SuzukiSavage.com - Print Page

SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl
General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Cat's Eye tail light extender
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1346786777

Message started by ToesNose on 09/04/12 at 12:26:17

Title: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by ToesNose on 09/04/12 at 12:26:17

So I ordered a typical Cat's Eye tailight to replace the stock toaster. But when I installed it where the stock reflector/plate light was it seemed too far into the fender and didn't really get enough light onto the plate. So after searching through spare parts and junk I pulled out the front frame reflectors that were removed once I got the bike LOL.

You know these things-
http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy206/bcrx2/IMG_3812.jpg

After removing the reflector off the mount I then Dremeled the mounting tab off the side and drilled holes for where the Cat's Eye mounting bolts would line up.

Here's the mount from the front reflector mounted on the back of the Cat's Eye tail light-
http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy206/bcrx2/IMG_3800.jpg

The only other mod I had to do was get longer bolts from the local hardware store for $0.80 and reused the thick rubber gasket from the old relector/plate light. It looks alot better with the spacer, the plate gets illuminted properly now and I got to reuse something that would have just sat in a drawer for decades. ;)

Angle view-
http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy206/bcrx2/IMG_3803.jpg

Side profile-
http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy206/bcrx2/IMG_3802.jpg

Arse up-
http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy206/bcrx2/IMG_3804.jpg

Title: Re: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by teabowl13 on 09/04/12 at 14:11:18

I don't know why Suzi never designed the bike with that kind of tail light in the first place. Looks Great!

Title: Re: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by ToesNose on 09/04/12 at 14:23:45

Funny thing is that it would probably be considerably cheaper to manufacture too, it's a smaller tail light and it would eliminate the need to manufacture the reflector/plate light also. They also would no longer need to put holes in the rear fender too LoL :D

Title: Re: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by ZAR on 09/04/12 at 19:41:23

754440434E564D1012210 wrote:

I don't know why Suzi never designed the bike with that kind of tail light in the first place. Looks Great!

May have something to do with DOT and visibility Tea.

Toes you just answered my quandry of how to mount a Lucas style rear lamp on my Savage. Nice work!

Title: Re: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by ToesNose on 09/05/12 at 04:44:34

Hey ZAR I'm glad my silly ramblings actually sparked some inspiration for once LOL :D

Title: Re: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by ToesNose on 09/05/12 at 17:53:08

Ok you knew it was coming, now that I got rid of the toaster taillight what to do with those pesky holes.

Yup these suckers-

http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy206/bcrx2/IMG_3829.jpg

Well I've decided to embrace my Irish heritage and go with a Celtic theme for the bike. So I picked up a large Celtic knot belt buckle and ginded the belt loop and post off, then started to mock up a mount.

http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy206/bcrx2/IMG_3813.jpg

Tappered up from the 4 holes up to the belt buckle, should sit something like this when done-

http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy206/bcrx2/IMG_3815.jpg

Title: Re: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by ToesNose on 09/11/12 at 08:15:30

I decided not to mount the Celtic badge so high after getting a few different mock ups, but here is what I ended up with to cover up the four holes left from the original tail light. I also wound up making it from wood instead of resin as it was smaller and made it easier to just sand it to the proper shape. ;)

http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy206/bcrx2/IMG_3853.jpg

http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy206/bcrx2/IMG_3846.jpg

Title: Re: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by Bubba on 09/11/12 at 08:25:23

that is just plain awesome!

Title: Re: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by ToesNose on 09/11/12 at 19:05:09

Thanks Bubba :)

Title: Re: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by CaptialThumper on 09/11/12 at 20:27:37

Both mods look really good! I didn't really realize how ugly that stock rear light is. Maybe I can find a fleur de lis to mount over my holes whe I replace the toaster. ;)

Title: Re: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by ALfromN.H. on 09/12/12 at 03:08:05

I covered the holes in the fender with a magnet. Alot easier but it doesn't look as good as yours.

http://p1.bikepics.com/2008/07/15/bikepics-1354010-800.jpg

Title: Re: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by Bubba on 09/13/12 at 08:20:41

Toes, I like what you've done to your speedo also...so what was it you did to your speedo? ;D

Title: Re: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by ToesNose on 09/13/12 at 08:31:58

It's all on this post Bubba ;)

http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1345772898/0

Title: Re: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by mojohand40 on 09/13/12 at 08:45:15

looks great!
where'd you order the taillight (and part number)?

I have a cat's eye I was going to put on, but it's much thinner and I like the look of that one better.

thanks

Title: Re: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by ToesNose on 09/13/12 at 17:31:36

It's from DeniseSB on FleaBay-
http://www.ebay.com/itm/350191835563?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

I looked at a number of different ones from different vendors and web sites, but that one just seemed to look like it fit the stock fender best to me :D

Here was the LED one I was considering also after I narrowed them all down-
http://i.ebayimg.com/t/LED-Oval-Kat-Eye-Custom-Motorcycle-Taillight-Cafe-Chopper-Cruiser-Tail-Light-/00/s/MTM5NlgxNDg0/$(KGrHqJHJEME-m47Gk3hBP2kJw64!g~~60_12.JPG
http://www.ebay.com/itm/300726219950?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

Title: Re: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by Greg on 09/13/12 at 18:00:50

0D363C2A17362A3C590 wrote:

It's from DeniseSB on FleaBay-
http://www.ebay.com/itm/350191835563?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

Silly question, but his description calls it a tail light. Is it also a brake light?

Title: Re: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by ToesNose on 09/13/12 at 18:12:22

Indeed it is ;)

Title: Re: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by Blue04Savage on 09/13/12 at 23:45:15

Toes.....

Your bike looks badass. Just had to say so. Nicely done! 8-)

Title: Re: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by ToesNose on 09/14/12 at 04:15:58

Thanks Blue! I've always wanted a big single and I'm glad I went with the LS650 instead of the Royal Enfield, I'm having a blast with it =D

Title: Re: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by Qwapy on 04/09/13 at 20:40:08

Toes,

When we were installing the new tail light we noticed that the new tail light only had two cables instead of three cables like the stock light (light, brake light, and ground). So we swapped the light bulb socket from the stock light for the new tail light. We tested and it worked fine, we were still using the original cables and connectors. Everything worked: lights, brake lights, etc.
But now, we have a short that keeps on blowing one of the fuses. What is going on?

Did your cat’s eyes also have 2 cables instead of 3?
If so, what did you do? ………..to connect the new tail light

Qwapy

Title: Re: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by rfw2003 on 04/09/13 at 20:42:54

3C3236333E31305F0 wrote:

Normally if the light is still a 2 way bulb and it only has 2 wires then it grounds through the housing to the frame. In a case like that you are far better off to take the ground wire and attach it to one of the mounting bolts to make sure it has a solid ground.

R.F.

Title: Re: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by Qwapy on 04/10/13 at 05:25:30

OK, you ground it to the frame but you still have 2 connectors coming from the harness (the light and the brake light). How do you connect those? You still missing one wire, wouldn't you (in the tail light)

Title: Re: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by WD on 04/10/13 at 10:10:31

Tail light wire to factory tail light wire, brake light wire to factory brake light wire. Bullet connectors, or butt connectors, and some extra wire to extend the bike pig tail to meet the light pig tail. You DO NOT need a separate ground wire. If you have a 3 wire light, the ground wire goes to a mounting bolt, or better yet, is cut off flush with the back of the light.

The factory tail light pig tail gets thrown in the trash with the factory light. The harness end on the bike gets cut off and replaced with something that won't vibrate apart or rot when it gets damp. The ground wire from the old harness gets traced back to where it meets the main harness and gets deleted. Or you can add a ring terminal and affix it to the fender under the seat.

ZAR, I've got a late 60s or early 70s fender top cast aluminum Lucas light/plate mount. Interested?

Title: Re: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by ToesNose on 04/10/13 at 13:05:21

Yup just like RFW and WD said it's meant to ground on the fender, I took the ground from the bike that went to the stock tail light and put it to the mount just to be sure it got a good ground ;)

Title: Re: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by Qwapy on 04/10/13 at 13:14:16

Thanks!! I'll try that :)

Title: Re: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by ToesNose on 04/11/13 at 04:31:18

Don't forget pics Qwapy! :D

Title: Re: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by Qwapy on 04/11/13 at 07:14:57

Here you have it Toes :)

Title: Re: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by ToesNose on 04/14/13 at 04:50:16

Looks good! Is your plate really all zeros or is that a photoshop job? One of our neighbors has a Jeep with an offroad plate that is actually 000 and it bugs my wife out "Is that a real plate?! How can they only have Zeros?!" is what I hear everytime it's in the driveway and we drive by ;D

Title: Re: Cat's Eye tail light extender
Post by Qwapy on 04/14/13 at 09:30:45

LOL Hi Toes,

Nope, it is just to keep the privacy 8-) of my license plate. I use MS Paint and just copy and pasted the number zero on top of the others numbers.