Power!

[redthunder]

I've been toying with the idea of picking up some LED strip lighting like this for a couple of things around the house, and then the thought crossed my mind about putting it near the bike 


My first thought was to run it around the inside of my belly pan to give it a bit of a white back lit appearance.


Chances are it could look cack so I don't want to invest too much effort or money into it, with that being said how would something like this best be powered off the bike?


I've no accessories or anything wired to the bike in any way so I've what should be a stock battery/wiring situation to work with.


Thanks for the help!

[Ruby Racing]

 

[Fuzzy]

Illegal no?

[dcurzon]

I put some short strips of that on the nose cone as 'daytime running lights'
They're low amps and 12v so wire them to any switched live feed

[redthunder]

Illegal no?

How so? I can't think of any reason why it would be, at least not over here. If my idea ever comes to fruition it would be along these lines except not as bright or pronounced.

I put some short strips of that on the nose cone as 'daytime running lights'
They're low amps and 12v so wire them to any switched live feed

Was thinking of that as an addition also, I keep my lights on 24/7 though so not sure if I would need more drl's

[Fuzzy]

In the UK that R6 would be waiting to be pulled by the police. Blue lights are a no-no. Believe the lighting regs here mean that lights visible from the front must be white, sides amber and rear red and that'd apply to leds/neons whatever. Blue & green are reserved for emergency services & doctors.

Having said that, loads of bikes have white front facing led drls nowadays and as long as it's sensible & adheres to the above colour regs it will probably be ok. Think fuzz might not be happy with what you propose though, I imagine the law wouldn't be that different in Ireland?

[redthunder]

Similar from what I remember of them but rarely enforced.

That was just an image I found after a quick Google, I'm not dead set on this yet at all really.

Though anything that makes the bike more visible to dozy car drivers would be a welcome addition.

[Punkstig]

If you're adding those and had concerns on power then just remove the sidelight bulb to compensate, those old bulbs draw more than an led strip!

[stevierst]

Forward facing Blue lights on your machine are pretty numb if you ask me! Your just asking for a ticket.

The cops don't often take action with it, but if you've attracted their attention for something else, it's just another offence they can add to the list.

[redthunder]

Forward facing Blue lights on your machine are pretty numb if you ask me!

Agree completely!


Just to be clear I was thinking of white led's on the inside (so not outward facing at all in any direction) that would give a small amount of white reflection on the bottom side of the bike around bottom of engine/downpipes.


Any suggestions for wiring this up so that I could include some sort of connection mid line to the light strip to disconnect it when I remove the belly pan?

[dcurzon]

remove a fuse from your fuse box (maybe the indicator fuse), fit one of these:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/170709632237
put the fuse you removed in the lower fuse holes, and a 5A in the upper, connect live from the led strip to that. Connect the earth to battery or a suitable earth

That will give you live with ignition on.  #
 
You might want to consider a simple switch so you can switch them off if you want to.

Put one of these inline somewhere near the strips so you can connect/disconnect as required:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-AMP-2-Way-Pin-Superseal-Electrical-Waterproof-Connector-1-5-2-5mm-Wire-/130988287477?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item1e7f82a5f5

job jobbed.
 
 

[risticuss]

On the legal/illegal front, my neighbour has a Triumph America and has blue engine bay lights fitted. He's told me that he has pulled up outside the football ground with them on at night and wasn't warned or anything, despite the police being in attendance.


I honestly have no idea on the actual legal front, but a lot of riders ride with black/iridium visors, non legal exhausts, small number plates and haven't had any problems. I suppose it's just whether or not you fancy running the risk if they aren't legal.


That said, all you'd need to do is wire a separate inline switch into it and you can turn them off if you get stopped and instructed too.

[stevierst]

Legal side of it, as previously said other than white or amber front facing lights, and red or amber rear facing lights, there shouldn't be any others on it at all.

Like I said, generally the cops won't stop you unless you give them a reason to, then it's just another thing to add to the list of offences.

They might 'have a word' if your at a bike meet in the dark somewhere, a good friend if mine attends these on his police bike, a Kwaka ZX10r. He educates some of the silly buggers that go too far. One of his best ones was he spotted 12 offences just standing next to a bike, the owner could have gained 36 points on his licence without even sitting in it!!!!

[ChristoT]

Legal side of it, as previously said other than white or amber front facing lights, and red or amber rear facing lights, there shouldn't be any others on it at all.

Like I said, generally the cops won't stop you unless you give them a reason to, then it's just another thing to add to the list of offences.

They might 'have a word' if your at a bike meet in the dark somewhere, a good friend if mine attends these on his police bike, a Kwaka ZX10r. He educates some of the silly buggers that go too far. One of his best ones was he spotted 12 offences just standing next to a bike, the owner could have gained 36 points on his licence without even sitting in it!!!!

Yikes!

List? 

[stevierst]

I think he tried to race rep it for the road as far as I remember. Illegal tyres (6 points each) race can, taped up headlight, no indicators, no mirrors, tiny plate, iridium visor etc...etc....

I think he did the lad a favour and told him to take it home in a recovery truck.