So here's a semi-DIY on how to convert your stock front turn signals into flushmounts. There are plenty of flushmounts out there that you can buy now but they're usually hard to see from the front and range from $30-$100. Total cost for this project - $5 or free if you already have some automotive sealant lying around...

This is a semi-DIY because I took the pictures after-the-fact but the entire process is pretty straight forward. I have to give credit to beeline12000 from the other forum for the original idea. Some people have decided to make modifications to the fairing to flushmount it, but I wanted something that could be reversible and brought back to stock if/when I sold it.

First remove the screw holding the signal to the fairing. Then with a hearty pull, the wires will come undone and the signal should come right out. EDIT: Or, instead of pulling the wires off, you can unscrew the signal open (see further down) and unplug them by hand
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/1161/diyflushmounts004.jpg

Once that's off, have a look on the back and remove the screw to open up the signals.
http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/1485/diyflushmounts007.jpg

This is what's inside:
http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/3826/diyflushmounts009.jpg

Take the clear and chrome piece and set the rest aside.
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/885/diyflushmounts012.jpg

Have a look at the back of the chrome piece as you'll need to put it back together. I have the memory of an 80 year old so I can't remember which wire goes where... IIRC green goes to the pin on the right. But test it out with the wires to make sure it lights up... then you'll know for sure. When you put it back together too, it might be a good idea to wrap the connections with electrical tape in case some moisture manages to find its way inside. But I've ridden in light and heavy rain already and have no problems to report. Just watch out where you aim when you wash the bike... :rolleyes:
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/4305/diyflushmounts010.jpg

Now with a file, file down the underside of the chrome piece where indicated. File it enough so that it sits snug when you put it back into the fairing and not rocking from side to side. It won't snap right in or anything but that's ok. We're going to seal/glue it down later.
http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/2598/diyflushmounts011.jpg

Once you're satisfied with the finish. Get some clear automotive sealant/adhesive and follow the directions to glue the signal down into the fairing. Secure it with some ducttape or green masking tape and let it cure as per the directions. After a day of curing, apply some sealant onto the outer rim of the chrome piece to glue on the clear piece. Repeat steps to cure. This stuff is good because it seals/secures but can also peel off quite easily if you need to remove the signals again (i.e. return to stock, replace bulbs).
http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/2342/diyflushmounts013.jpg

And your done! Kinda... you'll still notice some gaps on the sides of the finished product. I had some black sealant rubber lying around so I wrapped it around the edges and secured it with the sealant/adhesive.

And finally here are some closeups of the finished product
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/4107/diyflushmounts016.jpg
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/7136/diyflushmounts017.jpg

Front
http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/7231/diyflushmounts024.jpg

Side
http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/2561/diyflushmounts030.jpg

Front both sides. Easily visible.
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/8665/diyflushmounts025.jpg

Nice job! Linked to this thread in DIY index...

Looks good. Worth the trouble?

Very resourceful.

Looks good. Worth the trouble?

It is if you're like me and hate the stockers. First mods I knew I would have to do were to chop the fender and replace the lights... But you also have to be cheap like me and not want to pay for flushmounts ;)

Thanks for the comments guys.

Oh!! Can you still change bulbs and stuff?

ya the sealant can peel right off if you wanted it to. Change the bulb, seal it back up and you're good to go! Easier said than done lol so I'm honestly hoping to not have to go through that hassle for awhile :rolleyes:

nice job...:thumbup:

Very clean looking. Great for tight budgets like mine.

that looks really nice - good job

Thanks. It'd be nice if someone could think up a way to flushmount the stock rears too :P

good job man! too bad I swapped mine for flushmounts quite a while ago otherwise I would have done this!

I like this better than the flushmounts - awesome!

Very Kewl Nice Job!!!

WOW. Amazing.
Practically free.
Better than spending $100 on them protons and they look better IMO.

I'm confused about where the black piece that's between the fairings and the signals themselves come from?
(The black piece that's in the finished pictures, but not the DIY steps pics)

I'm confused about where the black piece that's between the fairings and the signals themselves come from?
(The black piece that's in the finished pictures, but not the DIY steps pics)

To quote from the first post "And your done! Kinda... you'll still notice some gaps on the sides of the finished product. I had some black sealant rubber lying around so I wrapped it around the edges and secured it with the sealant/adhesive."
:D

I wish I would have read this before I bought the Protons. :P

To quote from the first post "And your done! Kinda... you'll still notice some gaps on the sides of the finished product. I had some black sealant rubber lying around so I wrapped it around the edges and secured it with the sealant/adhesive."
:D

how would i find black sealant rubber?
like what does it look like if I were to walk into home depot/lowe's to buy some?

ingenious! can people in front of you see them pretty well when you signal?

how would i find black sealant rubber?
like what does it look like if I were to walk into home depot/lowe's to buy some?

He used the clear adhesive to bond rubber seal around the base of the lamp and the fairing. You could do the same thing with a perfectly sized o-ring. Measure the circumference of one of the lamp housings and search the hardware stores for an appropriate o-ring. The following link will give you some approximations on the sizes available:

http://www.marcorubber.com/sizingchart.htm

You might even be able to find colors that match your bike, if it's not black! :thumbup:

Good job Tim! looks really nice.

Thanks. It'd be nice if someone could think up a way to flushmount the stock rears too :P

I'd imagine it could be done the same way right? it just might not look as good

i just did this mod
nice and easy
made a mess of the silicone sealant so i'm after some rubber striping to clean up the mounting point
great idea!

sorry for the late reply but ya something like an oring material would be perfect - just soft rubber that can be used to stretch around the base... and hide the gap/sealant.

i just did this mod
nice and easy
made a mess of the silicone sealant so i'm after some rubber striping to clean up the mounting point
great idea!

lol glad it turned out for you too. I found that if you use a toothpick you can mould the adhesive/sealant better and be more accurate. And even when it dries up you can use it to rub spots off or push it into the gap and away from sight.

ingenious! can people in front of you see them pretty well when you signal?

ya they stick out a good amount and because they're stock bulbs they're bright and easily seen during the day.

But, even if they didn't, I never understood the argument that it's unsafe if oncoming traffic can't see your front signals. Worst comes to worst, a cage would assume you were going straight so they still wouldn't turn left into you etc...

I have a question, I'm doing the exact same thing based on this DIY, my question is when you put the stock blinkers in did the curve in the plastic of it and the fairing require you to cover a lot of holes with sealant/adhesive?

Oh and Nemy I thought of a way to flushmount the rear sigs, I'll let you know how it turns out when I'm finished!

I have a question, I'm doing the exact same thing based on this DIY, my question is when you put the stock blinkers in did the curve in the plastic of it and the fairing require you to cover a lot of holes with sealant/adhesive?

ya even if you file the chrome piece down so that it doesn't rock side to side you will still notice gaps on all 4 sides. I filled them up slightly with the sealant (using a toothpick for precision) then covered it up with the rubber hose for aesthetics and an additional seal.

Oh and Nemy I thought of a way to flushmount the rear sigs, I'll let you know how it turns out when I'm finished!

Nice, I think a bunch of us would be interested to see how it turns out

Yea I tried it today, the idea is good but I'm having problems finding something that produces a strong enough bond, more to follow in a couple of days.

What are you trying to use right now? Any of the auto sealant/adhesives should be good. Just make sure you follow the adhesive version of the instructions and allow it to cure properly while taped down.

Yea I tried something my friend said might work(last time I listen to him) and they came off on the ride home. I'm letting the same sealant/adhesive I used for your project dry on them right now and if that doesn't work I'm going to try something else I had lying around the house. Oh and I tried to use something called Mighty Mend I've never heard of it but my friend said the stuff was good.

Looks good Tim.

Yea I tried something my friend said might work(last time I listen to him) and they came off on the ride home. I'm letting the same sealant/adhesive I used for your project dry on them right now and if that doesn't work I'm going to try something else I had lying around the house. Oh and I tried to use something called Mighty Mend I've never heard of it but my friend said the stuff was good.

Just make sure you don't get something that's incredibly strong and irreversible cause changing the bulb is inevitable.

Thanks joe!

i vote nemy for forum member of the year

i vote nemy for forum member of the year

lol does that mean you're gonna give it a try too? and I wouldn't compare a cosmetic semi-DIY against all the great DIYs that kkim and others have posted and referred to :rolleyes:.

also a note for all doing this

1. electrical tape the connections to the housing, they can come out otherwise
2. duct tape the inside of the fairing to stop water getting in
3. secure your wire inside the fairing as you've got a few inches of slack now after re-positioning the connection point

the procecure:
1. keep a big bucket of water nearby to clean up your silicone job after smoothing it out
2. get your hands dirty and use your thumb and/or pinky finger to smooth out the join
3. bring lots of microfiber cloths (any will do, i use a cheap $2.50 for 30 brand)


enjoy!

thanks for the rep buddy!!!
just a few things i did a bit diff though to really make it more flush.

1--trim around the chrome part not just the back part so it will fit snug inside the clear part.
2--when putting the sealant to the clear part while trying to make it stick to the fairing...hold down ( or flush) the signal with strong duct tape or gorilla tape for about 1 day or so while the sealant dried up nice and good
3--if you have excess silicone sealant use a box cutter style razor to remove the excess.

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p115/beeline12000/DSC03735.jpg

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p115/beeline12000/DSC03413.jpg

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p115/beeline12000/DSC03412.jpg

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p115/beeline12000/DSC03411.jpg

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p115/beeline12000/DSC03406.jpg

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p115/beeline12000/DSC03727.jpg

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p115/beeline12000/DSC03725.jpg

thanks for the rep buddy!!!
just a few things i did a bit diff though to really make it more flush.

1--trim around the chrome part not just the back part so it will fit snug inside the clear part.
2--when putting the sealant to the clear part while trying to make it stick to the fairing...hold down ( or flush) the signal with strong duct tape or gorilla tape for about 1 day or so while the sealant dried up nice and good
3--if you have excess silicone sealant use a box cutter style razor to remove the excess.

welcome to the site beeline! I always wondered how you got it so flush against the fairing. Cause I needed the black rubber to hide the leftover gap. You actually trimmed the chrome piece to fit inside the clear piece? I might give that a try when the light burns out and I have to take it apart.

you always could use 'Liquid nails' :eek:

welcome to the site beeline! I always wondered how you got it so flush against the fairing. Cause I needed the black rubber to hide the leftover gap. You actually trimmed the chrome piece to fit inside the clear piece? I might give that a try when the light burns out and I have to take it apart.

yup had to trim that up, around the outer lip of the chrome part.
the only "bad " thing is that once you cut you cant put back on...but hey i never like the turn signal sticking out so much.

great thing about using the silicone sealant was when i painted the bike it was really easy to clean up :)

Great job, I will be doing this when I get some spare time

here's mine, i shaved the bulb housings to fit inside the lens as suggested by BEELINE - i think it turned out well.

bump

all the images has been removed from your post BEELINE ... can you re-upload them ? thanks.

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p115/beeline12000/bike%20pics/DSC03410.jpg
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p115/beeline12000/bike%20pics/DSC03411.jpg
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p115/beeline12000/bike%20pics/DSC03735.jpg
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p115/beeline12000/bike%20pics/DSC03734.jpg

nicely done! looks good:thumbup:

Nice mod! I will be doing this when I get some free time and pick up some auto sealant.

One Question, is the sealants suppose to keep the clear lid and crome piece together? I have never used auto sealant/adhesive before so Im not sure exactly what its like but it doesnt seem like much surface area to hold the clear lid on. :confused:

silicone sealant works fine. reflector and bulb just rest inside the lens (clear piece), it's the lens you're attaching/adhering/mounting to the fairing. easy mod, just takes a little patience.

ahh okay i gotcha, right now I have the fenders off the bike and the lens and reflector/bulb apart, Just have to get some Sealant on my way home from work tomorrow and work on filing down the plastic around the crome plastic :)

*crossing my fingers*

So I started the project and so far have one of the turn signals filed down to where I want it. Still need to adhere it but here are some pics of the housing up close and personal.

I went with Beelines method and filed down the outside of the housing to fit inside of the lens.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y261/tofergstaff/My%20Bike/IMG00046-20100815-1546.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y261/tofergstaff/My%20Bike/IMG00047-20100815-1546.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y261/tofergstaff/My%20Bike/IMG00048-20100815-1546.jpg

Here it is on the bike (not yet adhered to the bike)

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y261/tofergstaff/My%20Bike/IMG00049-20100815-1548.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y261/tofergstaff/My%20Bike/IMG00051-20100815-1549.jpg

And Here Is the First one All Stuck on and Cureing.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y261/tofergstaff/My%20Bike/IMG00053-20100815-1850.jpg

Just Adhered the second one and used some handy dandy duct tape to hold it on until it drys.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y261/tofergstaff/My%20Bike/IMG00054-20100815-1940.jpg

hope these pictures help :)

P.S. I'm on my way to the store for some electrical tape to wrap around the ends there so the wires stay on a bit better.

P.S.S. Also make sure you put the wire on the turn signal before you adhere it... Don't want anyone to make a stupid mistake :D

UPDATE:

Alright The Sig's are all nice and mounted and the fairings went back on with no problems :) So here some pictures of the final product.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y261/tofergstaff/My%20Bike/IMG00056-20100816-1140.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y261/tofergstaff/My%20Bike/IMG00057-20100816-1141.jpg

And a video of them actually working :P lol
KKaNbqyJMTE

I know what I'm doing tomorrow :D

do you have to take the fairing off? lol im a n00b :p

easier = yes

necessary = no

Can you still get bulb access?

ahh thanks man :D i filed down the crome part im gettin the glue tomorrow

The adhesive sealant ate right through my paint when i tested it on a small spot.. can i use something else like silicone sealant or something? anyone have any suggestion so it won't eat the paint?

Cool ! I was wondering what to do with my left over rear turn signals after the HBR undertail install

Im going to try this. Thanks

So I've since come up with a cleaner way to mount it. It involves drilling into the fairing, though, so make sure you're ok with the look and measure 5 times!

First, I used Beeline's method of filing down the chrome section and once I got it to fit snugly I also filed down the two ends of the clear part so that it's level with the rest of the piece (one side has a screw hole, the other has a clip/hinge thing).

Then you line up the assembled piece into the hole. The chrome section has 2 parts that stick out - these will actually keep the turn signal from moving. The other side has the screw hole that I used the stock screw to mount into the fairing. I just lined it up and drilled a small hole for the screw and screwed it in.

It's much cleaner, no glue/adhesive to deal with, easier to remove/change bulbs and there's no more gap to cover up with foam/wrap.

Here's a pic of it (sorry I didn't take progress pics but I'll add them when I do the other side) and a pic of my original design after 5 years. You can see the original design has come loose and has adhesive that needs to be cleaned up.

Amazing :thumbup:

anyway to get the original pictures back? thanks.