how to wire LED license plate lights from stock cables?

[Gaorilla]

Hello fellow riders,
I don't like messing with electrical stuff, and I don't want to mess up my bike. Anyway, Im doing the fender chop, and bought 2 license plate bolt lights. The problem is that the stock plate light has 2 cables (1 +, 1-), and the 2 led plate lights have four cables (1+,1- for each light as seen in picture).

How do I go about wiring these? Can I mix the 2 black wires to the cable that is coming from the battery? I don't know if this affects the voltage and so on.

Thanks

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Bolt-Add-O...35cc36&vxp=mtr

[crazymadbastard]

tie them both at the tail light connectors will not affect the voltage at all. let us know how you like them.

[CZroe]

I combined my positive and negative wires then ran both to the tail light.

[NevadaWolf]

If you don't like messing with electrical stuff and don't want to solder the wires together, using a quick splice wire connector can link the wires easily.

You run the existing line through one side, twist together the two new lines (pos to pos, neg to neg) and run the combined line through the other side, pinch the metal part down to break through the plastic coating, then snap the cover in place. Electrical tape afterwards covers the whole thing and protects it.

[CZroe]

Originally Posted by NevadaWolf

If you don't like messing with electrical stuff and don't want to solder the wires together, using a quick splice wire connector can link the wires easily.

You run the existing line through one side, twist together the two new lines (pos to pos, neg to neg) and run the combined line through the other side, pinch the metal part down to break through the plastic coating, then snap the cover in place. Electrical tape afterwards covers the whole thing and protects it.

That's exactly what I used.

I'm going to be moving it all to my new swingarm mount so I'm going to have to break it all out again.

[NevadaWolf]

I'm not the best but I've taken to soldering and using heat shrink over any wiring doohickey thing that I do. I really need to learn how to solder properly.

[nickjpass]

Harbor freight has those splice thingys

[InvisiBill]

They usually work ok, but those buddy taps aren't the best. You're counting on the metal part to cut through the wires' insulation and make good contact with the copper, without being too far off and cutting through the wire.

Directly soldering all wire joints together also isn't the best solution on a bike. The actual solder joint is now a solid chunk of metal rather than flexible wire, plus the heat can make things a bit more brittle. This can lead to wire breaks next to the solder joint.

Though they can seem a bit cheap, bullet/spade/etc. connectors properly soldered to the wires are secure while still allowing a bit of movement due to vibration. They can also be easily disconnected for disassembly in the future (obviously more important in some places than others). You can get Metri-Pack and other fancy connectors for multiple-wire and waterproof connections too.

[CZroe]

They call that an IDC (Insulation Displacement Connector) and the taps are color-coded for different wire thicknesses. Even ribbon cables in old PCs are IDC (EIDE/UDMA, floppy, etc). Terminals are every bit as rigid as a solder connection, so it only helps if the stranded wire breaks on the side that can easily be disconnected and repaired.

[Ralgha]

I use butt splices to join wires and then heat shrink it. It'll last as long as the bike does.

[DmbShn41]

Originally Posted by InvisiBill

They usually work ok, but those buddy taps aren't the best. You're counting on the metal part to cut through the wires' insulation and make good contact with the copper, without being too far off and cutting through the wire.

Directly soldering all wire joints together also isn't the best solution on a bike. The actual solder joint is now a solid chunk of metal rather than flexible wire, plus the heat can make things a bit more brittle. This can lead to wire breaks next to the solder joint.

Though they can seem a bit cheap, bullet/spade/etc. connectors properly soldered to the wires are secure while still allowing a bit of movement due to vibration. They can also be easily disconnected for disassembly in the future (obviously more important in some places than others). You can get Metri-Pack and other fancy connectors for multiple-wire and waterproof connections too.

These are good, but you have to have the right size connector for the right size wire. If you have two different sized wires, it can be tricky.

Originally Posted by Ralgha

I use butt splices to join wires and then heat shrink it. It'll last as long as the bike does.

I work in a food manufacturing plant and we deal with a lot of different voltages (24VDC, 30VDC, 120VAC, 220VAC, 240VAC, 277VAC, 460VAC, 480VAC, 1Ph and 3Ph) and WATER! I do the butt splice + sealing heat shrink and it does extremely well in sealing the connection, keeping it water tight and lasting for years. The sealing heat shrink is more expensive, but as you apply heat to it, glue on the inside turns to liquid, sealing up the ends. Just sucks years later when you deal with the wire again, as you're cutting out that section.