Extra Brake Lights in pods = all other lights dimming

[CalvinAmI]

Hey Gang,
I did the "I want to wire extra brake lights into those empty rear sockets" mod to my 06. I double checked my wiring and the tail lights work very well. All grounds are grounded. My problem is, every time I brake now, any other lights dim. (The headlight & gauge lights). In addition, I had my key in the start position for about 5 minutes (bike off) while testing the brakes. The battery was so low it wouldn't start the bike. I had to charge it to get the bike going again.

Any tips?
I would LOVE to just put in those Red LED bulb replacements for 1157's I've seen on ebay. Can anyone vouch for those?

[choneofakind]

That's because the bike doesn't make a lot of power at idle. Even with just one stock tail light, the headlight will dim when the brake is applied at idle. Your thinking is correct in looking to LED's

I cannot vouch for LED's off ebay as I've never used them. However I can vouch for LED's off of superbrightleds.com. Make sure to spend the money and get the brightest ones you can justify buying. They're long lasting, bright, and they're quick to get to you.

You might also consider a brake light modulator from modmy250.org to make those extra brake lights flash momentarily and do even more for you. Just let CThunder-blue know that you're getting for a pregen, and he'll get the right thing to you.

[road_rascal]

I wouldn't worry about it. I did the same mod last year and so far I haven't killed my battery. Let us know if you put in LED's and where you got them, and if you like them.

[kevlar250]

LEDs from Superbright are are a great way to go! Another concern is the brake switch amperage capacity. Brake light elements are around 21w so 3 of them would be like switching a headlight on/off and that microswitch at the front brake may not last very long. At least put a relay in the tail powered by the battery, that may improve the dimming problem also.

[jschatte]

Like everyone said, you are consuming more power now and the bike cant keep up so the lights dim. This is a big problem with incandescent bulbs, and your absolutely right switching to an LED bulb will fix the dimming issue. Using LED bulbs will drop each bulb wattage from the 20ish watts to less than 5 watts. However, be careful with ebay bulbs. Some have less LEDs than others and some only have bulbs that face once direction. Incandescent bulbs emit light 180 degrees where these LEDs only project light directly rearwards, which makes poor use of the reflective housing. This will result in a very dim light as compared to the incandescent. But there are LEDs that project the 180 degrees too. So buy some up on ebay (they are super cheap and probably from overseas so no big loss if they don't work out) and you can always switch back to the stock bulbs if they are not bright enough.

[CalvinAmI]

Awesome input guys.
I will scoop up a couple different kinds on Ebay and post my results!
Thanks for the insight!

[jschatte]

Originally Posted by CalvinAmI

Awesome input guys.
I will scoop up a couple different kinds on Ebay and post my results!
Thanks for the insight!

Cool! Looking forward to what you come up with!

[GeorgeRYoung]

I put red 1156 led bulbs
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-X-BA15S-T2...item1c252d3ecb
into sockets (made from dead turn signal sockets) into the empty pods and wired them in parallel with the brake light.

They draw negligible current and are only on when braking.

About $3

[CalvinAmI]

These are what I bought to test.

Brake lights
3x RED 27 SMD 1157/BA15D 5050 LED
Brightness: 270 Lumen
($4.65 each shipped)

3x RED 13 SMD 5050 LED 1157 BAY15D
Brightness: ???
($2.99 each shipped)

Turn signal lights
2x 13-SMD 5050 LED Amber 1157 BAY15D (dual for front flush-mount signals)
Brightness: ???
($2.99 each shipped)

2x 13-SMD 5050 LED White 1156 BAY15S (single for rear signals)
Brightness: ???
($2.45 each shipped)

[choneofakind]

Things you'll want to check for:

-how well the LED bulbs fill the lens ("hot spots" etc)
-Good contrast between brake function and running light function
-bright brake light.

Also, make sure to have the same color LED as the lens that it's in front of, or else the color gets washed out.

Compare it to a 2357 light bulb. It might be worth it to use a 2357 bulb in the center brake light, and some of those cool LED bulbs in the extra pods. You want to make sure that you have lots of brightness and contrast so people can tell the difference between your running light and brake light.

[greenenvie]

Highly Inerested in this. The previous owner has mine wired for the center to be the brake light and the outsides to be the turn signals. I would like to make them brighter though and the center one to flash at first when I put it on.

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by greenenvie

I would like to make them brighter though and the center one to flash at first when I put it on.

2357 bulb in the brake light, and use a flasher like this one

That's what I use. the 2357 is brighter than an 1157, but has the same running light brightness.

[CalvinAmI]

Originally Posted by greenenvie

Highly Inerested in this. The previous owner has mine wired for the center to be the brake light and the outsides to be the turn signals. I would like to make them brighter though and the center one to flash at first when I put it on.

If you have to rewire them yourself for sure, go with this:
Smart Car BRAKE LIGHT FLASHER BLINKER 36 Modes !! for $20

Or go to http://modmy250.com and buy one prewired.

[greenenvie]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

2357 bulb in the brake light, and use a flasher like this one

That's what I use. the 2357 is brighter than an 1157, but has the same running light brightness.

Thanks for the link and bulb idea. I will try that before the led option

[choneofakind]

I vote the modmy250.com option. Tri is a great guy and was really helpful when we were trying to figure out if it would work on the pregen. not to mention, I'll pay a few extra dollars and help out a forum member who's been good to me over buying the same thing from somewhere else any day!!

[CalvinAmI]

The dilemma = need help figuring out the wiring.
The sitch =
stock blinkers on rear (2 wires, converted from 1156 bulbs to leds with no issue)
flush blinkers on front (3 wire kind only using two wires, converted from 1157 bulbs to leds WITH issue.)

I know I may need a resistor or something in the mix. Any tips on what/where to get it?

Here is a video of my problem

Link to original page on YouTube.


I may just order a 2-wire cheap flush-mount blinker from ebay for $18 shipped (the picture below with the black and yellow wires)

[choneofakind]

diode mod.

You have backflow from each side through the blinking bulb behind your dummy light on the gauge. Before you do anything else, pop the bulb behind the gauges (the one that tells you that you have a blinker blinking) out and see if the signals all work properly without it.

[choneofakind]

also, you're going to want an electronic flasher relay to keep those from hyperflashing like they currently are.

[CalvinAmI]

Okay, i left the wiring alone and just unplugged the connector to the gauge cluster that had the blinker light in it. The front and rear blinkers blinked like they are supposed to except i am still left with the hyper flashing. I don't really mind the hyper flashing really. Is there any law against it?
What do i need to do to solve the backflow issue?

[choneofakind]

To fix the hyper flashing, get an electronic flasher relay. It's not supposed to hyper flash and if it does, you technically can get a citation for it.

To fix the 4-way flashing due to backflow, you'll need to wire some diodes into the positive terminal for the dash bulb, and tap the ground into an existing ground in the bike.

Here's 2 write-up's on how to do that:
http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/My_LED_...27t_work_right
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=24500

[CalvinAmI]

Excellent info ChOoaK!
For a temp/immediate fix, I will just leave the wiring and flasher as it is WITH all LED's plugged in and add a small regular bulb to the inside of one of the front blinker wiring terminals. That should provide the ground the original wiring is looking for and solve both issues =) I might even try a burned-out bulb and see if that works =)

I'll fix it the right way in due time Bigger fish to fry right now

[choneofakind]

That will only work one way I think? or not at all...

For a temporary fix, just keep the bulb behind the dash pulled and don't forget to cancel your signals when you're done making a turn.

[CalvinAmI]

That won't fix the hyper-flash issue. I'll post my results =)

Thank you for your brain power. IT IS MUCH APPRECIATED!

[lolibater]

http://www.superbrightleds.com/morei...sher/923/2274/

Would this bulb in the main brake light be too focused? I like the built in flashing functionality, but am wondering how it will look due to the single LED on the end. It states a 130 degree light angle, so IDK if that matters at all...