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+--- Thread: Fitting Spotlights (/showthread.php?tid=80410)
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Fitting Spotlights - Middy2000 - 23-01-19
I'm sure it's probably been covered here already but I'm planning on fitting a couple of spotlights to compliment my current headlights (boxeye with twin modification).
What's the easiest way to wire these in.
I'm happy to have them permanently on with the headlights or should I use an independent switch for them?
Which wires do I tap into?
Re: Fitting Spotlights - His Dudeness - 23-01-19
Haven't fitted spot lights myself but if I was I'd probably keep them in a separate loom with their own relay and switch rather than going through the factory loom. Making a separate loom would probably be the easiest way of fitting them and if you want to remove them in the future the factory wiring is still all original. If you don't want a separate switch you could use the switched side of the low beam to control the new relay so that the spot lights come on when the low beams are turned on but personally I'd keep them separate.
Re: Fitting Spotlights - darrsi - 24-01-19
Keep them separate from the headlights.
With the headlight mod done the headlights can be quite juicy on the battery, even more so if you commute in plenty of traffic like me.
But now i use the spots as daylight running lights as they are so bright so i can leave the headlights off which takes unnecessary strain off the battery. The spots are in a different league to the headlights when used in daylight, but i keep both on at night time now as the four lights on at the same time not only light up the road better but they create a much more visible combination for other drivers to see you more easily.
Certainly works for me anyway.
Re: Fitting Spotlights - Middy2000 - 24-01-19
I'll only ever be doing a 13 mile commute in light traffic so I'm not sure I'm in any danger of stressing the battery out too much.
Would I need a relay for a pair of 10w led spotlights as used by others on here?
If I install a new loom for them do I pick up a feed from inside the fuse box similar to installing heated grips?
Re: Fitting Spotlights - slappy - 24-01-19
Have a look at this thread, should give you all the info you need.
http://foc-u.co.uk/index.php/topic,21527.0.html
Re: Fitting Spotlights - darrsi - 24-01-19
(24-01-19, 09:34 PM)Middy2000 link Wrote: I'll only ever be doing a 13 mile commute in light traffic so I'm not sure I'm in any danger of stressing the battery out too much.
Would I need a relay for a pair of 10w led spotlights as used by others on here?
If I install a new loom for them do I pick up a feed from inside the fuse box similar to installing heated grips?
I only do 6 miles each way, the problem is with both sets of lights on and heated grips combined with the bike then sitting all day outside in very cold weather, it's the fact that the short journey doesn't give the battery the real boost that it would appreciate in comparison to if it was on either a longer or motorway journey where it's getting a good blast.
It does seem to cope surprisingly well oddly enough, it's just that i did a test on the headlight power consumption one day and the battery voltage did take a drop with the headlights on, so it only makes sense that if you add spots and heated grips then a small battery could be pushed a bit. Batteries in general don't like cold weather anyway. I use a lot of rechargeable batteries at work with film equipment so know how they perform differently in low temperatures.
Re: Fitting Spotlights - His Dudeness - 25-01-19
I think a front indicator bulb is 21W so 20W for your two spot lights isn't much power and won't affect the battery. 20W/12V=1.7Amp so as long as your switch and wiring is rated higher than that you don't need a relay. But the question is how do you want to control the spot lights?
The easiest way would be add a new length of wire straight from the battery to a fuse, then to a switch on the handlebar, then to the spotlight, then to ground. That will work and is the easiest way to do it and has no connection to the bike's loom but doing it that way means the lights can be left on even when the keys are removed so if you forget to turn the lights off they will drain the battery.
The other way is to do it is to use any switched 12V that only comes on when the ignition is on to control a relay and power the lights through the relay. Or if you want the lights to come on when the low beams are on use the 12V low beam wire to control the relay. Using a switched 12V means that you can't leave the lights on and drain the battery and using the relay means the power for the lights doesn't go through the bike's wiring.
Re: Fitting Spotlights - His Dudeness - 25-01-19
Maybe using a relay is overkill for only 20W someone else who's fitted spot lights could advise on that. I think it's safer using the relay rather than taking power straight from a circuit in the bike's wiring
Re: Fitting Spotlights - Farmboy81 - 25-01-19
(25-01-19, 01:37 AM)His Dudeness link Wrote: The easiest way would be add a new length of wire straight from the battery to a fuse, then to a switch on the handlebar, then to the spotlight, then to ground. That will work and is the easiest way to do it and has no connection to the bike's loom but doing it that way means the lights can be left on even when the keys are removed so if you forget to turn the lights off they will drain the battery.
This is how I did it, with an in-line fuse on the positive and then earthing direct to frame. As His Dudeness says, the only problem with this is that it's possible to leave the lights on (which I did about 10 minutes ago, but someone pointed it out).
My main bit of advice would be not to go too cheap on the switch as the super-cheap one I fitted means that the lights sometimes still get a trickle feed with the switch turned off.
Re: Fitting Spotlights - tommyardin - 25-01-19
(25-01-19, 01:46 AM)His Dudeness link Wrote: Maybe using a relay is overkill for only 20W someone else who's fitted spot lights could advise on that. I think it's safer using the relay rather than taking power straight from a circuit in the bike's wiring
[size=1em]On the my Foxeye I took the power from one of the side lights, from there to a small water proof single pole flick switch on the front fairing under/behind the screen so that it is almost vertical (Helps keep the water from laying on the switch) Then to the fist LED Spot and then across to the other.[/size]
[size=1em]Obviously[/size][size=1em] only one wire needs to be switched (Ensure it is the [/size][size=1.35em]+[/size][size=1em] positive wire) [/size]
[size=1em]You can run a negative feed to each lamp, or ensure that both lamps are well grounded through the mounts.[/size]
[size=1em]As pointed out the added load (20 Watts) will make no difference what-so-ever to the battery performance and will not need a switching relay with a small load like that.[/size]
[size=1em]But you will need to be able to switch the LED spots off or disconnect them for the MOT, as they say they can/do interfere with the headlight beam pattern.[/size]
[size=1em]Wiring the spots from the side light bulb has a few advantages, firstly the whole installation is right next to the fairing so minimum wire length plus it is mostly contained behind the fairing, secondly it is almost impossible to leave the spots switched on flattening your battery, ignition off spot lamps off. thirdly the spots run on the same fuse as the side lights, mine have been running like that for two years with no adverse effect on the fuse. [/size]
[size=1em]The only caveat to that is if you turn your ignition switch to parking light position the spots will stay on, but my reckoning on that is if you are leaving the bike at night with the parking lights on you will notice the blaze of brilliant blue/white light illuminating the far galaxies.[/size]
[size=1em]Remember before you finally put your tools away that any diode is a one way gate, electricity can only pass through one way, if the positive does not go to the correct side of the LED it will not illuminate. [/size]
Re: Fitting Spotlights - Middy2000 - 25-01-19
I'm happy to wire them so they come on with the current lights and not have a switch. Where I take my bike for MOT they aren't too fussy about stuff like that so I can't imagine it'll fail.
Re: Fitting Spotlights - darrsi - 25-01-19
(25-01-19, 05:12 PM)Middy2000 link Wrote: I'm happy to wire them so they come on with the current lights and not have a switch. Where I take my bike for MOT they aren't too fussy about stuff like that so I can't imagine it'll fail.
Depends if you want to use them as daylight running lights.
If you do there's really no need to have the headlights on at the same time as well, as they still look extremely bright even in sunlight.
I had another biker riding a bit strangely ahead of me a few months back, then he eventually pulled aside at traffic lights to ask me where i got them from as he was so impressed at the light they were giving out.
All the swerving about in front of me was him checking them out in his wing mirrors. :lol
Re: Fitting Spotlights - Frosties - 31-01-19
(25-01-19, 10:26 AM)Farmboy81 link Wrote: [quote author=His Dudeness link=topic=24887.msg291277#msg291277 date=1548376660]
The easiest way would be add a new length of wire straight from the battery to a fuse, then to a switch on the handlebar, then to the spotlight, then to ground. That will work and is the easiest way to do it and has no connection to the bike's loom but doing it that way means the lights can be left on even when the keys are removed so if you forget to turn the lights off they will drain the battery.
This is how I did it, with an in-line fuse on the positive and then earthing direct to frame. As His Dudeness says, the only problem with this is that it's possible to leave the lights on (which I did about 10 minutes ago, but someone pointed it out).
My main bit of advice would be not to go too cheap on the switch as the super-cheap one I fitted means that the lights sometimes still get a trickle feed with the switch turned off.
[/quote]
Nothing wrong with doing it this way fella apart from forgetting they're on. I've wired 3 different ways on my bikes
1) From the sidelight to a relay
2) From the heated grips feed (which is tapped from rear brake feed)
3) Direct from the battery to a fuse/switch
Everyone has different DIY abilities and requirements so be it tapped from headlights as Middy2000 suggests or any of the other routes then go for it....AS LONG AS IT'S FUSED SOMEWHERE :thumbup
Re: Fitting Spotlights - darrsi - 05-02-19
Apparently 20w (2 x 10w spots) pulls about 1.7 volts from a 12v battery when running, which is sod all.
I thought i'd give my battery a little booster charge last week seeing as the weather was getting very nippy, but when i first took it off the bike and tested the voltage straight away on my bench it was showing as 12.97v (which would be slowly dropping), and once connected to a charger it showed as fully charged in less than 30 seconds, so it was good to know that the electrical circuit and battery was all fine and was coping very well with the spots, headlights and heated grips on a high setting in very cold conditions.
Re: Fitting Spotlights - redmandan - 05-02-19
Do you have them mounted on the side of the radiator? I’ve seen someone on here with them mounted on a pole that attaches into a hole in the frame right behind the radiator. I really liked this set up as it doubled up as extra crash protection but I couldn’t find where to buy the poles from.
Re: Fitting Spotlights - darrsi - 05-02-19
.
Re: Fitting Spotlights - Frosties - 06-02-19
(05-02-19, 09:11 PM)redmandan link Wrote: Do you have them mounted on the side of the radiator? I’ve seen someone on here with them mounted on a pole that attaches into a hole in the frame right behind the radiator. I really liked this set up as it doubled up as extra crash protection but I couldn’t find where to buy the poles from.
Hiya fella, the guy you need to ask is tommyjardin - his bike up for grabs in the "For Sale" section.
Re: Fitting Spotlights - Middy2000 - 06-02-19
I've mounted mine on the higher of the two bolts on the side of the radiator. They're on but yet to be connected as I'm awaiting a switch which I've ordered as I've decided to have the option of turning them off.
I'm hoping to get everything done including the heated grips over the weekend.
Obligatory photo's will be posted.
Next challenge is a gear indicator as I seem to like 7th gear.
Re: Fitting Spotlights - darrsi - 07-02-19
(06-02-19, 04:54 AM)Middy2000 link Wrote: I've mounted mine on the higher of the two bolts on the side of the radiator. They're on but yet to be connected as I'm awaiting a switch which I've ordered as I've decided to have the option of turning them off.
I'm hoping to get everything done including the heated grips over the weekend.
Obligatory photo's will be posted.
Next challenge is a gear indicator as I seem to like 7th gear.
They are quite a high revving bike, but it's something you will get used to, personally i don't see the point in a gear indicator as you will roughly get to know the sound of what gear you're in soon enough, but each to their own.
Re: Fitting Spotlights - Middy2000 - 10-02-19
Well they're on & done.
Tried to run a feed via fuse box but couldn't get the connector out of the block to crimp a wire into so instead went into the connector box underneath the tank & found the ignition feed & cut into that.
Grounded everything via a bolt underneath the tank too.
Used the feed to put some heated grips on as well.
Can't for one minute think the ignition feed will be stressed by having grips & spots on them.
Anyway I believe it's obligatory to post pictures.