Daytime running lights for my K1200S

[TomL]

Nobody makes daytime running lights for the K1200S so I thought I would make some up myself.

Might remove the yellow parking light bulb.



Made a couple of brackets to attach to the oil cooler housing and position the LEDs just below the intake ducts.


Used a couple of Eagle Eye 10w LEDs at the huge cost of £2.22.

[Matt]

Hey Tom.  Thanks for this.  One question, what's the wiring situation?

[TomL]

I spliced and soldered into the wiring for the little parking light bulb which hangs down in the middle.

[Steve F]

Wunderlich do microflooters/spots and DRLs for the K12S. I fitted them onto my K13GT, and am very smitten with them...! Admittedly, not cheap but Wunderlich's kit form has everything you need for a hassle-free installation.

[TomL]

Found the Wunderlich lights and agree that they look great.

http://www.wunderlichamerica.com/motorcycle/8600594.html

Little bit more expensive than my offering.

[Dusty]

I followed your lead, Tom, and installed a couple of cheap LEDs as DRLs. While I was at it, I installed a separate 4 way accessory fuse box for these lights, a 12V socket and my Stebel horn. The box is fed by a relay with main power from the battery and switching from the tail light. This seemed fine when I tested it, with no warnings on the display. However, after I had it wired up properly, the LAMPR warning came on, although the tail-lamp is OK. I had thought that a relay switched from the tail light would not be detected as a bulb failure by the canbus, but I appear to be wrong. Did your feed from the front lamp not trigger a similar warning? Perhaps the front marker lamp doesn't have this protection? I've also considered using the headlamp feed on the assumption that the relay current will be a smaller proportion of the total, and therefore possibly not detected by the canbus. I'd be grateful for comments from anyone with any knowledge or experience of this.

[Costas]

Pretty sure that adding two extra light helps a lot with the idiots with cans, they certainly need something to draw their attention from the HUD.
In my case in addition to the side under badge led have installed a led flashing white led light in place of the long life bulb, it too helps a lot, and with a turn in the switch flashing stops, so no issues with blues..

[TomL]

I followed your lead, Tom, and installed a couple of cheap LEDs as DRLs. While I was at it, I installed a separate 4 way accessory fuse box for these lights, a 12V socket and my Stebel horn. The box is fed by a relay with main power from the battery and switching from the tail light. This seemed fine when I tested it, with no warnings on the display. However, after I had it wired up properly, the LAMPR warning came on, although the tail-lamp is OK. I had thought that a relay switched from the tail light would not be detected as a bulb failure by the canbus, but I appear to be wrong. Did your feed from the front lamp not trigger a similar warning? Perhaps the front marker lamp doesn't have this protection? I've also considered using the headlamp feed on the assumption that the relay current will be a smaller proportion of the total, and therefore possibly not detected by the canbus. I'd be grateful for comments from anyone with any knowledge or experience of this.

The two 10w LEDs that I used didn't trigger the can bus. I did also take out the little side light bulb in the middle because it didn't look so good being yellowish.

I used to have an LED rear light which started putting up the LAMPR light after they did an unasked for software update when it went in for a recall. When I went back and complained they said that they were unable to backdate the software so I had to fit the original red rear light, which the previous owner had given me with the bike, to stop the LAMPR fault. Very annoying seeing as they charged me for the update without asking if I wanted it.

You could try it without the relay which might be causing more of a voltage spike than the LEDs.

[raesewell]

Dusty, you may have problems because the rear light is dual voltage for stop and tail.
I took the feed from the front side lights and have no problems.

[Dusty]

Thanks for the prompt feedback and suggestions, guys;appreciated.

Tom, I think my LEDs are the same as yours; 10W and very cheap!  I'd like to keep the relay as it allows me to have a separate accessory fuse box that is only live when the ignition is on. I had the same problem with a rear LED lamp fitting and I, too, refitted the original because I couldn't stand the LAMPR warning. If I recall correctly, it was only the brake light that caused a problem. It was a pity because I liked the rear LED's brightness and appearance.

Rae, I had forgotten about the dual voltage supply to the rear. That may explain why the canbus is detecting the relay. I think I'll take the feed off the front marker as you guys have done. I only used the rear because it's what I've done successfully in the past and it was easier to solder a connection to the spade connectors there than to splice and solder the thin feed to the front lamp. 

[raesewell]

I used one of these to tap in
http://www.performancemotorcare.com/acatalog/Posi_Tap_Connectors.html
Quick easy and re-useable, I love em

[Phmode]

To all you light crazy guys out there!

Leds on bikes are as bad as leds on cars, they BLIND everyone coming the other way.

Brian (whose car drifts inexplicably over the white line when he can't see where he is going, strangely with full beam illuminated)

[Costas]

Thanks for the prompt feedback and suggestions, guys;appreciated.

Tom, I think my LEDs are the same as yours; 10W and very cheap!  I'd like to keep the relay as it allows me to have a separate accessory fuse box that is only live when the ignition is on. I had the same problem with a rear LED lamp fitting and I, too, refitted the original because I couldn't stand the LAMPR warning. If I recall correctly, it was only the brake light that caused a problem. It was a pity because I liked the rear LED's brightness and appearance.

Rae, I had forgotten about the dual voltage supply to the rear. That may explain why the canbus is detecting the relay. I think I'll take the feed off the front marker as you guys have done. I only used the rear because it's what I've done successfully in the past and it was easier to solder a connection to the spade connectors there than to splice and solder the thin feed to the front lamp. 

You can buy and install a resistor that will fool the canbus and problem solved in an instant as I did with my RIZOMA rear turn indicators.

[Dusty]

That's a useful tip, Rae, thanks. I've never seen these before and I hate Scotchloks so worth a try.

Brian, in principle, I agree with you, however a 10W LED in daylight will dazzle nobody, and they'll be switched off at night. I'm relying on the well-documented theory that a triangle of 3 lights improves visibility. I'm no fan of the use of DRLs on cars nowadays but I have no doubt that the ruling has made motorcycles tin boxes.less visible than they were in the sea of fairy-light adorned tin boxes.

I did consider a resistor, Costas, but couldn't be bothered with the faff at the time. That would solve the rear LED light problem but not my current issue where the added load is triggering the fault warning.

[TomL]

I wouldn't switch them off at night Dusty. Connect them up so that they come on whenever the headlight is on.