rides, no fares.

Because the city government is comprised of people who've moved from California, as most of the city is; and they hate the personal automobile. With non-motorized bike trails, they've made it more convenient to ride a bike into town than to take a car. And the bus line, free, as I said - and with WI-FI on every bus! Of COURSE they're pressuring people to ride their buses and leave their cars alone.

Except that it doesn't work. You can't grocery-shop on buses. You can't reasonably take your kids to day-care using a bus.

So we have these traffic snarls. I like living here; but ya have to take the bitter with the sweet; and the traffic situation is definitely bitter.

 

[Razor]

Plenty of LED headlights available. Look for one that will fit/replace the CB without too many adapters or spacers. Here's one I'll be using for a CB350 cafe' project. Low beam is the top light, high brings all three on. Each draws an advertised 3 amps. I bought it through eBay, but they're available from various vendors.

 

[Redbird_imp]

And here is another: 5 3/4" or 7" Phoenix LED Headlight DOT approved-CIL-7RD but it is pricey!

Ken

 

[JustPassinThru_imp]

Thanks for the links, guys.

I may go that route; but I was hoping for auxiliary lights to run with. With the excellent halogen headlight, turned off.

A sort of A/B toggle switch - LED running lights, versus the 55-watt headlight.

LED main headlights, from what I've read and seen, are getting better - but are not there yet.

 

[Elipten_imp]

You can buy a lot or replacement bulbs for the price of that LED headlight. I will wait for this technology to improve and get cheaper rather than being on the bleeding edge.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[emptysea]

Sounds like you're looking for two components: first a set of LED "driving" lights. Second, a Setchman that would allow the headlight to be off with the running lights (including the LEDs) remaining on. Right?

 

[JustPassinThru_imp]

Sounds like you're looking for two components: first a set of LED "driving" lights. Second, a Setchman that would allow the headlight to be off with the running lights (including the LEDs) remaining on. Right?

Hopefully a toggle that would go between the running lights and the headlight. So that I never inadvertently had no forward lights.

I GUESS I could ground the LED running lights through the headlight low beam, and hard-wire them to a circuit through the ignition switch...always on except when low-beam was on. Then just put an on/off on the headlight low-beam.

I don't want to kill power to the flash-to-pass circuit; so I'd have to put the switch on the low-beam circuit, not headlight power.

 

[Redbird_imp]

Why not just have the LED running lights on all the time when the ignition is switched on? You could do this by putting a relay in that was triggered by current from a wire that is energized when the ignition switch is on. The relay would complete a circuit from the battery to the LED running lights. Or you could use a fuzeblock that has a bank of circuits that are alive when the ignition is on. Then you could put a switch on your low beam headlight power wire to turn it on or off. The LED running lights are on anytime the ignition is on, whether hi beam, low beam or no beam. That should be OK since they are running lights, and because they are low draw LEDs the additional current draw should not be a problem when the bike is running. They would go out when you switch off your ignition, but if you are switching it off at a stoplight, you would switch it back on right away, so that you could just hit the starter button when you want take off again.
If you really only want them on if you switch your low beam off, you can get a relay that completes a circuit when power is NOT supplied to the triggering terminal of the relay. Usually these relays have 2 outputs, one that is complete when the trigger is on, one that is complete when the trigger is off. So, put you switch in the low beam circuit, add the wire to the relay trigger AFTER the switch and when you switch your low beam off, no current hits the relay trigger and the normally closed circuit of the relay is no longer being held open, so it closes and your LEDs have power.

Another way to do this would be a double throw switch. when switched one way, the current output would go from the center terminal to the left (A) terminal, flipped the other way, the current would go from the center terminal to the right (B) terminal. The problem will be locating a weatherproof double throw switch.

 

[JustPassinThru_imp]

Actually that kind of gives me an idea:

How difficult would it be to have the headlight go on and off with a stator charge? In other words...if the engine is stalled, the headlight (not all lights, just the headlight) would go out?

A headlight relay, sure. What to wire it to?