Idiot lights led

Onder · Jul 24, 2018

Are there any LED replacement bulbs for the idiot lights atop the headlamp shell?
It would be useful to be able to see them in daylight esp the indicators.

peculierboy · Jul 24, 2018

I replaced mine with these.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/PL1601Y-ATI-16mm-5-8-Yellow-12V-LED-Signal-Indicator-Pilot-Dash-Light-Hot-Rod/321609087070?epid=1358532194&hash=item4ae165385e%3Ag%3A8TsAAOSw2XFUgtUL%3Asc%3AUSPSFirstClass%2104609%21US%21-1&_sacat=0&_nkw=hot+rod+led+light&_from=R40&rt=nc&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313.TR1.TRC0.A0.H0.Xhot+rod+led+light.TRS0.TSS0

You can get various colors as well.

Brooking 850 · Jul 24, 2018

Are they polarity sensitive?

Lineslinger · Jul 24, 2018

I put LED’s in the 3 prismatic headlight indicator lamps and then ended up taking them out.
Too bright, too distracting, honestly that level of brilliance is not required, even in full sunlight.
With that being said I did upgrade to LED on all the other light sources.

Mr. Rick · Jul 24, 2018

These fit most motorcycle warning lights and replace the 12V 2W BA7s bulb.

They're brighter & available in Blue Green White & Red.

Pt. Nos. LDBA7 + the colour. White & Red & yellow O/STOCK

£3.00 each

Warning Lights to suit £4.95 each

Colour Part no.
Blue HL10152
Amber HL10153
Red HL10154
Green HL10155

From: http://www.norbsa02.freeuk.com/goffyleds.htm

Tornado · Jul 24, 2018

I'd recommend a SparkBright Voltage Indicating LED (http://www.sparkbright.co.uk/sparkright-eclipse-battery-voltage-monitor.php) for the charge indicator bulb position...(ditching the assimilator device in the process). It auto-dims in lower ambient light so not distracting at night and of course gives great feedback on status of charging system (using 3 different colours and a couple of flashing patterns). Two wire connection works in both positive or negative earth setups. The 8mm diameter option fits the Commando shell hole.

For other LED options for rest of shell/instrument/park light/main beam/turns/brake lights check out Dynamo Regulator Conversions motocycle section (http://www.dynamoregulatorconversions.com/led-bulbs-especially-for-motorcycles-shop.php)

marshg246 · Jul 24, 2018

Reversing the polarity is easy for the red and green lights, just switch the leads. It's also possible to simply buy positive ground LEDs.

The turn signal (amber) cannot be easily used with LED due to the way they are connected. You would need a different flasher (one that handles the indicator separately) and a wiring to run to that flasher. The amber light is connected across the two turn signals so the current flows in opposite directions between the left and right signals.

Tornado · Jul 24, 2018

I believe the DRC website I linked previously has a kit for making a turn signal indicator ("Tell Tale") LED work correctly with LED turn lamps and an LED-compatible flasher relay.

Onder · Jul 25, 2018

Cannot be too bright for the turn indicator , I leave it on all the time. Never had indicators on a bike in 50 years but
once on a Honda so not hard wired in my brain to deal with them. However in today's traffic hand signals are hopeless.
Thanks for all the leads.

Dellis · Jul 25, 2018

Tornado said:
I'd recommend a SparkBright Voltage Indicating LED (http://www.sparkbright.co.uk/sparkright-eclipse-battery-voltage-monitor.php) for the charge indicator bulb position...(ditching the assimilator device in the process). It auto-dims in lower ambient light so not distracting at night and of course gives great feedback on status of charging system (using 3 different colours and a couple of flashing patterns). Two wire connection works in both positive or negative earth setups. The 8mm diameter option fits the Commando shell hole.

Hi Tornado,

Are you sure about the diameter? I’ve ordered th 10mm which requires a hole of 14mm and the idiot light holes in my headlamp shell are very slightly under 14mm. I’ve just placed the order but not had the invoice yet so it’s no too late for me to change.

Cheers
Dave

Tornado · Jul 25, 2018

Dellis said:
Hi Tornado,

Are you sure about the diameter? I’ve ordered th 10mm which requires a hole of 14mm and the idiot light holes in my headlamp shell are very slightly under 14mm. I’ve just placed the order but not had the invoice yet so it’s no too late for me to change.

Cheers
Dave

I ordered the Eclipse 8 (which is 8mm hole diameter) based on rwc from another owner on these forums and seemed right upon measuring my stock lamp in that location. Note I have the 5 3/4" HiRider spec shell, so your mileage may vary ;-)
The Eclipse 8 fit the hole a bit on loose side, so I gobbled it up with black polyurethane automotive sealant...not visible from outside.
Works a treat.
Tooling around the city I can now see what my stator is outputting and how well/poorly the Zener is handling over volts at higher revs (hint, it isn't handling higher volts well...so a proper reg/rec might be in the bike's future!).

Mr. Rick · Jul 25, 2018

I bought one of these Eclipse units and cd never figure out where to put it.
My headlamp shell is occupied and there is an oil pressure gauge between the clocks. Has anybody mounted it outside the shell?

Dellis · Jul 26, 2018

Tornado said:
I ordered the Eclipse 8 (which is 8mm hole diameter) based on rwc from another owner on these forums and seemed right upon measuring my stock lamp in that location. Note I have the 5 3/4" HiRider spec shell, so your mileage may vary ;-)
The Eclipse 8 fit the hole a bit on loose side, so I gobbled it up with black polyurethane automotive sealant...not visible from outside.
Works a treat.
Tooling around the city I can now see what my stator is outputting and how well/poorly the Zener is handling over volts at higher revs (hint, it isn't handling higher volts well...so a proper reg/rec might be in the bike's future!).

Hi Tornado,

Thanks for that, I remeasured the hole and I’m going for the 10mm, I’ll let you know how it fits... The reason I want one is to keep an eye on the charging while the lights are on, I already have a reg/rec on mine and it maxes out at 14.5v directly from the reg/rec, they’re cheap and from my experience worth fitting.

Cheers
Dave

Dellis · Jul 29, 2018

Tornado said:
I ordered the Eclipse 8 (which is 8mm hole diameter) based on rwc from another owner on these forums and seemed right upon measuring my stock lamp in that location. Note I have the 5 3/4" HiRider spec shell, so your mileage may vary ;-)
The Eclipse 8 fit the hole a bit on loose side, so I gobbled it up with black polyurethane automotive sealant...not visible from outside.
Works a treat.
Tooling around the city I can now see what my stator is outputting and how well/poorly the Zener is handling over volts at higher revs (hint, it isn't handling higher volts well...so a proper reg/rec might be in the bike's future!).

Tornado,

I ordered the 10mm and had to enlarge the hole slightly having said that it works a treat, I like the dimming function too.

Dave

Tornado · Jul 29, 2018

Dellis said:
Tornado,

I ordered the 10mm and had to enlarge the hole slightly having said that it works a treat, I like the dimming function too.

Dave

Yes, since installing it I've determined my Zener may not be holding higher volts from stator down to under 15vdc...SparkBright is showing the solid amber when extended periods of 2-3000+ rpm.

Onder · Jul 29, 2018

Funny this comes up now as yesterday I was running up and saw the green/red flashing which says more than 15 volts.
Factory manual says 14v is when the zener begins to pass current, at appx 15v it should pass 5 amps . All my other bikes have
volt meters and with no lamps on at cruise I can see 15.2 . Now the point is I think the zener is passing voltage at this point but clearly has a
higher cutoff than the electronic type rectifier-regulators. Tomorrow Ill put a multimeter on it and Im sure Ill find the same as the other bikes
they are all old british dog waste same Lucas stuff.

Tornado · Jul 29, 2018

Yes, you may be correct there...the SB led is warning where lead acids should charged below, so our Zeners likely go above that threshold and may not be best for battery longevity esp if riding for longer periods of time at the voltage ( overheating battery not good).

Idiot lights led

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