Adding Driving Lights To A '04 Cali EV Touring. Done

[Tom H]

I think I have the mounting sorted for the driving lights without drilling holes in the fairing. Now for the wiring.

I would like to know if this will work or is there a better way. I do want switched power so that if I leave them on somehow, they will turn off with the key.

My plan is to run the power wire with an inline fuse from the battery to a relay and then to the light. With my mounting idea, I should have ground at the light to the forks. Or I'll pick up a ground somewhere else if the steering bearings may cause a poor ground?

I plan to find a place to switch on the relay using power from the high beam switch so that they come on with the high beam. Is this a bad idea?  Where would be a good and clean looking place, I was thinking of in the headlight shell? Is there a better place at the fuse/relay block? I'll be running lights power from the battery so adding another wire to the relay is not a problem.

On my old bikes I did the same basic thing for the wiring, but used a toggle switch mounted on the bars just below the Yamaha style switch unit that I could easily flip with my thumb and still hod the grip. The EV does not have a location for a toggle switch within easy reach of a finger.

Do any of you see an issue with the way I was planing to do this? I don't think that the power to work the relay would be much, the high beam switch should handle it???

Any thoughts?

Thank you,
Tom

[Bill Hagan]

Kind of a parallel universe answer to my own inquiry minutes before yours.   

Wayne mounted a switch on my handlebars near clutch lever.  Here's a pic that gives idea; can take close-up after my path to the Moto Grappa melts! 





Bill

[Edited to add pic.]

[Carlo DeSantis]

FWIW, when I wired aux lights on my '01EV, I used an Autoswitch.  <http://www.autoswitch.com/index.php>

I used the high beam flasher to trigger the Autoswitch, so I could avoid another handlebar switch and it was always right there under my left index finger with my hand on the left grip.

Cost about $20 or so when I got mine.  As you are planning, I had the power running directly from he battery via a relay.  I'd suggest getting your ground be on the battery side of the steering head.  I used a ring terminal that I attached to the stud under the chrome trim on the frame side of the steering head.

Best,

Carlo

[Tom H]

Bill, I see the switch in this and the pic from your post. I want it like thumb close, I think in front like that I would have to take my hand off the grip to reach. I look at that though when I get home.

Carlo, Sounds like the Autoswitch takes the load off of the high beam switch to trigger the relay. How does this up to 10 second hold thing work?

Tom

[Bill Hagan]

Bill, I see the switch in this and the pic from your post. I want it like thumb close, I think in front like that I would have to take my hand off the grip to reach. I look at that though when I get home.

Carlo, Sounds like the Autoswitch takes the load off of the high beam switch to trigger the relay. How does this up to 10 second hold thing work?

Tom

Understand.

If it helps, Wayne configured mine such that if I leave the switch in the "off" position, I can use the high-beam flash button to light 'em up.

'Course, if you want those to stay on that way, might make for a tired index finger!   

Bill

[StuCorpe]

I wired the relay on mine to work off the "Low beam". On automobiles the auxillary lights are supposed to be on the low beam so I just followed that rule.

[Carlo DeSantis]

Bill, I see the switch in this and the pic from your post. I want it like thumb close, I think in front like that I would have to take my hand off the grip to reach. I look at that though when I get home.

Carlo, Sounds like the Autoswitch takes the load off of the high beam switch to trigger the relay. How does this up to 10 second hold thing work?

Tom

Tom,

On my EV, I would hold the HB flasher for 2 or 3 seconds to toggle the lights on and off.  It worked great for me. 

Best,

Carlo

[rodekyll]

You could put the switch in the floorboard.

[Wayne Orwig]

My 2004 EV has a set of LED lights hanging from the Swanee fairing.
They are set up to light at 100% on high beam. On low beam, they are either off or 20%. The switch for that is a small simple toggle switch, attached to a small metal plate, attached to the left lower mirror mount bold. Easy to hit with my left thumb.

[Tom H]

Carlo, I think I can figure out how to make that work with the switch you mentioned. But, I would like them to be on or off NOW when I want to switch, like my oldies with a toggle switch. The few seconds may seem like a lifetime to on coming traffic. The lights I'm using, just to be clear, are not marker lights. They are very bright and light up way down the road compared to the stock headlight. They are 55W each if I remember right, but the beam is very bright.

Wayne, I was looking at how to mount a toggle switch, mounting it with the same bolts as you mentioned. My oldies, I made a bracket to mount to the Tommaselli clutch bracket pinch bolt. I can see a "L" shaped bracket mounted to the clutch/mirror mount bolts to put it below the horn button. I may do that instead of the high beam switch. Not sure yet on how I'll turn them on. Kinda like Carlo's set up for the wiring, but not for the delay. The lights I'm using I think are off or on. Didn't plan on using them as daytime running lights, though it's a good idea!

I did test mount the RH light tonight. I used a fork tube mount bracket that is 44mm instead of 45mm that I bought on fleabay. Figured I could work with the difference, a longer bolt and a few washers as spacers and the mount was solid to the fork. If glare off the fork is an issue, I can put a spacer between the mount and the light bracket to drop the light mount lower and turn the mount a bit more forward so that it's bit more out in front of the fairing. I was thinking about mounting the bracket below the tree, but I raised my forks a bit to lower the bike and was worried about the travel length.




pictures of image


There was another mount that used a bracket and a bar that mounted under the headlight like a Kurakan (SP) light bar set up. From measurements that I found on the fleabay listing, the mount "should" fit to the two empty bolt holes on my lower triple tree with a spacer to fit them under the lower tree and under the fairing (which hangs just below the lower tree). For now I'm going with the fork tube mount and see if I have a glare problem with the edge of the light on the chrome fork tubes.

To finish this job, I need to get the bike in the garage to do the wiring and final mounting. Right now I've got my Ambo in the garage and I'm thinking of swapping my Ambo's 4 speed to a 5 speed. Or should I finish the light job. Decisions????

Thank you all very much so far!!
Tom

[Carlo DeSantis]

Carlo, I think I can figure out how to make that work with the switch you mentioned. But, I would like them to be on or off NOW when I want to switch, like my oldies with a toggle switch. The few seconds may seem like a lifetime to on coming traffic. The lights I'm using, just to be clear, are not marker lights. They are very bright and light up way down the road compared to the stock headlight. They are 55W each if I remember right, but the beam is very bright.

Tom,

I understand your concern about the RIGHT NOW aspect of a simple toggle switch.  The lights I mounted on my EV were PAR3 bulbs in a chrome housing.  I had one driving light aimed down the road and one fog lamp aimed at the edge of the roadway.  These were bright lights and to be honest, I did miss getting them shut down quickly enough for oncoming traffic a time or two.  But generally I could see the oncoming traffic far enough in advance to have it not be a problem.  YMMV, of course :)

Best,

Carlo

PS: I have a pair of Bosch drivers on my current R1200R, and use a regular toggle to control them.  I would use an Autoswitch if I wan't so concerned about messing with the CanBus system.  All of the electrical add-ons to this bike are isolated from he CanBus.  Call me chicken :)

[Carlo DeSantis]

Tom,

Here are the lights mounted on my EV.  I had to get creative with the mounts so that the lights would clear the windshield.  I later added clear lowers, and had to relocate the lights to the top of the crash bars.




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Best,

Carlo

[Wayne Orwig]

Home made switch






LEDs

[Tom H]

Carlo, I saw those mounts, listed as steering dampener mounts. I was thinking of mounting my lights from below the tree, but I raised my forks up about 1/2" and was concerned about bottoming out on the mount. Would have been a much nicer option. Yours look great like that, about the same location as my oldies.

Wayne, I like the toggle switch where you have it. I think that will work for me. I was also thinking that I may not want to power the relay with the bikes light switch. With the driving lights on a separate circuit, they will still work if I blow a fuse in the stock lights. Had to do that once when my pill box light switch fried on my Eldo.

Thanks again!!
Tom

[Kiwi_Roy]

Home made switch

I like that switch mounting idea,great location, might have to steal that.

[Tom H]

Finally done except for some minor adjustments like aiming the lights.

I used the pilot bulb wire with a fuse added to power a toggle switch on the LH bar. The switch went back to a relay next to the ECU. Then wired from the battery to the relay with a fuse to power the lights.

The hardest part was deciding on where to get power from that was switched on when the key is turned on.

Made up a wiring harness that almost looks like it was from the factory. Should have taken a pic before installation. I got the I'm almost done feeling so I forgot to take the pic.

Some pics:






Thanks to all that offered advise to me, as well as to those on this post:
http://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=89087.0

Tom

[Carlo DeSantis]

Looks good, Tom!

Thanks for closing the loop by sharing the results.

Best,

Carlo