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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Chinese LED running lights
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Message started by 49mack on 01/13/15 at 12:42:19

Title: Chinese LED running lights
Post by 49mack on 01/13/15 at 12:42:19

I bought a pair of Chinese LED running lights on ebay that have very nice aluminum machine work but the bolts are too short to mount to the forks. No problem - just need longer bolts. My real question is, who has experience with this type of supplemental lighting? Can they be piggy backed on the headlight wires? Is a ballast required? Can I wire them directly to the battery with an on / off switch? I am primarily interested in increased daytime visibility. Too many deer here in the Texas Hill Country to ride at night! Thanks for any input. Oh, also, they are certainly not waterproof and will require some means of keeping water out to prevent corrosion at the LED contacts. That shouldn't be hard to solve. Just an FYI. At the moment I have them temporarily mocked up on my front turn signal stalks. They actually look pretty cool.

Title: Re: Chinese LED running lights
Post by Dave on 01/13/15 at 13:26:20

Well, I don't know how to solve your waterproofing problem.

For wiring...you could remove the wire that powers the running lights in the front turn signals. If you decided to use the headlight for the source of power....then they will only work in the Hi/Lo position...whichever wire you connect the LED's to.

How many watts are they? You only have about 100 watts of total power in the charging system. Adding a few watts of lights won't burden the wires or charging system much at all.....you can't get away with adding a pair of 25-50 watt bulbs on this bike.

Title: Re: Chinese LED running lights
Post by MMRanch on 01/13/15 at 16:00:19

Mack , show us a picture ! :P Please :)

I'd like to have white running light instead of the yellow turn signal ones. Then put after market turn signals somewhere else , but haven't done it yet because I'm not sure where to put them ::)

Title: Re: Chinese LED running lights
Post by Philmh on 01/14/15 at 14:55:40

I used to work a job that we used LED lights as side markers and they weren't waterproof. We used hot glue at first and it held up pretty well. What held up the best was clear silicone caulk. You could form it, cut it, and it was flexible. We encased the entire light and the connections separately and it held up on vehicles in rather extreme conditions.

IHTH

Title: Re: Chinese LED running lights
Post by Dave on 01/15/15 at 03:47:49

Super Bright LED's offers several lights in the 10W - 18W rating, and several different beam angles that are well made. These are not the least expensive LED's on the planet...but their products are well made and durable. The reviews offer some good insight on the beam angle to use....several guys have installed them on their motorcycles and report good things. Remember - these lights don't have a vertical cut off....and as a result that will be shining in the eyes of oncoming traffic. At night you may need to turn them off for oncoming traffic, and that may be a reason to hook them up to your high beam circuit. We just installed a 22W LED on your office building, and it lights up an entire parking lot that is 16 spaces and a 24 foot wide center aisle. If you install a pair of 10W lights you might be OK from an electrical standpoint....installing a pair of 18W lights will most likely take up too much of the 100 Watt charging circuit power....and might overload the wiring and switches if you don't use a relay and just plug into the exiting wiring.
https://www.superbrightleds.com/cat/mini-auxiliary-lights/

I don't know how much visibility these would add - but they are horribly convenient as they have an adhesive mount and are already wired for 12 volt. They are only 1.5 watt - but they are really bright. I used these as replacement lights inside my turn signals, and they are very visible in bright sunshine.
https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/costume-lighting/plm-series-wired-one-and-half-watt-led/1141/

Title: Re: Chinese LED running lights
Post by 49mack on 01/15/15 at 07:29:36

Thanks to all for your replies. The seller responded saying they will work with 12 to 80 volts DC power. Their engineers said they could be wired into the headlight power supply or direct to the battery. As far as waterproofing, I have considered silicone seal and think that would be the only way to go. There is not enough thread on the main light housing to add a washer or O-ring. I'll experiment and report back. Again, thanks to all who offered suggetions. I will try and post a picture. . . they do look cool on the turn signal stalks - neat and tidy. Just looking for more daytime visibility.

Title: Re: Chinese LED running lights
Post by Dave on 01/15/15 at 07:44:29

Can you supply a link to what you are looking at?