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Replacing front turn signals with driving lights

Junkie

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I'd like to mount a pair of LEDs in order to see a little better at night.

I already have a set of Acerbis Dual Road handguards, and was planning on adding the optional LED strips to them.

I was thinking that with turn signals moved there, I could mount the driving lights in place of the factory turn signals.

Has anyone done this?
 
If I may make a comment, even if you didn’t ask for one:

You mentioned seeing better at night. However, to be seen better, it’s common opinion that if the auxiliary driving lights are separated from the headlight and themselves by more distance, the larger frontal display of lights makes the vehicle appear larger to other traffic. Therefore, it may be better to mount aux lights on crash bars or on the lower fork tubes. Or not, depending on what you like.

Also, if the turn signals are too close to the driving lights, the signals may be washed out by the brighter lights, and become inconspicuous. To alleviate that, you could wire the driving light to the existing running light wire so it shuts off when the turn signal is active.
 
true, but having the lights up higher has some advantages as far as seeing goes.

I don't have crash bars, and haven't really liked having lights down low on the forks in the past.
 
Why not both?
I installed the SW Motech handguards with turn signals. (I also installed Denali lights on a bar.)
The original turn signals still work.
Now if I could just remember to turn them off after a turn.
 
the reason I'm considering it is that the factory turn signal location seems like an easy place to put the driving lights.

as far as wiring turn signals goes: are the factory turn signals single or dual filament? I know they're normally on and then turn off, but don't know if when they flash they're brighter than normal.
 
The factory turn signals are dual filament. One filament is the running light, the other is the turn signal. While the turn signal is active, whether in it’s on or off state, the running light filament is turned off.
 
That makes wiring in a single filament a little trickier. I could probably do it with some diodes but guess I can't just plug in the wires.

running light wire to diode to junction to light
turn signal wire to diode to junction to light

(on each side)

that should work, right?

I imagine I'd need an LED relay too
 
Rather than use running light power, people often run aux lights from a separate power source with a switch or better yet a programmable dimmer controller (such as a Skene IQ-275). Since LED aux lights often have wide beam patterns, it’s nice to be able to control their intensity in certain situations so as not to blind other drivers.
 
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true, but having the lights up higher has some advantages as far as seeing goes.

I don't have crash bars, and haven't really liked having lights down low on the forks in the past.

Buy yourself (or make) something similar to the Denali light bar (simple flat stock piece of metal) and mount your lights nice and high. Rewiring the turn signals and hanging a pair of LEDs on those stalks would be a lot of unnecessary work IMHO. The Denali bar is designed to mount on the NC using a couple of stock bolt locations up under the "beak" and would be super easy. I know. I did it ;-)

In the second pic you can see the flat bar stock that the lamps mount to. No need to mount them on crash bars.

These are a pair of Clearwater Krista 2 lamps and they will (and do) turn night into day. They are designed for off road and have a relatively wide beam pattern and due to their retina burning capabilities an adjustable controller for their output is mandatory, otherwise they would be too bright unless running across Montana at 3am ;-)

IMG_2517-XL.jpg


IMG_2530-XL.jpg
 
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what does the flat bar mount to? bike is now at the suspension shop having some work done on the forks (they had WAY too little preload so I wanted to have them generally checked out)
 
There are a couple of bolts under the plastic below the headlamp. The bar uses those holes to mount the bar. The bar is simply a flat piece of stock with a couple of holes drilled it. If I had known how simple it was I would probably have gone to Home Depot and just bought a piece of flat stock for a couple of dollars and drilled it myself.


Denali Auxiliary Light Mount Honda NC700X 2012-2015 - RevZilla
 
at $35 and powdercoated it's a little temping to just buy it... but it looks like it puts the lights a little farther out than I'd go with, and if I'm drilling holes I'll just make it from scratch. Might use aluminum instead of steel, I have quite a bit of 3/4 .120 square tube.
 
at $35 and powdercoated it's a little temping to just buy it... but it looks like it puts the lights a little farther out than I'd go with, and if I'm drilling holes I'll just make it from scratch. Might use aluminum instead of steel, I have quite a bit of 3/4 .120 square tube.

Be aware that whenever you mount something under the beak, you'll want to ensure that the front fender will not hit it at full fork compression.
 
I'm a little surprised that the camera mounted under the end of the beak doesn't show any signs of impact, nor does the fender.
 
My plan had been wiring them to the brights, not lows
Mine are powered independent of the motorcycle's lighting system (but not ignition) and use the bike's high beam trigger in a pretty clever way...

A digital rheostat controls the lamp's output. I turn it down during the day and have the option of putting on yellow lens covers to be more conspicuous. These are features that lots of lamps have, especially if they are capable of pumping out serious lumens.

But, at night with the rheostat turned down (so not to blind oncoming traffic) if I hit my high beams they will trigger the aux lamps to go full on, regardless of rheostat setting. I think I rode the bike for about year before taking advantage of that option. No fumbling around trying to turn up the dial when I need more light Right Now!

I had no idea how useful that feature would be. It allows me to turn down the output and not blind anyone (giving me a vast improvement over the stock yellow candle) yet gives me full power at the flick of the motorcycle's high beam switch.
 
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Mine are powered independent of the motorcycle's lighting system (but not ignition) and use the bike's high beam trigger in a pretty clever way...

A digital rheostat controls the lamp's output. I turn it down during the day and have the option of putting on yellow lens covers to be more conspicuous. These are features that lots of lamps have, especially if they are capable of pumping out serious lumens.

But, at night with the rheostat turned down (so not to blind oncoming traffic) if I hit my high beams they will trigger the aux lamps to go full on, regardless of rheostat setting. I think I rode the bike for about year before taking advantage of that option. No fumbling around trying to turn up the dial when I need more light Right Now!

I had no idea how useful that feature would be. It allows me to turn down the output and not blind anyone (giving me a vast improvement over the stock yellow candle) yet gives me full power at the flick of the motorcycle's high beam switch.
I like your description of how you did it. A few years ago I was up in IL riding from Moonshine/Casey IL some 20 miles through the corn fields heading back to our hotel in a nearby town. I was following a friend who had really good lighting on his FJR. Said friend has competed and finished in rallies up to and including the IBA Rally and has serious Clearwater lighting up front - not sure of the girl's names but essentially it was like riding behind a Boeing 747 on final approach when he lit everything up. Not only could I see all the deer 1/2 miles down the road grazing on the roadside grass I could see the shy ones just peeking out of the corn rows as we passed. And we were doing 75 mph. I was afraid of the deer but I also did not want to get left behind with stock lighting so I tucked in close and held my breath. The next morning I commented on the practice of doing 75 mph at night on country roads. He has hit two deer, a bear, and a buzzard in the past and has a fatalistic approach to this custom. "You really can't swerve to miss them, it's blind bad luck to hit one or get hit by one, and since I've hit a few already, what are the chances I'll hit another?" I don't quite agree with this line of thinking but I have to admit extra lighting is a good thing.
 
I've hit exactly one deer. It was unpleasant: doing 75 or 80, it jumped out in front of me from behind cover, I didn't have time to react before I hit it.

I broke 4 bones in my right wrist and hand (including the final digit of my right middle finger - pinched by the brake lever, so I know I was WOT when I hit it) and lacerated my spleen (hit the bars). No broken skin due to gear. It didn't even try to get up.
 
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